Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Tintin #14

Prisoners of the Sun

Rate this book
The classic graphic novel. Tintin discovers that one of the last Incan descendants has kidnapped his missing friend, Professor Calculus. Tintin and Captain Haddock follow the kidnapper to Peru--can they save Calculus?

62 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1948

About the author

Hergé

1,079 books1,861 followers
Georges Prosper Remi (22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist.
His best known and most substantial work is The Adventures of Tintin comic book series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, leaving the twenty-fourth Tintin adventure Tintin and Alph-Art unfinished. His work remains a strong influence on comics, particularly in Europe.

"Hergé" is the pseudonym of George Remí, making a game with the initials of his name inverted. Throughout the evolution of his star character, Tintin, we can see the progress of this author: from the first titles marked by the ultraconservative doctrine of the director of the newspaper Le Petit Vingtième, to the breaking of conventions embodied from The Blue Lotus , as well as the evolution of the society of his time. The research carried out by Hergé to historically contextualize his Adventures, as well as his implicit social criticism, have made Tintin a masterpiece of the 20th century.

Series on Goodreads:
* The Adventures of Tintin
* Quick & Flupke
* The adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
7,109 (45%)
4 stars
5,381 (34%)
3 stars
2,561 (16%)
2 stars
363 (2%)
1 star
67 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews
Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews462 followers
June 24, 2017
Le temple du soleil=Prisoners of the Sun (Tintin #14), Hergé
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه مارس سال 1994 میلادی
عنوان: معبد خورشید؛ نویسنده: هرژه؛ مترجم: خسرو سمیعی؛ تهران، یونیورسال، 1354، در 62 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای فکاهی از نویسندگان بلژیکی در قرن 20 م
چهاردهمین کتاب از سری کتابهای تن تن و میلو؛ که دنباله ی کتاب هفت گوی بلورین است. تن‌ تن و کاپیتان هادوک برای یافتن پروفسور تورنسل عازم آمریکای جنوبی می‌شوند؛ و سرانجام، پس از ماجراهای فراوان، توسط بازماندگان تمدن اینکاها، دستگیر و به مرگ محکوم می‌شوند. اما تن‌ تن با استفاده از زمان خورشید گرفتگی و هماهنگ کردن آن با لحظهٔ سوزانده شدنشان، موفق به نجات خود و سایرین می‌شود. اینکاها نیز به گمان اینکه تن‌ تن با نیرویی خاص توانسته «خدای خورشید» را به خاموشی وادارد، او و سایرین را آزاد نموده و به آزار هفت دانشمند نیز پایان می‌دهند. ا. شربیانی

Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,490 reviews104 followers
December 17, 2018
Le Temple du Soleil is the sequel to The Seven Crystal Balls (which I have unfortunately never managed to fully read) and while it is definitely a tale of both engaging high spirited adventure and often even rather majorly hilarious and funny in scope, especially with regard to Captain Haddock's antics and general attitudes (like the repeated times he gets spit in the face by llamas, for considering that llamas tend to only engage in this type of behaviour when and if they are seriously annoyed or feeling threatened in some way, that little salient factoid clearly and humorously demonstrates that the captain does, indeed, often behave inappropriately and like at best a gambolling and annoying curmudgeon, like a rampaging bull in the proverbial china shop) and that in general, Le Temple du Soleil is also quite a bit less majorly ethnically stereotyping than some of Hergé's earlier Tintin graphic novels (such as for example his Tintin au Congo which is simply terrible and patently unacceptable in EVERY WAY with regard to its in one's face overt racism), there nevertheless is ONE particular episode in Le Temple du Soleil that made me massively and lastingly annoyed and angry when I first read the latter as a teenager and yes still majorly frustrates me as an adult rereading Le Temple du Soleil. For while Hergé portrays the Incas as perhaps dangerously misguided in and with their attempts to safeguard their treasures and culture from outsiders (with violence, subterfuge and for Tintin and Captain Haddock with threatened execution for having found their temple) but generally and appreciatively still rather sympathetically depicted and basically for the most part simply concerned with keeping themselves hidden and their imperilled culture and amassed treasures intact and removed from the world, the author, Hergé also both describes and illustrates the Inca as basically simplistically and strangely superstitious.

