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 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. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. It's Cal's job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind.

Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld's novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.

"As with So Yesterday, Westerfeld creates an engaging conspiracy set in New York City, filling his novel with provocative facts, this time about parasites. Right after Cal Thompson moves from Texas to New York for college, he loses his virginity and become infected with the parasite that causes vampirism. Fortunately, Cal is 'partly immune,' so while he is parasite-positive, or a peep, he only experiences some effects, such as night vision. The 19-year-old works for Night Watch, the city's ancient peep-hunting organization. As Cal begins to track Morgan, the woman who infected him after a drunken one-night stand, he stumbles upon a mystery that eventually makes him question the very organization for which he works. He also finds a love interest in the strong-willed journalism student now living in Morgan's old building, but because of the disease he cannot act on his feelings. While they may have trouble making sense of all the pieces, readers will enjoy the scientific reasoning behind vampirism, and will likely get sucked into the conspiracy with Cal. The book brims with great details (Cal can make himself fake I.D. cards and, like other government workers, spends a lot of his time filling in forms), and he faces off against other victims and encounters plenty of rats. Alternate chapters about parasites provide compelling (and appropriately disgusting) details about their small but powerful world. This is definitely a story to get the brain working. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Even non-vampire fans will like this one. Readers know they are not in standard vampire country when Cal makes his first capture by pasting pictures of Elvis on every door and window to prevent escape." KLIATT

"This innovative and original vampire story, full of engaging characters and just enough horror without any gore, will appeal to a wide audience." School Library Journal

"Both medical thriller and science fiction, this fast-paced, captivating modern vampire story is enriched with biology and history....Entrancing throughout — but squeamish readers beware." Kirkus Reviews

Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that's fast becoming his trademark, Westerfield's new novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror--the vampire.

Scott Westerfeld has written many acclaimed novels for adults and teens, including So Yesterday, Peeps, and the "Midnighters" and "Uglies" series. His books have been named New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and have won the Aurealis Award, the Victorian Premier's Award, and the Philip K. Dick Special Citation. Scott lives in New York City and Sydney, Australia.