The Lord of Opium

Violence in The Lord of Opium is more often implied that shown directly. The "eejit" servants are treated with indifferent cruelty by nearly everyone except Matt. They work until they drop and are disposed of after their expiration date. There are many offstage killings. A child's hand is melted by a scanning device. A gunfight leaves one character seriously injured. Matt makes decisions that result in the deaths of innocents.

Matt's attracted to and has feelings for the beautiful "eejit" servant he calls Marisol. He knows, however, that he must never give in to his urge to kiss her or otherwise express physical affection. Matt's also emotionally connected to Maria, the daughter of one of his untrustworthy allies. Although they do little more than kiss, he's ready to propose marriage to her at the age of 15.

Nothing stronger than "hell." The characters occasionally use the word "crot," which is viewed as a curse.

As its name suggestions, the territory of Opium survives because of its mega-scale drug production. But Matt and other characters in The Lord of Opium don't use opiates themselves. Matt's advisor/bodyguard drinks alcohol, and some Russian thugs smoke marijuana.

Parents need to know that The Lord of Opium is a sequel to Nancy Farmer's National Book Award-winning The House of the Scorpion (2002) and should definitely be read in sequence. It's set in a future where the natural environment has nearly been destroyed and drug kingpins rule great swaths of territory in what was once the American southwest. El Patron, Matt's predecessor, was a particularly clever and cruel dictator, and, even after his death, anyone in his way is in danger. Casual cruelty to the microchipped "eejits" is routine, and clones are used for spare organ parts. Some readers may find these concepts disturbing, but they are central to the plot, and the novel raises many interesting ethical questions. There's little sexual content (some kissing), and the strongest languages is "hell." Violence is usually implied rather than shown directly, but a gunfight leaves one character seriously injured, a few supporting characters are killed, and a boy's hand gets melted in a scanner.