And this becomes especially apparent and clearly shown when Tintin uses that impending solar eclipse about which he had read in a newspaper to obtain freedom for himself and Captain Haddock. Yes, the Incas did historically worship the sun, and thus also and logically would likely still worship the sun in Le Temple du Soleil (and thus, I guess it might make sense to Hergé to have attempted to depict the Incas as superstitious with regard to the sun and of course also afraid of the darkness that a solar eclipse engenders). However, considering that the Incas are deemed and known to be an ancient and advanced civilisation and that solar eclipses do tend to happen regularly, in my opinion, the Incas of Le Temple du Soleil as very ancient, long-time sun worshippers would have and should have absolutely been aware of solar eclipses as a recurring phenomenon, thus making the method by which Tintin and Captain Haddock escape at best not only rather (if not actually quite) unbelievable but also and far more seriously, frustratingly paternalistic and borderline racially, culturally insulting if not decidedly bigoted in tone (not to mention the inconvenient truth that Tintin using a solar eclipse to basically shock and awe the Incas into letting him and Captain Haddock go does basically make no historical and factual sense whatsoever, considering how advanced the Incas as a civilisation are supposed to have been with regard to mathematics and astronomy, namely that they would almost certainly have been very much able to accurately predict solar eclipses).

And indeed I still vividly remember the first time I read Le Temple du Soleil as a teenager (and in German translation, I should add). I had just finished reading a non fiction account on the Incas and their in many ways so advanced civilisation (for high school social studies) and I was happily reading along and actually quite enjoying myself, but to then encounter how Tintin uses the predicted solar eclipse and the supposed superstitions of his sun worshipping Inca captors to escape execution, that did in fact make me do a major and massive double take (a very much and eye-opening and "oh my gosh" moment for me). And even now, when rereading, I am still really only willing to grant at most a two and a half star ranking to and for Hergé's Le Temple du Soleil (not a horrible story by any means, and actually very much enjoyable in many ways, but certainly with still way way too much paternalism and attitudes of Euro-centric superiority present for me to consider raising the rating to three stars). And as such recommended only with the caveat that especially the "solar eclipse" episode warrants discussion and debate and should therefore also not just be deemed as simply a necessary plot device of Le Temple du Soleil, but an inherently problematic authorial attitude that requires at least being pointed out in a critical and very much questioning manner.
Profile Image for David Sarkies.
1,892 reviews352 followers
February 10, 2017
The Inca curse takes Tintin and Haddock to Peru
17 February 2012

It took me a while to get around to reading this one (okay, it was a week, but then again I am re-reading all of my Tintin comics, and getting my hands on the ones that I don't have, though I have found that getting a copy of Tintin in the Congo is going to be an expensive endeavour) but I finally read it this morning and I must say that I absolutely loved it. This is an adventure story in the truest sense of the word. It pretty much have everything in it: an ancient Inca conspiracy, treks through the mountains and the jungles, hilarious scenes with Captain Haddock getting himself into all kinds of trouble (would we expect any less from Herge?), numerous death-defying experiences, and the typical antics of the Thompson Twins. I love it.

This story follows on from Seven Crystal Balls. Professor Calculus has been kidnapped, and Tintin and Captain Haddock travel to Peru to attempt to rescue him. Some have indicated that by travelling half-way around the world, and then treking for weeks over some very inhospitable terrain shows how much love they hold for Professor Calculus, and what is more surprising is that this is technically the second adventure that they go on after meeting him (and by saying this I consider Seven Crystals Balls and Prisoners of the Sun to be one long adventure). However, we must remember that both Tintin and Captain Haddock are very noble characters (despite Haddocks fits of rage, drunkenness, and somewhat bi-polar personality) and they will go to great lengths to not only help a friend, but to also right a wrong that has been perpetrated. One thing that we forget is that there is more to this story than just rescuing Calculus as there are also seven archaeologists who are in hospital due to a curse that has been placed on them.

