Peeps (Peeps, #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Peeps (Peeps, #1) Reviews

• 
  ★ Jess

  Dont have sex, because you will turn into a vampire, and die.
  Thats the message I picked up on in 'Peeps'. Funny, because Westerfelds other book,
  Uglies, the message was dont pollute the environment. A bit of a difference in moral there...
  
  Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It wins the 'Weirdest Book I Have Ever Read In My Life' award. Scott Westerfeld has created a fantastic urban-fantasy, set in modern day New York. It is weird and strange, but utterly creative and highly unique.
  Basically, vampirism is an STD, which the protagonist, Cal, has caught from a girl named Morgan, when they were....well, you know.
  This makes Cal a carrier. He has the disease, but not the negative symptoms. He is a one in one thousand case. This means he doesnt crave human flesh all the time, but he can see in the dark and run super fast.
  Unfortunately, every girl he kisses or has sex with, he infects, and turns them into a vampire. It is his job to hunt down all of those he has infected, and put them into custody.
  But that is all backstory. The actual plot of this book is him trying to catch Morgan-the girl who infected him in the first place.
  
  'Peeps' a weird book. Creepy and gross at times, but still very, very good. The author thought this through magnificently well. Let me say this: I prefer Scott Westerfeld's blood-thirsty, horny vampires in Peeps, over the sparkling ones in Twilight or the love obsessed ones created by
  Richelle Mead. Ugh.
  
  No words can do this book justice. I cant praise it more, because that would mean including spoilers. All I will say is this: I definitely encourage fans of
  The Uglies Trilogy to try this book. Also, if you are interested in vampires and want to read a completely wacky take on the ancient creatures, read this!
  Now I will go into repetitive mode: Scott Westerfeld thought this through very well! He explained why vampires are scared of the sun, why crucifixes ward them off, why they break mirrors when they look at their own reflection.
  Plus, this is just 100% weird. In a great way. Its a perfect blend of adventure, action, horror and scientific education :)
  
  I will end with my favorite quote from the book: "I lost my virginity to the apocalypse!"
• 
  Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell

  
  
  
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  Before TWILIGHT, it was actually super hard to find books about vampires, which was sad for Teen Me, who has always kind of been obsessed with/fascinated by vampires. I craved books about fanged monsters and it was just so hard to find them. That was why I knew I had to reread peeps for my
  literary-sad-girl-canon project; it's one of the first vampire young adult books I remember reading as a kid and it really left an impression on me, because it was so different than the rest.
  
  
  
  PEEPS is about a Texas-born man named Cal, who is an older teen and works for an organization called the Night Watch. He's a hunter of vampires, only in this universe, vampires are caused by a parasite infestation and are referred to as "peeps" (shorthand for "parasite positive"). His job is to track down and haul in people who have been infected, starting with his own ex-lovers. Because one of the ways the parasite spreads is through sexual contact and Cal just so happens to be an asymptomatic carrier.
  
  
  
  Interspersed throughout the novel are all these really interesting trivia facts about parasites told in a matter-of-fact, tongue-in-cheek way that kind of reminds me of zefrank1's YouTube channel (if you haven't seen it, it's a must-watch). Meanwhile, Cal continues to do his work, while trying to track down the mysterious femme fatale who turned him (a hot goth woman named Morgan) while also dealing with the nosy Lois Lane-wannabe named Lacey who lives in the same apartment his ex used to live in and won't be put off by easy explanations.
  
  
  
  I just loved this book so much. Some of the books I enjoyed as a teen really don't hold up all that well, but this one really did. The science and the research that went into it is so well done and I totally bought most of the author's explanations. The climax was a little weird-- but oh well, it was a fun ride, so I don't really care. Still, it is why this is getting a four-star review instead of a five. Even so, I think this would make for a great movie or TV show. It is so visceral, you really get a feel for what it would look like on the big screen. When Cal explores the subterranean depths in particular, it's chilling.
  
