Customer Reviews

The Black Tattoo

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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!

This book isn't really what I expected. It's a good and memorable read, yes, but when I read the synopsis I expected something a bit darker. Much of the story was light hearted, but in the end instead of darkness there was cynicism. I wouldn't recommend this book to religious fanatic, or someone easily offended in that department.

Otherwise, the story is good. Jack, Esme, the Chinj, and Number 3 are good characters, as in the Scourge and the Dragon, but Charlie is nothing but a prat. For the life of me, I can't understand why Sam Enthoven would have anyone trust Charlie before OR after the events of this book. The book is very much reliant on the atmosphere and setting, so we're lucky that "Hell" is an interesting place. The gladiator scenes were particularly interesting.

"The Black Tattoo", it seems, would make a great television show. It's very much in the vein of Angel, Supernatural, Buffy, Smallville, etc. One more negative tidbit about the book was that it was too long for the story that it told. Many parts could have been cut out, or at least shortened, that would have made for a better reading experience.

Overall; rewarding.

8/10

First off, I'd like to break down my rating: I give the book 4 stars for its creative concept, but only 2 stars for execution, which averages out to that 3 stars. Okay, I feel better now.

From what I can gather, despite the book's unusual plot, this is basically a coming-of-age book, concerning teenage growing pains (mental and physical) and the point at which one learns to take responsibility for one's choices. The story essentially centers around two friends, Jack and Charlie, who seem to be your pretty average 14-year-old boys. Charlie's the cool one, the slightly taller, slightly more sophisticated boy whom slightly awkward, slightly clueless Jack would secretly like to be. But Charlie's life isn't all it's cracked up to be. His father's skipped out on the family, to shack up with his younger girlfriend, which leaves Charlie and his mom wondering what happened. Which makes Charlie angry. And angry is good for the Scourge, a demon whose only goal is the utter destruction of everything. And this is where things start to get...whimsical.

See, for the past thousand or so years, the Scourge, defeated and imprisoned by a powerful curse, has been watched over by the Brotherhood, one of those super-cool, super-secret societies. (They're not totally cool, though, because the Brotherhood lacks the dramatic costumes and complicated secret handshakes. Shame on them, the slackers.) Now we come to the tricky part. One of the Brotherhood defects the order, frees the Scourge and lets himself be possessed by the demon...to win the affections of a girl, naturally. The treachery is discovered, a war is fought, and the Scourge is once again defeated, or so the Brotherhood believes. Truth is, the Scourge is still free and waiting for the perfect vessel to take over, a nicely gullible, angry, malleable vessel, so that the Scourge can put his plan in action. Little sullen Charlie is the perfect fit.

Eventually, through some twists and turns, the story ends up in Hell- no, I don't mean metaphorically. The characters and storyline move down into Hell, where we encounter some strange and scary demons, the Emperor of Hell, and some rather cute, talking bat-like creatures on the road to the Scourge's plan of utter destruction. Of everything. I'm talking the world, the universe, every single plane of existence from here to eternity.

Now, if I may, I'd like to go off on a side rail for a moment and discuss this "utter destruction" plan. Why do all these super-villains always want to destroy everything? What's the point of gathering enough power to frighten and terrify entire populations, to take over and gloat from the highest mountain top if there's no one around to gloat over? Hell, you, the powerful villain who's accomplished this destruction, wouldn't be around to gloat if you manage to send the entire universe up in smoke. Again, I ask, what's the point? If we're talking about some clinically depressed villain, who could only manage to make himself feel better by destroying everything around him (and admit it, we've run into a few of those), he wouldn't get that far--he'd lack the strength of will to make it to uber-villain status. After the first disappointing reaction to his cool, emo-badness, he would've swallowed some Drano, slit his wrists and jumped off the nearest cliff...not without first writing some really bad poetry about his misunderstood emo-villain nature. So we now, thankfully, come to the point of my rant: Where's the fun in destroying everything? Wouldn't it be better to destroy a little bit--a couple of countries, a planet or two, heck, I'd even support destroying a galaxy if it'd get your point across. Just enough to prove your badness so that you can then sit back on your massive throne of bloody skulls and enjoy the terror of the masses as they come, scraping and bowing and jibbering in fear, before you. Just a thought. (What, me? Pictured myself on said bony throne, laughing maniacally at the petrified expressions on the faces of the peons below me? No, never. Honest.)

