Tuesday, July 4, 2023

The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun

Prisoners of the Sun picks up where The Seven Crystal Balls left off. Professor Calculus was kidnapped by members of an ancient Peruvian cult. Dressed in ceremonial garb, the cultists were recovering artifacts that an expedition team had removed from a sacred temple in Peru. Along the way, they find Calculus committing a blasphemy by wearing a consecrated bracelet the professor found. Kidnapping the professor, the worshipers head back to Peru, where they will ceremonially kill Calculus for his sacrilege. 

On their tail is Tintin, his faithful pup Snowy, Captain Haddock and the bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson. Upon setting foot on South American soil, the rescuers are immediately on their own. But when Tintin defends a young boy being harassed by a pair of rough looking tourists, the young reporter makes a new friend who just happens to know the location of Professor Calculus' prison: the Temple of the Sun!

When I reviewed the previous book, I commented how Herge added all this extra stuff that unnecessarily stretched out The Seven Crystal Balls into a two-parter. Though I wanted to read the rest of the Tintin books, I was afraid that despite the variety of locales, each book was going to be a carbon copy of the previous edition. Prisoners of the Sun eased those fears. 

A trek through the Andes. Misadventure with astronomy. A mysterious plague. Mummified Peruvians. What more could you ask for?! Yes, Thomson and Thompson are the comic relief as usual. But they manage to up their buffoonery game each book. The absent-minded nature of Professor Calculus can get really annoying (Just ask Capt. Haddock.) But at least he's only in this thing for a few pages. 

Another fun adventure. Thrilling. A good length with a new character that I hope makes a return!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

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