The Black Tattoo [Hardcover]

Sam Enthoven (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Jack’s best mate, Charlie, has always been effortlessly cool. When Charlie wakes up one day and finds a mysterious, moving black tattoo on his back, it’s a clear sign that he’s even cooler than Jack thought. To top it off, Charlie is suddenly able to fight like a kung-fu master, fly, and control the minds of others. Yes, he’s got super powers.

Or does he?

Jack soon learns the terrifying truth: Charlie’s incredible powers come from an age-old demon called the Scourge, who is using Charlie to bring about its evil master plan. To stop the Scourge, Jack and Charlie join forces with Esme, a girl with super powers of her own, trained from birth to fight the demon. But time is running out, as Charlie falls deeper under the Scourge’s dark spell.

When the Scourge vanishes with Charlie, Jack and Esme follow their friend from the streets of London into Hell itself, where they face horrors that may well cost them their lives. Can they survive to outwit the Scourge, save Charlie, and stop an even greater evil?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—London teen Jack leads a not-very-interesting life. His friend Charlie is none too bright and is blinded by his anger over his parents' divorce. Jack stands by his best mate through thick and thin, even when Charlie, possessed by a demon, crosses into Hell itself. Khentimentu, also known as the Scourge, has been trapped in the roots of an ancient tree for thousands of years by a secret society called The Brotherhood of Sleep. Charlie, thinking he is being recruited into it, unwittingly becomes a host for the escaped Scourge, manifested in a writhing, black tattoo. With Charlie's help, the demon kills all the members of the Brotherhood except the young warrior-woman Esme. When the demon and Charlie escape into Hell, it is up to Jack and Esme to rescue Charlie and save the universe from Khentimentu's evil plan. Enthoven has created an interesting and original universe and a gripping story. Hell is a demon-populated Roman empire at its most decadent, complete with gladiators and an all-powerful emperor. There are a few plot inconsistencies in this hefty book, and scattered Briticisms will momentarily trip up some readers, but overall it is a readable story with an amusing denouement. A good choice for readers ready to move on from Darren Shan's popular "Cirque du Freak" and "Demonata" series (both Little, Brown).—Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A fight to save the world from an evil presence; magical creatures; and three teen protagonists (two boys and girl) . . . : sound familiar? Esme has trained all her life to help her father and the Brotherhood defeat the Scourge, an evil entity that plans to end the world. Charlie gains superpowers as he becomes host to the Scourge, which manifests itself as a shifting black tattoo. Charlie's friend Jack becomes an unwitting, unskilled participant in the battle against the evil. Campy humor enlivens the sometimes cliched events, which move between London and Hell through a portal located in a pub. Esme's martial arts and sword-wielding skills provide plenty of action, and a wide range of intriguing creatures populates the story: floating sharks; blood-sucking, meal-vomiting bats; and giant spiders--sometimes serving as gladiator adversaries in Hell. Adventure and invention abound, but tighter plotting would have improved the story. The epilogue sets the stage for a sequel. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595141146
• ISBN-13: 978-1595141149
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi! My name's Sam. I live in London, England and I write fantastical action thrillers for young people.
My debut novel, THE BLACK TATTOO was published in late 2006: that one's got swordfights, monsters, vomiting bats, flying kung fu and the end of the universe. My follow-up, TIM, DEFENDER OF THE EARTH, was published in early 2008: that one's essentially a giant monster smackdown in which most of London's famous landmarks are thoroughly and gleefully flattened. As my 'sinister masterplan to conquer the universe' rolls onward [bwah-ha! BWA-HA-HA-HA! er, sorry] you can bet there'll be more where BLACK TAT and TIM came from. I love writing my books, and I hope you'll love reading them. Thank you. :)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gladiator meets The Matrix, March 7, 2007

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Black Tattoo (Hardcover)

It took me weeks to read this book
Much longer than it should
It's long and sometimes rambles, though
It's basically quite good

For several thousand years or more
Entrapped beneath a tree
There lies the evil demon Scourge
Who's yearning to get free

He snares an unsuspecting host
To help with his escape
The Black Tattoo's his trademark
And it's always changing shape

A battle with the Brotherhood
Soon puts them to the test
Can Esme and the loyal Jack
Derail the Scourge's quest?

A tale of evil and of good
With other stuff as well
A floating shark, a bat and
Gladiators down in hell

The dialogue is sometimes weak
The plot may be confusing
But though this novel is quite dark
You'll find some parts amusing

For readers who are 9 and up
And know what they're about
It isn't Harry Potter
But it's well worth checking out



Amanda Richards, March 8, 2007

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings about this one, October 27, 2006

By 

ellen "ellen in atlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Black Tattoo (Hardcover)

I really am scratching my head. The premise of the book sounded fascinating - The Scourge, an evil entity is released to awaken a dragon in Hell to destroy the universe. I started reading and must say that the book captured you and kept you reading. But do the characters make you like them? Do you want to read its sequel?
This is one dark book - most of the action takes place in Hell. Charlie has been duped by the Scourge into thinking he will rule Hell, and goes with him into the realm, Jack, his best mate, follows to rescue him, and then Esme, the last member of an ancient organization to imprison the Scourge, follows them to contain the Scourge and place him back in his prison.
I didn't like the varied demons. I didn't like that God joined Hell because he was bored with things. I didn't like the French secret group how were supposed to 'save' Esme.
The trio of Esme, Jack and Charlie have the potential to create an interesting series, but I do not think I will be reading them.
This is not Hogwarts. This is not Harry, Ron and Hermione. I do not see any comparisons other than there are 3 young people.
As a fan of sci-fi, thrillers, I can tell you this is one heck of a book. (sorry I had to do that) But it did not click for me.
Well written, good cover and poster.
You may really like the book - it has potential and you may like this struggle between light and dark. But I did not, and cannot see a young person reading this without being disturbed by the beings and the action in Hell.
Why am I giving the book 5 stars? It is an excellent read, and many will like it, but I am honest in telling you this was not my kind of book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I've read so far this year!, May 13, 2007

By 

Reading Hannah "Read - a - holic" (MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Tattoo (Hardcover)

This book is simply excellent. I had expected this book to be a good read, but not THAT good of a read. This book is filled with fantasy, magic, a wonderful plot, twists and turns, interesting characters that come alive, magic and more. Anybody that graded this three stars or lower...well? I don't know why. Hmm?

This story starts with two normal teenage boys, Charlie and Jack. Even though they are both ENTIRELY different people they've still been best friends for as long as they can remember. They end up running into a man named Nick who is the leader for a small group of people called "The Brotherhood". The Brotherhood's job is to keep a demon called the Scourge from escaping and going back to Hell. They don't exactly KNOW his intentions but they do know that they are very bad. The Scourge has been let out and it's up to Jack, Charlie (?), and a butt-kicking woman from the Brotherhood, Esme to stop the caos and save the world from the forces of Hell. They'll be going on an adventure they'll NEVER forget.

I hope that you all at least try this book and I hope that you enjoy as much as I did.

HAPPY READING!