  
  
  If you're tired of the usual vampire stereotypes and want something novel, gritty, and different, this is the book for you. I liked that Cal is a pretty nice guy and he's a great narrator. Unlike 99% of other male narrators, it's easy to see why the women-folk fall for him.
  
  
  
  4 to 4.5 stars
• 
  Denise

  This is a young adult book? It might be marketed for the teenage crowd, but I'd say it's more adult, less young.
  
  Things that should not be in YA fiction: four-letter words (including the worst one), a casual attitude toward promiscuity and uncommitted sex, visits to a gay bar, and a not-very-subtle contempt for religious beliefs, expressed with a condescending and scornful voice.
  
  Things in this book: all of the above.
  
  If you can get past that, it's actually a pretty good book. It's easy to read, with a fast-moving plot and well-written action. Every other chapter gives a mini-lesson in a different parasite, which sounds weird and boring but is actually interesting and a little revolting. There is a lot of talk about evolution, some of which makes sense and some of which makes me roll my eyes.
  
  This is not your typical vampire story. Not even close. There's an unexpected twist at the end (unexpected by me, anyway), and in general, I quite liked it. Even if I am a superstitious religious nut who believes she is not part of the chimp family.
  
  
• 
  Emma

  I was going to say this is one of Scott Westerfeld's earlier novels, but they all seem to have come onto the scene around 2005. Instead I'll say this, it's one that's set in New York City.
  
  So, here's a reason to advocate abstinence only sex education: You can turn into a vampire if you exchange saliva with the wrong person. Cal, unfortunately, misses out on this lesson--so after a drunken one night stand he ends up as a vampire. As you might have guessed, these are not your grandmother's vampires. Sure, the legends are the same, but that's about it. Because in Westerfeld's story, vampirism is a disease spread by a little parasite called Toxoplasma. So, instead of being called vampires, Cal and others who have been infected (or are carriers) are called "Parasite Positives" or "Peeps" for short.
  
  The upshot is that Cal is recruited by a secret government organization to hunt peeps and especially to capture those that he infected. Then he has to find the girl who made him a carrier. Sounds simple, right? Think again. As Cal gets closer to tracking down his progenitor things keep getting more complicated until everything Cal thought he knew to be true is thrown into question.
  
  Let me also say that you will never look at rats, or cats, the same way after reading this novel. There is something about a cat with a vampiric parasite that is just so much more appealing than a normal one.
  
  The even numbered chapters of this book don't directly relate to the action-packed plot described above. Instead, chapter by chapter, Cal acquaints us with the world of parasitology (you might want to keep the Purel handy for certain segments). Some readers might find these narrative "interruptions" to be a bit annoying and unecessary, I'd politely disagree saying that the information is interesting and, well, cool. Even if you skip all the others, read chapter four. It's relevant (I also saw Scott Westerfeld at a reading where he read this section of the book and it was ah-may-zing).
  
  So, while the parasite information might be icky, the book is awesome. The story is really fast-paced and has a lot of action and suspense. Lots of chapters end on cliff hangers that make you want to read that much faster. Even more exciting, the book is just as enjoyable for male and female readers (not too gory, not too mushy--a happy medium). Cal is a likable narrator as well as a reliable one--readers know everything that he does.
  
  My only issue with the novel comes at the last thirty some odd pages because it got confusing. At this point, Call learns a lot of new information which, of course, the readers also have to digest. Combined with the fast pace, it got a little hard to follow everything. In fact, I had to reread the last couple of chapters to be sure I knew what was going on.
  
  Confusion aside, the story was awesome. I love Scott Westerfeld unconditionally, but this book was lots of fun to read. The set up and early chapters prepare you for one kind of book, but by the end it's something entirely different. If you want a new take on an old monster, Peeps is your book.
  
