From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

The House of the Scorpion (Matteo Alacran, #1)

Nancy Farmer

Why we're reading this: At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacrán asks El Patrón's bodyguard, "How old am I?...I know I don't ha…more
[close] At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacrán asks El Patrón's bodyguard, "How old am I?...I know I don't have a birthday like humans, but I was born."

"You were harvested," Tam Lin reminds him. "You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her."

To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico -- Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.

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What Members Thought

Jan 18, 2010 Ellisa Barr rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, fiction, read-2010, sci-fi

I have really mixed feelings about this book. First, the good - the author has created a really interesting world, full of ideas and practices that young adults would enjoy discussing and pondering. Cloning, a country created for the purpose of drug production, illegal immigration, communism, and the basic good vs. bad. Most of the characters were so flat they could have been clones themselves, and I'm putting this with the stuff I liked because I think it was done intentionally, to make the aut ...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Gertie rated it really liked it

4.5

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Mar 06, 2012 🥀 Rose 🥀 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult, dystopian-speculative-fiction

Finally, a thought provoking YA. This book has everything. A science fiction extravaganza, future, dystopian setting in Mexico, drug lords, slavery, zombies, cloning, issues of ethics, psychopaths, greed, poverty. You name it, it's got it.

I feel this book was written to complement our youngs intelligence, not dumb it down which is how some YA can be. The rich, clean style of the author's prose should keep anyone engaged as this moves as a good clip.

A world where opium has all the power to rules ...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Donna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia-apocalyptic

This started out on track to become one of my favorite YA books. Matteo was sympathetic, he had an interesting background, and the setting did the "subtle dystopia" thing really well. I also enjoyed the author's writing style quite a bit.

Then Matteo climbed over the mountains into an entirely different novel. The themes and plot consequences of the first part of the story went ignored in favor of a set of new issues and characters. It was all too jarring for me, and it really hurt my overall opi ...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Erin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalypse-dystopia, young-adult

Young-adult dystopia done totally right, which was so refreshing after the horrible Delirium. Matteo is a clone in a fictionalized Mexico and as he grows up he learns what it means to be human. So compelling and difficult to put down. Highly recommended for older teens and adults who are fans of the genre. (I really hope there's not a sequel.) ...more

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