As I said, this is an adventure in the truest sense of the word. As we progress through the story we come to understand the difficulties and the length of the trek that they undertake. They pretty much travel into some of the remotest parts of Peru: by foot. They cross one mountain range, travel through a jungle, and then onto another mountain range on the other side, and the journey takes weeks. Further, it is a very perilous journey. Not only are they being stalked and hunted by the Inca, but there are also the natural dangers that they face. There is one hilarious scene where a tapir is charging through the forest, runs down Captain Haddock (who else?), and continues on without a blink. Then there is the scene where they are crossing a river and are being swarmed by alligators. Herge is simply a genius.

As mentioned, this follows on from Seven Crystal Balls, and the theme regarding archaeology continues. The conclusion is that these archaeologists are not out to loot tombs of their treasures, but rather to explore an ancient civilisation to come to understand better how their culture worked. In many cases, these civilisations are long gone, and the only way we can understand them is through their relics. However, there is also the question of whether we have the right to remove them from where they were found. This is an ongoing debate, particularly in relation to treasures removed from Egypt as well as the Elgin Marbles which were taken from Greece to the British Museum. The problem with the Elgin Marbles is that Lord Elgin actually purchased them off the then Greek government. Is it right, though, for the Greeks to be willing to give up such treasures. I would say no, however I also believe that these artifacts are for the benefit of humanity as they help us to understand and learn more about these ancient cultures. These days, however, we find that many of them are placed in museums run by the government of the respective country, but what happens when we have countries like Greece going bankrupt and selling off their treasures to the highest bidder. I prefer these objects to be on display for the whole world to see, not locked away in some private collection, only for the entertainment of the wealthy oligarchy.
Profile Image for Harun Ahmed.
1,330 reviews278 followers
June 3, 2023
৩.৫/৫
ভালো লেগেছে পড়ে। তবে মূল ঘটনার চাইতে টিনটিনের সঙ্গীসাথীদের ছোট ছোট ঘটনায় আনন্দ পেয়েছি বেশি।
Profile Image for Melki.
6,767 reviews2,527 followers
August 22, 2013
A grand Peruvian adventure in which the Captain proves himself to be almost as annoying as Willie in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He gets bit by mosquitos, laughed at by howler monkeys, licked by an anteater, bowled over by a tapir, sits on an alligator and is spat upon by multitudes of llamas.

Through it all, he does manage to hang onto his cap, so there's that...
Profile Image for Piyangie.
547 reviews659 followers
July 25, 2020
The adventure that began in The Seven Crystal Balls continues in here. The search for the kidnapped Professor Calculus takes Tintin and Captain Haddock to Peru and into the heart of Incan civilization. Through many adventures and perils to their lives, the Tintin and the Captain manage to rescue Professor Calculus from the Incans and also to make them release the seven explores from the curse they were subjected to.

I liked Tintin's adventures very much in this installment. They were quite intense. And the usual antics of Captain Haddock and mishaps that constantly meet him were hilarious. And, I mustn't forget about the detective duo. They were not second to Captain Haddock in amusing me. :)

I remember that Prisoners of the Sun and The Seven Crystal Balls were my most loved Tintin adventures of childhood, and I think even years later it will be so.
Profile Image for Mohammed Arabey.
709 reviews6,279 followers
November 17, 2020
Sequel to the previous one.. The 7 Crystal Balls.
A cool journey in Latin America... To the Temple of Sun and the mysterious Inca atmosphere...
Tintin and his friends rescuing the eccentric professor..

