Reviewed by Mrs. Foley
From Destiny Library record, "Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected."

Not as good as the Twilight series, but very intriguing. I wouldn't be be surprised if this book and its sequel, The Last Days, were made into movies. I've seen on a website that there may be someone working on a screenplay, but no definite plans yet. Westerfeld alternates chapters about the storyline with chapters on actual parasites, etc. in our world. Some of them are very yucky, but teens would probably LOVE to read about them!

Review from Kirkus Review starred (August 1, 2005)
Both medical thriller and science fiction, this fast-paced, captivating modern vampire story is enriched with biology and history. Nineteen-year-old Cal is a hunter. He works for the Night Watch, New York City's clandestine organization to capture "peeps," "parasite positive" people infected with an ancient disease that causes vampirism. They're cannibalistic, violent and wildly strong. Cal tracks his line of contagion: an ex-girlfriend, whom he unwittingly infected, and then his progenitor, the girl who gave it to him. Yes, Cal has the parasite, but he's a carrier rather than a full-blown peep. Forced into secrecy and celibacy but possessing peep-like superhuman senses and strength, Cal simmers with adrenaline. He succeeds at his job in the dank, oppressive urban undergrounds, but he discloses secrets to an unauthorized, uninfected girl his age who becomes inextricably involved. Conspiracy issues arise; the parasite's centuries-long history holds a profound revelation. Westerfeld intersperses relevant chapters on how various real-life parasites operate in nature. Entrancing throughout-but squeamish readers beware. (afterword, bibliography) (Science fiction. YA) ( )

A great book from Westerfeld, about Vampires and there scientific orgins. A great read for vampire or not vampire obsessed! ( )

I've been working on this book for weeks. In fact, it was the first book I got out of the Swanton Library after moving here at the end of July, and needless to say, while reading this book I've also managed to finish Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Wings, as well as start Evermore, Maximum Ride, and well, you get the idea. It took a while to get into.

So, why did it take so long to finally reach that point where I couldn't put the book down?

1. Every even chapter in the book is non-fiction talks about parasites. Parasites? Yep. Mealworms, lice, tapeworms. They infect your blood, your eyes, your brain, your imune system. And all of it was true. As Scott Westerfeld says many times, "Ew. Yuck. Repeat."

Okay, in case that wasn't enough for me to stop reading, why else did I sluff off instead of read?

2. The book is sci-fi, not fantasy. Like Uglies, this book has no "magic" in it whatsoever. Everything is scientifically based. Even the giant worms. That can get a little boring to me sometimes. Especially when the book's theme is explaining vampirism through scientific theories. Yawn. Sleep. Repeat.

But, you protest, I DID read this book! In fact, I finished it about 5 minutes ago. So, here's my review:

Peeps was written by one of my very favorite authors, Scott Westerfeld. The first half of the book was slow in my opinion. Too much about parasites and vampire history (in a scientific way) and too little about the cute girl, Lace(y), who pops into our narrator's life as he tries to discover what happened to the girl who infected him. I read on and off for a while, enjoying the parasite talk (while imagining all the conversation's Scott had with his poor wife about the subject the year he wrote it), but hating the science.

However, once Cal tells Lacey what the heck is going on, things get interesting and I couldn't put the book down at all. Yes, I ate dinner while reading about mealworms. Fun times. But it was amazing! All the parasite talk fit in perfectly with the story so that by the end, huge worms from the underground made perfect sense and only aided in making the story BETTER! Yes, better!

I can't tell you what happens to Lace (although, even just from reading this review, you're probably guessing it's a) she's infected and becomes a cannabalistic vampire, b) she runs to New Jersey to escape and lives happily ever after or c) she gets eaten by a giant tapeworm).

I know this review is a bit basic, especially since I had to keep mentioning the parasites all the time (did I tell you there are giant worms in this book?), but remember: the book was highly fascinating, finally giving us a logical reason for Vampires and making them believable. (And no, in this book, becoming a Vampire does NOT mean you sparkle. Sorry!) It was funny (laughed out loud many times, as the narrator has my sarcastic sense of humor). It was romantic (despite all the raw meat eating going on). It was interesting (did I mention the giant worms?). And it was really really good.

So, thank you Scott, for writing yet another thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure to blow my hatred of the genre right out of the water again. Even if it did include giant worms. ( )

This is a novel that has a surprising twist at the end that I did not see coming. The author mixes in factual tidbits of parasite knowledge in every other chapter. These help move the story along. Vampirism is changed in this exciting book. It is a disease that can be passed from person to person. I highly recommend. ( )

Readers Annotation:
Call contracts an STD that causes vampirism. Unlike the many other people infected he doesn’t become a mindless cannibal. He takes on an assignment working with the Night Watch to hunt down all of his ex-girlfriends who are now positive and get them help to control the disease.
Plot Summary:
Cal is a carrier for a parasite, one that makes you a vampire or Peep (Parasite Positive). He hasn't turned into an unmanageable eater of humans like most of the people who get the disease, and is able to manage his disease with only a few strange side effects; he's always hungry for meat, and constantly hungry for sex. The parasite is spread through saliva and other bodily fluids as an STD, so Cal can’t give into romance. Cal works with the Night Watch to help contain the vampire problem and he tracks down his old girlfriends to get them the medication they need to be almost sane. When he begins tracking the person who gave him the disease he is led through a foul underworld of carrier rats, unusually rational peeps, and evidence of an ancient monster underground. During his investigation he becomes closer to Lace, the journalism student who lives in the building he is searching under. She isn't infected, and even for a journalism student she is not too cautious, preferring to find out the whole story instead of keeping herself safe.
Evaluation:
I really liked the interesting twist this vampire book had for how it is contracted as an STD. It had a good message to teens about sexually transmitted diseases intermingled with a traditional vampire mystery. Interspersed throughout the story are accurate and revolting descriptions of actual parasites which provide a rich backdrop for the character setting. The book is really graphic about the parasites and therefore not recommended for a reader with a faint stomach.
Reason Included: I love Scott Westerfelds Uglies, Pretties, Specials series.
Ages:16+/Interests: Science Fiction, Vampires, Romance, Mystery.
Authors Website: http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/author... ( )