  You can find this review and more on my blog
  Miss Print
• 
  Maggie Stiefvater

  I loved this tight, scientific vampire book. It's a sparsely written, fast-paced novel about a disease that mimics vampirism and the end of the world.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Kim

  This review will include two sentences I never expected to write in a review, namely:
  1. "This book does not contain any sickly sweet marshmallow candy"* and
  2. "Ew, ew, ew!"
  Does that make you want to keep reading? I hope so, because Scott Westerfeld, who for my money is among the best YA authors writing these days, has created a believable and realistic take on the vampire legend which I don't recommend for the squeamish, and probably not for the romantic, either. There are no spooky castles here, or pretty clothing, or pale aristocratic types with neck fetishes; in fact, this book just might be the anti-Twilight, since its vampires have a lot more in common with people bitten by rabid dogs. There is nothing romantic about vampirism here; it is sexy only in the sense that those infected with it become increasingly horny, and spread the disease through physical contact.
  Our narrator, 19 year old Cal Thompson, is a parasite positive, or "Peep" as he calls them, who contracted the disease through a one night stand when he first moved to New York. Peeps are the basis for the vampire legend; although they can not fly or turn into bats, they do cower from sunlight, bite other humans, and possess super-human strength. Cal is a natural carrier, however, which means that he has not turned into a crazed cannibal like most other Peeps, but he can still spread the disease to those he kisses, since the disease is carried through the saliva. He has joined the Night Watch, an organization devoted to hunting Peeps down, and is working on capturing his former girlfriends to whom he has spread the disease.
  What I particularly liked about this book was the way Westerfeld attributes aspects of the vampire legend to the need for the vampire parasite to spread. Those infected with the disease (and not immune, as Cal is) come to hate everything they used to love, which makes them leave their homes and thus spread the illness far afield. This anathema, as it is called, explains both the light sensitivity and cruciphobia of the traditional vampires, particularly in medieval Europe. The parasite also infects creatures who feast on the leftovers of the Peeps, so hoards of bats and rats are likely to follow them, a repository for the disease.
  If you don't yet get the "ew, ew, ew!" comment with which I began this review, every other chapter in this novel offers true stories about biological parasites, and (thank goodness) there is an afterword explaining how to avoid them. This storytelling device won't work for every reader, but I liked it because it helped to cement the science nerd aspect of Cal's personality, as well as underscoring how vampirism is spread.
  I found this a fun read, which entertains while teaching science and will appeal to kids' love of all things "yuck." I think it would be a nice complement to a tenth grade biology class, and might even inspire those struggling with the material. I'm not sure how young I would go with this book, due to the sexual content (it's pretty tame, and non-glamorized, but there), but it's definitely enjoyable for those well out of their teens.
  
  * If you are really jones-ing for cute marshmallow creatures, please Google "Lord of the Peeps." You won't be sorry.
• 
  MJ

  "I lost my virginity to the apocalypse!"
  
  
  Scott Westerfeld's
  Peeps is another great off the wall vampire novel. A far cry from
  Anne Rice's sultry, albeit long, stories about
  vampires, Westerfeld takes the classic vampire and pretty much rips it apart. In Peeps vampires are more like people with a nasty case of
  syphilis than sexy indestructible gods. Being a vampire means being infected with a parasite that craves circulation above all else. Drinking blood is kind of a... side effect of the parasite. The parasites main goal is to spread, through biting, sex or any other exchange of bodily fluids.
  
  Aside from being about vampires and
  STDs, Peeps is first and foremost about parasites. Every other chapter gives us some disgusting insight into a different real world parasite like
  toxoplasma gondi, of which every cat owner on the planet probably has. Its the reason pregnant women can't clean out the litter box. Cats play an important role in the book too, but so do rats, so that's not saying much.
  
  Don't worry, the parasitic chapters don't read like a
  text book or
  Wiki entry, Westerfeld makes it feel like the main character is just telling us about the parasite, conversationally. Like we're hanging out on the subway chatting about
  lice and
  screwflies. They aren't just there for shock value either, these parasite chapters are more important than you might think. They give us some insight into the main plot of the book, which is essentially about the parasites. Some are good, some are bad, some fight with each other inside your colon.
  
  In the beginning it seems like it really is just another
  vampire novel, but after a few odd chapters about different parasites that live on your body (or in it) you start to realize there's something else going on here. The parasite chapters are almost more insightful than the actual story. Each time he talks about a new parasite a new characteristic of the vampire parasite is revealed, until finally, we actually get what the hell is going on.
  
