House Of The Scorpion

Author: Nancy Farmer

Winner of the 2002 National book award as well as a Printz and Newbery Honor book in 2003, House of the Scorpion has a lot of literary acclaim for a sci-fi novel. This futuristic, coming-of-age adventure tackles some heavy moral issues, but it never comes off as didactic. Matt Alarcan has lived in seclusion on the estate of the drug lord of El Patron, knowing nothing of the outside world until he meets Maria. When she leaves, Matt worries that she might be devoured by a mythical creature and goes out in search of her, only to find out some terrible secrets about himself and the world in which he lives. Matt is a clone, whom the aging El Patron has created in order to harvest his organs. The book brings up interesting issues about cloning and human rights through the story of Matt's plight and of El Patron's family.While the premise is similar to the 2005 movie, The Island, this book packs a much bigger punch by also exploring the concept of eejits, people with a brain chip implanted that basically makes them mindless drones. Farmer paints a grim future in Matt's world, but she does raise a lot of interesting questions as well as your pulse as you follow Matt's adventure.

Books in Matteo Alacran Series (1)

The Lord Of Opium