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The Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear / The Black Island / King Ottokar's Sceptre (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 2)

Average customer rating:

Little disappointing
San Theodoros, Britain, Syldavia
Immature Mother
A rich part of this bilingual Canadian's heritage
A trio of solid Tintin adventures from the late 1930s

The Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear / The Black Island / King Ottokar's Sceptre (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 2)
Herge
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (3 Complete Adventures in One Volume, Vol. 1)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3)
The Adventures of Tintin - Red Rackham's Treasure / The Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 4)
Adventures of Tintin: Land of Black Gold / Destination Moon / Explorers on the Moon (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 5)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair / The Red Sea Sharks / Tintin in Tibet (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 6)

ASIN: 0316359424

Customer Reviews:

Little disappointing.......2007-02-07

The quality of the printing is far from perfect. It smooches on several pages.Also, I read the French version first and the English one is, in my opinion, rather lame. A lot of work would need to be done to improve it.

San Theodoros, Britain, Syldavia.......2006-11-17

"The Adventures of Tintin: Volume 2" contains three more adventure comics by Herge, in a handy sized hardcover book. Here, we get "The Broken Ear" (1937), an adventure in a civil-war torn part of South America, "The Black Island" (1938) a chase through Britain, and "King Ottokar's Sceptre" (1939), featuring a plot against a "Syldavian" king. A few well known Tintin characters first appear in these stories. General Alcazar first appears in "The Broken Ear", Dr Muller appears in "The Black Island" and Bianca Castifiore sings her first song to Tintin in "King Ottokar's Sceptere". They're all exciting, intriguing adventures, my favorite in this bunch being "The Black Island", mainly for the chase sequences and the island's "beast".

The text and pictures are a little smaller, but it's easy enough to read, and the detail of the pictures is maintained. It's really great value too. Here on amazon you could buy two or three of these for one normal sized hardcover Tintin. That's 5-8 more adventures for the same price!

Definitely worth picking up if you're interested.

Immature Mother.......2006-11-10

I've always enjoyed reading the Adventures of Tintin. The 3-in-1 hardcover books are good on the budget but the dimensions are smaller than the individual paperback books. Some of the storylines are a little dated and the jokes do get somewhat repetative. The later stories tend to get "silly" with characters falling down and running into things more often than the older stories but I think that's what made my 9 year old daughter enjoy them since she doesn't really follow the stories very well. If you like Tintin, you'll want to buy all of the books and you will reread them.

A rich part of this bilingual Canadian's heritage.......2006-09-09

Volume 2: The Broken Ear (1937), The Black Island (1938), King Ottokar's Sceptre (1942). This is the second instalment of my reviews of each of the seven volumes.

The famous slogan, "for young readers 7 to 77", already validated by the previous three adventures, is further endorsed by what follows.

The Broken Ear takes us to the Amazon, in South America of course, where we meet the Arumbaya Indians, General Alcazar, and, well, just read it. I don't want to give spoilers. This adventure is another outstanding one, and very well translated. In the English version, the Indians' talk, apparently in some mysterious language, is understandable if read out loud. Already five continents visited in four stories!

The Black Island, which takes place in England and especially Scotland, is not up to the usual Tintin standards (one central theme is revisited and far better handled in a later adventure), but a Tintinophile would certainly not want to miss it.

King Ottokar's Sceptre, however, is a magnificent creation. We meet the Castafiore (= "chaste flower") for the first time, a soprano with an ego that would make Callas suffocate, the only major female character in the entire series, and a truly amazing personage. But the real achievement is the creation of an entire fictional kingdom (Syldavia, and a rival neighbouring nation, Borduria, also fictional) with a `reproduction' of a tapestry giving its history, and an adventure that would be meaningless without it. This is a huge achievement for a 62-page children's comic book.

A trio of solid Tintin adventures from the late 1930s.......2005-09-09

Volume 2 of "The Adventures of Tintin" brings together a trio of stories by Hergé from the late 1930s, right before World War II. This is noteworthy because at this point Hergé is refining his attention to cultural detail in these stories, but also starting to get more fanciful and away from what is happening in the real world. You will still find allegorical elements in these stories, but none of the events ripped from the headlines that you saw in previous tales such as "The Blue Lotus."