  Westerfeld makes reading about parasites interesting, and hey, any author who can accomplish that is good enough in my book. The book is fairly short and reads quickly too. Even if vampires aren't your thing, you might learn something new about a menacing parasite that can set up shop in your leg, where
  Crohn's disease comes from and how wasps saved an entire populace.
• 
  Jim

  The basis of the horror in this novel isn't occult, but scientific. Parasites make their hosts do things. True horror & there are a lot of examples. I asked some friends who knew more & garnered a few interesting links on it. When I finished the book, I found that the author said they were all real parasites & even has a bibliography. I recognized at least one of the books he lists as being in the more reading section of one of the articles below.
  
  Parasite "Brainwashes" Rats Into Craving Cat Urine, Study Finds is about Toxoplasma gondii, mentioned in this book, which spreads from rodents to cats by altering the brains of infected rats so that they become attracted to the scent of their predators.
  
  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ne...
  
  A wasp larva actually makes its spider host quit their own nest & build one just for it.
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/sci...
  
  There are a bunch on reptiles here:
  
  http://www.anapsid.org/parasites.html
  
  Wow! Westerfield inserts many of these into his novel. Frankly, it's the best part, so far - about halfway through. It's not bad, but just OK.
  
  All finished, can't say the story itself did a whole lot for me. Kind of a PNR thing, but watered down. Not all that much actually happened & the revelation wasn't much of one. Worth reading, but I won't be reading another any time soon.
  
  Update: There's a fantastic Ted Talk about parasites causing other behavior here:
  
  http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/201...
  
• 
  ~☆~Autumn♥♥☔☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

  I read this once before and sure enjoyed reading it again. I get very caught up in the story and don't think about much else. It is wild and exciting. Vampires are called peeps and are infected so they can fight the "worm". I love all the stuff about parasites as that stuff fascinates me.
• 
  Sophie

  This was alright.
  
  Basically, this guy who's a vampire get's hired to hunt down and capture other vampires. The twist is that vampirism is a disease rather than a magic thing. The whole book is strewn with actual facts about parasites which makes it also sort of a fun, educational read. It is pretty gross though.
  
  I didn't hate this or anything, I made it through the whole thing, I just found that it was a little silly. It made me laugh a couple of times, had its moments. It's technically classified as a horror novel, but I didn't find it super scary or anything, mostly just a little gross. Scott Westerfield is alright, he wrote the Uglies which I liked ok.
  
  Overall feelings: meh.
  
  
• 
  Leo

  It's a very interesting and odd twist on the whole vampire genre. With vampirism being a desease contained by parasites. I loved the whole talk and random facts about parasites as its something I'm genuinely interested in and I loved the whole play with vampire sickness and all that. Didn't quite love the whole story except that but I did really enjoyed some parts of it. 3.8 stars
• 
  ✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨

  This is sort of hard to review.
  
  On one hand, I read it in basically one sitting, but it is fairly short so that doesn't mean much. I liked the mystery element, but found the actual ending to be... stupid? Like, Extras ending level of stupid ~it was all just a misunderstanding!~ kind of stupid that frankly pisses me off.
  
  The world was pretty cool (until the literal big reveal) and idk something about Cal just screamed "I'M A SELF INSERT CHARACTER FOR SCOTT WESTERFELD" I mean, they're both Texans in New York, they're both boys for one thing, and I've never met Scott Westerfeld, but I've read a crap ton of his books, and after a while, the author's personality bleeds through. Cal's a self insert character if I ever read one, and that's pretty disappointing because I wanted more normal guys as YA protagonists. Also, he was half assertive cool guy, half nerdy loser, and that's an annoying combination. Lace was really annoying and didn't feel like a person. No one felt like a person in this except for Manny, the lobby guy. And he showed up only three times for the best cameos in the book.
  
