House of the Scorpion

House of the Scorpion

By Nancy Farmer

14 ratings 11 reviews 14 followers
From the unique combination of the timelessness of an old and seemingly forgotten world deftly mixed with the futuristic reality of a brave new world comes a chilling tale of ethics and mortality that is thought provoking and macabre, and yet strangly fascinating...Is this the way of the future? Matt is six years old when he discovers that he is different from other children, from other people. To most people Matt isn't a boy, but a beast, dirty and disgusting. But to El Patron, lord of a country called Opium, Matt is the guarantee of eternal life. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself - for Matt is himself. They share the same DNA. As Matt struggles to understand his existence and what that existence trully means, he is threatened by a host of sinister and manipulating characters, from El Patron's power-hungry family to the brain-deadened eejits and mindless slaves that toil Opium's poppy fields. Surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards, Matt longs for escape. But even escape is no guarantee of freedom because Matt is marked but his difference in ways that he doesn't even suspect.
Publisher: Pocket Childrens Books
ISBN-13: 9780689836879
ISBN-10: 0689836872
Published on 11/4/2002
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 308

Book Reviews (13)

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This book was great, it is talking about a clone named Matt, I recommend it for anyone who likes excitement, adventure and a little violence.

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Do you like books that are filled with action, adventure, and the mystery well The house of the scorpion by Nancy Farmer has all three? This book is about a boy named Matt who learns that he is a clone of somebody named El'patron. After everybody learns that he is a clone nobody really cares about him like Rosa. Rosa is a woman who tortures Matt by making him stay in his room and filling it up with sawdust. Everybody hates Matt except Celia (his caretaker), Tam Lin(his bodyguard), and Maria his only friend. I strongly encourage you to read this book.

Overall The House of the Scorpion was a pretty good book. There were parts that I really did like but there were also others that I really didn't like for example the ending was not as good as I expected it to be. The book takes place in Opium. Opium is were Matt, the main character, lives and meets many other amazing characters. The whole book is the story of Matt's childhood and is very entertaining. I grew to love all of the characters and felt their emotions threw the entire book. That is my perspective n the book The House of the Scorpion.

Do you like to read about people that have adventurous and brave qualities? Or would you rather read about a mystery genre? Well, The House of the Scorpion suits both of these options and probably is the book for you! Matt is the main character of this story, and he is a lonely orphan because he is a clone of the famous drug lord of Aztlan, El Patron. He has no one to take care of him or love him except for Tam Lin, his bodyguard, Celia, his caretaker, and Maria, his best and only friend. See, not many people like Matt just because he is a clone. But El Patron loves Matt for one reason: He secretly uses his clones for transplants on body parts he needs, which is why in this book, El Patron is around 143! I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves the sound of adventure or mysteries.

The house of the scorpion was amazing! Matt, the main character, is a clone of an old, wealthy, and evil druglord named El Patron. As Matt begins to grow up, he learns about what EL Patron is plotting to do to Matt. This intense book is packed with mysterious problems and is filled with adventure. I love how the author includes a mix of humor, action, and mystery, and combines them to create this amazing book. I also like how the author made everyone seem horrible because of their backstories.

"The House of the Scorpian" is an altogether interesting book. The main character is Matt. Up until the age of six, Matt thought he was a normal boy. Then, after meeting the Alacrans, he is confronted with the fact that he is a clone. He's not a clone of anybody, but of the ruler of (future country) Opium, El Patron. Nobody likes El Patron, especially the Alacrans. To make matters worse, the law states that all clones are to be treated as livestock. El Patron breaks this law by giving Matt all rights, but that doesn't stop the people's feeling about Matt. Matt struggles to survive and to figure out the truth. The book is very interesting, but the end is not satisfactory.

I enjoyed reading "The House Of The Scorpion" as a book club read. Matt is the main character and is the clone of El Patron, the leader and founder of Opium. Opium is a country in the future (yes, the book is in the future), and is the wasteland and refuge many criminals. As Matt is persecuted, he finds many a mystery around each corner. Is he real? Is he really livestock? How morally just is El Patron? The only disappointing part is the ending. It is unexpected and sad.

I like the book, however it was a little boring, but still entertaining. I loved when the kid yeeted out the window. I didn't understand what was wrong with clones they don't have diseases or issues. Overall the book the good but I didn't agree with how the clones were treated.

I really admired this book and think it is a very good read. The main character, Matt, is a clone of the ruler of Opium, a country of the future. But the thing is no one likes him or the ruler, El Patron. This book is about Matt's life. The beginning was very intense and interesting, but the ending wasn't very good.

This book is one of the best I've read. Matt, the main character is a clone of an evil drug warlord. As he struggles to understand his existence, Matt learns the horrifyingly evil heart of his savior-drug lord master and the background of the power-hungry Alacran family. This book is action-packed with an amazing plot and is able to combine it with an element of mystery and daunting problematic schemes. This book keeps to the story and doesn't stray off and talk about every single thing we don't need to know. If you like stories about friendship, hope, and survival, this book is definitely for you.

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