We’ll start with an old favourite, Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion.Matteo lives in a dystopian world, in the region of Opium, in what used to be northern Mexico. El Patron, the drug lord who controls this area is already 140 and wants to keep living. He has a clone created, Matteo, who when grown will provide the organs the old man needs to prolong his life. The woman who raised Matteo and his body guard help him escape from his destiny as an organ donor and from Opium. But ‘safety’ doesn’t turn out to be so safe. Will Matteo be able to make it to a place of real safety and will he be able to help those he left behind in Opium?
And for the end of the story, look for The Lord of Opium. Because the story isn’t finished, until it’s done.
Check out this book trailer by Kalli Elmer and Carleen Ramirez.
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Published: 2002