  Also, like, half this book was just Cal narrating a nonfiction book on parasites. That's not necessarily a bad thing (I personally kind of liked it) and it did actually sort of connect with the plot and was a clever way to do worldbuilding, but like...it started to feel a bit like a BuzzFeed list: "10 Freaky Parasites You'll Never Guess Are In Your Body!"
  
  Also, the ending kind of just showed up and felt extremely unresolved and unearned. There's a sequel, but I'm probably not going to read it. They really should have been just one book.
  
  It should have been an adult book, not YA. The thing that initially drew me to this was the premise of "sex addicted guy finds out he's a carrier of a vampire STD and has to hunt down all his past flings because they're all zombies now" but it played out more like "awkward 19 year old has to file a lot of paperwork and meet with his creepy, borderline pedophilic therapist after going and sedating one of his past girlfriends (because the rest were caught before the book began) and avoid making out with a girl who keeps following him around". If it had been adult, it could have actually delivered on the premise promised.
• 
  Colleen Houck

  This is perhaps the weirdest, most unique take on vampires ever. I will be thinking about that twisting on a stick worm in the leg thing for a long time. I've got the creepy crawlies right now.
• 
  Trin

  This one’s an interesting reinvention of the vampire myth—vampirism is a sexually transmitted parasite, an idea that Westerfeld explores fully, and often with great creativity and zest. (You know how that bit about vamps—sorry, peeps—being afraid of crosses came about? One of the parasite’s adaptations is to attack the brain and make you hate everything you used to love, so infected people won’t just hang around noshing on their neighbors and get killed by the mob with torches and pitchforks right away. The aversion to sunlight is a similar deal.) The sexual frustration of Cal—the parasite positive but rare resistant peep hunter—is quite amusing, and Westerfeld creates an excellent temptation for him in Lace, an NYU student whose dialogue—I swear to God—sounds like it could have come straight from Dean Winchester’s lips. However, while the build up is a lot of fun and, with scenes like the one set in a boarded-up underground swimming pool (brr!), often really creepy and intense, by the end the book takes a turn for the ridiculous. There are giant worms. Giant worms, people. It’s like Buffy meets Tremors, and so far, not in a good way.
• 
  travelmel

  DURING READING: So far it's not holding me in. It's been a fairly uninteresting biology lesson.
  
  AFTER READING: OH MY that was horrible. Just horrible. I hate myself for having finished it.
  
  It's about a boring parasite living under the streets of NY who finally makes his appearance and is slightly defeated. OH MY GOD It's lame.
  
  The entire book is spent discussing PARASITES... not just like.. hey they are what they are.. no, a long, detailed DISTURBING look at specific, real-life parasites (like a biology lesson) will be waiting for you at EVERY OTHER CHAPTER.. having nothing to do with the story at all. Not that there is a story. It's bad. Really bad.
  
  THE WHOLE THING IS A SHAM! I feel like Sally on Halloween.. I'VE BEEN CHEATED!
  
  I really liked the Uglies/Pretties/Specials series by Scott Westerfeld. I thought it was great. A really good read for me, anyway.
  
  Because I enjoyed the series I set out to try some of the author's other works. Unfortunately, the title "Peeps" sounded interesting because it had the subject of "vampires" in it. It's a lie. There are no vampires as we know or want them to be. I cannot express how much I disliked this book. Please, if you're thinking about reading it: Don't.
  
  Unless you like non-fictional tales of the lives of parasites - yes that's right, worms, rats, diseases, pestulance, plague, more worms, blood borne disgustingness, and monkey-worms. As for romance - in the end you get a kiss. Of course that kiss comes on the heals of a tale about 2 foot long WORMS STUCK IN PEOPLES LEGS. And yes, that's true.
  
  Giving this a 1-star rating is really an insult to the 1-star books. Seriously.
  
  Maybe boys would like this book... greasy, grimey, gopher-gut loving boys. Yes, that is DEFINITLEY the target audience here.
  
  
• 
  Greta is Erikasbuddy

  WOW!! This was definately a different take on our sexy blood suckers. Really neat!! I loved how they linked everything up with parasites and even the side chapters that gave us a brief edumacation about the little ankle biters. Tre' cool!!
  