Well I don't know why I didn't read it earlier after finishing the previous one last April.. It sure fun to be back to this mega size pages of Tintin comics..
Profile Image for Ehsan'Shokraie'.
665 reviews194 followers
December 19, 2020
زندانی معبد خورشید پایان یکی از جذابترین ماجراهای تن تن است..کتابی که بیش از تمامی جلد های قبل خود نمایانگر شخصیت و ارزش های تن تن است..الگویی فوق العاده:)
Profile Image for Hákon Gunnarsson.
Author 28 books155 followers
July 16, 2022
Tintin was one of the comic book heroes of my childhood. I'm going to read my way through the series again as I listen to a radio program about him, and his creator, Hergé. Book fourteen is called Prisoners of the Sun, and is the second part of the two book adventure that started with The Seven Crystal Balls. Professor Calculous has been taken against his will to South America by the men responsible for the mayhem of the first book, and Tintin, Snowy, and Captain Haddock have to go look for their friend.

It is the same with this one as with The seven Crystal Balls, it just doesn't reach quite the same heights as the duo (Red Rackham's Treasure, and The Secret of the Unicorn) that preceded it. The adventure is there, the writing is similar in quality, and the build up is good. It just doesn't reach as high. And there is less humour in Prisoners of the Sun then there had been in The Secret of the Unicorn, even though Captain Haddock's war with the llamas is very funny.

There is also another thing, one which brings Tintin in the Congos to mind. When Tintin and Captain Haddock are in their greatest danger in this book, the solution is based on a very Euro centric view of the world. It's the idea that the white European is the teacher of the world, they know things that people from other parts of the world can't know. Here it is a bit noticeable that Tintin should of course know something about the sun and the moon which the Inca's don't know, even though their culture studied the stars and based a lot of things on that.

It is a similar view of the world as one can see in Tintin in the Congos, but at least it is not taken to the extremes it was taken in that book. In the Congo book the native people are just caricatures, but in Prisoners of the Sun we have different characters, with different personalities, so as a story it is much more interesting, and for most parts this is a decent adventure romp, humorous, and fairly exciting.
Profile Image for صان.
422 reviews365 followers
August 22, 2020
این جلد، ادامه‌ی ماجرای گوی‌های بلورینه.

این قسمت از جلدهای مورد علاقه‌م بود اما چون گوی‌های بلورین رو گم کرده بودم، همین یک قسمت رو به تنهایی خوندم. فضاهای این رو دوست داشتم. آمریکای جنوبی، اینکاها، لاماهای تف انداز، ماجراهایی که در جنگل و کوهستان رخ می‌دن و در نهایت به معبد اینکاها ختم می‌شن. رمز و رازی که از ابتدای این جلد وجود داره و انگار تمام شخصیت‌ها چیزی رو می‌دونن جز تن تن و هادوک، ماجراجویی‌ها رو جذاب‌تر می‌کنه. تصور می‌کنم که تن‌تن هرچی جلوتر می‌شه قصه پردازیش پخته‌تر می‌شه و دیگه توی این قسمت به اندازه‌ی قبل خبری از گره‌گشایی‌های شانسی نیست. کارآگاهان همچنان درخشان باقی می‌مونن در این قسمت هم. :))

انتهای کتاب هم، وقتی سرخپوست‌ها می‌خوان تن‌تن رو بسوزونن ترفند خیلی جالبی می‌زنه که از کودکی توی ذهنم باقی مونده بود.
جلد جذابیه.
Profile Image for Owlseyes .
1,754 reviews283 followers
August 9, 2024




Tintin and captain Haddock are in Peru. They're looking for professor Tournesol. In the meantime, Haddock is enjoying the views ....and the fauna. And vice versa. (It seems someone got pisssed off)

This issue is special in several ways, but one, for sure, it is because it includes dreams Tintin has, some had tried to interpret*.






