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Tintin: The Seven Crystal Balls is the thirteenth book in the Tintin series. It is one of the two volume stories, this being the first part. In this book, an ancient curse strikes down the members of an expedition who uncovered an Inca Tomb. Summary Of The Book The Tomb of Inca Rascar Capac has been uncovered and treasures taken out for study and display. It is making headlines everywhere, and the archaeological team, the Sanders-Hardiman expedition, that made the discovery is the center of attention. Tintin: The Seven Crystal Balls begins with a discussion about this news. Tintin is taking a train and on the journey, a fellow passenger sees Tintin reading an article about the expedition, and says nothing good will come of it. He says the ancients should be left undisturbed in their resting places, not have them violated by busybodies. Tintin arrives at Marlinspike Hall to visit Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus. Tintin and Haddock attend a music hall performance. A clairvoyant creates a scene when she unexpectedly makes a prediction about the illness of a member of the Sanders-Hardiman expedition. One by one, the members of the expedition are affected by a strange illness which sends them into a state of coma. When the victims are found, by the side of each lie shattered fragments of a crystal ball. Professor Calculus’ friend, Professor Hercules Tarragon is the only member not yet affected. They visit Tarragon, who now has police protection. He is the one who actually has the mummy of Rascar Capac in his mansion. When Tintin and his companions are with Tarragon, there is a lightning strike, a strange ball of fire hurtles inside the house, and the mummy disappears. In the middle of the night, Tintin, Haddock and Calculus are all awakened by dreams about the mummy. They find Professor Tarragon unconscious, with shattered crystals on the floor beside his bed. To add to the confusion, Professor Calculus is kidnapped. Tintin visits the hospital where the affected men are being treated. Suddenly and simultaneously, all of them wake up screaming about being attacked by some mysterious figures. Then, they all slip back into coma again. The story continues in the next book Prisoners of the Sun. About Herge Herge is a Belgian Cartoonist and illustrator. Some of his other books are Fred and Mile, The Adventures of Tim the Squirrel out West, Tintin in the Congo, The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Calculus Affair, Land of Black Gold, and The Castafiore Emerald. Georges Prosper Remi, who used the pen name of Herge, began his career as an illustrator in the Boy Scouts magazine. He also created a comic strip, The Adventure of Totor C.P. of the June Bugs, about a Boy Scout patrol leader. This was his first published comic strip. Later, he began working for the Catholic newspaper, Le Vingtième Siècle. When the newspaper began a children’s supplement, he developed the character of Tintin and began a comic strip featuring the boy reporter.