Customer Reviews
Great Concept! 
2008-08-03
I really loved the idea that being a vampire was like catching a disease, and it was also very zombie-like. I thought the inner chapters of other species of parasites was intruging and disgusting, and made me really look at stuff differently after that!
My only disappointment was the end, well sort of. The way the parasite was transferred seemed silly and cheesy to me, and I found myself laughing, and not in a good way. Other than that though this was pretty good!
Peeps: More then just sugar-coated marshmallows 2008-06-04
Scott Westerfield delivers a wonderfully different take on Vampires (or Peeps for this book). His are caused by a parasite (oh the things you will learn about them in this book, you'll either enjoy the information or skip the even numbered chapters), and are oddly believable and quite fun.
The plot was enjoyable, but still suffers from Westerfield's inability to write action scenes tat you can follow without having to re-read sentences. His Peeps where interesting and fun, up till the end when they got confusing, he obviously intended for this to be a big reveal, and it came off very head-scratchy. I think I would have preferred just a little more explanation for this book, instead of saving it for the next.
As others have said, Cal's forced celibacy should have been more present and enforced. After all he is a teenage boy (albeit a very mature one), and I didn't find it completely believable how little he thought about sex.
I think this book is a great teen read for anyone ages 14 and above, who is looking for either a new take on vampires or is big on the biology and fantasy.
Original, sharp and fun! 2008-05-16
When I picked up this book I didn't know what to think of it. As I've recently discovered the vampire genre and fantasy related books (Stephanie Meyers "Twilight" and Kelly Armstrong's "Bitten" are some fine examples) I was eager for more of the same quality and stumbled upon "Peeps."
What's great about this book is that the vampires in question are not at all what you expect them to be. The explanation offered is original and sounds plausible. Seriously, vampire obsessed teenagers might even start considering this as their bible: proof that vampires do exist! (Stranger things have happened; "Elvis is Alive" or "Bruce Lee is actually meditating in a cave" anyone?)
The book is narrated by Cal, a sarcastic, fresh and little geeky 19 year old boy. If you're failing Biology, get this book and you'll be armed with a whole arsenal of facts about things you never really wanted to know. But your teacher will be impressed, trust me.
I'm not going to draw out the storyline for you; others have done that already. Besides, it kind of ruines the experience. This is the kind of book you should buy blindly. Do it at one of those moments where your wallet is burning in your jeans. But this time, instead of bashing your head against a wall, you'll be thinking "man, I should do that more often!"
Sing Happy Birthday 
2008-05-11
I enjoyed this book very much. It is always hard to pick out a book without a friend's reccomendation. I bought this because I enjoyed both Twilight and Uglies. For me, it is more mature than those books. Not as cheesy. I liked that he wrote from a man's perspective and included mroe scientific information. It was more believable. I still find myself singing Happy Birthday to keep away the parasites. If you like Twilight, Uglies, or the Hot Zone I would reccomend this book. Give it about 3 chapters and then it gets really good!
Not my cup of tea!! 
2008-04-28
OK, I bought this book because I really enjoyed The Uglies series, by the same author and because of all of the rave reviews. I actually enjoyed some of the info on random parasites. It was interesting and tied into the story. The story, on the other hand, sucked! Yes, it was original; yes, it had some action; but it was really bland, under-developed, and I did not like the whole evolution tie-in. I completely respect those views and while I do not believe that the human race evolved from monkeys, respect the opinions of the people that do. I do not believe that people are "stupid" for believing in evolution so I did not like that Cal--the main character--called people stupid for NOT believing in evolution.
Even though I didn't like how Westerfield tied in Evolution to his plot, I found it funny how he didn't present many facts, just theories--silly ones at that. I found them quite hysterical and ridiculous.
I do not recommend this book... because, while the plot presents a unique twist to vamires and STD's, the story could have been much better. It could have been more developed, and should be veered more towards adults with all of the sexual refereces and "horniness"!
Also, the ending was "bogus" (using Westerfields pretty-head vinacular).
While this book had its moments of interest, it is not worth the time or money.
Peeps 2008-02-18
One year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying in New York City than in attending his biology classes. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal’s life.
Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he’s infected the girlfriends he’s had since Morgan—and all have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. And it’s Cal’s job to hunt them down before they can create even more of their kind. . . .
Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld’s new novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.
Not just for YA readers- great for any fan of Uglies 2008-02-06
I picked this up because I loved the four Uglies books currently out, and I really wanted something new from the author. This book didn't disappoint!
Cal is a carrier for a parasite - THE parasite, the one which makes you a vampire, or Peep (Parasite Positive). But unlike most of the people who get the disease, he hasn't turned into an unmanageable eater of humans, and is able to manage his disease with only a few strange side effects - like, he's always hungry for meat, and constantly hungry for sex. Seeing as the parasite is spread through saliva and other body fluids, though, Cal's pretty much out of luck on one of those, or so he thinks.
Since non-murderous carriers are pretty rare, Cal works with the Night Watch to help contain the vampire problem, and he tracks down his old girlfriends and gets them the medication they need to be almost sane. But when he begins tracking the person who gave him the disease, he is led into a foul underworld of carrier rats, unusually rational peeps, and evidence of an ancient and vile monster underground.
As he investigates, he becomes closer to Lace, the journalism student who lives in the building under which he is investigating. She isn't infected, and even for a journalism student she is far too careless about her wellbeing, preferring finding out the whole story to keeping herself safe.
Is the disease evolving new ways of spreading? Why are so many of the new peeps acting almost sane? And most importantly, will Cal be able to keep his hands off of the very hot Lace?
Interspersed with the story are disgusting and accurate descriptions of real-life parasites, which help us think about the story in new ways and give us a backdrop to place the new characters against.
While the book is in many ways WAY overly graphic about the parasites (I admit, I enjoyed those parts even so!), I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was absorbed into the story after just the first chapter, and stayed up late to finish it the first night I started it, because I couldn't bear to put it down. If you liked Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books, Westerfeld's Uglies series, or just are in the mood for something very different, then I highly recommend this.
Peeps 
2008-02-05
Peeps was really interesting to read. In peeps, a 19 year old college freshman gets infected with a disease. The problem was that he didn't know he had until about 7 or 8 months ago, and he infected all his ex-girlfriends. Now he has to capture them all before they kill even more people. The other problem is that there's something even worse on the loose. What is it? Read and find out!
Peepin' amazing! 2008-01-24
This book is PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously couldn't put it DOWN! I thought this book had a TON of substance to it! A great story line and even when its just details it still keeps you hanging on! It takes ALOT to make me this excited about a book, but this is one that I can't seem to stop reading! A friend of mine and I talk about books all the time, and this is one that we are ALWAYS discovering something new about it. EVERY time I read it! I DEFINATELY love this book and totally recomend it!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite vampire book. 2007-12-11
This is my favorite vampire book because it puts a new spin on the vampirism disease. It talks about it in a more biological way then just calling it a curse or super powers.
Great Book!
