Host
Written by Robin Cook
Narrated by George Guidall
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Lynn Peirce, a fourth-year medical student at South Carolina's Mason-Dixon University, thinks she has her life figured out. But when her otherwise healthy boyfriend, Carl, enters the hospital for routine surgery, her neatly ordered life is thrown into total chaos. Carl fails to return to consciousness after the procedure, and an MRI confirms brain death.
Devastated by Carl's condition, Lynn searches for answers. Convinced there's more to the story than what the authorities are willing to reveal, Lynn uses all her resources at Mason-Dixon-including her initially reluctant lab partner, Michael Pender-to hunt down evidence of medical error or malpractice.
What she uncovers, however, is far more disturbing. Hospitals associated with Middleton Healthcare, including the Mason-Dixon Medical Center, have unnervingly high rates of unexplained anesthetic complications and patients contracting serious and terminal illness in the wake of routine hospital admissions.
When Lynn and Michael begin to receive death threats, they know they're into something bigger than either of them anticipated. They soon enter a desperate race against time for answers before shadowy forces behind Middleton Healthcare and their partner, Sidereal Pharmaceuticals, can put a stop to their efforts once and for all.
From the Hardcover edition.
Robin Cook
Doctor and author Robin Cook is widely credited with introducing the word ‘medical’ to the thriller genre, and decades after the publication of his 1977 breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. Cook has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce over thirty international bestsellers, including Outbreak, Terminal, Contagion, Chromosome 6, Foreign Body, Intervention and Cure.
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Reviews for Host
19 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I only give it a 3 instead of a 4 because I want to know more because it kind of ends on a cliff hanger and there is no word of her writing any additional books in this series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm giving away the end of the book here. Read at your own peril.In many ways this book fell back on familiar patterns. Darkness attacks Mineral City, Thorn and Co. beat it back only to have an even worse Darkness rise up which then must be beaten back.The book also suffers from the "everyone is in love with the main character, who is in turn in love with everyone" problem. For my money, I'd pick Eli. He knows what's he's getting into and wants to do it anyway. They seem to have a genuine, non mage-heat induced chemistry.The attraction between Thadd and Thorn seems to be mostly hormonal. There seemed to be more in the first two books but he's not really a presence in this book.And of course there's Thorn and Lucas. Lucas apparently has great charisma but it's never really come through for me in the book. She knows he will never stay faithful so despite shared history I'd say be done with him. I'm not quite sure if the reader is supposed to find Lucas attractive (or at least interesting) or if we're just supposed to acknowledge that Thorn finds him so.I will say one of the things I really like is that even though there's the everybody is in love with everybody problem, Thorn is not described as particularly beautiful. In fact, she now has so many scars from various battles that she is most definitely not beautiful which lessens my annoyance with everyone being in love with her. Or at least, lusting after her. I'd say Eli and Lucas might lean toward love, I think Thadd is mostly lust and since it's completely beyond his control, that helps lessen my annoyance too.There was more political stuff this time, which I enjoyed. Enclave politics, Seraphic politics, town politics... I like how Thorn is making it up as she goes along and how utterly useless the visa is.I really hope that Thorn doesn't follow in the tradition of many a female protagonist with an awesome amount of power and give it all up in the end.I really liked Eli's question about whether we'd automatically assume that the Seraphs were the good guys if they were ugly and the Darkness was beautiful. It reminds me of a line from the movie The Prophecy. Thomas Dagget: Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel? It is pretty incredible that the Seraphs killed 6 billion people and yet humans assume they're on the good side.While I can certainly understand the EIH's opinion, I hope they aren't right. I dig the idea of it really being a religious thing that wasn't quite what anyone expected. Besides, if they are right, why does scripture bother Darkness? Did Light and Dark have a meeting before trying to take over the earth and agree to those rules?I'm a little conflicted about Hunter finally addressing the homosexuality issue. On the one hand, I liked that Rupert and Audric are more or less accepted on the other hand, I always thought it was unbelievable that they're branding people for swearing, drinking, etc. and yet leaving homosexuals alone. In today's culture the far right would have blamed them for the apocalypse happening in the first place. Also the feminists. Though for a very orthodox, traditional