The other ways could be summarized this way: Tintin plays both the hero and the magician roles. He’s able to [apparently] command the sun and to break the Inca spell upon seven people in Europe, who got healed. Furthermore, the treasure which the Spaniards looked after for centuries, without success, Tintin is able to contemplate, for the Great Inca allows him to.

Haddock gets his counts settled.









*http://www.onehope.be/Herg%C3%A9.Essa...
Profile Image for Namratha.
1,131 reviews252 followers
March 2, 2022
The Seven Crystal Balls ended with the unexpected kidnapping of Professor Calculus. When Tintin and Captain Haddock discover that the bumbling professor has been taken by the Incas to Peru, a new and exciting adventure provides a smashing sequel in Prisoners of the Sun.

With Zorrino, a young Quechua boy as their guide, our heroes and dear old Snowy will travel through Andean villages, mountains and rain forests to finally arrive at the well-hidden temple of the Sun. Brimming with colour, vibrance, and a precise attention to authenticity and detail, this story is a work of art. Each page leaps out at you with its grand scale and unfolding drama, leading to a pulse-pounding finale. Late on, Hergé even silenced scoffing critics when he accepted the fact that Tintin fooling the Incas with an eclipse was implausible because being sun worshippers, the Prince of the Sun and his subjects would well be aware of phenomenon like eclipses.

But setting that aside, this is one of my most loved Tintin adventures. Right from the outset, when Tintin grudgingly wins the respect of an Incan priest by his act of kindness towards a brutally bullied Zorrino to our hapless Captain’s unfortunate encounters with llamas, mountain bears, boa constrictors, tapirs, howler monkeys to the grand yet austere opulence of the Sun temple and his inhabitants….everything about this adventure is pure gold. The blend of humour and gravitas is executed perfectly. The artwork is exquisite. I could spend a whole day sifting through it and come away feeling like I took an informative museum tour.

Fun, riveting, enchanting and a dozen other praiseworthy adjectives for this wonderful read.

Also....
my life is better (and cusses, richer), thanks to Captain Haddock and moments like these:
Profile Image for Gary.
964 reviews220 followers
November 3, 2020
First published in the original French in 1949 as Le Temple du Soleil (The Temple of the Sun), Prisoners of the Sun is the sequel to The Seven Crystal Balls.
After Professor Calculus is kidnapped in The Seven Crystal Balls, for putting on the bracelet of the mummified Inca Rascar Capac, Tintin and captain Haddock travel to Peru to find him. After getting no help from the police, and after an attempt on Tintin's life, Tintin and Haddock come across a young Indian guide by the name of Zorrino.
They then travel through mountain and jungle and eventually stumble across the hidden mountain temple where Calculus is imprisoned.
Sentenced to death by the Incas for defiling their Temple, Tintin tricks the Indians by timing their execution (of which date the condemned are allowed to choose) to coincide with the solar eclipse.
The terrified Incas then are convinced that Tintin has powers to control the sun, and release Tintin and his friends, giving them gifts and sending them home with Calculus.
The eclipse incident is a misnomer as the Incas, as s worshippers of the Sun and experienced astronomers, the Incas would have been able to predict a solar eclipse almost as well as any modern scientist.
Zorrino chooses to stay in the Temple.
Full of action. adventure and colour.
Profile Image for Jefi Sevilay.
702 reviews74 followers
September 17, 2022
7 Kristal Küre'nin devam niteliğindeki ciltte yine İnka'ların evindeyiz. Açıkçası absürtlüğün daha minimal olduğu, egzotik ülkelerdeki Tenten hikayelerini daha çok seviyorum. Bu nedenle karakterleriyle, kıyafetleriyle, mimarisiyle farklı ülkelerde geçen hikayeler daha çok ilgimi çekiyor.

Karakter demişken Zorrino'yu çok sevdim, çok tatlıydı. Milu'nun iskelet kafasına "amma suratsızmış" demesineyse ayrı güldüm :) Kaptan Haddock'ın hay bin lombozu tamam ama Patagonyalılar diye hakaret etmesi mevcut yılda bile bence hoş değil.

