The Lord of Opium
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | September 3, 2013 |
| Founder | Nancy Farmer |
| Products | Science fiction novel |
The Lord Of Opium is a science fiction novel authored by Nancy Farmer, published in 2013 as the follow-up to her 2002 work The House of the Scorpion. Released on September 3, 2013, through Atheneum Books, the narrative continues to follow the character Matteo "Matt" Alacran.
Synopsis
At 14 years old, Matt, a clone of El Patrón—the ruler of Opium—grapples with the responsibilities of leadership. His reign is complicated by an environmental catastrophe that threatens nearby regions and by various adversaries. Additionally, Matt is haunted by the concern that he might inherit the same merciless traits as the despotic figure from whom he was cloned.
Production
Farmer did not originally intend to write a sequel to The House of the Scorpion, as the initial process left her feeling disheartened. Following her work on the Trolls Trilogy, she revisited unresolved elements from Scorpion. Starting in 2008 under the tentative title God's Ashtray, she managed to draft 80 pages before illness interrupted her progress. A relocation from California to Arizona further postponed completion, but ultimately, drawing inspiration from music, she finished the novel.
Reception
The Lord of Opium was met with positive critical response, receiving starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly, which described it as a "superb novel ...well worth the wait," and from Booklist, which commended it as "a brilliantly realized world" and "a stellar sequel." Kathleen Beck of VOYA highlighted its enhanced cohesion and more nuanced ethical dilemmas compared to House Of The Scorpion. Although some critics preferred the original, most regarded the sequel as an engaging continuation. Commonsensemedia awarded it four out of five stars, labeling it a "gripping" sci-fi follow-up that "can't top original." Jonathan Hunt, writing for both School Library Journal and The Horn Book, noted that despite advancements in dystopian fiction since the first installment, this sequel continues to stand out.