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cornmaven's review against another edition
1.0
I abandoned this about 2/3 of the way through, and should have done it sooner. I absolutely loved The House of the Scorpion and was so excited about this sequel. The problem:
Nothing happens. There are many opportunities for action and tense moments, all of which are ignored. Every other drug lord in the world should have been immediately moving in on the territory, but no, they just supposedly complain about their drug shipments, that's all. Far too much describing of stuff instead of showing or acting on it.
Matteo is totally wooden in this version; I was sympathetic to him in the earlier novel, but in this one, he is a very unlikeable kid, and I stopped reading because I stopped caring what happened to him. One minute he is totally concerned with the have nots, and the next he's screaming like a dictator. I took that as Farmer's way of showing that as a clone he could never be his own person, that he was just a younger El Patron. But I think there could have been a better way to show it.
It was so long since the first novel that a lot of recap had to occur and I think Farmer did a good job of weaving that in. But it didn't make up for all of the weaknesses.
House of the Scorpion was so much better, and Farmer should have stopped there.
Nothing happens. There are many opportunities for action and tense moments, all of which are ignored. Every other drug lord in the world should have been immediately moving in on the territory, but no, they just supposedly complain about their drug shipments, that's all. Far too much describing of stuff instead of showing or acting on it.
Matteo is totally wooden in this version; I was sympathetic to him in the earlier novel, but in this one, he is a very unlikeable kid, and I stopped reading because I stopped caring what happened to him. One minute he is totally concerned with the have nots, and the next he's screaming like a dictator. I took that as Farmer's way of showing that as a clone he could never be his own person, that he was just a younger El Patron. But I think there could have been a better way to show it.
It was so long since the first novel that a lot of recap had to occur and I think Farmer did a good job of weaving that in. But it didn't make up for all of the weaknesses.
House of the Scorpion was so much better, and Farmer should have stopped there.
spencerdance's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jennrocca's review against another edition
4.0
Originally, I was only going to give this three stars. Early on in the book the heavy handed environmental messages were annoying me. But, in the end, I loved the characters so much and I was so involved in what happened to them that I was too invested in the story to be bothered by any heavy handed message sending.
This sequel is more sci-fi-ish than "The House of Scorpion". The world is the same but we see more of the science and technology that is making the world work.
I'll recommend the sequel to anyone who liked the first book. If a third book comes out, I'll read that one too.
This sequel is more sci-fi-ish than "The House of Scorpion". The world is the same but we see more of the science and technology that is making the world work.
I'll recommend the sequel to anyone who liked the first book. If a third book comes out, I'll read that one too.
emruston28's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. I didn't expect any sort of sequel to House of the Scorpion, but when my husband brought home the ARC, I flipped out. Living in Tucson, I find this storyline super fascinating and not a little bit eerie. So much of this seems possible. Of course, I think that about all of the futuristic stories... I appreciate the relationships that Farmer gave to Matt--his friendships with the boys, protective big brother attitude toward Listen, and the complicated feelings he has toward Waitress and Maria. Most of all, though, I enjoyed the characters of Cienfuegos and some of the other men in Opium who were chipped. They became father-figures to Matt, and helped to shape his views of how he should run Opium. This was a satisfying read. Every page. I feel like it was a little gift I wasn't expecting :-)
malea_ann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ireliajellycomb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
curlyfrze's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5