The Temple of Doom (The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun - Herge)

Member Name: Jake Speed

Product:	The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun - Herge
Date:	01/11/09 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun

Disadvantages: Nothing too major

Prisoners of the Sun is the fourteenth book in Hergé's Tintin series and was first published in 1949. The book follows on from the events of The Seven Crystal Balls which ended with Professor Calculus being kidnapped for, it turns out, wearing the bracelet of the mummified Inca, Rascar Capac. An ancient curse of the Incas is behind the mystery and Prisoners of the Sun therefore begins with Tintin and Captain Haddock having just arrived in Peru to investigate the disappearance of their old friend and hopefully find him safe and sound somewhere. Calculus is suspected to be on a ship named the Pachacamac and the local Police Headquarters assure Tintin and Haddock the ship will be thoroughly searched when it arrives in port for any signs of the Professor. Tintin is rather perturbed though to discover they are being spied on by a shadowy figure outside while in the Police Headquarters and when the Pachacamac finally arrives it - much to their dismay - runs up two yellow flags to indicate the ship is now under strict quarantine and so cannot presently be searched or boarded by anyone.

'Thundering typhoons!' barks Captain Haddock. 'Three weeks without knowing whether Calculus is even aboard that blistering bathtub!' A doctor from one of the ship's launches comes close enough to shore very briefly to inform them of an outbreak of two cases of yellow fever onboard the Pachacamac but Tintin isn't terribly convinced. The doctor, he notes, was a Quichua Indian and Tintin believes it all has something to do with the missing Calculus. 'Captain,' remarks Tintin. 'I'll bet you anything you like that every man aboard the Pachacamac is as fit as you and me.' Tintin decides he will sneak aboard the Pachacamac later that night and conduct his own surreptitious search for Calculus - so beginning one of the most colourful, epic and entertaining of all his many adventures.

Prisoners of the Sun is rightfully regarded to be one of the most spectacular and famous of the Tintin stories as Tintin and Haddock travel deep into the dangerous and formidable jungles and mountains of Peru in desperate search of their friend Calculus. Hergé found inspiration in the treasures, geography and culture of the area and fills the book with often incredibly intricate backgrounds and enjoyable and ever changing landscapes of snow, mountain, rivers, waterfalls and ancient temples. The story here is like an early forerunner to Indiana Jones with set-pieces including a runaway train over a precarious bridge and an out of control Captain Haddock turning into a gigantic snowball as he drunkenly chases down some villains on a snowy mountain ledge and ends up rolling in the snow at an increasingly rapid speed. The story is packed with incident and adventure, from a river attack on Tintin and Haddock's small boat by crocodiles to their attempt to get across a gigantic waterfall by climbing upside down on a single-cable rope thrown along it.

Hergé's crisp and colourful art is the real star of the book here with some fantastic and atmospheric drawings of caves and temple interiors in the final third of the story. There are also a large number of animals in Prisoners of the Sun too, most of which (of course) serve to annoy and assault Captain Haddock on a regular basis, especially (in a recurring joke) spitting llamas. In addition to obstreperous llamas, giant eagles and crocodiles, Haddock also has some comic battles with bears and an anteater - which wakes him up in the jungle one morning by licking his face. 'Hop it, you four-legged Cyrano!' booms the Captain. 'Blistering barnacles, what a country! Is there no end to this mountainous menagerie?' Haddock's antics and escapades in Prisoners of the Sun are great fun and often very amusing as he reluctantly ventures forth on yet another adventure.

The mystical and vaguely supernatural elements to Prisoners of the Sun add greatly to the atmosphere as Tintin and Haddock discover that Calculus is in terrible trouble because of an ancient Inca tribe that has almost slipped through time. The journey into the Andes is fraught with danger and incident as they befriend a young Indian boy named Zorrino that Tintin saves from some bullies. Zorrino tells Tintin he believes that their friend is being held at the Temple of the Sun, a remote and very secret location. 'The Inca?' replies Tintin. 'The Temple of the Sun? An Inca in these days?...It's unbelievable!' Prisoners of the Sun has a memorable ending too with Tintin's deductive skills hitting upon an ingenious plan that might just save them from the sacred Inca cult. Tintin's calmness as they are held captive - James Bond film style - is very compelling as we know he has hit upon a plan and must wait to see what it is.

Incompetent detectives Thomson and Thompson also briefly appear in Prisones of the Sun and Hergé includes a very funny running joke where they attempt to find Calculus on their own with the aid of a pendulum. 'Dowsing my dear Thompson, like Professor Calculus; that'll put us back on their track!' As Tintin and Captain Haddock travel ever deeper into the Andes on the trail of Calculus, Thomson and Thompson are often shown searching in the wrong country altogether. 'Why, they aren't here,' they remark in surprise at the top of the Eiffel Tower. 'The pendulum definitely indicates that they are somewhere up high!' Hergé's art is always funny as the accident prone pair walk into signs or toil in the South American sun and he also includes another dream sequence featuring mildly surreal art when Tintin has a strange dream/nightmare while sleeping in a small hillside temple.

Prisoners of the Sun is a great deal of fun on the whole with wonderful art, an interesting and exciting story and some very funny jokes and situations. It rightfully takes its place at the top table as one of Hergé's strongest and most enjoyable Tintin adventures.

Summary: Classic Tintin adventure