The Lord of Opium

Nancy Farmer

Sep 2013 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In the riveting sequel to the acclaimed bestseller The House of the Scorpion, Matt reels from the change in status quo and struggles to do the right thing; find out his story’s end in this new edition with a reimagined cover!

Matt Alacrán is a fourteen-year-old drug lord.

Until recently, Matt was just a clone grown from a strip of El Patrón’s skin. Now he is lord of the land of Opium, on the one-time US–Mexico border, and rules over an army of microchipped, zombielike workers who are programmed to produce the drugs that are Opium’s main export. El Patrón kept the air and water in Opium clean, but the rest of the world is a polluted wasteland.

Matt is sure that, in his new position, he can find a way to break the cycle of violence and destruction—but it will only be possible if he chooses the right people to trust.

Ratings and reviews

I loved the setting, but found the writing repetitive and somewhat duller than the first book. She spent so much time describing the cacti (or "cactuses") that the primary storyline felt disorganized and sidelined, and the ending felt rushed and anticlimactic. The flow wasn't crisp like in the first book. There was also a big plot point that wasn't clearly addressed in my opinion. The themes and ideas were great, but the execution was not very satisfying.

I hate to sit down and just read but just like the first in this series, i was able to sit and read it all the way through no problem. I would recommend this series to anyone!!

This truly is one of the best books I've ever read in my life. So memorable, enjoyable, and fast pased. So much happens every page just keeps you wanting more. Thank Nancy Farmmer.

About the author

Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which also won the National Book Award and the Printz Honor. Other books include The Lord of Opium, The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Islands of the Blessed, Do You Know Me, The Warm Place, and three picture books for young children. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and now lives with her family in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.