编辑推荐Amazon.com Review
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--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Farmer's (A Girl Named Disaster; The Ear, the Eye and the Arm) novel may be futuristic, but it hits close to home, raising questions of what it means to be human, what is the value of life, and what are the responsibilities of a society. Readers will be hooked from the first page, in which a scientist brings to life one of 36 tiny cells, frozen more than 100 years ago. The result is the protagonist at the novel's center, Matt a clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord, born Matteo Alacr n to a poor family in a small village in Mexico. El Patro n is ruler of Opium, a country that lies between the United States and Aztl n, formerly Mexico; its vast poppy fields are tended by eejits, human beings who attempted to flee Aztl n, programmed by a computer chip implanted in their brains. With smooth pacing that steadily gathers momentum, Farmer traces Matt's growing awareness of what being a clone of one of the most powerful and feared men on earth entails. Through the kindness of the only two adults who treat Matt like a human Celia, the cook and Matt's guardian in early childhood, and Tam Lin, El Patron's bodyguard Matt experiences firsthand the evils at work in Opium, and the corruptive power of greed ("When he was young, he made a choice, like a tree does when it decides to grow one way or the other... most of his branches are twisted," Tam Lin tells Matt). The author strikes a masterful balance between Matt's idealism and his intelligence. The novel's close may be rushed, and Tam Lin's fate may be confusing to readers, but Farmer grippingly demonstrates that there are no easy answers. The questions she raises will haunt readers long after the final page. Ages 11-14.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
Nancy Farmer's latest novel for young people depicts a chilling vision of the future - a world where clones are reared so that their organs may prolong the lives of the favoured few, and other unfortunates have computer implants inserted into their brains to render them utterly submissive. Far-fetched? Maybe; but Farmer writes so convincingly that such a world seems dreadfully possible. The story is set in a timeless future where El Patron has supreme control over Opium, a stretch of land between the USA and what used to be Mexico. The country's economy depends on drugs, and El Patron has dragged himself up from the gutter to a position of unassailable authority. But El Patron is 148 years old and his life is ebbing away. It is time to breed another clone to provide the essential body parts to keep him going for a few more years. Matteo Alacran is that clone, but it is not until he is six years old and meets some of El Patron's family, that he learns the truth about his background, how he was cultivated from a piece of El Patron's skin, and incubated inside a cow. Brought up by his devoted surrogate mother Celia, Matt has only ever known affection, but all that is set to change - as a clone he is reviled and abused as the lowest of the low, despite the apparent protection offered by El Patron. Matt finally confronts the truth about El Patron's motives in keeping him alive, and realizes he must escape or die. Yet Matt flees only to find himself in even greater danger. Relying on only his native wit and the new friends he has acquired on the way, Matt is finally able to confront the truth about his past and look forward to the future with renewed hope. Profoundly disturbing, and almost too convincing, this is a captivating read which also raises serious moral and ethical questions. This is science fiction as 'science faction' - the reader cannot put this book aside and say, with any conviction, 'that could never happen'. Farmer has already established a considerable reputation as a children's author, winning several awards and commendations; this novel will introduce this exciting writer to a wider readership, and earn her the increased recognition she so richly deserves. Ages 13+ (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Kirkus, starred reviewAn inspiring tale of friendship, survivial, hope, and transcendence
Booklist, starred reviewThis is a powerful, ultimately hopeful story that builds on today's sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story.
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