"The Broken Ear" is from 1937 as our hero and his faithful companion Snowy go it alone through a series of perilous episodes, although there are brief appearances by the Thom(p)sons and Professor Calculus. The title defect belongs to an Arumbaya Fetish at the Museum of Ethnography which is stolen and then mysteriously returned. When Tintin notices the sacred tribal object now has two perfect ears and our hero is quickly in full Sherlock Holmes mode. However, Tintin is not the only one in search of the real fetish as his path starts crossing that of a pair of mysterious figures. After a series of incidents involving the search for a talking parrot, everyone finds themselves on a ship bound South American way for the Republic of San Theodoros, which happens to be where the Arumbaya tribe lives along the banks of the River Coliflor. There Tintin becomes involved in the political turmoil of San Theodoros and eventually gets around to traveling up the jungle river to find the Arumbayas. Meanwhile, poor Snowy finds that his tail becomes a sore point time and time again. In "The Broken Ear" the mystery takes something of a back seat to the repeated perils faced by Tintin. I went back and counted them up and on average Tintin faces death or severe physical harm once every three pages in this 64-page story, which might be a record for our intrepid reporter.

For the most part I do not like the early Tintin adventures where there is a lot of slapstick and every other page our intrepid reporter hero is either holding a gun or having somebody hold a gun on him as much as the latter adventures. However, "The Black Island" is certainly the epitome of this type of Tintin adventure and Hergé really pours it on pretty much from start to finish. This might be slapstick but it is nonstop slapstick from Tintin trying to stop the Thom(p)sons from arresting him to Snowy getting the better of a gorilla (but not a spider). Tintin might end up unconscious more often in this story than all of his other adventures combined. The beginning is simple enough as Tintin sees a plane land with engine trouble. Noticing it is an unregistered plane he offers to help and is immediately shot (do not worry, the bullet only grazes his ribs). Of course Tintin wants to get to the bottom of this mystery but it is hard to collect clues when people are trying to kill you and you have no clue why. Besides, in this one Tintin gets to wear a kilt, not to mention a bonnie bonnet as the titular piece of property happens to be in Scotland. All things considered "The Black Island" has got to be the funniest of Hergé stories.

In contrast "King Ottokar's Sceptre" is an adventure in which our intrepid hero gets to do a lot of deductive reasoning. Certainly there are more actual clues than Hergé usually includes in his mysteries, which means you really have to pay attention as you play along this time. Tintin encounters Professor Alembik, who studies seals (no, silly, not the friendly little animals but the things you stamp into wax on official papers). This seems a harmless career choice but Tintin finds that both he and the good professor are embroiled with secret agents and a plot against the King of Syldavia. It turns out there is a major loophole in the laws of the monarchy, for if H.M. King Muskar XII, the present ruler of Syldavia, were to lose possession of King Ottokar's sceptre, he would lose the right to rule and have to abdicate. This would work to the advantage of the bad guys across the border in Borduria, where everybody seems decided Eastern European and probably pro-Communist or at least very much into Socialism, so it is up to Tintin and Snowy to save the day. They are aided in this endeavor by Thomson and Thompson of the C.I.D.; to be precise, they endeavor to aid. There is also Tintin's first meeting with Bianca Castafiore in this very solid offering from Hergé. This is an actual mystery, where clues need to be solved and mysterious developments need to be explained.

Some of these early adventures of Tintin have engendered criticism because of the way Hergé draws a Negro in caricature and I certainly do not want to suggest that a white male European was not representative of the inherent racism of his culture, but I would point out that Hergé, like Edgar Rice Burroughs writing at roughly the same time, relied heavily on stereotypes for many of his characters and that you will find "good" and "bad" types for every race and ethnicity Tintin encounters. Certainly the South Americans Tintin encounters in San Theodoros, with their heavy accents, fiery tempers and tendency towards extreme violence, are central to any such critique. But Herge also displays some sensitivity towards the native tribes of the area that is rather enlightened. If Tintin engaged in slurs or derogatory comments towards anyone, that would be something different, but our hero only thinks in terms of "good" and "bad," not "white" and "black". Anyhow, you can read these stories and decide for yourself where you stand on this issue.

