The Secret of the Unicorn (The Adventures of Tintin)

Rating:
Summary: Tintin begins the search for Red Rackham's Treasure
Review: First off, be forewarned that "The Secret of Unicorn" is only the first half of a two-part Tintin adventure, which is concluded in "Red Rackham's Treausre." So do not get all bent of shape when you get to the end of this 1943 adventure and Tintin looks out and you and tells you to find out what happens next in "Red Rackham's Treasure."

As our story opens, the Thompsons are trying to solve a rash of pockets being picked and Tintin decides to buy on impulse a model of an old galliard ship. But suddenly two other gentleman want to buy the model from Tintin, who refuses because he intends the model to be a gift to his friend, Captain Haddock. Then Tintin finds a small piece of parchment that was hidden in one of the masts talking about a treasure and a ship called the Unicorn. The mystery deepens when it turns out that Sir Francis Haddock, an ancestor of Tintin's good friend, was the captain of the Unicorn. After the captain tells the exciting story of Sir Francis and his glorious victory over the dreaded Barbary buccaneers, Tintin races off to track down the final pieces of the puzzle that will tell where the treasure of the Unicorn can be found.

This is only Captain Haddock's third Tintin adventure but he is already as important to the story as Snowy. Nestor and Marlinspike Hall make their first appearance in "The Secret of the Unicorn" with Professor Calculus making his unforgettable first appearance in the second half of the tale. Herge is obviously staying as far away as he can from what is happening in Europe during World War II, but that does not take away from the fact this is a first rate tale of detective work by our intrepid hero and the second half is an equally fun adventure as Tintin and company race for "Red Rackham's Treasure."

Rating:
Summary: Tintin begins the search for Red Rackham's Treasure
Review: First off, be forewarned that "The Secret of Unicorn" is only the first half of a two-part Tintin adventure, which is concluded in "Red Rackham's Treausre." So do not get all bent of shape when you get to the end of this 1943 adventure and Tintin looks out and you and tells you to find out what happens next in "Red Rackham's Treasure."

As our story opens, the Thompsons are trying to solve a rash of pockets being picked and Tintin decides to buy on impulse a model of an old galliard ship. But suddenly two other gentleman want to buy the model from Tintin, who refuses because he intends the model to be a gift to his friend, Captain Haddock. Then Tintin finds a small piece of parchment that was hidden in one of the masts talking about a treasure and a ship called the Unicorn. The mystery deepens when it turns out that Sir Francis Haddock, an ancestor of Tintin's good friend, was the captain of the Unicorn. After the captain tells the exciting story of Sir Francis and his glorious victory over the dreaded Barbary buccaneers, Tintin races off to track down the final pieces of the puzzle that will tell where the treasure of the Unicorn can be found.

This is only Captain Haddock's third Tintin adventure but he is already as important to the story as Snowy. Nestor and Marlinspike Hall make their first appearance in "The Secret of the Unicorn" with Professor Calculus making his unforgettable first appearance in the second half of the tale. Herge is obviously staying as far away as he can from what is happening in Europe during World War II, but that does not take away from the fact this is a first rate tale of detective work by our intrepid hero and the second half is an equally fun adventure as Tintin and company race for "Red Rackham's Treasure."

Rating:
Summary: The Secret of The Unicorn; A Funny Mystery Book
Review: How would you feel if you bought a boat and found a treasure note inside? How would you feel then, if the boat got stolen? This is what happens to TinTin and his dog, Snowy, in The Secret of the Unicorn, by Herge. Once they try to find the boat, but are not successful. After looking for the boat, they start looking for the treasure. They search by submarine, by scuba diving,and by swimming in shark infested water. Do they find the treasure? Read The Secret of the Unicorn to find out.

Rating:
Summary: A Sea Adventure Everyone Will Like
Review: This is the first part, the second part is 'Red Rakham's Treasure'. This is also the series when Marlinspike Hall makes its appearance. The second part is also when Prof Cuthbert Calculus enters Tintin cast for the first time. This is a story every Tintin lover will cherish and other readers will also enjoy. Despite being more than half a century old the story has lost nothing of its charm and sense of fun.

The plot concerns miniature models of boats that bear a striking similarity to a boat in a portrait of one of Capt Haddock's ancestors. From there begins a tale of pirates, of a treasure, of theives after the same treasure, of three hundred year old rum, of our adventurers' attempts at getting to it. The story finally culminates in the Marlinspike Hall, with Capt Haddock being restored to what turns out to be his ancesteral home.

This is the first and perhaps the best of the three adventures Herge wrote that ran into two books. The others two book adventures are 'The Seven Crystal Balls' and 'Prisoners of the Sun', and 'Destination Moon' and 'Explorers on the Moon'.

All in all, an excellent comic book to read, anytime, anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: A nautical treasure hunt
Review: Tintin purchases a model ship at an antiques market. Just after he purchases it two strangers arrive who want to buy the ship. Tintin won't sell it to them even though they offer him ten times what he paid for it. It is a gift for his friend Captain Haddock. The captain is amazed to get the model ship. He shows Tintin a painting of his ancestor, a captain. The captain's ship is visible in the background, and is identical to the model Tintin purchased. The secret to buried treasure is somehow hidden in the model ship, but other parties are also after it...

This particular Tintin book was my favorite when I was a child, mostly because of Captain Haddock. The Captain is continually hollering fake profanities, such as, "Billions of blue blistering barnacles!" I guess that could be a little disturbing now, since the captain acts funny because he is a raging alcoholic (trying to quit though which is a plot point, and I don't think that that is a reason to keep the book from children). This story cuts back and forth in time as bits and pieces of Captain Haddock's family history are shown and trigger new events in the search for treasure.