The Blue Lotus

Writer(s): Hergé
Artist(s): Hergé
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.
ISBN: 978-0316358569
Price: $10.99
Page count: 62
Year Released: 1983
Status: in print
Original Source: Le Lotus bleu (1936)
Other Collected Edition(s): The Adventures of Tintin, vol. 1 (ISBN 978-0316359405); boxed set (ISBN 978-0316006682)
Genres: all ages; adventure; foreign lit; humor; mystery/crime; suspense/thriller; teen/young adult
Recommended for Fans Of: action-adventure stories
Possibly Objectionable Material: mild(er) racial stereotypes; mild violence
If You Like This Book, Try: Bone
Also in This Series: preceded by Cigars of the Pharaoh; followed by The Broken Ear

Plot Summary


My Own 2 Cents
No doubt my ignorance of early twentieth-century Chinese history is partly to blame for my getting hopelessly lost in the plot of this book, but I found this volume's focus on the politics surrounding Japan's 1931 invasion of northern China to be completely convoluted. Often a fictional account of a historical event will inspire me with an interest in researching the topic further, but in this case Hergé's treatment didn't provide much inspiration. He focused on too many politically motivated characters (despite them being suitable adversaries for Tintin) and the scenes he wrote and drew to further the Sino-Japanese conflict sometimes began and ended in a single, text-heavy panel. The end result, alas, is information overload. But for a reader with more knowledge of the conflict, this could be an enjoyable volume.