mridula's Full Review: Herge - The Secret of the Unicorn
The little search that I did on the internet told me that The Secret of The Unicorn should be read before The Red Rackham’s Treasure in the Tintin series as they are supposed to be linked together. I once again managed to read The Red Reckham’s Treasure first. But now I have read The Secret of The Unicorn too. And of course one should read The Secret of Unicorn first.
Tintin is the famous Belgian sleuth, a comic character created by Herge and loved all over the world. He has many adventures in different parts of the world and is inseparable from his dog Snowy.
Tintin has a round, cute face with a funny tuft of hair standing upright and his attire is almost always dark brown calf length trousers and a shirt in a lighter shade of brown or yellow. Sometimes he wears an overcoat of another shade of brown over his shirt. I wonder how one can afford not to fall in love with him! He is said to be a news reporter but I have seen him playing with dangers and solving mysteries, rarely is he doing any kind of reporting.
We find the official detective force, represented by Thompson and Thomson (one with a P and the other without, just in case you did not notice) twins and the worst bunglers ever found outside a P.G. Wodehouse novel, in the very first scene in the book. By this time the fiery captain Haddock is a regular feature of Tintin series but Professor Calculus is still a book away. He appears for the first time in The Red Rackham’s Treasure.
We join our friends this time in the Old Street Market where everything is up for bargain. Our official detectives are trying to nab a pickpocket who has become very active in the city, only to find their own wallets stolen. Tintin too finds a bargain. He spots a beautiful model of a ship and wants to buy it for captain Haddock. He closes a deal and suddenly to his surprise find two other people interested in it. His home is burgled when he brings the ship home. But when the captain Haddock takes a look at the model he has a different story to tell. After all, what is so special about that small model of a ship? I enjoyed reading The Secret of the Unicorn and once again I find it a 5 star book.
The characterization of the Tintin series is superb. Tintin is loveable with his quick thinking ways and attraction to dangers. In this book he is trying very hard to find all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that will unravel the mystery of the ship. He is aided by the captain through a story he tells about his ancestor Francis Haddock.
I simply love the character of Captain Haddock. He is dashing, he is hot tempered, never ventures out without his flask of whisky and he keeps creating situations that are funny to read but definitely not to be in. Once again our captain has just too many reasons to chant Billions of blue blistering barnacles.
Ten reasons why should you buy (or for that matter borrow) and read The Secret of the Unicorn:
10. Thompson and Thomson often end up with their hats over their eyes.
9. To find out why Tintin is waiting outside a phone booth in rain.
8. Meet Sir Francis Haddock in the flash back!
7. You also get to meet Red Reckham briefly but I am sure it will be a lasting impression.
6. The novel way that Tintin adopts to break free of his captivity.
5. To find out a situation where Snowy gets drunk.
4. Meet the small time crook Nester for the first time, who in later books becomes Haddock’s able butler.
3. Meet the pickpocket and discover his inadvertent but invaluable aid in solving the mystery.
2. To find out who chants the line ‘ration my rum’ and no, it is not captain Haddock.
1. The story telling by captain Haddock. It is superb, it is magnificent and the best part of this book.
I will wholeheartedly recommend The Secret of the Unicorn to anyone. My husband, as well as my teenaged nephews love the book as much as I do.
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