Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA
came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- A strip of
poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called
Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a Petri dish. Then he
was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous
journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider
him a monster-- 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, including El Patrón's power-hungry family,
and his is surrounded by a dangerous army of body guards. Escape is the
only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is
no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in a
way he doesn't even suspect.
pages 380 paperback
ages 12+