Scott Westerfeld’s Peeps is the first installment of the Peeps Series. Cal Thompson, the protagonist, is a hunter, a carrier of an ancient disease, vampirism, and a 19-year-old trying to deal with the life that was given to him. He struggles with “normal” teen issues but it is exacerbated by a disease that intensifies his physical and mental states. For example, Cal is talking to Dr. Prolix, or Dr. Rat, one of his co-workers from the Night Watch, she says,

“Haven’t you known someone rejected by a lover, who, consumed by rage and jealousy, never lets go? They look on from a distance, unseen but boiling inside. The emotion never seems to tire, this hatred mixed with intense obsession, even with a twisted kind of love.” (p.33)

After learning that the parasite he is infected with, can spread through his saliva, Cal must search for his former girlfriends, who basically turn into crazy animals because of the parasite. The parasite causes its hosts to reject things they loved. For example, if they were religious, they would hate the crucifix, if they loved Garth Brooks, they would hate the sight and sounds of Garth Brooks. (I can’t blame them on that one – I’m not really a fan). His missions uncover an even larger conspiracy that ultimately leads to Cal and others like him with the task of saving humanity.

Throughout the story, Westerfeld includes graphic descriptions of parasites, their effects and their role in Nature. Parasites can be bad but they are also necessary. These interspersed mini-parasite reports give the reader a better understanding of what is happening within Cal and his ex-girlfriends and ultimately, leads to what good be viewed as a war between something ancient and deadly and humanity.