A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful...
read full description
reviews
Dec 03, 2011
★ Jess
rated it: 
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 u More...
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 u More...
7 comments
like
(14 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Emma
rated it:
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 grandmothe More...
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 grandmothe More...
Nov 18, 2008
Denise
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
5 comments
like
(20 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Kevin
rated it:
Interest premise, fun ride. Loved that the female protagonist wasn't all helpless and actually was smarter/funnier/more interesting than the lead male. HOWEVER I could not wrap my head around the rhythm of her voice. The author had her doing weird things like saying "Dude" at the end of EVERY sentence, which made no sense and got irritating very quickly. But that's the only complaint, awesome book.
2 comments
like
(7 people liked it)
Aug 29, 2008
Kim
rated it:
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, More...
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, More...
2 comments
like
(7 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Trin
rated it: 
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 rig
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Apr 03, 2011
Seth
rated it: 
I enjoyed this book very much, and didn't get why everyone said it was so creepy
2 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Aug 14, 2008
Missjulie
rated it:
"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 More...
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 More...
2 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Feb 25, 2008
Carter
rated it:
Usually when you read the collected works of an author, you can usually tell that it's by said author. The author tends to have a distinct voice and style that comes out in their books. I think Scott Westerfeld doesn't seem to fit in this camp.
I just finished the Uglies series last week. This is the only other book of his I've read. "Peeps" is its own (dare I say) monster. The story is basically this: vampirism is actually caused by a parasite. If you contract the p More...
I just finished the Uglies series last week. This is the only other book of his I've read. "Peeps" is its own (dare I say) monster. The story is basically this: vampirism is actually caused by a parasite. If you contract the p More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 17, 2009
nan
rated it:
This book is about vampires, like twilight, but it is totally different. Vampirism is a disease, and it it spread through having sex with peeps, (Parasite Positives), being bitten by a rat, and something else...
The symptoms are
-hating everything you used to love
-hating the sun
-drinking blood
-hanging out with rats
-and wanting to eat meat.
I liked this book because it was exciting, and unexpected things were always happening.
WARNING
mild cursin More...
The symptoms are
-hating everything you used to love
-hating the sun
-drinking blood
-hanging out with rats
-and wanting to eat meat.
I liked this book because it was exciting, and unexpected things were always happening.
WARNING
mild cursin More...
Aug 18, 2008
Linnea
rated it:
This taps into my deep seated love of cheesy young adult fiction. In fact, I feel like there should be a support group for adult lovers of young adult fiction - LYAFA (Lovers of Young Adult Fiction Anonymous). I'll brew the coffee.
But I digress. This book was given to me by my aunt Cathy, who is a super cool science nerd. She was intrigued by the book's treatment of vampirism as a parasite. The idea of providing a scientific reason for old fashioned monsters isn't new, but the b More...
But I digress. This book was given to me by my aunt Cathy, who is a super cool science nerd. She was intrigued by the book's treatment of vampirism as a parasite. The idea of providing a scientific reason for old fashioned monsters isn't new, but the b More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2011
Diane *Ahnnihilate*
rated it:
Gaaah. I love this book... mostly because of the parasite facts. I love parasites! But not literally, just in books where they can't touch me. But of course parasites are a part of life and I can't really avoid them entirely.
Anyway, as many theories about vampires I've read, this is by far one of my favorites. Probably the most interesting and convincing take on how vampires came to be. (Although I did keep on getting confused about the specifics of the disease).
I found this More...
Anyway, as many theories about vampires I've read, this is by far one of my favorites. Probably the most interesting and convincing take on how vampires came to be. (Although I did keep on getting confused about the specifics of the disease).
I found this More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 22, 2009
Tessa
rated it:
In PEEPS, Scott Westerfeld takes the vampirism-as-disease trope to a whole new level.
Cal came to New York for college and adventure. What he got was a parasite that slowly took over his body. Fortunately, Cal's just a carrier: he gets night-vision, strength, speed, and a taste for red meat (or maybe that's just the Texan in him). His job is to track down the girlfriends he passed the parasite on to before realizing he was infected. They aren't so lucky - they've got the full-blown di More...
Cal came to New York for college and adventure. What he got was a parasite that slowly took over his body. Fortunately, Cal's just a carrier: he gets night-vision, strength, speed, and a taste for red meat (or maybe that's just the Texan in him). His job is to track down the girlfriends he passed the parasite on to before realizing he was infected. They aren't so lucky - they've got the full-blown di More...
Feb 04, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 16, 2009
Shaun
rated it:
I am officially in love with Scott Westerfeld. I do not mean a homosexual love, but I absolutely and utterly adore this man's writing. As some of you already know, I truly enjoyed reading the first book in the Midnighter's series, of which I am going to be reading book two eventually here. Peeps is yet another one of Westerfeld's brilliant literary works. The difference here is that Peeps is a completely new and realistic take on the traditional vampire story. Now, hold on for a second. I know w
More...
