|
Review by Bobbi Reddix
In Nancy Farmer's "The House of the
Scorpion," today's headlines that have a ring of science fiction
become a great weekend read. Cloning is a topic of much controversy
among scientists and the general public, and human cloning is one
that will encourage debate for years to come. Nancy Farmer gives us
a lot to think about in regard to this topic.
This futuristic novel introduces us to
a world in which hover cars are the main means of transportation,
opium is legal, and drug lords have become respectable gentlemen. El
Patron is one such person. He is the lord and ruler of an enormous
opium empire, and the United States and Aztlan's (formerly Mexico)
unofficial border patrol. He is a man of great wealth, one who
demands loyalty and respect, and one with enough power that some
rules, especially the one in regard to clones, can and will be bent.
We are introduced at the beginning of
the story to Matt, a young boy of 6, who has never ventured outside
of his home, is cared for by Celia and lives in a small shack on El
Patron's large estate. We learn who or what Matt is when a curious
group of kids from the Main Estate happen upon the strange child
while out playing in the grounds. They spy Matt from a window of the
shack and try to engage him in conversation. Matt knows that he
isn't to be seen by anyone and that venturing from the security of
his home is forbidden, but years of loneliness added to the curious
temperament of a 6-year-old cause him to commit an act which changes
his life in ways that are unimaginable.
[to top of second column in
this review]
|
 We find that Matt is a clone. Not just
a clone, but the clone of El Patron, the master of the estate, who
happens to be away at the time of the children's discovery. In this
society, clones are common, and the rules regarding clones are
perfectly clear. Upon creation, their minds MUST be destroyed. Yet
here appears a child of 6 whose mind is perfectly intact. And so the
adventure begins.
Most avid readers, such as myself, know
that there are times when a good book is required, but the time
needed to finish one seems to be hard to come by. For times such as
these, I would highly recommend a foray into the YA section of the
library. Most of these books are just as engaging and entertaining
as those found in the adult fiction section of the library, but the
one thing that seems to set them apart is their length. Most can
easily be read in a night or two, and I am sure that you will find
they are just as entertaining despite that fact. Case in point: "The
Scorpion King." Give it a try. It is well worth the read.
Nancy
Farmer, a two-time Newbery honoree for "The Ear, the Eye and the
Arm" and "A Girl Named Disaster," dramatizes Matt's first 14 years
with breathtaking originality. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico
border in the landscape evoked so strongly in this futuristic
adventure. She lives with her family in Menlo Park, Calif.
[Bobbi Reddix,
Lincoln
Public Library District]
 |