Ve 14. kitapta hala bir tane kadın karakter yok.

Herkese keyifli okumalar!
Profile Image for George K..
2,643 reviews356 followers
January 19, 2020
Δεύτερο μέρος της ιστορίας που ξεκίνησε στον προηγούμενο τόμο, με τον τίτλο "Οι 7 κρυστάλλινες μπάλες". Η ιστορία κλείνει υπέροχα, με τον Ερζέ να προσφέρει απλόχερα δράση, τρέλα και χιούμορ. Στα συν του συγκεκριμένου τόμου είναι τα ωραία σκηνικά του Περού: Πάντα μου άρεσαν οι περιπέτειες σε εξωτικά τοπία.
Profile Image for Mark.
1,508 reviews194 followers
April 10, 2020
The closing chapter in a two part story in which Tintin and Haddock are chasing the kidnappers of professor Calcalus and the action transports them to South America. It is here that they find out that the curse of the Inca's might lead them to their deaths. After an amusing trek through the mountains they end up in a place where the Inca's still rule and they find out that they like the professor will meet their untimely end. A good thing that modern things like a paper end up in these ancient places which gives Tintin a change to escape. A bit of a cop out but still wonderfully employed by Herge.

With this comic Herge & Jacobs separated their roads and Edgar jacobs never got a writing credit to his name but he created another classic and vastly more epic series with Mortimer & Blake.

A pleasant read nonetheless.
Profile Image for Dorin Lazăr.
499 reviews101 followers
May 12, 2019
A comic book like Prisoners of the Sun would be impossible today; mainly because a few aspects are problematic in a very naïve way. There is a pinch of racism, a bit of superiority of the civilized man; things that we would be very ashamed of in 2019, when I read this. But it's a fun adventure; it's Indiana Jones before Indiana Jones happened; it's fun, it's interesting, it's also a bit educational, because you actually get to learn about places you never seen or heard about. And I bet that for many people, this was one of the first contacts with that side of the world. It's an adventure as well as a learning experience, and at times the educational aspect becomes obvious. But remember, it's a book published in 1949.
Profile Image for نیما اکبرخانی.
Author 3 books147 followers
June 12, 2021
این قدیمی ترین خاطره‌ی من از تن تن بود. کارتونش رو بچه بودم دیدم. فکر کنم تلویزیون اون موقع‌ها حسابی ازش کار کشید!
تن تن وفاداره، همین هم تبدیلش کرده به یک شخصیت غیرواقعیِ ماندگار. انقدری وفاداره که از دوستانش به راحتی نگذره چه برسه به پروفسور کلکولس!
Profile Image for Shahab Samani.
138 reviews52 followers
June 16, 2023
این که در این سن و سال دارم ماجراهای تن‌تن را می‌خوانم خود ماجرا دارد که امیدوارم در سال‌های آینده یادآوری‌اش برایم خوشایند باشد.
خرداد 1402
Profile Image for E8RaH!M.
213 reviews55 followers
April 20, 2023
خودم نسلِ در خیابان بازی کردن تا بوق سگ و پرسه زدن در خیابانهای محله تا جایی که دوستی، همسایه‌ای یا رهگذر آشنایی پیغام مامان را میرساند که به ابراهیم بگید بیاد خونه برای شام. یا صدایی از دور از زیر تک چراغ سالم محله‌مان به گوش میرسید و گوش به گوش رسانده میشد که:
«ابرام! ابی! مامانت صدات میزنه»
با تنی عرق کرده بر میگشتم و عضلاتی که در کودکی هیچ وقت رنگ اسید لاکتیک را به خود ندیدند را به رختخوابی که روبروی تلویزیون پهن میشد میسپردم.
هیچ وقت نوار قصه نداشتم، هیچ وقت کتاب داستان یا مجموعه های کمیک به دست نگرفتم. شاید باورش سخت باشد اما قصه شب بچه‌ها با موسیقی گنجشک لالایش را تنها یکبار گوش دادم، آن هم فقط موسیقی‌اش را.
حقیقت مهد کودک هم نرفتم.😋
روح کوچکم (یا بزرگم) از تن‌تن و اسپایدرمن و سوپرمن و غیره چیزی نمیدانست. به جایش سرپایی‌های خانه را کش میرفتیم و کارت‌های بازی را در فاصله‌ای دور می‌چیدیم و با دمپایی نشانه می‌رفتیم. از دیوار باغ سیب روبروی خانه بالا می‌رفتیم و قبل از رسیدن سگِ باغبان با پیراهنی پر از سیب‌های سبز و نارس به محیط امن اینطرف دیوار برمی‌گشتیم.
حالا پس از چهل سال دارم این قصه‌ها و داستان‌ها و کمیک‌ها را برای پسرم می‌خوانم.
شبی ده-دوازده صفحه را با تقلید صداهای متفاوت شخصیت‌ها برایش می‌خوانم تا خوابش ببرد.
نمی‌دانم پسرم حسرت آن شور خیابانی، آن هفت‌سنگ بازی‌ها، تسمه بازی، استپ هوایی و خر پلیس و و و را باید داشته باشد یا من حسرت نداشتن آنچه شرحش قبلتر رفت را باید به دل بنشانم.