Jan 10, 2012
Kelly
rated it:
I had a lot of fun with this book. I love Westerfield's writing style. He's so deliciously boy, if that makes any sense. Most YA books (at least the ones I read) seem to be written by women so it's always refreshing to read a book that was so obviously written by a man. Not may books will visually compare something to "crap flushing down a toilet". lol I love Westerfield's sense of humor. He's really funny, but he's subtle about it.
This story was just an all around fun read. More...
This story was just an all around fun read. More...
Jan 05, 2012
Jennifer
rated it:
Peeps is snark at its best. Westerfeld crafts a 19-year-old hero with a self-deprecating sense of humor, average looks, a sex drive that won't quit, and a worse-than-deadly STD. Cal is an excellent protagonist with whom I felt a great deal of sympathy that Westerfeld made sure would stop just before it became pity.
Cal shows the readers a world in which vampirism is actually a result of a parasite. Vampires are not a glittering species of an unknown origin. They are us, changed, br More...
Cal shows the readers a world in which vampirism is actually a result of a parasite. Vampires are not a glittering species of an unknown origin. They are us, changed, br More...
Jun 14, 2011
Creativity's
rated it:
This review was originally posted on my blog, Creativity's Corner
One of the things I like about Scott Westerfeld is his ability to take something very unusual and make it seem perfectly normal. In his Uglies trilogy, it was the uber-plastic surgery thing, in Peeps, it's Vampires. To me, this novel was a breath of fresh air - the Vampires weren't really creepy, scary inhuman creatures, and they weren't idolized for their super abilities and possible humanity. They just were. They're a More...
One of the things I like about Scott Westerfeld is his ability to take something very unusual and make it seem perfectly normal. In his Uglies trilogy, it was the uber-plastic surgery thing, in Peeps, it's Vampires. To me, this novel was a breath of fresh air - the Vampires weren't really creepy, scary inhuman creatures, and they weren't idolized for their super abilities and possible humanity. They just were. They're a More...
Jun 06, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
I'm feeling lazy, so here's the description from the book:
<blockcut>"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 i More...
<blockcut>"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 i More...
May 06, 2011
Kirsten
rated it:
This is a highly enjoyable spin on the vampire story. Cal Thompson is a Peep, or Parasite Positive; you might know him better as a vampire. Turns out vampirism (and probably a lot of other legendary ailments of the undead) is caused by a parasite. The parasite makes its host stronger, faster, and long-lived -- but also gives one a taste for blood (the better to propagate) and has a tendency toward making its host insane in the process. Cal is lucky -- he's one of the sane carriers -- but his ex-
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 10, 2011
Katie
rated it:
This book is somewhere between 3.5 and 4.
I really enjoyed it. Cal's adventuring was ceaselessly exciting. Vampireism = a parasite is a pretty brilliant concept, and I love how parasites permeate the narrative (though I was getting a little tired of reading about parasites by the end - I hope they drop that every other chapter gimmick for the sequal... which I may or may no read).
Cal's emotions went just deeply enough for him to be entertaining, but I did wonder why he never More...
I really enjoyed it. Cal's adventuring was ceaselessly exciting. Vampireism = a parasite is a pretty brilliant concept, and I love how parasites permeate the narrative (though I was getting a little tired of reading about parasites by the end - I hope they drop that every other chapter gimmick for the sequal... which I may or may no read).
Cal's emotions went just deeply enough for him to be entertaining, but I did wonder why he never More...
Mar 26, 2011
Britani
rated it:
I read Scott Westerfeld when I need an intelligent, not overly emotional, but completely engrossing read. He never disappoints. LOVED the science tidbits in this. See in this book vampirism is spread by a parasite. Each chapter is prefaced by a different parasite and how it opperates. Microbiology was my favorite class in college so that was completely fascinating to me. However, a little creepy when you start reading this in the dark as a chaperone at girls camp on the top bunk with a flashligh
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 23, 2011
Bradi
rated it:
this book was amazing!!!!! i loved it. i really enjoy reading books about vampires ive learned this year, and this is definatly a book i would recommend to anyone who lloves them too. peeps kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. i just didn't want to stop reading because i wanted to know what was going to happen. one of the things that i loved about this book is that it had a new twist in vampire books. because the main character wasn't a vampire, or peep, but he was a carrier
More...
Jan 30, 2011
Juli
rated it:
I couldn't put this book down, and the parasite stuff didn't gross me out, like I thought it might. I didn't realize (or had forgotten from Kit's review) that this had anything do with "vampires," until I read on the back cover "even non-vampire fans will like it" and even that was enough to make me wish I hadn't gotten it from the library (definitely glad at that point I hadn't paid for it.) But now I wish I had a copy of my own, because this isn't even what I'd call a vamp
More...
