Nacey Farmers The House of the Scorpion is set in the future within a nation aptly called Opium. This nation is run by the drug lord El Patron. Firstly it is noted that there are huge fields of opium in the nation harvested by people who have been implanted with computer ships and only accept orders. Clearly the existence of such a nation suggests a decline of moral values in the universe the book takes place in. Along with this the presence of a US senator within the drug lords compound also hints that the general attitude on drugs has changed dramatically from outright hate and loathing to accept or want. It is clear by the fact an entire nation is growing opium that the world in this book has a larger demand for it, perhaps making it legal in many places. The implications of this however are far reaching as it shows how the world this storey is set in has drastically changed, but the cause of this change is unknown.
For a large section of the book the sub setting is the Alacan estate. The Alacran estate is a large building That spans out over a huge track of land and never goes above one floor. The estate while owned by El Patron is not his home. He lives in a mountain house some distance away and visits the estate only on occasion. For an entire chapter Matt is locked in a room within the estate, it is generally a dull prison cell for the most part. However when he is freed the rest of the estate is shown as being very vibrant with gardens designed to look like ancient with an Egyptian feel mixed in. This is a direct result of El Patron seeing a similar sight in a rich mans house when he was poor and a child.
Overall the entire setting is coherent to the proposed future setting yet still maintains a direct connection to today expressed through social circumstance and physical location. It is clear that the author intended to take advantage of both further and current settings, an ingenious move that is well executed.
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