King Ottokar’s Sceptre

by Hergé

Recommendations from our site

“King Ottokar’s Sceptre which is one of four or five of the Tintin books which really hit home in Belgium. This one hits home because you have lots of amusing stuff at the beginning about Brussels and different sorts of rather foolish intellectuals and scientists. There’s a sense of some sort of fraud being perpetrated but it’s difficult to work out what it is. Then it becomes clear, in the latter half of the book, that it’s about a character called King Ottokar who rules a country called Syldavia which is somewhere in the Balkans.” Read more...

The best books on Belgium

Martin Conway, Historian

“It’s a wonderful book, and Tintin is of course quite heroic in thwarting this fascist takeover. The narrative is very strong, it’s beautifully drawn in a picturesque setting, and we have the first appearance of Bianca Castafiore. There are many great elements to it, and it would definitely be one of my desert island Tintin adventures.” Read more...

The best books on Tintin

Michael Farr, Literary Scholar

There are many great elements to it, and it would definitely be one of my desert island Tintin adventures

Historical Fiction Recommended by Historians