The House of the Scorpion

Discover this internationally bestselling, National Book Award–winning young adult classic about what it means to be human.

Matt Alacrán wasn’t born. He was harvested.

His DNA came from El Patrón, the drug-lord ruler of the country of Opium. Most people hate and fear clones like Matt—except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, and realizes escape is his only chance to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom.

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Published Jun 7, 2022

432 pages

Average rating: 7.8

15 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

mmalcolm
Mar 07, 2025
10/10 stars
Best sci-fi book I've ever read. 12/10. If you haven't read it you need to.
Paul J Jackson
Oct 04, 2023
Not to give too much away. The story revolves around Matt, a clone of the head of a powerful opium empire, known as El Patron. When his family find out who Matt is they turn against him. It was thought provoking and different and give it 4 out of 5.

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