خلاصه بگذریم
به احترام نظر پسرم که خیلی این قسمت و «هفت گوی بلورین» را دوست داشت امتیاز ۵ میدهم.

باقی بقای دوستان
Profile Image for Michael.
614 reviews134 followers
July 5, 2021
Hergé steals a plot device from H. Rider Haggard in this one, or perhaps, to be more generous, pays homage to that master of the adventure story.

Despite my slight annoyance on that point, this concluding "episode" is the better of the two-part story begun in The Seven Crystal Balls.

Runaway trains, secret societies, mountain madness and high jinks in the jungle are just a few of the dangers facing Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy, crammed into just 64 pages. The action rarely lets up!
Profile Image for Elessar.
266 reviews59 followers
September 3, 2021
4/5

Fantástica continuación de Las siete bolas de cristal. En busca del profesor Tornasol, llegan a la América Latina profunda, a un recóndito templo donde la tradición inca todavía pervive. El viaje a pie, una vez en el otro continente, será largo y durante su recorrido atravesarán numerosos escenarios. Todos ellos están dibujados con un gran detalle y con un uso del color sobresaliente.

Uno de los cómics de Tintín donde la resolución de la trama difícilmente consigue preverse. Creo que cierra con maestría la historia iniciada en el anterior volumen y aúna un sinfín de elementos propios del arte de Hergé para hacer un álbum muy destacable. No es mi favorito, pero es de los que más me ha impactado visual y narrativamente.
Profile Image for Kavita.
825 reviews433 followers
August 21, 2023
The second part of the 2-story series, Prisoners of the Sun sees our intrepid explorers actually on their way to Peru to rescue Professor Calculus and help the seven unconscious explorers back in Belgium. They end up finding a secret Inca society avenging any desecration of their ancient relics. Tintin manages to use his wiles to escape with honours heaped upon him.

I loved the Peru landscape, no denying that! I loved the colourful ponchos everyone was suddenly wearing. The adventure itself was fast paced and enjoyable. This one was wholly Tintin's show and the other characters don't make much of an impact, though Captain Haddock is constantly by his side, creating comedy moments. His struggles with the llamas are hilarious.

I found the story smacked a bit of 'white saviour' complex. A hidden Inca society is so backward that they take Tintin as god because he uses a solar eclipse to his benefit. As a plot, it's brilliant. But hidden beneath the outer layers, it hints at a nod to colonialism and racism. I don't know why, but this annoyed me more than the outright portrayals of racism. Wouldn't a civilisation that is built around a sun god have some explanation and calculations for an eclipse?

