Matt's last name is Alacrán, which means that he belongs to a powerful family that controls the drug Farms between the U.S. and the former Mexico. But Matt's different; he's a clone in a world filled with dangers for his kind. His only protection from the brutal surroundings are El Patron, the elderly patriarch/drug lord kingpin from which he was made, his caretaker Celia, and a bodyguard who has been assigned to him. Things fall apart when Matt learns the real reason for his creation and he makes a harrowing escape to a promising -- yet frighteningly insecure -- world.
This book was not without faults but the story itself was well thought out and original.
Matt Alacran is the clone of El Patron, a drug lord who is 140 years old and has found the secret to cheating death. They live in a world where clones are thought of as livestock, not as real people. El Patron saves Matt's brain (which is illegal in clones), gives him a home and an education but in the end Matt realizes he is just around for spare parts. The boy takes in a few friends who help him try to escape. He then enters a new world that is amazing and confusing.
The concept of the book is great. Farmer really makes you think about the issues of human rights and what it means to be human. It is very well written and fascinating. I was leery about it at first but it sucked me in very quickly.
I wouldn't call 'Scorpions' straight science fiction, it is more light science fiction. It has the basics of all great science fiction books but it doesn't go over the top like a lot of them do. It is believable that this could be our world not too long from now.
There are a few flaws in the story, though. It has plot holes throughout, the climax of the book was very anticlimactic, the last 3rd of the story seemed rushed and the ending was very abrupt. I think Farmer could have added another 100+ pages to the book and gone more in depth with it. Doing that would have made the book that much better. Overall, I think the good outweighs the bad.
Overall it was a good book and if it sounds like a book you would like, I recommend picking it up.
4 out of 5 stars.
BUY IT HERE: The House of the Scorpion
thanks Erin!! :) :) you rock! I LOVE The hunger games! I think it was one of the best series I've read this year!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this book a couple years ago. It's definitely interesting. I like stories about far off futures (another example would be The Giver).
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