9/26/2008

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Okay, so we’ve all read vampire novels. You know, Twilight (excellent!!), that kind of thing. But Peeps gives us a new angle on the whole vampire theme. In Peeps, vampirism is a disease, actually a parasite, transmitted through saliva. Cal, an otherwise average kid in his early twenties, has had the misfortune to be infected with the parasite after a wild night with an enigmatic woman named Morgan. But he’s one of the lucky ones. The ordinary symptoms of the parasite are insanity, bloodlust, and intense aversion to light and to the things the infected person once liked. Cal is just a carrier, one of the lucky 1% of “peeps”- parasite positives- whose only symptoms are an extended lifespan, superior reflexes and strength, and intense cravings for meat.

Before Cal knew he had the parasite, though, he infected several girlfriends. So now, he’s a member of a secret organization, the Night Watch, dedicated to eradicating the parasite. But when Cal discovers a secret basement with a peep-cat, even though cats are not supposed to be a host for the parasite, and other mysterious occurrences, the Night Watch is stunned. Something odd is going on, and it’s up to Cal to find out what.

This is a fairly entertaining book. Granted, not one of Scott-la’s best works, but not his worst either. The first two-thirds of the book were awesome, but then I kind of lost interest and the ending was pretty lame. I still have to say, though, worth reading. I especially liked the way the book included information about real-life parasites (although don’t read these if you have a weak stomach!) It’s got that typical Scott-la style that makes you want to keep reading, even when you get to the lame ending.

I rate this book three-and-a-half daggers, and I will be reading the sequel, The Last Days.



Yours,
Tay-la

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also love Scott Westerfeld.

Though Peeps is probably my second favorite book by him, after all the Midnighters ones (which would technically make it fourth, but you know, whatever). The Last Days is pretty awesome too, though totally unrelated.

Tay Darramont said...

The Last Days was fawesome- actually, it was better than Peeps. I can't believe it.

Anonymous said...

peeps was the first vampire novel i read! it is defiantly one of my favorite books... then again, my favorite books list consists of 32 books...

DejahView said...

I saw your Peeps review & went right out and borrowed it from the library, I loved Westerfeld's Uglies stuff, was super sad when it ended and I didn't know where to go next. While obviously totally unrelated, it's great to dig into Westerfeld's bizzare take on vampirism, especially while I twiddle my thumbs waiting for the Twlight movie to come out! Bubbly-making.

Ms. Yingling said...

But, will you EVER swim in a tropical river? I actually liked this one better than Twilight. The sequel is a bit confusing and doesn't seem like a sequel at first.

Sadako said...

This looks really good. The idea of vampirism being like a disease kind of reminds me of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend.