Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (4.5 stars)

Can Scott Westerfeld do wrong? Seems not so far. This was a fun read, I couldn't put it down. Lets start with the bad bits.

I hate Lace purely because she says dude all the frickin time. It is ridiculous. Was this some misguided attempt to appeal to teens? Did Westerfeld's editor tell him all the cool kids are saying it? Even people who do say dude a lot wouldn't say it how Lace does.

When I read this I wondered if the story was going to dissolve into some sort of stupid sci-fi Mills and Boon:

The parasite makes sure that I'm like the always-hungry snail, except hungry for sex. I'm constantly aroused, aware of every female in the room, every cell screaming for me to go out and shag someone!

Thankfully it didn't.

I found the alternating chapters of parasitology information slightly annoying because they broke the story up. It kind of felt like Westerfeld was showing off his research - look how much gross stuff I know - but it was pretty interesting so I didn't mind.

I liked the idea of vampirism being caused by a parasite, and the linking of all the major historical disease outbreaks was also pretty creative. This approach sets this book apart from the vast majority of vampire fiction.

I think I would have preferred to have left the evil in the sewers as a vague bad smell because the fight scene in the subway seemed a bit stupid. I think he would have been better stopping the story early and leaving the fight for the next book.

4.5 stars

The Afgan by Frederick Forsyth (2.5 stars)

Well, it's been a little while since I read a book like this - something you'd pick up in an airport to keep entertained on a flight.

It was the usual annoyingly perfect picture of the US intelligence and military machine - brilliantly efficient, elite trained forces, amazing weaponry etc. Where are the bored unmotivated workers, the hopelessly inefficient bureaucracy of the real world? It was certainly no Caine Mutiny.

One of the amazon reviewers had a funny list of inaccuracies that I'll reproduce here:

• Malaysian Airlines _does_ serve alcohol.
  
• The 9/11 attacks did not occur at breakfast time in London but in the mid afternoon.
  
• There is no U.S. Army rank of "Senior Captain"
  
• In the U.S. government a GS-15 is not a "junior staffer," but rather the highest ranked of the non-executive service, making more than$100,000/year.
  
• The British SBS is the "Special Boat Service" not the "Special Boat Squadron."
  
• The M21 sniper rifle was replaced by the M24 Sniper Weapon System in 1988.
  
• It's somewhat unclear, but the story seems to imply that the hero learned passable Pashto from hanging out with Tajiks for six months. That's roughly like learning learning German by hanging out in France.
  
• The hero is impersonating an Afghan ex-mujahedeen turned Taliban fighter. His teeth are inspected by very thorough Al-Qaeda security men, who somehow fail to notice his Western dental work.
  

2.5 stars.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (4 stars)

This was a really interesting read, based on the true story of the village of Eyam in England that quarantined a plague outbreak within the village in 1666. I had high expectations for this book after enjoying March, and it lived up to my expectations. My main criticism is the hurried ending. I thought Mompellion's story about why he married Elinor was ridiculous, which was then compounded by the bizarre flight to...Morocco? What the? If the ending had been more thoughtful I would have given it 4.5.

4 stars.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld (4.5 stars)

This was a great end to the Uglies trilogy. I'm a sucker for some superpowers, and the Specials have got them by the bucketload. Self-healing, indestructible skeletons, 'skintenna' network interfaces, infra-red vision, super fast reflexes and enhanced hearing makes for some seriously surgically weaponised individuals.

Tally is playing for a new team, which is quite unsettling, and because of her 'icy' outlook the love story is quite subdued in this book. I liked the ending and thought it demonstrated the benefits and challenges posed by democracy and immigration (trying not to give too much away here). I didn't pick any of the twists in the book, which was great.

4.5 stars.