  The author warned us about the GRAPHIC GRODY Detail in the book but not once did it turn my stomach. I guess the girlies who don't like icky things might not dig the chapters about hookworms and meatworms and stuff like that. It was all very interesting, though but not something I would like to have as a pet or meet in a dark ally or a swamp lolz.
  
  I also enjoyed the early American history about NEW YORK CITY. THat was very very intersting. I liked how Westerfeld explained their street system and even the subway tunnels. Very informative and not boring like how a big text book would explain it :)
  
  I got a bit bored in the beginning of this book but by the end I was glued. It all came together perfectly. Just stick with it and you won't be disappointed.
  
  I can't wait to read the next one. I'm sure it will be better now that all the introductions are out of the way.
  
  I really thought it was brilliant what the END RESULT was. -- WHAT? IF I say too much then that will make me a spoiler bunny. But I totally recommend all my vampire loving friends who want a little BITE in their book to check this out. It's really different, neat, and above all major coolness.
  
  P.S. I think a boy or a girl would dig this book :)
• 
  AH

  
  Peeps is the story of Cal, a young man who is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism. This parasite is spread through sexual contact and saliva. Cal works for the Night Watch, a centuries-old institute that hunts down out of control peeps.
  
  Peeps stands for parasite-positive, people who have been infected with the parasite that causes vampirism. Scott Westerfeld creates a vampire lore that is based on parasitic infection. Every even numbered chapter has a description of a parasite, it's life-cycle, and it's evolution. WARNING: Some of these descriptions are very graphic and not for the squeemish. The end of the book has a section on how to avoid parasites.
  
  Scott Westerfeld has a quirky writing style. He is entertaining. He is eloquent. He has thoroughly researched his topic. I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to teen readers.
  
  Note - I would have given this book 4.5 stars if I could.
• 
  Jen

  This book is entirely appropriate for teens. It does have a little swearing in the novel, but what teen has not heard swear words by the age of 10? The novel does not condone casual sex---in fact casual sexual encounters have horrible consequences in this novel. The main character goes into a gay bar once, with no sexual activity whatsoever.
  Coddling teens is something I abhor and being ignorant of the world is not to be aspired to. This book is far more appropriate than the popular Twilight series, in which the female protagonist is uninteresting, obsessed
  with Edward and to a lesser degree Jacob. She also hates the idea of higher education--not the greatest message for teens.
  The main female character is far different. She is self-reliant, independent and tough. The book is well-written, humorous and treats its audience as if they are intelligent. And if you like to be a little creeped out, then you will definitely like Peeps.
• 
  Wealhtheow

  Woah. This book is creepy. Giant rats, vampires, and lots and lots of SCIENCE (very readable—no bio background required). Oh tales of epidemics, I love you so. Check this one out for sure!
  
• 
  Rachel Neumeier

  
  I enjoyed this YA vampire novel quite a bit, even though I ordinarily prefer supernatural monsters and vampires to pseudoscientific ones. In this case, vampirism is definitely pseudoscientific. It’s caused by a type of parasite, and the chapters focusing on the main story are interspersed with chapters about different real-world parasites, such as snail flukes and Toxoplasma and so on.
  
  After a year of hunting, I finally caught up with Sarah. It turned out she’d been hiding in New Jersey, which broke my heart. I mean, Hoboken? Sarah was always head over heels in love with Manhattan. For her, New York was like another Elvis, the King remade of bricks, steel, and granite. The rest of the world was a vast extension of her parents’ basement, the last place she wanted to wind up.
  
  The main character is Cal, who was infected with the parasite and is now a carrier – meaning he gets lots of the vampire superpowers, but is not crazy like real vampires. It also means he accidentally infected various previous girlfriends like Sarah, so now he is hunting them down and handing them over to a secret organization that deals with stuff like this.
  
  The female lead is Lace, short for Lacey, a girl with brains and either nerves of steel or else a serious lack of common sense. Or both. I mean, when she follows Cal down under the gym level of the apartment building... well. Anyway, she figures out what’s going on and joins Cal in fighting for truth, justice, and the salvation of humanity.
  
