All the following information can be found in the novel. The relevant page references (from the hardcover first edition of The Host) are in parenthesis.
Brandt
Status: Human
Physical appearance: He is young and fit. Although he’s only a few inches taller than Wanderer he’s “thick and solid as a rhinoceros.” (319) Brandt can be very anxious and careless. He is part of the group led by Kyle and Ian who first attempt to kill Wanderer after she is brought to the caves. Although he referred to Wanderer as a “parasite,” he later finds himself in her debt. After he is shot by the Seeker, his wound is healed thanks to the ‘Heal’ that Wanderer obtains.
Jared on Brandt:
“He’s no good from the long trips. Starts getting panicked a few weeks in. Makes mistakes.” (187)
Candy
Status: Human; formerly host to Summer Song
Physical appearance: Candy is very inconspicuously pretty, and has a gently wrinkled oval face with symmetrical features. She looks like she is around 45 years old, and is first brought to the caves so that her Soul’s healing knowledge could be of use to the cell (583). Once Summer Song is removed, Candy is extremely frightened and disoriented. It takes her a few weeks to remember her human name.
Lily
Status: Human
Physical appearance: Athletic, with caramel brown skin.
Family: Wes (significant other)
Age: significantly older than Wes, who is 19
Personal Information: Lily is originally from Philadelphia (244). She is in a romantic relationship with Wes, despite the fact that she is significantly older than him. She firmly believes that age does not matter under their circumstances and she is just happy to have found love in these harsh times. When Wes is shot and killed, Lily is absolutely devastated. She is able to move on, however, and when Wanderer returns to the caves as Pet, she notes that Lily seemed happy again.
Lily bunks with Heidi, and is well liked by everyone in the caves because she is easy-going and has a dry sense of humor. When Wanderer tells the humans about the different worlds and species in the universe, Lily is most interested with the mechanics of how things work. She was especially concerned with how the Souls transported themselves across the universe and with the details of their transports.
Maggie
Status: Human
Physical appearance: She has very wrinkled skin and dark gray hair.
Family: Sharon (daughter), Jeb (brother), Melanie (niece), Jamie (nephew), Trev (brother), Guy (brother)
Age: Around Jeb’s age, or older. (123)
Personal Information: Maggie’s full name is Magnolia, and her maiden name is Stryder. Maggie has two additional brothers besides Jeb, named Guy and Trev (Melanie and Jamie’s father) that did not escape the invasion (87). She fled from Chicago and arrived at the caves with Sharon, Jared, and Jamie. Both Maggie and Sharon have a difficult time accepting Wanderer into the community and make no attempt to hide their resentment. When Wanderer is placed into a new host, they do soften up to her little bit due to the innocent beauty of Pet, but ultimately both mother and daughter do not accept the Souls into their lives. She is often seen scowling, and Maggie was the first person to hit Wanderer after Jeb finds her in the desert.
Sharon
Status: Human
Physical Appearance: Sharon is a young woman with vivid red hair.
Family: Maggie (mother), Jeb (uncle), Melanie (cousin), Jamie (cousin)
Age: Possibly around Melanie’s age, since they played together as children (87).
Personal Information: Sharon is in a relationship with Doc, but at times their relationship is strained due to Doc’s friendship with Wanderer. When Wanderer joins the humans in the caves, Sharon and Doc’s relationship has only been official for a few weeks (less time than Wanderer has been on Earth).
Sharon’s appearance in the background of a news broadcast was what spurred Melanie into going to Chicago to look for her, since she was convinced by the footage that Sharon was still human. When Melanie failed, Jamie and Jared went to Chicago and looked for Sharon themselves. She had been hiding in a secret basement (89). When they found Sharon and her mother, Maggie, had held Jared at point of an antique sword while she listened, disbelievingly, to their story. When Maggie had been convinced, she and Jared had figured out what Jeb’s instructional lines had meant. They made it to Jeb’s caves before Wanderer moved from Chicago to San Diego.
Sharon, like her mother, has a difficult time accepting Wanderer into the community and makes no attempt to hide her resentment. She acts as an instructor in the caves and is most comfortable with math (217). Melanie and Wanderer note that the invasion seemed to change Sharon’s personality, as she is now very similar to her mother and not the cousin that Melanie remembers. Jamie describes Sharon as “always testy.” (229)
Some quotations:
“Only Sharon and Maggie were conspicuously and consistently absent [from Wanda’s dinner teaching sessions].” (257)
Walter
Status: Human (deceased)
Physical appearance: Very pale and sickly, with white hair.
Family: Gladys (wife)
Age: Elderly
Personal Information: While in the caves, Walter suffers from what Doc believes is an early stage of cancer. Doc doesn’t have to necessary tools to help quell the cancer and as a result he dies. As Walter is in so much pain, he is delusional and mistakes Wanderer for his wife Gladys; Wanderer stays by his side until his death (312). Because of his illness, he is often weak, but he never fails to try keeping a cheerful front. When Wanderer tells the humans about the other planets and species in the universe, Walter is most interested in the Bats of the Singing World.
Walter’s wife Gladys is described as a stocky, with red hair. Unlike Walter, Gladys was captured by the Souls. Walter becomes close to Wanderer and is part of the group that tries to protect her. Walter even offers Wanderer a place to hide when Jared and the other resentful humans look for her.
Wes
Status: Human (deceased)
Physical appearance: Olive toned skin and dark bristly hair that stands up from his forehead like steel wool (230).
Family: Lily (significant other)
Age: 19
Personal Information: Wes is a young but strong individual. Although Wes has had a crush on Lily for a while, their relationship does not fully come to fruition until after Wanderer arrives at the caves. Lily tells Wanderer that it was the way that Wes reacted to Wanderer that made her fall for him.
He is originally from Eureka, Montana and was 19 when he escaped (245). Wes is shy and sensitive, but has proved to be someone who will stand up for what he believes is right. When the angry raiding party returns and berates Wanderer, Wes is alongside Ian protecting her (264). While Wanderer, Jared, Ian, and Kyle are on a raid, the humans find themselves in a confrontation with the Seeker who shoots Wes. The shot is fatal, and Wes dies instantly. He is buried beside Walter.
