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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
579 global ratings
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78%
4 star
15%
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4%
2 star
1%
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Susie
4.0 out of 5 stars Good sequel to "The House of the Scorpion"
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
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This is a good book that continues the story of "The House of the Scorpion." It manages a smooth transition picking up old themes while adding new characters and problems that must be solved by Matt. There are several twists that you don't see coming, and plenty of difficulties for Matt to reunite with Maria. It brings surprising solutions to obstacles that Matt must overcome to become the Lord of Opium. It remains a thriller with ecological and social issues as a center of conflict. Nancy Farmer wraps it up with nice satisfactory ending. This book does not have the intensity of suspense as the first book, but it is still a good read and ties up several questions from "The House of the Scorpion."
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Ivette
3.0 out of 5 stars It was Ok
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2016
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Definately no where nesr as good as it's predecessor, House of the Scorpion - just in case you had your hopes up. Standalone it is an OK read. The character developement seemed to have stopped in the last book, I don't want to give away spoilers. There are a few new ones introduced. It just mostly seems to rest on the laurels of its predecessor's success and doesn't do much to stand out on its own. I was dissapointed.
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K. Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
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My daughter and I read this for a book club, and both loved it. Although it has the futuristic sci fi component it is very appropriate for all readers, including those who don't think they would like "sci fi". I was really impressed with the development of all the characters. My entire family including grandma ended up reading it, and we are all working on the sequel now.
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Sara Ferguson
5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbound Once Again!
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2013
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As usual, Nancy Farmer's characters and stories fill my every waking hour until the last page of the book. I force myself to slow down so the book will last longer. I've been waiting for this second novel in the series and of course, it did not fail to keep me glued to the digital page. The House of the Scorpion(2010), Farmer's first book taking place in the bizarre land of Opium, left me wanting more. The Lord of Opium delivered me right back into the world of (former) clone, Matteo Alacran, without skipping a beat and continued to take over my own life until the ending.

In Lord of Opium, we revisit the vast country of Opium and all the characters that make Famer's stories so interesting. Only now, it all belongs to Matteo. All the good stuff is inside: Eejits and Safe Horses, force fields and drug lords, friends and enemies. I couldn't wait to see how the young man handled it all. Is Matteo too nice to be mean? Can young Matteo handle the running of a country that Patron built on death and fear, where the good of the whole must be weighed against the good of one? But this book. Buy the first one in the series too. Enough said. Oh yes, and if you haven't read Farmer's other series: The Sea of Trolls Trilogy, do so immediately.
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Teresa H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome sequel!
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2019
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After reading the first book in the series, I thought I would be disappointed with the sequel. I couldn't imagine anything topping the first. But this book doesn't disappoint! The story flows naturally. I highly recommend this book! Both of my children read this. One in 5th grade and the other in 7th. They loved it too. I am hoping that someday they make a movie out of it!
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L. Horn
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2013
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The Lord of Opium was a very good sequel to House of the Scorpion. Ms. Farmer did a nice job of tying up all the loose ends, giving explanation for a lot of what happened in the first book (i.e. how the eejits were controlled, etc), and bringing Matt full circle in his role as clone vs. human.

I really enjoy the writing style in both of these books--didn't want to put them down. There was a portion of this book that made me afraid the author was going to spin her wheels and not let Matt start making some decisions, but luckily that portion was short and I love how she ended the story.

Thank you Ms. Farmer for another excellent book!
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Violeta
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatly sequel to house of the scorpion
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2020
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The book is a very solid continuation of the first, but you could read house of the scorpion and stop there. I picked up this book after finishing the first as an assignment for class. I saw very excited to hear there was a sequel, and while it doesn’t exactly live up to the hype of the first one, I really enjoyed it. I really love the world building and the new characters in both of the books.
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Zoska
5.0 out of 5 stars I love both parts of Nancy Farmer's story
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2015
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I love both parts of Nancy Farmer's story. After a while the suspense (still present) becomes secondary to the emotional response to the main characters, especially Matt. The characters are complex, well observed, changing. I found the part about the horrible "goulag" for orphan boys totally surprising in its truth). It is normal that Orwell observed so well the reality of the so called communism, he saw its atrocities in Spain, but how Nancy got this inside, I don't know.
Matt, as a clone of the lord of opium, discovers with awe some of the characteristics of the original model in himself, developing against his will. He also discovers, at 15, what the power implies and how many moral issues it brings with itself. Starting with a beautiful utopia of the young, he meets the obstacles of the reality...
The performance of Raul Esparza is as outstanding as always and I found it difficult to part with this audiobook. I will certainly listen to it again, soon.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2017
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The lord of Opium was a great listen to wished it could have gone on longer
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heather matthews
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2016
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Enjoyed scorpion better
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Damien
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but a little disappointing
Reviewed in Germany on February 25, 2018
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Honestly, I loved the first book. Even thought it ended really fast I was okay with it because I knew there is a second book. And at first, I enjoyed this novel as much as the first one but then it started to get kind of random and it felt like the plot isn't moving forward. But I was okay with it because I thought it'll all make sense at the end. When I got to the last 50 pages I was a little worried - there's not enough pages left for it to have the kind of plot twist or whatever I expect. Lastly, due to the sudden and quick explanations and actions that are going on at the end, it was kind of disappointing. Still, I recommend reading it if you read the first one but still it's not as good as the first one. It's the same interesting and unique dystopian world and that's what I enjoyed mostly anyway. :)
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Roberto
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece.
Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2015
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Absolutely beautiful book, an Excellent sequel to "The House of Scorpions". The book starts out a bit slow, but picks up near the half way point and from there on in I couldn't put the book down. From Happy, Sad, Funny & Touching moments, to the amazing characters, this book is just hands down a Masterpiece and Perfect Sequel and Ending to the House of Scorpions.

This is a must have for any reader, but it is strongly recommended you read the first book before hand.

This my friends is what you call, a Beautiful book.
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Evie Brash
3.0 out of 5 stars Some books should be left untouched
Reviewed in Australia on December 19, 2013
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The house of the scorpion, the predecessor of this book has everything I love in a good novel, an exciting yet thought provoking plot and many intricate and detailed characters. The Lord of Opium, while not completely missing the point was far too long and it appeared to hold little suspense, but the biggest problem I had with this book was the fact Matt was no longer a clone, making him just another boring run of th mill human character. I was also annoyed how Matt, even when el patron was INSIDE HIS HEAD did not seem to become alarmed, I mean seriously I wanted him to continue separating himself from his evil DNA donor, proving that his is not a replica of the same person. All in all I would recommend this book to someone who has very little to do or someone who is a massive fan of the first book, because if you are a fan how could you leave a sequel of one of your favourite novels just sitting there.
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