That said, a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, lusciously drawn, with a tight and fast-paced plot. I think this is one of the best Tintin books too! Worth a read!
Profile Image for Settare (on hiatus).
259 reviews350 followers
July 23, 2020
The text below is included in ALL of my reviews for the Tintin series. If you've already read it, please feel free to skip to the last part which is about this book:
I am a lifelong fan of Tintin and Hergé. Tintin is the earliest memory I have of being exposed to books and stories, my dad started to read Tintin to me when I was less than three years old and continued to do so until I learned to read on my own. I have loved these stories my whole life, and I know all of them by heart, in Persian, in English, and in French.

But, as a devout fan, I think it's time to do the hard but right thing: confess that these books are far from perfect. They are full of stereotypes, they are racist, whitewashed, colonialist, orientalist, and many other problematic "ists" for the modern reader. Not to mention a complete lack of female characters in the entire franchise.
The only reoccurring woman, Bianca Castafiore, is not even a good character, she's a mocking parody of the poor dear Maria Callas that Hergé hated. Other women present are her maid Irma (in approximately 20 frames), Alcazar's wife, a seer, some landladies, and some other very minor characters that play no important role. Anyway.

In the past few years, I've struggled to decide how I feel about these books. Will I dismiss them? Consider "the time they were written in" and excuse them? Love them in secret? Start disliking them? I don't know. So far I haven't reached a fixed decision, but I will say this:
I am aware that these books are problematic. I acknowledge that. I don't stand for the message of some of these books. At the same time, I won't dismiss or hide my love for them because they were an integral part of my growing up, and they have shaped some of my fondest memories, fantasies, and games. I still love the adventures of Tintin very much. And I have a soft spot for my dear old Captain Haddock, stupid and ridiculous as he is.

Le Temple du Soleil or The Prisoners of the Sun is one of those shining "classic middle-period Tintin" ones which are the best and most interesting in the series. In search of the professor, Tintin, Milou, the Captain, and Zorrino (and of course the detectives in their tail) go on an epic adventure in the Peruvian Andes. The mixture of sceneries in this book is simply beautiful. Then, they basically discover Macchu Picchu (the actual inspiration for Herge) and the Quechuan people who live in it. Now here it gets a bit complicated. The Quechuans aren't bad people in the end. They live in a theocratic totalitarian (and secret) society, they worship the sun and they are simpletons: Tintin easily tricks them into believing he can control the sun. I don't know if that's innocent fun or it's offensive towards anyone. Colonialist undertones are there, obviously. I try not to get fed up in it and read it as "the fun adventure in the Andes and the Inca Trek to Macchu Picchu".
One of my absolute favorite Haddock moments is the mountain scene where the Lamas are running away, the captain curses and shouts at them and he causes and avalanche. :))))) That's iconic.
Profile Image for Harish Challapalli.
240 reviews102 followers
November 20, 2011
Today after coming from The secret of the unicorn movie, I was inspired to read the comics!!

During my childhood I used to watch the adventures of tintin cartoon!! Instantly I fell in love with the story!! After a long time I got an opportunity to read the series!!

The prisoners of the sun is one of my favorites among the comic series!! Tin-tin as usual with his spontaneous nature dealt with the problem!! It was awesome when he chose the date of sacrifice!!

Do read the comic, if u get an opportunity!!
Profile Image for Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury.
326 reviews254 followers
January 17, 2016
এটাও একটুর জন্য পারফেক্ট হতে গিয়ে রয়ে গেল। হিউমার, এডভেঞ্চার, ড্রয়িং সবই পারফেক্ট। কিন্তু একটা বই একই সাথে যখন সায়েন্স এবং যাদুটোনা দুটোর কার্যকারিতা দেখায়, তখন কিছুটা বিশ্বাসযোগ্যতা হারিয়ে বসে।
Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.