The Lord of Opium

By Nancy Farmer

Part of the Matteo Alacran series

A young drug lord battles to end a cycle of violence in a dystopian world.

3.9/5 Goodreads · 9,315 ratings

448 pages

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Bookroo's summary

Matt Alacrán, once a mere clone, now rules the land of Opium. As a teenage drug lord, he faces the daunting task of dismantling a legacy of violence and control. With the world outside his borders a polluted wasteland, Matt must navigate treacherous alliances and choose wisely whom to trust. Can he break free from the chains of his predecessor and forge a new path, or will he succumb to the same fate? In this gripping sequel, the stakes are high, and the choices are perilous.

From the publisher

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.

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