society there seems to be remarkable parity between the sexes.It was really the last 30 or so pages that made the novel for me. I didn't care all that much about Rose or whether she could be rescued (it actually seemed like a more pressing concern in the first two books)but Rupert's death was terrible and tragic. His final "Audric" was heart breaking. I cried. I love Rupert and Audric together.Even so, I was glad that once Rupert had died he couldn't be brought back. Doing so would have lessened the impact of his death. It would have cheapened it, and his sacrifice.Of course, I couldn't help wishing it was a character I cared less about, namely Lucas. Failing that, I would have taken Thadd. I liked him a lot in previous books but his presence was almost non-existent in this one.I understand why it had to be Rupert. It sets Thorn against Rose, and I would imagine it at least distances Audric from Thorn. Intellectually he probably knows it's not her fault, but emotionally it's a different story. I think his duty would keep him bound to her but I know things will be strained between them. I'm not sure their friendship will survive.I also think the narrative was at a point where a greater sacrifice was called for. Audric is too important to the story line to die and possibly Hunter realized that Lucas wouldn't have the same impact.But as terrible as Audric's life, his existence has been, I wanted him to be happy. And he was happy with Rupert.Like Thorn, I hate Rose, though it's no more Rose's fault than it is Thorn's and intellectually I know that Rupert would have died either way since the Seraphs were already going into heat. He was beyond saving, and had Rose not taken his life his death would not have been as meaningful and they may have fallen to the Dark. Still, I blame her. And hate her.Rupert's death was necessary but damn if it doesn't hurt like hell.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I usually am a fan of Robin Cook, but it has been a while since I read one of his books. I read this one after Charlatans. Two issues I did not like. Half of this book was appeared to be a copy and paste of lengthy passages from Charlatans. It was immediately obvious, and gave a "indifferent" appearance to the story line. Which surprised me from such a famous author. Secondly, I grew tired of the narration after two books. The narrator seemed weary and mispronounced words. His gender voice changes were awkward. I did finish both books. But I do not think I will listen to any others.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rogue Mage series by Faith Hunter is set in a post-apocalyptic world, some generations after Seraphs revealed themselves to the world and joined forces with humans to battle demons. Magic is unleashed upon the world when the offspring of Seraphs & humans come of age; these "mages" have the ability to cast spells, create amulets & wards. Because of their powers, they are kept in enclaves and strictly monitored. The heroine of the series, Thorn St. Croix, is a rogue mage, living as a human outside the mage enclaves, which is illegal. Thorn makes a living crafting jewelry, which comes naturally to her since she is a stone mage, with an affinity for rocks & gemstones. Thorn is surrounded by close friends, none of whom know the truth about her magic abilities.In Host, the third book of the series, Thorn is once again embroiled in a battle against darkness, fighting to save the town at a terrible cost. The stakes are raised when a mage from the enclave arrives in town, and she discovers that her sister Rose may still be alive. And she still can't choose among the men surrounding her!The series is an interesting blend of urban fantasy and apocalyptic theology (though it's a new theology -- upon their arrival, the Seraphs declared all major religions inaccurate and thus a new religion is created). The author's world-building is detailed and consistent, gorgeously described. In particular, Thorn's affinity for gemstones, colors, and the building of magic spells is beautifully covered in great detail; I found it fascinating, but working with gems & colors & magic may not be everyone's cup of tea. The characters are also well drawn, interesting, and likeable, even minor characters; and the relationships between the various characters are believable and ring true. I would read the series for the characters alone, but the unique setting and descriptive writing has me rushing out to get the next book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A worthy successor to the previous books, this author continues to impress with increasingly well written material, I thoroughly recommend this book and its predecessors and look forward in anticipation to the next book in the series.l
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The end of this series that was one of my favorite in a long time. Thorn find back her Rose and face what she is and what she can do. It's a sad book with many things tearing into Thorn's heart. But we see that she is truly strong.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love this series. Seriously. There's tons of action, some serious sexual tension and a plot that will entice you to want to read on. I hope she ends up writing more about this world and character. :)