Peeps (novel)

infobox Book |
name = Peeps


image_caption =
author = Scott Westerfeld
cover_artist = Jason Ralls
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Young adult
Science Fiction
publisher = Penguin Group
release_date = February 8 2005
pages = 304
media_type = Print (Paperback)
isbn = 1-59514-083-2
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Last Days

"Peeps" is a 2005 novel by Scott Westerfeld revolving around a parasite which causes people to become cannibalistic and become repelled by that which they once loved. It follows the protagonist, Cal Thompson, as he lives with this parasite and tries to uncover a possible threat to the whole population of the world. The apocalyptic threat to the world that begins in "Peeps" continues in "The Last Days", a companion book which featured some of the same characters.

Plot Summary

Cal Thompson, the protagonist of the novel, was infected with a parasite upon his arrival in Manhattan. Unlike many of the victims of the parasite, however, he is a carrier; thus receiving all of the perks of the parasite without the extreme down sides. Cal has acquired extreme night vision, the ability to climb nearly smooth vertical surfaces, and increased strength. Less fortunate people infected with the parasite are repelled by which they once loved and are turned cannibalistic, and, unless contained, will spread the parasite to other unfortunate victims. Cal still experiences some of the effects of the parasite, such as craving meat and always feeling sexually aroused, by which means the parasite can be spread. Cal has been recruited to hunt down other parasite positives, referred to as "Peeps", beginning with his ex-girlfriends who he has infected.

When all of his ex-girlfriends have been captured and are receiving treatment, Cal decides to try to find the woman who he originally received the parasite from. Unfortunately, he knows little about her apart from her first name, Morgan. Thanks to some drunken memories and a new wave of alcohol, he manages to find Morgan's apartment, but discovers a new tenant has taken up resident there. In the elevator, he meets another tenant of the building, Lacey or "Lace", who is equally interested in learning who lived in the apartment previously in hopes of living in the expensive apartment for a very low price for much longer. She works to help Cal discover Morgan's present location, and also stumbles upon some new discoveries on the way, including writing on her wall in blood that says, "so pRetty i hAd to Eat hiM".

Cal comes to a breakthrough when he breaks into the basement of the building. Rats have long been accepted as carriers of the parasite, infected by peeps so that, if something is to happen to them, the infection can be carried on. But in the basement, he discovers a cat living among the rats, all of which smells familiar to him, meaning that they were likely infected by Morgan. While investigating, he also finds two residents of the same floor as Morgan, a married couple, living with the parasite without totally losing their minds. All the while, his feelings for Lace increase, growing with more feeling than just the attraction he feels to every woman he sees.

Cal soon realizes that the strain of the parasite that he has been infected with is very different from the Peeps that he's learned about, one involving a transfer between cats and humans. Unlike the strain he is well accustomed to, this is curable, and the cure has been known for many years. But he also comes to another startling revelation; this strain didn't come to the surface of the earth after hundreds of years without reason. It was pushed up by rats that had lived with it underground for years and years, and the rats were fleeing because something much more dangerous than vampirism was pushing it back up.

Morgan informs Cal and Lace that giant worms living beneath the city have been pushing the parasite up, something that they witnessed themselves. With Lace newly infected with the parasite thanks to Cal's cat, they decide to join the "New Watch", a group of people dedicated to spreading the curable strain to as many people as possible so that they can hunt down the giant worms. In the final scene of the novel, Cal and Lace are seen watching over Manhattan, waiting for the newest worm attack and also on the lookout for newly infected Peeps being arrested by the police. Apart from this, all they can do is wait for Manhattan to crumble and do what they can to save anyone that can be saved.

Characters

Cal Thompson

The protagonist of the novel, Cal is a "carrier" of the parasite. Essentially, his body contains the parasite that in most people causes dementia, cannibalism, and other vampiric symptoms. Cal gains the advantages of the parasite without suffering from the dementia, suffering only minor side effects. Because the parasite is transferred through almost any bodily fluid, it causes Cal to feel sexually aroused at all times. Due to its affects of people who are not carriers, however, he must resist these urges, which prevents him from having any natural relationships.

Cal is nineteen years of age, and has been a carrier of the parasite for a year when the novel begins. He is a hunter for the Night Watch, hunting down out of control Peeps (or Parasite Positives) beginning with his ex-girlfriends, who he infected. The Night Watch dates back to colonial times in America, but has never revealed itself to society for fear of causing wide spread panic. The novel focuses primarily on his hunt for Morgan, his the mysterious woman who infected him with the parasite. Along the way, he forms a relationship with Lace and discovers that the Night Watch has not told him all that they should have.

Lace

Lacey, known primarily as Lace, meets Cal Thompson by chance in the elevator of her apartment building. Because of her conviction in wanting to keep her expensive apartment at the amazingly low price she currently lives in it for, she tags along in Cal's investigation in search of the means to which she can blackmail her landlord. She becomes entangled in Cal's life and duties as a member of the Night Watch, and on the way begins to form an emotional bond with him.

Morgan

Cal's progenitor, Morgan changed his life eternally when she infected him with the parasite. She met him a year prior to the beginning of the novel at a gay bar called "Dick's Bar".

etting

The novel itself mostly takes place in the heart of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, New York.