  The plot is possibly a tiny bit unbelievable, but the story is quick, fun, fast-paced, and generally successful at sweeping the reader along through the implausible moments. As I say, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Including the parts about the various parasites. But.
  
  For a guy who evidently did a fair bit of research while writing this book, Westerfeld does make a couple mistakes, including one that is really egregious. On p. 15, right at the beginning of chapter 2:
  
  The natural world is jaw-droppingly horrible. Appalling, nasty, vile. Take trematodes, for example. Trematodes are tiny fish that live in the stomach of a bird.…
  
  And here I skidded to a halt and readjusted my expectations for this book.
  
  Let me recast the above error in order to make it more obvious. Trematodes are microscopic mammals that live in the stomach of a bird. There, does that sound crazy enough? How about this: Trematodes are tiny monkeys that live in the stomach of a bird.
  
  To me, those sentences sound no more ridiculous than the original. Because trematodes are most definitely not fish. They are Platyhelminthes. Flatworms. So far removed from fish that you might as well insert tiny monkeys; the sentence does not get more wrong. It is probably not really the copy editor’s job to fix errors of fact, except it kind of is, but this is probably not the kind of fact a copy editor is likely to know off the top of their head, which means Westerfeld should have been more careful because no one else in the publishing team was likely to catch this kind of craziness.
  
  It turns out that nothing else in the novel is as totally off base as the little fish, not that that’s a high bar. Lots of things are dramatically simplified or else slanted to support the kinda silly plot. But that’s fine. It’s a fun story that isn’t trying too hard for plausibility.
  
  But good merciful God. Tiny fish.
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Brigid ✩

  This is probably one of Scott Westerfeld's weirdest and creepiest books, which takes place in a futuristic world where everyone is turning into vampire/zombie creatures. Although a little gross and bizarre at some points, it is overall a good story. If you like Scott Westerfeld, this book will not be a disappointment.
• 
  Colleen Scidmore

  Peeps is about a teenage boy named Cal who is originally from Texas but is in New York to go to college. The minute he sets foot in New York he heads to a bar where he meets a woman named Morgan. Morgan takes him home for a one night stand and takes his virginity as well. What Cal doesn't realize is that this hookup is going to completely change his life. Cal finds out this one night stand has made him a carrier for a parasitic disease called Vampirism! These vampires are also known as Peeps short for the formal name of the disease. He becomes a hunter for a secret government agency in which he has to track down all his old girlfriends post Morgan because he unwittingly gave the disease to them. It can be contracted through saliva or sexual contact, which makes poor Cal a now very unhappy celibate Monk with his libido kicked up into high gear thanks to the parasite! His old girlfriends are on the loose and they are raving, crazy Cannibalistic Peeps and he has to stop them and have them sent to Montana to a center where the Peeps can be controlled. Cal completes his mission but now he needs to find the start of his chain of infection, which is Morgan. But how do you find a one night stand with no last name and a fuzzy drunken recollection of where she lived? He eventually tracks down her apartment but Morgan is long gone, but he does meet a girl who named Lace who has questions about some strange things going on in the complex. Lace becomes Cal's sidekick in trying to track Morgan down and stop the disease from spreading.
  Cal is lead down a long road of strange events to eventually find the reason for why Peeps were created and what his role is as a Peep carrier.
  
  I liked Peeps, it was not a great book but I did enjoy it. It really is not the usual Vampire story and I liked that it went down a different path with the whole vampirism thing. It was an easy read and moved fast paced and it was a pretty quick read as well and I would have finished it sooner had I not been reading a million books at once! And Peeps definitely held my interest enough where I am interested in reading the second book in the series.
• 
  Kaethe

  January 19, 2009
  
  Parasitology, vampires, cats, this book couldn't be any more appealing to me if it had zombie penguins. Kat Warren, this book is calling you.
  