King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin)

Average customer rating:

Good Tintin album
The best of the early Tintin adventures.
A Syldavian Story
Someone you can rely on.
King Ottokar's Sceptre

King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tintin)
Herge
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Black Island (The Adventures of Tintin)
The Broken Ear (The Adventures of Tintin)
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ASIN: 0316358312

Customer Reviews:

Good Tintin album.......2007-04-10

This book, made by Herge just before World War II, is a good addition to the Tintin collection. It's the first time the fictional country of Syldavia appears, a Central European country (monarchy at the time, in later albums a pseudostalinist republic) which would later send the first men to the moon!. I think this is probably the best of the pre-Haddock albums. In the book, Tintin comes to the rescue of its King Ottokar, as a quasi-fascist conspiracy tries to overthrow him (the leader of the conspiracy is one Musstler = Mussolini + Hitler). It has a great opening (Tintin gets involved in all the trouble just by finding a lost suitcase in a park bench) and after that is consistently entertaining. The best part: the stealing of the sceptre at the castle. It also features the first appearance by Bianca Castafiore, the nightingale of Milan.

The best of the early Tintin adventures........2007-01-26

Herge, King Ottokar's Sceptre (Methuen, 1939)

Ah, Syldavia, made-up country where one can get into endless trouble if one is a young Belgian reporter. Tintin and his newfound friend Professor Alembick head to Syldavia to study the country's governmental seal, for Alembick is an authority on such things. Problem is that while they're there, the country's crown and sceptre are stolen, seemingly by Alembick, and Tintin, along with Thomson and Thompson (they all became friends again at the end of the last volume, natch), have to figure out where the sceptre is, where Alembick has gotten off to, and why the seemingly harmless absent-minded professor had such a sudden change of heart.

More of the series' development to be found here, as Herge got farther away from using real places (and offensive caricatures of their inhabitants, for which he later apologized) and started using fictional places as allegories. I hadn't read the Tintin books since they were serialized in Children's Digest in the seventies, and I must say I'm rather surprised at how well these have held up over the years. Very good stuff. *** ½

A Syldavian Story.......2006-11-17

"King Ottokar's Sceptre", first completed in 1939, is a pretty entertaining Tintin adventure, featuring a plot to overthrow a king in the psuedoeuropean country of Syldavia, and the first Tintin story to feature opera singer Bianca Castafiore. There's a few allusions to the threat of the real life Nazi regime, which is interesting giving the time it was first written.

I thought there was pretty interesting theme running through this story, of doubles. A man and his double are a big part of this plot, while there a lot of things that happen twice (Tintin's window being broken twice, the Thompsons having their hats ruined twice, the Bordurians planning their second invasion in history, etc). Once again, being written on the verge of the world going to war a second time, this is an interesting theme to have. For a fictional country, Herge has really developed Syldavia, and the travel brochure Tintin reads (which the reader can read along too) was an interesting fictional overview of the place.

It's not my favorite, but it's still a classic Tintin adventure. Four and a half stars.

Someone you can rely on........2006-08-17

Every now and again you need something uncomplicated to read, and Tintin always does the job for me. King Ottakar's Sceptre would have to be my favourite.

Tintin finds a briefcase on a park bench, returns it to its rightful owner, and gets mixed up in a plot to overthrow the king of a small east European state. Who is behind the plot? Why are they after Tintin? And can Tintin warn the king in time?

I wish life was more like Tintin. I remember going to the local library when I was young and checking out Tintin books. One a week, we were allowed. They had Tintin, Asterix, and a few Lucky Lukes I think, but maybe I'm remembering that from a French exchange I did in school. I never really got into Asterix, but Tintin was different. Interesting adventures, detailed plots, cunning twists. His world is a simple place. People say what they feel. They don't play games. They don't say they're going to call and then don't. They don't leave their mobiles off when they said they would be in for you to call. If there's a problem, you know somehow you can solve it, and you don't end up feeling like you're wrong all the time. There aren't any messy work pressures, no relationship complications, no girlfriend issues, there's just a boy and his dog solving a crime. I grew up thinking things would be like that, but I was obviously wrong. I wish the world could be more like it is in the books, in basic colours and with a happy ending. But it's not. It's all grey areas and murkiness and there's not a lot you can do about it. Except read the books, and hope, and try and imagine what things would be like. So if you feel lost and alone and it's another long night and you can't get to sleep because you can't stop thinking about everything, why, what, where, when, who - then trust me. Tintin is the answer.

