|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
The one in white with the yeti Apr 15, 2010
The white expanses of the Himalayan mountains, the sparseness of the pared down plot and the cast, all come as a welcome antidote to the huge clutter of ideas, characters and slapstick of The Red Sea Sharks, making Tintin in Tibet (even the title has a neat simple alliterative symmetry) a rather atypical adventure, one inspired by a personal crisis - Hergé at this time suffering from nightmares and visions of whiteness - rather than being merely the usual Tintin investigative jaunt through exotic lands meeting interesting characters.
Atypical it might be, but in other ways it's a pure distillation of everything that is great about Hergé's technique - both in terms of the storyline and in terms of the purity of the 'ligne-claire' artwork. Tintin's tenacity to get to the truth is never more driven than here in his desire to travel to Nepal and embark on a seemingly futile expedition in search of his young Chinese friend Chang who has surely perished with the rest of the passengers and crew on a small flight in the Himalayas. Even if he had miraculously survived, a week in the freezing mountains with no food or shelter would certainly have killed him. Yet Tintin is certain that Chang is still alive, having dreamt about him, seeing a vision of the young Chinese boy lying in the snow reaching out to him.
Using a familiar technique of a running joke and a synchronistic series of events - here everyone seems to be tuned into Chang, whether it's the name of a dog or the sound made by someone sneezing - the scene setting for this foolhardy expedition is masterfully laid out by Hergé. More than just being the usual funny coincidences, there's a real sense here of events being premonitory as well as perhaps being related to Tintin's state of mind that has been disturbed by nightmares that seem to be spreading out into the real world. As in the best Hergé Tintin work (The Calculus Affair is a masterclass of such techniques), all of this contributes most effectively to setting a mood, creating other subtle resonances and perhaps even a deep sense of unease that the reader might not even be aware of.
Hergé develops this progressively as the story goes on, taking time to balance it out with humorous incident - often at the expense of Captain Haddock - but even Haddock is tormented by surreal alcohol-fuelled nightmares and individually, Snowy, Tintin and Haddock each very nearly succumb to the perilous dangers of the mountain climb. The pacing, the sense of frame and overall page composition, with magnificent renderings of the desolation of the mountains, the blue-whiteness of the snow and the clear blue skies against which the wrecked plaine is eventually discovered, is simply flawless, all of it contributing to the overall impact, creating indelible images that resonate more than perhaps any other Tintin adventure.
The most celebrated Tintin book Feb 14, 2010
Probably the most celebrated Tintin book, it shows our boy hero's reunion after over 25 years with his friend from The Blue Lotus, Chang Chong-Chen (real-life friends Hergé and Zhang Chong-ren, upon whom the character of Chang Chong-chen had been based, had actually went nearly 50 years without meeting); or rather it chronicles the attempt to reunite - on his way to Brussels, the plane Chang is on goes down in the Himalayas, with everyone on the plane dead or missing. But Tintin feels that Chang is still alive, so he and Haddock go off to rescue him, enjoying a few misadventures in Delhi first en route to Calcutta. Marching off, they head on foot into the hills, where there are various misadventures. The scenery is breathtaking and the art impeccable, very much in line with Hergé's first story set in the mountains, Prisoners of the Sun (which also had Tintin befriending a young boy). Haddock is, of course, always good for a laugh with his brave buffoonery, and Snowy quite funny in yet another drinking episode (he seems to enjoy whiskey as much as Haddock does, and he always drinks too much). In no time at all they encounter yeti tracks, an avalanche, a snowstorm and lamas! The story is a clever tale of bravery and great valour, as well as strange egg-headed beings. This is one of only a few Tintin books where there is a mystery but no real enemy or adversary (other than the elements - they are nearly frozen to death many times); other such books are "Red Rackham's Treasure" and "The Castafiore Emerald."
Apparently, this book, published in 1958 on the eve of the Dalai Lama's retreat from the area, was unpopular with the Chinese (of the People's Republic of China) and popular with the Taiwanese (Republic of China) government and went a long way for raising awareness about a land called Tibet. In 2006, the Dalai Lama awarded Tintin (not Hergé, who had passed away in 1983)the Truth of Light award.
Exciting, fun and educational introduction to Tibet, its beautiful landscape and Buddhist culture Oct 01, 2009
After Tintin's friend Chang's plane crashes in the Himalayas, Tintin refuses to believe he is dead, and launches an expedition to find him. Along with Captain Haddock and Snowy, he travels through New Delhi and Nepal, before getting to the mountains. In Tibet they experience the hazards of mountain climbing, the gentle Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and the Yeti, before rescuing Chang.
