Georges Remi Herge Book order (chronological)

The Sanders-Hardiman expedition, made up of a team of European archaeologists and scientists, is returning from Peru with the mummy of Incan Rascar Capac. No sooner do they arrive home than, one by one, they are struck down by a mysterious illness. A strange clue is discovered near each victim: shards of crystal thought to come from crystal balls. In an attempt to save Professor Tarragon (the last remaining member of the expedition not affected by the illness), Tintin, Haddock and Professor Calculus stay the night at Tarragon’s villa. During the night, the occupants of the house are plagued by nightmares; when Tintin and his friends wake up, they discover Professor Tarragon in a coma with fragments of crystal beside his bed. The next day, Professor Calculus makes an incredible discovery that takes our heroes on a whole new adventure!

After The Seven Crystal Balls set the eerie stage, Tintin and his friends continue their adventures in Peru. There Tintin rescues an orange-seller named Zorrino from being bullied, and the young man becomes their guide in their quest to find the Temple of the Sun. But they find more than they bargained for and end up in a hot spot. The perils of this engaging two-part adventure are especially harrowing in their combination of the supernatural and the real, although the resolution is a little too deus ex machina. Calculus and the Thompsons provide their usual comic relief.