King Ottokar's Sceptre.......2005-07-25

I have always been a fan of Tintin...excellent clean copy and it was delivered on time

The Iron Sceptre (Archives of Anthropos)

Average customer rating:

A lovely and imaginative work
Persevere and be rewarded
Pretty good.

The Iron Sceptre (Archives of Anthropos)
John White
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Dark Lord's Demise: The Archives of Antropos (The Archives of Anthropos)

ASIN: 0877845891

Book Description

Anthropos is in danger. So Wesley, Kurt and Lisa are once again magically transported from their home in Winnipeg to help save this threatened land. The Iron Sceptre, the source of King Kardia's power to rule, is in peril. The children, joined by their cousin Mary, are called on to stop Mirmah and her chief sorcerer, Archimago. But to do so, they must travel beneath the Northern Mountains, around Goldcoffin's Palace and into the very heart of Mirmah's kingdom. What awaits is much more than a mere adventure.

Customer Reviews:

A lovely and imaginative work.......2006-04-16

Well, what can I say? I'm seventeen and I still enjoy reading my copy of this book from time to time. The story is creative, exciting, and fast-moving, and the world White describes is so rich and lovely. The scope of this story and the lessons skillfully woven into it make this a wonderful choice for older children, but again, as I said, I don't think I will ever tire of this series. This is truly enjoyable fantasy writing; one of those books you can lose yourself in on a rainy day.

Persevere and be rewarded.......2000-06-06

At first, I was turned off by how much of a rip-off of Narnia this was. But get into it, and you realize it has a style all its own. Gaal, the semi-mortal Christ-figure, is a majestic, personal character, sometimes cryptic and sometimes playful. Murmia, the evil-personified figure, is no crystalline icecube like the White Witch, but is a seductive, appealing magician; and beneath her beautiful exterior is a rotting,decrepit hag. Pervading this whole book is the new character Mary's search for beauty and acceptance, and Murmia plays upon this and recruits Mary to her side. Only Gaal can take the girl back for himself. Also appealing, though certainly nothing new in fiction-writing, is the thoughtful intertwining of several plotlines at once, which atone for White's clever yet mediocre style of writing. Characterization is one of the strenghts of "The Iron Sceptre."

Pretty good........1998-12-16

It's not as good as the first of the sequel, but it's okay. It's too much like THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, however. Four stars is pretty good for it.

Average customer rating:

A good book on the Lost Tribes.
What a Crock!
Only the beginning is readable.
This book is the Standard for all Lost Tribe of Israel books
A valuable resource for every Christian and Jew

Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright
J. H. Allen
Manufacturer: Destiny Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Israel | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 068508809X

Customer Reviews:

A good book on the Lost Tribes........2006-12-30

This is a good,early work with some helpful genealogical lists at the end of it.
Mr.Allen does an excellent job of explaining the joining the Zarah and Pharez lines of Judah with the marriage of Tea Tephi to Herremon(son of Gallum aka William the Conqueror).
One issue from a prior review should be investigated with Scripture.If Israel was never lost or they were destroyed,why would the Messiah send his disciples to "the lost sheep of Israel"(Mt.10:6)and why would James be addressed to the "12 tribes in the dispersion"(James 1:1)?
Old Testament prophecy has not been fulfilled!Read Rev. 4:6-8 and you will find listed there the 4 brigade standards of Israel.
Some of the things that I found interesting in this book:
There is an excelllent linking of Ireland(names and places)with Hebrew names.
Herremon's family history has multiple men named Heber.
The name "Milesian" as in "Milesian Kings" means soldier in Latin.
I have read and heard of Ollam Fallah being the prophet Jeremiah.
I would have liked to see some form of evidence backing up the suggestion that Jeremiah and Baruch the scribe were related to the princesses of Judah.Particularly Jeremiah as Grandfather of Tea Tephi.
While there are many good elements to this book,I can't agree with the "spiritual Israel" concept.Call it "replacement theology"or "dispensationalism", it isn't supported by the Bible.Israel is not spiritual.It's a physical entity.None of the tribes have been permanently excluded or replaced from recieving the Messiah.While Gentiles can be grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel,the idea that the church replaces Judah or Israel is not true.
This is a good book and worth reading,but there are three books that I recommend more on the subject.
"Israel's Tribes Today" by Steven M. Collins.
"The Story of Celto-Saxon Israel" by W.H.Bennett.
"Symbols of our Celto-Saxon Heritage" by W.H.Bennett.These books are the best I have read on the subject of the lost tribes of Israel to date.

