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  • Host

  • By: Peter James
  • Narrated by: Matt Reeves
  • Length: 20 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (246 ratings)
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Host cover art

Host

By: Peter James
Narrated by: Matt Reeves
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Summary

How far would you go to live forever?

Brilliant scientist Joe Messenger believes that people can be made to live forever. Knowing the human body can be frozen indefinitely, Joe devises a way of downloading the human brain into a supercomputer called ARCHIVE.

But Joe's wife, Karen, is worried by his preoccupation with ARCHIVE, which seems to be developing signs of a distinct and sinister personality of its own.

Then, just as Joe is on the brink of a scientific breakthrough, a series of macabre accidents befall him and his family - and Joe finds himself facing the terrifying consequences of his own obsessions.

Also from multimillion-copy best-selling author of the Roy Grace novels:

  • Possession
  • Dreamer
  • Sweet Heart
  • Twilight
  • Prophecy
  • Host
  • Alchemist
  • Denial
  • The Truth
  • Faith
©2018 Peter James (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"Easily James's best book to date; a thought-provoking menacer that's completely technological and genuinely frightening about the power of future communications." (Time Out)
"Compulsive...I cannot remember when I last read a novel I enjoyed so much." (Sunday Telegraph)

What listeners say about Host

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Clever plot

Clever plot but I expected a slightly tidier ending. Eg I thought an eternity stuck in a virtual world with JS.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The stupidest scientist in literature?

The idea behind the book is basically a hot item, the threat of AI, but there are so many other threads overlapping.
Within the first 2 chapters it was pretty clear which way the story was going to go and it was unbearable how stupid and naive the main character was. And him a super scientist.
The language was another sore spot. It reminded me of the passages we used in English learning text books in the 60’s. simplified, graphic and irrelevant. ‘ John sees a tall man. He is wearing a funny hat’ kind of thing.
The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are really dumb....

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

detailed thriller,but not up to James's standard

detailed thriller,but not up to James's normal standard. this is not a Roy grace. hard work

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Struggled a bit. Shad to fast forward towards the end to see it through

I like books to be like a steady ride to a final climax. This ride was a rocket that took off well and then nearly stalled and crashed and I pretty much ejected from the plane two thirds of the way through for fear of falling asleep at the wheel. I had to skip to the end just to kick the flaccid plot forward a bit. Too long winded and most of all out of date and implausible 80s would be futuristic technical jargon. That’s how I know this must have been written in the 80s. I can tell it must have been one of Peter James earlier books as he has since perfected his pace more too. Great plot ideas and still a good read but I feel before releasing it he should have altered basic things to bring it up to date technology wise and tightened up the pace of the plot cutting a couple of hours of waffle out. It needs editing. Releasing it as was was an afterthought and editing is needed. Things like downloading someone’s brain onto a cassette tape or one terrabyte being enough storage for a brain...I felt the 80s bad hair and the tin foil covered fake futuristic pictures that it’s associated with and it kind of also messed up what was was a potentially great plot. It’s harder to get into such an unrealistic plot I. This time. Even I could have modernised the plot myself to make it better and Improved if have updated and condensed the whole thing given a week or so. So why he didn’t get someone to do that before releasing it i don’t know. If he did then they need sacking. Give me the job instead lol I’ll do it for 1000 quid. It really needs it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 17-01-19

wow

Great book . Binge play it to keep up. Amazing to think this could really happen one day

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

great

a little slow in the beginning but great once In the story. Very good twist

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • JC
  • 19-11-23

Just Unbelievable

The longer this went on, the more stupid the story was - I did not enjoy this book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not aged well…

I really love Peter James’ books and never been disappointed with one before. It’s not aged well, but from a societal perspective rather than a technological one. It’s quite misogynistic and there is some lazy, unoriginal writing of female characters. That said, the performance was very good, an easy listen. It also raised some very interesting themes that certainly got me thinking.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stick with it

A little slow and with jargon overload to start with but worth sticking with it to the end

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Host

Brilliant book,great story. Peter James has excelled with this book. Can’t wait for next one

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