My favourite Tintin book is fun and educational for both kids and adults, quite often being people's first introduction to Tibet, its beautiful landscape and culture.
In 2006, Tintin became the first fictional character to be awarded the Dalai Lama's Truth of Light award.
A Desperate Rescue Mission... Feb 14, 2009
The Belgian artist Herge wrote many popular stories featuring his cartoon hero Tintin, a young journalist. "Tintin in Tibet" is surely one of the more exotic of the adventures. It was first published in 1960, when mountain climbing in the Himalayas was still frontpage news, and before China had closed the famous Tibetan monasteries.
As the story opens, Tintin, his faithful dog Snowy, his seafaring friend Captain Haddock, and the eccentric Professor Calculus are on vacation in the European Alps. Tintin learns in short order that his old friend Chang (from "The Blue Lotus") is on his way to visit, then the dreadful news that Chang's airliner has gone down in Nepal, with no known survivors. Tintin, on the basis of a dream in which Chang calls for help, seeks off on a rescue mission, accompanied by the skeptical Captain Haddock.
Herge takes advantage of the journey to show the reader a little of India and then of Nepal, before Tintin, Snowy, the Captain, and the guide Tharkey set off on foot for the crash site. The long approach march is the scene of a series of humorous misadventures before the party arrives at the crash site high in the mountains. There, Tintin finds evidence that Chang survived the crash. A pitifully thin trail of clues leads the small party deeper into the mountains, where they will encounter the legendary Yeti and the nearly mythical monks of a remote monastery.
"Tintin in Tibet" has strong spiritual overtones. Tintin is driven by a stubborn belief in his dream of his friend Chang, alive. Captain Haddock, grumbling every step of the way, can't bring himself to let his friend Tintin continue a seemingly hopeless quest alone. Their salvation in the mountains, and their directions to their final destination come courtesy of a monk who has visions.
Herge's simple but effective artwork bring an exotic land and an exciting story to life. "Tintin in Tibet" is very highly recommended to Tintin fans of all ages.
12 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Brave and loyal, Tintin to the rescue! Jul 25, 2008
"Tintin in Tibet" is my first Tintin adventure. I am a librarian seeking new stories and saw this in a review. It looks like a story my older elementary students would like.
Others on the product page are long-time fans, beginning in childhood, with "Tintin in Tibet" as the favorite in the series of books written and illustrated by Herge. Not knowing anything about the back story, I will begin.
First, the book itself. It is 11 3/4 inches high and 8 3/4 inches wide with full-color illustrations on slick paper, making this a very nice looking graphic novel. The book is well worth its price. The covers of the other 24 adventures are shown on the back cover.
I'm not sure who Tintin is--maybe a teenager, or the Captain, definitely someone fond of Tintin and uncle-like, who watches out for Tintin, who in turn really doesn't need watching over. Tintin is on vacation when he learns of the plane crash of Chang, a Chinese friend his age, in the mountains of Nepal.
Tintin has a dream that Chang is alive and determines to go rescue him. Of course, the Captain goes along. Through hook and crook, they manage to put together a team to take them trekking through the mountains of Nepal to find the crash site and look for Chang. Tintin's dog Snowy also goes along. He makes me laugh with his stubborn and feisty comments. The funniest is at the beginning when he complains (in the cartoon bubbles) that his feet are going to be worn off with all this hiking on rocks. Tintin has no idea his dog has this attitude.
There are several episodes in which Tintin miraculously pulls through, along with the Captain and Snowy. Tintin is clearly a hero figure but so modest, his heroism is almost surprising. He is like a Boy Scout with courage, cleanliness, right living, and dedication to service to others. He is kind and compassionate and downright likeable. Although the Captain is a whiny complainer, he always ends up doing the right thing and thus makes himself likeable. I love his cranky faces! And Snowy! So adorable!
In addition to character positives, the book also promotes cultural exchanges in a positive light--and this back in the '60's! Geography is highlighted. This might be a graphic novel, but it contains many bubbles with words.
Teachers, librarians, parents: This is a series worth exploring, for all its positive values. Other reviewers don't recommend this as a first to buy. Please read Texas Swede's review for an excellent summary of all the Tintin books to make your decision. I will be adding several of the books to my school library, including this one!
|
| | |