What a Crock!.......2003-01-23

The Tribes of Israel have not been found because they were never lost. This theory, and this author was "stolen" by Herbert W. Armstrong, the discredited cult founder of the Worldwide Church of God. Read 2 Chron 30:6; 34:9, Ezra 6:17 and James 1:1 and you will find that the nation of Israel was destroyed, but the tribes, the people were not lost. They did not migrate to NW Europe. No reputable historian accepts this fallicy. Allen and Armstrong (a high school drop out) were not scholars.

Only the beginning is readable........2002-08-17

The book is split in three parts. While the fist two parts are a recall of Biblical history, the last part is based on extra Biblical sources.
The first two parts are very good and will give anybody, who is not familiar with the biblical truth of the two houses of Israel a good introduction.

With the end of the second part the trouble starts.
Allen tells the reader that the prophet Jeremia in companion of some daugthers of the Davidic linage and a the scribe Baruch flee from Judah to Egypt and from there to Ireland. He claims that the ancient history of Ireland has this account in their writings.

I made an in-depth search to find these writings Allen is refering to. They do not exist! I have no clue, where Allen has these ideas from, but they are not biblical, nor in any way historical and are deffinetely not in the records of Ireland. But on these little tale, he builds the structure of British Israelism.
Because of his very good introduction on the topic of the "lost" tribes, the reader is tempted to take the Jeremiah story as given fact and is deceived in the end.
Unfortunately also author Steve Collins in his book "The lost tribes of Israel found" and others refer to Allen as a source of historical facts and run into problems and in the end loose their trustworthyness.

I gave the book two stars, because the first two parts are very good and give a good understanding but the last part is a nice fantasy story based on the dreams of the Brish Empire that its monarchy are the descendants of the House of David, which is absolutely ridiculous.

This book is the Standard for all Lost Tribe of Israel books.......2002-02-13

This book is the most valuable book I have besides my Bible. It will show you the scriptures like you never have seen them before. It was well written by an amazing Bible Scholar in 1900. Most books on this subject will refer to this book. All my family and friends are reading it now. Enjoy!

A valuable resource for every Christian and Jew.......2000-12-19

While this book was published in 1925 if memory serves me correctly, IMO it has not been surpassed for clarity of exposition. The reader will learn much to his or her advantage and growth in relation to HaShem or Jesus. I will say that there is some web sites that purport to say that the Stone of Scone is hidden now. However, I do think that Queen Elizabeth II holds the Davidic throne in trust for the return of the King of Zion, Y'Shua HaMessiach.

The Emerald Sceptre: The Scions of Arrabar (Forgotten Realms: The Scions of Arrabar)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Series as a whole
A good conclusion
Yet another great story by Reid
Ended well
Reid finishes well

The Emerald Sceptre: The Scions of Arrabar (Forgotten Realms: The Scions of Arrabar)
Thomas Reid
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786937548
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Book Description

The last in the trilogy of Forgotten Realms novels from Thomas M. Reid. This is the concluding novel in a trilogy exploring the political intrigue of a mercenary society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Thomas M. Reid has written the entire trilogy, which takes place in an area of the world little before explored in novels.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Series as a whole.......2007-03-31

Great Series! As Forgotten Realms books go this series was a great read. It's nice to see a series cover a different area of the Realms other than the more popular "conflicted" areas. The characters were interesting and the plot and story carried it well enough that the books were a fairly easy read.