To get back to the book, eventually the story rises to the climactic 'good vs. evil' showdown, sacrifices are made, puppy love blooms, lives are lost, and--spoiler alert--good triumphs all. While there's nothing glaringly wrong about the book, there are some points about it which make for a occasionally tedious read. For instance, a third or so into the book, a second secret society, the Sons of the Scorpion Flail, is introduced, for no apparent reason other than to give the protagonists a few more obstacles to overcome on their way to hell. Never mind the convolutions and contortions the story occasionally goes through as well, again with no other purpose, it seems, other than to drag the story out. I think had the story been written a bit tighter, it would've truly been a rip-roaring tale. My opinion only, in case you were confused about that.

I got the book on tape out of the library and wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I liked the storyline a lot though some did drag a bit. I agree with one of the other reviews, some of the dialogue was cliched, but I did find myself laughing out loud quite a few times...the chinge (spelling?) was one of the funniest to me. The descriptions of hell were pretty cool, and I like that most of the second half of the book took place there. Those parts were much more interesting.

I recommend it to anyone that likes fantasy.

I was in need of something a little different than what I typically would read on a Trans-Pacific flight back to the states, and having previously picked up a copy of 'The Black Tattoo' at the BEA show, had packed Sam Enthoven's book with my for the long flight home. I am very glad I did.

Sam Enthoven has written a wonderfully interesting and enjoyable read that is was as enjoyable to me as the Harry Potter books, but perhaps, a bit more interesting in the pronouncement of darkness and gaits of humor the author splashes throughout the story. Filled with expected thrills of the genre' that make up young adult science-fiction, readers will cheerish this story of friendship, of good v. evil, and of the many important ethical and moral issues all readers can relate to.

When Jack Farrell notices a dark spot on the back of Charlie Farnsworth's neck - a moving tattoo - the reader is soon taken onto Enthoven's fascinating story. The tattoo that Charlie bears on his neck came from a demon known as the Scourge. Scourge wants to use Charlie for his own wicked plans which would change the world forever. When Charlie and Jack join forces with Esme, a girl trained to fight demons, in order to stop the Scourge, the three new companions adventures into a spell-binding, fast moving plot keep the reader turning through the pages. After Esme's father is killed, she, Jack, and Charlie follow the Scourge straight into Hell, where Charlie falls deeper under the Scourge's spell, while Esme and Jack try to find a way to defeat the Scourge and save Charlie's life.

I am a big fan of Ms. Rowling, Mr. Paolini, Mr. Jordan, and the Eddings, and of course, the late Tolkien. I am now a fan of Sam Enthoven and look forward to the awaiting adventures that may hopefully ensue. Regardless if you are a young adult reader or an adult who enjoys coming of age science fiction, 'The Black Tattoo' delievers on all levels.

To be fair, this review is for the audio version. John Lee, the narrator performed beautifully, giving a unique voice and life to each character. I'm not sure I would have the same affinity for the book had I elected to read in a traditional manner.

Sam Enthoven packs a bit of everything into this novel and, for me, it presented fresh idea, after fresh idea, after fresh idea. It tips the concepts of hell and humanity on their heads and casts daemons as gladiators.

The story also brings together coming of age themes with a "dink" of a "main" character, a faithful sidekick turned hero, and a kick ass young woman. Perhaps my favorite part of the story, though, is the Chinj. The picture in my mind is something like a bat crossed with an "Angry Bird" and paired with a slightly "off" Jiminy Cricket persona. I rather think I'd like one. :o)

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this audio production, believe the characters will stick with me for quite some time, and know I will never look at Hell the same again.

This book would translate well into a movie, mostly action/adventure. But the book itself seems to lack emotional depth and character depth. It's good for passing the time, but not something I would list as a "great" novel. However, I will say that the Butterfly Room and the scene between Charlie and Esme in the Butterfly Room where he tries to impress her was one of the most dazzling scenes I have read in a long time.

I have to mentor high school students in Sept who have read the book. So I have to read it first. Thanks for sending it so quickly.