The Parasite

The parasite featured in the novel is portrayed as being the source of many myths and legends. The symptoms in a carrier are only a craving for fresh meat and sexual arousal around the clock, but the symptoms of the normally affected are quite different. The parasite causes dementia and cannibalism, which were suggested as causing legends of most notably vampires, but also werewolves and zombies, among others. The protagonist describes the superhuman strength, speed, and vision as the human body simply operating on emergency power. He describes it as being the same as a mother protecting her child, specifically the rush of adrenaline provided so that she can act as she needs to. The parasite simply causes the body to act on this emergency adrenaline all the time, requiring extra food. These superior ability are shown in the novel several times by Cal. He claims to need to tape over the light of his DVD player to be able to sleep at night, as well as being able to read fine print by starlight. He jumps fearlessly from a balcony to the one beside it, causing suspicion from Lace, not afflicted with the parasite at the time. The parasite can be spread either directly from human to human, or via an infected rat or cat. Rats are shown to be attracted to infected persons. The parasite also seems to give those infected with it either imortality or at least extreme longevity, as shown by the Nightmayor, who had lived for centuries.

Two different strains were featured in the novel. The first to appear is a new strain, the symptoms and possible treatments for which have been known to Cal prior to the events of the novel. The body can react in two ways to this strain. The first, and most common, causes dementia, cannibalism and a painful response to light of any kind. Other symptoms involved hatred of what was once loved, which can range from a singer to a skyline, which can be used in order to capture the infected, and near total reliance of primitive instincts. Seemingly supernatural strength is present in this response, but it is used most often in instinctive reactions and basic needs, primarily food. In order to keep the parasite spreading through the population of the earth, the infected can spread the parasite to rats, who defend them and continue to spread the parasite, even if their progenitors cannot. The out of control cannibals who contract the disease and exhibit these symptoms are hunted down by the Night Watch, a group which fights to contain this strain of the parasite. There is no true cure for this reaction to the strain, and hospitalization coupled with an experimental plan of drugs is the only known treatment to contain a threat, apart from imprisonment. The second possible reaction to this strain, and the much less common, involves a more subtle response. People who contract this strain of the parasite and receive this reaction are known as "carriers" of the disease, for they do not suffer from its worst effects but have the possibility of spreading the disease nonetheless. A craving for meat remains, involving that of the human variety, but a carrier of the strain is no longer forced to succumb totally to their instincts. It is possible for the carriers of this strain to live a near normal life, due to the fact that the stronger symptoms are absent. However, they must shy away from any close contact with others humans, involving simple things such as kissing and sharing a toothbrush, for fear of spreading the disease further. The worst of the remaining reactions, primarily sexual arousal and cravings for meat, can be overcome. The carriers are compared to Mary Mallon, most commonly referred to as "Typhoid Mary", by the protagonist.

The second and older strain presents itself in a different manner. To the untrained eye, it may appear to be the same as the new strain. However, this strain is much more manageable. It appeared in ancient times, long before the second strain existed, and aided in defeating the attack of a race of large worms. By infecting as many people as possible, an army was created to defeat the giant worms threatening humanity. This older strain all but disappeared after it was no longer needed, existing only in a brood of rats living underground. When the giant worms that once threatened the existence of the human race return, they force the infected rats to the surface who then spread the old strain back into the human population. The strain is used to defeat the giant worms once again, allowing the human race to survive, but not without a certain degree of damage done to the world. The dementia and cannibalism are present towards the beginning of the the infection, and is much more easily treatable. Old methods which were used in the last large-scale parasite infection are rediscovered and used, such as garlic and rosemary. This is evidently meant to represent the beginnings of vampire legends involving garlic as protection.

The parasite is further explained in "The Last Days", adding another dimension to the parasite. It is revealed that in ancient times, there were certain "singers" that could call up giant worms from within the Earth so that they could be more easily killed. This allowed the army of fighters against the giant worms to attract the worms under their preferred conditions, such as time and location, with sufficient preparation. The singers were able to attract the worms by singing words that were guided by the parasite living within them, sounding meaningless to the average human, but captivating nonetheless. The Nightmayor, an age old carrier of the parasite has vague memories of seeing one of these singers calling a giant worm up to be killed, and Minerva, a prominent character in "The Last Days", has inherited this ability from the parasite positives of centuries ago. She experiences receiving these songs from underground in her home, where old burial grounds are located, giving a possible origin to this ability.

Awards and nominations

"Peeps" has been nominated for the first ever Andre Norton Award [cite web |url=http://www.sfwa.org/awards/2007/NebFinal2006.html |work=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc |date=2008-07-21 |title=2006 SFWA Final Nebula Awards ballot] , bestowed in May 2007. It was listed as one of the 2006 ALA Best Books YA Awards [cite web |url=http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/06topten.cfm |work=BBYA 2006 Top Ten |date=2008-08-17 |title=2006 ALA Best Books YA Awards] and selected as one of the "Best Books of the Year" in 2005 by School Library Journal [cite web |url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6286432.html |work=Best Books of 2005 |date=2008-08-17 |title=Best Books of 2005 by School Library Journal] .

References