A good conclusion.......2007-02-21

The Emerald Scepter" is the final book of the "Scions of Arrabar" trilogy, set in Chondath. The previous two books had a fantastic and unpredictable plot, supported by a large number of more or less average characters, speaking in terms of development, of course.

This novel picks off just where the last one ended. Reid throws even more twists into the story, keeping the high standard he set in previous installments. The last third-or-so of the book deals with tying loose ends and brings a satisfying end to the whole story.

Reid throws an emphasis on development of his protagonists, maybe something he should've done earlier. Two main characters, Vambran and his sister Emriana, get "fleshed out" only in the third installment of the series. Better ever than never, I guess. Same can be told of the villain, Junce Roundface.

Otherwise, Reid keeps the fast pace we got used to in previous books, combat scenes are compact and short, as are the descriptions of places and characters.

"The Scions of Arrabar" is a good trilogy, truly highlighted by the masterfully woven plot. I give it four stars, the same I give to this book, although the second book was the best of the lot in my opinion.

Check it out.

Yet another great story by Reid.......2006-08-10

I thoroughly enjoyed the conclusion to the Scions Trilogy. Like his other books, Reid captures the interest of the reader using intrigue, and an ingenious storyline full of deception and plot twists without relying upon spetacular, but short-lived displays of power (Ed Greenwood?). Reid holds our attention to the end.

Ended well.......2006-03-18

This, the third book in the Scions of Arrabar, was a good book to enjoy on a long flight from Beijing. The characters were well done, but not complete. Maybe it was just me. oVer all, liked it and would recommend it.

Good fantasy.

If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.

Reid finishes well.......2006-02-01

The Emerald Scepter is the final book in the Scions of Arrabar Trilogy, but you wouldn't be able to tell from reading it! It seems to me that Trilogys and many of the standalones just won't let you walk away with a solid ending ( which is fine, but sometimes I wish for one )

I enjoyed the story as it 'obviously' carried over from book two, but had to check back ( in both books as I read them ) to understand what was going on. I never really 'felt' for many of the characters ( Especially not the main, Vambrin ) except for Emriana and Arbeendk ( the 'monkey' looking man on the front of The Emerald Scepter ). Many times I felt the story was rushed and choppy, but all did come to a well balanced ending that tied up the loose ends ( though adding new ones ).

As I stated in my review of The Ruby Guardian a general lover of fantasy can enjoy these books, but it is not the 'cream of the crop'.

Average customer rating:

East European mystery and suspense
Tintin and Milou try to solve a royal mystery in Syldavia

Le sceptre d'Ottokar
Herge
Manufacturer: Casterman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 2203011084

Customer Reviews:

East European mystery and suspense.......2004-11-25

Tintin finds a briefcase in the ark. He returns it to its owner Professor Janus. The scholar will soon travel to Soldavia to study artifacts including the Royal Scepter, which must be in the possession of the king at a yearly ceremony, in order for him to remain in power. As Tintin leaves the professor's apartment he notices that he has been photographed. As he tries to find out why, he stumbles on a plot to steal the scepter...

After The Black Island, which was mostly chase scenes and action, it was nice to see some mystery. The story here was fairly straightforward but the way in which it unfolded kept me guessing. For example we don't learn who is after the scepter until it has been stolen and Tintin is trying to find out how and why. This was a good little suspense mystery and up to quality of other books in the Tintin series.

If you are reading this to help learn French, Tintin comics are good for reading at a French 2 level. There are a lot of words that aren't basic vocabulary but it is still easy to follow the story because the writing and pictures tend to reinforce each other.

Tintin and Milou try to solve a royal mystery in Syldavia.......2003-02-06

"Le Sceptre d'Ottokar" ("King Ottokar's Sceptre") is a Les Aventures de Tintin in which our intrepid hero gets to do a lot of deductive reasoning. Certainly there are more actual clues than Hergé usually includes in his mysteries. Tintin encounters Professor Alembik, who studies seals (no, not the friendly little animals but the things you stamp into wax on official papers). This seems a harmless career choice but Tintin finds that both he and the good professor are embroiled with secret agents and a plot against the King of Syldavia. It seems there is a major loophole in the laws of the monarchy, for if the King were to lose possession of King Ottokar's sceptre, he would lose the right to rule and have to abdicate. This would work to the advantage of the bad guys across the border in Borduria, so it is up to Tintin and Milou to save the day. They are aided in this endeavor by Dupont and Dupond; to be precise, they endeavor to aid.

