[.ca] House of the Scorpion (ISBN 1417619007)

From Amazon.com:
Fields of white opium poppies stretch away over the hills, and uniformed workers bend over the rows, harvesting the juice. This is the empire of Matteo Alacran, a feudal drug lord in the country of Opium, which lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly Mexico. Field work, or any menial tasks, are done by "eejits," humans in whose brains computer chips have been installed to insure docility. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived 140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran's doubles, has been spared because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family's mansion, alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El Patron's favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him, and with the help of Tam Lin, his bluff and kind Scottish bodyguard, he escapes to Aztlan. There he and other "lost children" are trapped in a more subtle kind of slavery before Matt can return to Opium to take his rightful place and transform his country. Nancy Farmer, a two-time Newbery honoree, surpasses even her marvelous novel, The Ear, The Eye and the Arm in the breathless action and fascinating characters of The House of the Scorpion. Readers will be reminded of Orson Scott Card's Ender in Matt's persistence and courage in the face of a world that intends to use him for its own purposes, and of Louis Sachar's Holes in the camaraderie of imprisoned boys and the layers of meaning embedded in this irresistibly compelling story. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Nancy Farmer's Best Feat Yet:
This science fiction novel by Nancy Farmer, the House of the Scorpion, is a page turner. You will not be able to put it down. It is thrilling, suspenseful, and has an unexpected twist. This book takes place sometime in the future. I recommend this book for 12-99 year old boys. Matt, the main character, is a clone who lives in a small house in the opium fields with his beloved caretaker Celia. He does not know he is a clone until some kids from the big house come and knock on the windows. He has never before seen other kids and he is very excited. Matt is only six years old. He cannot open the door and the windows are locked. Without thinking he takes a pan and breaks the window. He then jumps out the window. Matt cuts his hands and feet very badly. Maria, later to be Matt's best friend carries him to the big house. Maria is the same age as Matt. She is very nice and loves animals. Here they immediately called a doctor until the see the writing on Matt's foot: "Property of El Patron." They then realize that Matt is a clone and lock him in a cellar. Three months time has passed of Matt being in the cellar, and being treated like an animal. One day a maid runs and fetches Matt, of course after being a prisoner for three months he is very confused. The maid cuts his hair and cleans him up. It turns out El Patron has come to visit. El Patron is a really old man who is extremely powerful as he is in charge of the opium fields. This is the man who created Matt. Matt is his clone! When El Patron hears from Celia how they have been treating Matt he is furious He demands that Celia and Matt have there own quarters. Is El Patron really the good man we think he is? Read the House of the Scorpion to find out, and see if Matt will escape and survive!

All I can say is wow.:
After reading this book over and over again and not getting the least bit bored, I realized that this was my favorite book ever. The sad thing is, I don't even own it. Once again...all hail Nancy Farmer. Books I reccomend: The Ear The Eye and The Arm Halo: The Fall of Reach VISIT NFSUCLAN.CJB.NET!

Adam's Review:
The authors purpose for writing this novel was to give the reader suspense and mystery. One example is when Matt, the main character, is framed for killing his friends dog when he didn't. He then must prove his innocents to a crowd of prejudice people. It is suspenceful when one of Matt's best friend's, Tam Lin, pretends to become evil in order to help save Matt.I think the author definitely achieved her two goals of being suspenseful and providing mystery. This book was brilliantly written.

my new favourite book:
this book is so twisted!!!it led me to think things were gonna happen when they didnt and some of the most unexpected things took place.El Patron is the evilist evildoer i have ever read about in a book and it just makes the book so good!!!matt is such a loveable charactor..the way he thinks...the way he acts...the way one can pity him..its all excellent so plz read the house of the scorpion!

An original idea and thrilling adventure:
Nancy Farmer, the author of "House of the Scorpion", was born in 1941 and is a three time Newbury Award winner. Some of her other famous works are "The Sea of Trolls", "A Girl Named Disaster" and "The Ear, the Eye and the Arm". She currently lives in Menlo Park, California along with her family. Farmer grew up in same sweltering, desert plains the novel is set in, giving her a sense of comfort and originality, which reflects into the novel. The time the story is set in is not stated, but it is clearly a science fiction novel. Technology is used very casually, but pales to our level of technology showing that the society of has been advanced for an extremely long time. Matt is a normal boy, he likes the same things as every typical boy his age, but he has felt branded all his life for being a clone. His predecessor, Matteo Alacran, is a man who is only out to benefit himself. He grants Matt everything he wants trying to make up for the bad childhood he once had. Matteo Alacran or El Patron, as he is also called, is often related to a pale, blood-sucking vampire, a description of which he in fact proud of. Matt only has a handful of true friend's but they are with him through thick and thin. There is Celia, the kind Spanish woman who raised Matt from an infant; she shares a special bond with Matt that nobody can break. She calls him "Me Vida" which means 'my world' in Spanish. Tam Lin and Maria are two other supporting characters and extensions of Matt's makeshift family tree. Tam Lin is Matt's bodyguard and never leaves his side. Although cold towards Matt at first he eventually becomes a close companion, teaching him all he needs to know on survival and friendship. Maria on the other hand shows a softer side and helps Matt to show his good nature and not be overwhelmed by the world around him. She has a sense of innocence and takes Matt up as a pet project to make him "good". Science fiction has been a favourite of many readers fro decades, but after awhile a topic can be overused. "The House of the Scorpion" is refreshing look at sci-fi because of its features an expired world and mutated society. The genre is unclear at first as Matt has been isolated from the real world since he was born, but as he becomes more and more in tune with his surrounding and his will to learn increases it becomes more and apparent that this is an era unlike anything we have ever had so far. As the story rolls on and Matt begins to use his knowledge and intelligence to find a better place in life than the one he is threatened with. Because of his clone status he is forced to a life of eternal imprisonment in the Alacran Estate! When Matt is finally forced to move on, because of dire circumstances, he is thrown into a battle of epic proportions. Fighting against the confines of a society that he never new existed and wading through a new world full of discoveries, like holograms and hovercrafts and the slow realization that the world and its inhabitants are much less perfect. In only a few short years Matt is confronted with truths he would rather not have known but he seizes his situation using maturity far beyond his years to attempt to save himself from a destiny of doom and despair. This is a story of a boy who needs to find himself in a world that only brings him down. Because of the realism in the story it brings down a sense of heaviness and empathy upon those who read it. This book doesn't include picture perfect ideals or a world in which everyone is there for you. In fact there is a trend that every person should take care of him or herself and nobody else should matter; only a few people are exempted from this rule. El Patron gave Matt constant lecturing throughout his time with him telling his he should only care about himself, that that was how he became wealthy in life. It is strangely satisfying to see a sharp intellectual main character that is worth nothing more then a piece of livestock, and watch them survive in a cruel world where everything is held out of grasp. The original ideas Farmer used in the novel shows her love for writing, and readers can relate to both its theme and characters in certain times of their lives. The world surrounding the cast is enveloped in a sense of wonder in Matt's perspective but is largely undervalued by everyone else, this is also true today as we hurriedly use up our world resources. This is a novel written for a teenage market, but because of the deep conflict between man and society adults can enjoy it as well. Farmer has captured the essence of some of the main issues from today society and escalated them into the future. If we look deeper into what she has to say and the morels the book contains, we may find we all have something to change about ourselves.