Shelf Life

Cal works for the Night Watch, a secret, extra-governmental agency that has operated in New York City since colonial times. Cal’s job is to hunt down parasite-positives (a.k.a Peeps). The parasite alters the host’s physiology and brain chemistry, making them stronger and faster, giving them heightened senses, sensitivity to light and an extreme hunger for meat– the rarer the better. The parasite is transmitted through bites or an exchange of bodily fluids. In other words, vampirism is an STD.

As the book opens Cal is hunting down his ex-girlfriend Sarah. Cal finds her in a warehouse in Hoboken with her brood of rats. He manages to subdue her for the transport squad to take her into custody. Cal has to hunt down all of his exes because he infected them with the parasite. Cal is a rarity, a carrier who does not become a full-blown Peep. With Sarah in custody Cal has found all the women he infected. Now he must find the woman who infected him, Morgan. His hunt for Morgan leads him to Lace, budding journalist, to whom he is drawn. Their investigation uncovers some bizarre goings on under the city and within the Night Watch itself. Is someone in the Night Watch protecting Morgan? And are there things worse than Peeps stalking beneath the city?

Westerfeld’s take on the vampire story is original and refreshing. The fiction is mixed with science as Cal gives occasional discourses on parasitology, some grisly enough compete with main story. If you liked Klause’s The Silver Kiss, Anderson’s Thirsty, Hautman’s Sweetblood, and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books you will love this one.

Mr. Doyle