  January 12, 2015
  
  As with so many other of my recent rereads, I liked this even better this time around. I wonder if that should be credited to nostalgia, or more to this time I picked it up knowing exactly what sort of reading experience it would be, and that's why I chose it now? Another thing that fascinates me is that I so often decide to reread a book in the same month I originally read it. Are some things "January books" in a way I don't consciously perceive?
  
  Library copy
• 
  Kate

  A great vampire story. But, the best part of this book is the chapters that detail the disgusting lives of parasites. Want to gross someone out, just read one of those chapters. Truly, they make this book.
• 
  Seth

  I enjoyed this book very much, and didn't get why everyone said it was so creepy
  
• 
  Jami

  This Westerfeld book was a pleasant surprise after my disappointment in the
  Uglies series. The plot is an interesting and entertaining premise of a fictional parasite spread in humans that basically turns them into cannibals (don't worry, there are no details or scenes of the actual cannabalism). Humans who have the parasite, but not the symptoms, are carriers who track down the "Parasite-positives," or "peeps" and get them contained and medical help.
  
  What was particularly fascinating, though, was that every other chapter gave factual information about real-life parasites and their relationships with their hosts. These chapters were very short, but they were relevant to the plot of the book and gave very reader-friendly (and freakish) information about these parasites. It made me want to go look up one of Westerfeld's reference books,
  Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures, to read more about it.
  
  The writing was fast-paced and enjoyable, but there was one thing that really bugged me. The main female character said, "dude" incessantly! Almost every single freaking sentence was laced with at least one "dude." Now, I've been known to thrown in a "dude" every once in a while in casual conversation, like when I've kindly pointed out to my husband, "Dude, you've got pizza sauce on your chin." But, really -- who says it that much? Unless your character is a surfing pothead who only has enough brain cells left to recall that one word, I think you should probably steer clear of "dude" altogether.
• 
  ℂᖺαᖇᒪἷ℮ ⊰1017 &Tardis⊱

  This is the tenth book by Scott Westerefeld that I've read. He is one of my favorite authors, and this book was not a disappointment. It's funny, intriguing, gross, original and fun.
  Here's why.
  Cal, who is an awesome narrator talks to the reader in a personable way, even mentioning pages and reading, etc. He is often funny and endearing and quite likable. (A little too much, perhaps?)
  All other Scott Westerfeld books I've read are in third person, but this is in first (which made it better)
  It's intriguing because the twists weren't mind blowing but the story progressed in a mercifully logical way- it made sense that things happened when they did. Once you get the over arching concept, things fell into place nicely.
  The descriptions of parasites are super gross but a great addition. Even better, they're true. :D
  It's original because my friends asked me what it's about. I say, "Vampires," then quickly realize that's the wrong answer. Because this is not abut Vampires in the corny twilight way, or even in the more sic-fi sense. This is about a disease that turns some people into super humans and others into raving cannibals (That just happen to be treatable with garlic)
  The way vampire lore was tied into peep fact was smooth and creative, particularly the bit about the fear of crosses being an anathema in those days.
  It was a quick fun read, that I enjoyed very much.
  So four stars?
  I felt like not much happened- it mostly introduced us to everything and set us up for the sequel (which I've been warned not to read)
  But it was a very good book.
  :)
  (PS in the bibliography it was funny how he was like "If you value your sleep at night do NOT look at the pictures in this book" anyone else see that?
• 
  Ashley

  I weirdly enjoyed learning about all the parasites. It made for excellent pillow talk as I couldn't wait to tell my science loving husband all about guinea worms, Chron's disease, parasitic wasps and, of course, the howler monkeys.
• 
  Cortney - The Bookworm Myrtle Beach

  My friend described Peeps as a good vampire book for people who don't like vampire books. Maybe it's because I normally LOVE vampire books (especially YA!), but I hated Peeps. Hated it. It was gross (ugh, all that rat talk) and boring. Needless to say, I will not be continuing this series.
• 
  Tabea Vanessa

  This too was surprisingly good. I‘m in good graces with the 1€ store gods!
  Was debating between 3,5 and 4 stars but I‘m in a good mood so I‘m rounding up. ;)