Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

In the recent vampire craze taking place in books, movies, and T.V. shows, I would like to state this book was published before that started. It also presents a widely different view of vampires.
Imagine one day you find out all of your ex-boyfriends/girlfriends went crazy. Not just silly in the head crazy, but actual break everything in the apartment scream, shout, and become violent crazy. Scary huh? That's the point of view of the main character in this book. Cal Thompson finds himself in this position then is thrust into the world of 'peeps'. Parasite Positives. That's what they're called. The street term is vampire, but that's such a misconstrued word that they stick with peeps. This craziness comes from being infected with parasites. It acts like an STD on steroids. You can get it through a kiss or sweat or basically anything like that. Cal just happens to be a carrier for this disease. He does not get the bad side effects like go crazy and sensitive to light, but he gets the strength, agility, affection for rare meats, and he can spread the disease.
This book is a refreshing view on vampires and is very enjoyable. Even if vampires aren't your thing its a great read. Between every chapter of the story Westerfeld has written a short segment on common parasites in the world. At the very least you will find your self wondering about these kinds of things. The way Westerfeld approached this topic and wrote about it is in a very convincing manor. It is written in a way that makes you think, "Could that really happen?"
It is an entertaining read. I suggest it to anyone who has a little bit of adventure in them.