Review by Jacob Chon, grade 9
The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer
A land of Opium, dedicated to growing drugs, is established in a strip of land between Mexico and America. One hundred years after the establishment of the country Opium, a clone named Matt is born. His life consists of living with the leader’s cook, a woman named Celia, and a bodyguard named Tam Lin. However, because he is a clone, many people harass him and he is stigmatized. One day, he is exploring the house when he happens upon a clone. He then realizes his purpose as a clone: to be killed for organs. Then, his turn comes, but he runs away before they manage to kill him. Will Matt survive? Or will he be caught by those looking for him?
This book was definitely one of the longer books I’ve read. The plot was well developed and I enjoyed the style of the book. It was natural and flowed, with transitions everywhere. Also the characters were very interesting to read. However, later in the book the characters were more thrown out than developed. They lacked the details for me to understand them. Overall, this book is a 4/5 stars.
Find this book in our catalog: The Lord of Opium
Call number: YA SF Farmer, N
411 pages