The Seven Crystal Balls

Paperback, 62 pages

English language

Published Feb. 1, 1975 by Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN:: 978-0-316-35840-8
OCLC Number:: 27874995

(5 reviews)

The Seven Crystal Balls (French: Les Sept Boules de Cristal) is the thirteenth volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised daily in Le Soir, Belgium's leading francophone newspaper, from December 1943 amidst the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. The story was cancelled abruptly following the Allied liberation in September 1944, when Hergé was blacklisted after being accused of collaborating with the occupying Germans. After he was cleared two years later, the story was then serialised weekly in the new Tintin magazine from September 1946 to April 1948. The story revolves around the investigations of a young reporter Tintin and his friend Captain Haddock into the abduction of their friend Professor Calculus and its connection to a mysterious illness which has afflicted the members of an archaeological expedition to Peru. The Seven Crystal Balls was a commercial success …

The Seven Crystal Balls (French: Les Sept Boules de Cristal) is the thirteenth volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised daily in Le Soir, Belgium's leading francophone newspaper, from December 1943 amidst the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. The story was cancelled abruptly following the Allied liberation in September 1944, when Hergé was blacklisted after being accused of collaborating with the occupying Germans. After he was cleared two years later, the story was then serialised weekly in the new Tintin magazine from September 1946 to April 1948. The story revolves around the investigations of a young reporter Tintin and his friend Captain Haddock into the abduction of their friend Professor Calculus and its connection to a mysterious illness which has afflicted the members of an archaeological expedition to Peru. The Seven Crystal Balls was a commercial success and was published in book form by Casterman shortly after its conclusion. Hergé concluded the arc begun in this story with Prisoners of the Sun, while the series itself became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. Critics have ranked The Seven Crystal Balls as one of the best Adventures of Tintin, describing it as the most frightening instalment in the series. The story was adapted for the 1969 Belvision film Tintin and the Temple of the Sun, the 1991 Ellipse/Nelvana animated series The Adventures of Tintin, the 1992-3 BBC Radio 5 dramatisation of the Adventures, the 1997 video game Prisoners of the Sun, and a 2001 musical in Dutch and French versions.

8 editions

Kai reviewed The Seven Crystal Balls by Hergé (The adventures of Tintin)

Review of 'The Seven Crystal Balls' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This short story takes the form of a religious report that describes how and why the seven deadly sins are absent from different alien species. It's a reflection on what causes us to sin and how taking away the choice of those actions prevents the transgression.

The alien species described are diverse and unique in their physiology. There's a heavily European-human-centric vision permeating the book, but, in a way, I believe that was the intention - to describe these species in comparison with us humans and not as complete and separate entities. There can be a discussion on whether or not said species are, in fact, sentient or possible at all, but since the idea is to create this discussion, the book succeeds in doing so.

There isn't much of a plot, and the story does read like a report. However, it's entertaining and can spark some interesting thinking about …

This short story takes the form of a religious report that describes how and why the seven deadly sins are absent from different alien species. It's a reflection on what causes us to sin and how taking away the choice of those actions prevents the transgression.

The alien species described are diverse and unique in their physiology. There's a heavily European-human-centric vision permeating the book, but, in a way, I believe that was the intention - to describe these species in comparison with us humans and not as complete and separate entities. There can be a discussion on whether or not said species are, in fact, sentient or possible at all, but since the idea is to create this discussion, the book succeeds in doing so.

There isn't much of a plot, and the story does read like a report. However, it's entertaining and can spark some interesting thinking about the cardinal sins and what sparks them, definitely worth the read for those interested in similar discussions.