A PLACE FROM THE LATE READ PAGES

THE HOST

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Science Fiction/ Romance Novel

The novel revolves around humans and an alien species nicknamed Souls. They are described as a formless mass of luminescent energy and silver shimmering gleam.

Wanderer “Wanda” is an explorer Soul, who has been to nine planets and inhabited even more bodies. However, when she is placed in Melanie’s “Mel” body, she witnesses feelings of Mel, but experiences them like her own. In refusal to relinquish the possession of the mind, they soon begin to appreciate each other’s her-story and learn to co-exist in the same human vessel.

One such adventure of theirs, talks about this place.

Somewhere in the middle of Arizona des

ert, Mel is taken to her Great-Uncle Jeb’s hiding spot. It comprises of a greatly extensive network of Lava Caves and cave-lets branching underground. A tedious effort, which took Jeb 15 years to perfect it out.

At first, the caves appear to be just regular caves, used by the remaining humans to hide. Just as the exploration begins, the features of the place brighten the footing. The cave

s are revealed as giant ancient Lava “Tube” Caves from a long dead volcano. Giant air bubbles left trapped in lava provide smaller chambers connected to the branches, which are used as sleeping quarters.

The entrances of the cave-lets are covered by a variety of makeshift doors. Some curtained off with patterned sheets of fabric; others had big pieces of cardboard duct-taped together.

Getting into intricacies of the hideout, the floor and walls have been rubbed off their sharp “lavacicles” edges. Lava layers along the walls form seating benches. An underground river opens up through a crack in the floor, within a cave-let and used for washing, cleaning and bathing purposes. However, the water has a Sulphurous tinge to its taste.

T

he high roof of the spinal cave is pierced (both naturally and forcefully) at places and lighted with portholes sort of openings, to achieve visibility in the whole system of caves. A wide opening Lava Tube is especially dedicated to agriculture for

sustenance. The ceiling, twice as high as the cave was wide, was a maze of cracks. Like vines of light, the cracks circled around and almost met, which provided all the sun needed for the crops to grow. It gave a strange feeling of vertigo, since it was so much taller than it was wide.