"Le Sceptre d'Ottokar" was produced by Hergé in 1939 and the more you know about Europe on the eve of the Second World War, the more you are likely to see lurking behind the characters and actions of this Tintin adventure. However, it is hard to tell if Hergé is trying to make any sort of a point; certainly during the war it was clear Tintin lived in a different world, so I am loathe to see anything beyond a compelling narrative. This is an actual mystery, where clues need to be solved and mysterious developments need to be explained. On top of all that throw in the ongoing perilous situations that our hero and his faithful terrier find themselves in time and time again in these early adventures. Oh, and there is also Tintin's first meeting with Bianca Castafiore, which is not exactly something I am inclined to celebrate, but that is just me. A very solid offering from Hergé.

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Over the Top

Judah's Sceptre & Joseph's Birthright
J. H. Allen
Manufacturer: Mokelumne Hill Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0787300284

Customer Reviews:

Over the Top.......2003-07-24

I was shocked to find the truth revealed in this book by this author that was written over 100 years ago. He will open the Scriptures in a way that will absolutely blow your socks off for those truly seeking Truth. J H Allen understood the lost tribes of Israel, their identity and the concept of Two-House straight from the Word. Now we have archeology proof in great books from Steven Collins. Check it out... if you dare.

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King Ottokar's Sceptre (Tintin)
Herge
Manufacturer: Mammoth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Broken Ear (The Adventures of Tintin)
The Shooting Star (The Adventures of Tintin)
Red Rackham's Treasure (The Adventures of Tintin)
The Adventures of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (Adventures of Tintin)
The Castafiore Emerald (The Adventures of Tintin)

ASIN: 1405206195

Judah's Sceptre and joseph's Birthright - An Analysis of the Prophecies of the Scriptures in Regard to the Royal Family of Judah and the Many Nations of Israel, the Lost Ten Tribes

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Judah's Sceptre and joseph's Birthright - An Analysis of the Prophecies of the Scriptures in Regard to the Royal Family of Judah and the Many Nations of Israel, the Lost Ten Tribes
J. H. Allen
Manufacturer: Destiny Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQ1L2Y

Crown, Orb & Sceptre: The True Stories of English Coronations

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And now for something slightly different

Crown, Orb & Sceptre: The True Stories of English Coronations
David Hilliam
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Monarchs, Murders & Mistresses

ASIN: 0750930721

Book Description

1000 years of royal history and 38 coronations from King Edgar to the present Queen Elizabeth II. Packed with facts about how the service, traditions, and accessories have changed over the years.

Customer Reviews:

And now for something slightly different.......2003-11-06

If you're looking for something beyond the usual royal biographies, or as a companion to UK history, this could be it.

Here's the lowdown on 1000 years of coronations stretching back to the crowning by St Dunstan of the Saxon King Edgar in Bath Abbey in 973 - which, incidentally, provided some of the words still used today - to the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Nice bite-sized nuggets, each monarch being handled individually. Coronations of noteworthy consorts are include e.g., Anne Boleyn.

It helps if you have a passing acquaintance with some of the history. But it's not essential. Hilliam places each individual coronation and monarch in context, in easily readable narrative. There's plenty of trivia, both familiar and non.

The content ranges from sumptuous to humorous - such as a splendidly-attired Piers Gaveston outraging envious fellow courtiers by carrying the St Edward crown at the coronation of his King and lover, Edward II; or Queen Victoria's Archbishop of Canterbury accidentally omitting a couple of pages and being forced by her to return to the beginning of the section. There are various one-page topical essays, e.g., one on the original King's Stone at Kingston, whereon crownings reputedly first occurred, and another on the Stone of Scone - now returned from Westminster Abbey to its native Scotland.

The appendices include a simplified, but useful, genealogy, plus the Form of the Coronation, and also a rundown of the regalia (i.e. crowns, sceptres, spurs - the lot, which may be seen in the Tower of London).

This is genial, informative, entertaining - and fun.

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