Jan 01, 2011
Yolanda
rated it:
In this book, Scott Westerfeld tackles a very unique take on the vampire genre. I was captivated from the beginning and the more I read, the deeper I got wrapped up in Cal's unstable life. And my gosh, I loved the mystery and the little twist at the end.
Cal's a very sympathetic character, taking the reader for a wild ride as he tries to figure out what's going on beneath New York, while trying to stay away from girls so that he won't infect anyone else. However, when he meets Lace, h More...
Cal's a very sympathetic character, taking the reader for a wild ride as he tries to figure out what's going on beneath New York, while trying to stay away from girls so that he won't infect anyone else. However, when he meets Lace, h More...
Nov 22, 2010
Bekkalee
rated it:
Vampires save the world from ancient worms. And, okay, they aren’t exactly vampires, they’re parasite infected monsters, or Peeps.
Well -
Peeps was a quick read, high-adrenaline, and creepily creative in its short parasite biology lessons between each chapter. But while vampires saving the world is unique in some ways, it’s head-bangingly cliché in others.
I didn’t like Cal. I mean, he’s a guy who will go hang out at a gay bar drinking strange drinks and end the nigh More...
Well -
Peeps was a quick read, high-adrenaline, and creepily creative in its short parasite biology lessons between each chapter. But while vampires saving the world is unique in some ways, it’s head-bangingly cliché in others.
I didn’t like Cal. I mean, he’s a guy who will go hang out at a gay bar drinking strange drinks and end the nigh More...
Nov 15, 2010
Marieme
rated it:
Peeps
By Scott Westerfeld
304pp. Penguin Group.
ISBN: 1-59514-083-2
"After a year of hunting, I finally caught up with Sarah."
Right away, Peeps, a novel by Scott Westerfeld begins with suspense. As soon as I read the very first sentence, I wanted to see what this Sci-Fi book would be about. Peeps is a story about a 19 year-old boy named Cal Thompson, who after an encounter with a women named Morgan, ends up being infected by a dangerous parasite. Thi More...
By Scott Westerfeld
304pp. Penguin Group.
ISBN: 1-59514-083-2
"After a year of hunting, I finally caught up with Sarah."
Right away, Peeps, a novel by Scott Westerfeld begins with suspense. As soon as I read the very first sentence, I wanted to see what this Sci-Fi book would be about. Peeps is a story about a 19 year-old boy named Cal Thompson, who after an encounter with a women named Morgan, ends up being infected by a dangerous parasite. Thi More...
Nov 14, 2010
Michele
rated it:
Interest level: 8th +
Reading level: advanced
Genre: horror, science fiction, vampires, parasites, STDs
You have to be a pretty sophisticated reader to enjoy this book. And, by the way, if you're really squeamish about disgusting parasites and the diseases they cause you might even want to skip it altogether since it delves into the subject in quite some detail. You may never see the world in the same light again....
Now that I have your attention, here's a brief summ More...
Reading level: advanced
Genre: horror, science fiction, vampires, parasites, STDs
You have to be a pretty sophisticated reader to enjoy this book. And, by the way, if you're really squeamish about disgusting parasites and the diseases they cause you might even want to skip it altogether since it delves into the subject in quite some detail. You may never see the world in the same light again....
Now that I have your attention, here's a brief summ More...
Oct 22, 2010
Kristina
rated it:
Book Review for Peeps
Peeps is another masterpiece by New York Times Bestselling Author, Scott Westerfeld. The Uglies Trilogy writer makes a perfect blend of science and fiction without making the genre just that. His vivid imagery and immense description create a movie in your head that you will want to watch over and over.
When Cal Thompson loses his virginity to an anonymous woman, he realizes that he has been infected with a highly contagious parasite with apocalyptic pow More...
Peeps is another masterpiece by New York Times Bestselling Author, Scott Westerfeld. The Uglies Trilogy writer makes a perfect blend of science and fiction without making the genre just that. His vivid imagery and immense description create a movie in your head that you will want to watch over and over.
When Cal Thompson loses his virginity to an anonymous woman, he realizes that he has been infected with a highly contagious parasite with apocalyptic pow More...
Oct 12, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
I have read almost all of scott's books, and have loved all of them till now.
I liked the book don't get me wrong its a very good story about vampires with a good twist, its a highly contagious dieses.. he has good twists in the ithrought the book, but half the time he talks about evolution facts and I dont believe in evolution.
I know that there is no proof that evolution exists today (are monkeys still turning in to people?), i'm not tryig to tell you what to believe but at th More...
I liked the book don't get me wrong its a very good story about vampires with a good twist, its a highly contagious dieses.. he has good twists in the ithrought the book, but half the time he talks about evolution facts and I dont believe in evolution.
I know that there is no proof that evolution exists today (are monkeys still turning in to people?), i'm not tryig to tell you what to believe but at th More...
