The Black Tattoo

infobox Book |
name = The Black Tattoo


image_caption =
author = Sam Enthoven
illustrator =
cover_artist = John Jude Palencar
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Young Adult, Fantasy
publisher = Doubleday
pub_date = September 7, 2006
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 496
isbn = ISBN 978-0385609654
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Black Tattoo" is a young adult fantasy novel by Sam Enthoven, published in 2006. It deals with a boy, Charlie, becoming possessed by a demon that manifests itself in the form of a black tattoo on his body.

The audiobook, read by John Lee, won a "Publishers Weekly" "Listen Up" Award in 2006 and was picked by YALSA as one of their "Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults" in 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6402562.html |title=The 2006 Listen-Up Awards |accessdate=2008-05-19 |date=2007-01-01 |publisher=Publishers Weekly] [cite web |url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6545432.html |title=2008 YALSA Selected DVDs/Videos and Audiobooks for Young Adults |accessdate=2008-05-19 |date=2008-01-04 |publisher=School Library Journal]

Plot summary

[http://www.pitt.edu/~bookctr/tradebooks/childrens/chapter/1595141146.jpg] The story begins with Charlie, whose parents are recently divorced, meeting his father in a restaurant with his best friend Jack Farrell. They leave the restaurant, however, soon after entering. Soon afterward, Charlie is unknowingly possessed by a demon known as the Scourge. He also joins the society know as The Brotherhood Of Sleep, who imprisoned the Scourge in the roots of a tree until one of their own released him. With Charlie's help, the Scourge manages to first kill all the members of the Brotherhood, save for the girl Esme, who has trained all her life to kill the demon. Soon after the death of their members, a possessed Charlie gets into a gateway to Hell, which is essentially a Roman Empire of sorts composed of demonesque species and even gladiator pits. Soon after reaching Hell, The Scourge's true goal is revealed: He wishes to awaken "the dragon" who created the universe, and upon awakening he will destroy it again. Suddenly, it is up to Jack, Esme, and a team of soldiers to stop Charlie and the Scourge from destroying the universe.http://www.pitt.edu/~bookctr/tradebooks/childrens/chapter/1595141146.jpg

Characters

* Jack FarrellJack is the main protagonist. He is killed in Hell but reincarnated by God who makes "some changes" though it is not revealed what they really are. It is mentioned that Jack is "part Demon" by his Chinj. Chinjs are small bat like creatures who bond with one specific person (usually a demon) and work as a sort of companion and minor servant. One of a Chinj's powers is that it can regulate Jack's digestive system and transfer unneeded nutrients to his body
* Charlie Charlie is the boy possessed by the Scourge. He nearly ends the Universe, but is stopped by Jack and Esme. Initially, the discovery of his demonic powers gives him a sense of strength and invulnerability, as being able to fly, use magic and manipulate others increases his headstrong nature. Soon, the power corrupts his mind, allowing the Scourge to burrow into his darkened soul, controlling him entirely and making him attack his companions. After being transported to hell, the Scourge convinces him that his tattered family and ruined life is not worth keeping and asks him to help him overthrow the emperor of hell instead. However, Charlie believes that he is a counterpart to the Scoure, although he is in fact a simple pawn, a puppet.
* Esme LevertonEsme is the daughter of The Scourge, though this is not originally known. She trained her entire life to fight the Scourge, and is talented in martial arts, flying and art.
*RaymondRaymond is a large burly man with a long black beard. initially, he strikes a resemblance to the character Rubeus Hagrid from the Harry Potter book series. He is a master of martial arts and is also highly trained sword craftsman. He is Esme's father, training her and teaching her the arts of battling demons, however, as he sees his once peaceful daughter become a toned fighting machine, he regrets having started.His method of sword crafting involves creating a blade, then breaking it into shards of metal which he then feeds to several tamed pigeons, mixed with their birdseed. He then collects their excrements, which still have the shards inside them, and melts the pieces down again and feeds them once again to the pigeons. each time the pieces are digested, they are hardened and worn down, becoming more powerful each time. after having collected the shards several times, he finally forges them back into a blade, which has been made close to invincible by the digesting process: this method has aptly named the blade the Pigeon Sword.

*The ScourgeThe Scourge is the primary antagonist of the story. An immensely powerful demon created by the Dragon, the Scourge is imprisoned on Earth to stop it from fulfilling its nefarious plan. A vicious, dedicated fanatic, the Scourge plans to wake the Dragon and bring the universe to an end, creating what the Scourge believes to be a "pure, silent Void". The Scourge possesses incredible powers, including (but in no way limited to) telekinesis, mind control, astral projection, flying, super speed, incredible skill in the martial arts, etc. However, the Scourge has one weakness: it needs a host to survive. Although it doesn't necessarily have to stay with the possesses person at all times, it must possess "somebody" or it will wither and die. The plotline of the novel is motivated by the Scourge's possession of Charlie.The Scourge appears as an intricate web of black tattoos on its host's body, but when in its separated physical form, it appears as a featureless humanoid composed of an inky black liquid.

*The Brotherhood of the Black ScorpionThey are a team of approximately thirty individuals of several walks of life. They were assembled by the enigmatic *Number One* and have dedicated their lives to battling the forces of Hell. They are akin to a more equipped version of the Brotherhood of Sleep, armed with powerful firearms and advanced technology. They are led by an inept, cowardly soldier known as second-in-command Number Two, who will only take orders from Number One, whom he has never actually met. He dislikes his counterpart, the French gentleman Number three, who disagrees on his methods of violence and harsh actions. However, in the end, Number Three reveals himself as Number One in disguise and decommissions Number two.

References

External links

* [http://www.theblacktattoo.com/ Official Site]