I think I need to prove my point, the following events occurred at the book club at today's lunch time meeting:
RavenClawGal: Everyone who wants Captain Libeka to write the article for the newsletter say Aye!
Whole Book Club (Not including Captain Libeka): Aye!
Captain Libeka: Nay...?
The story of my life, my friends all bully me. If anyone has any suggestions for what I should write I am listening, both at school and on this blog. Blue Haired Girl has promised to help me, but I have no idea what to write. So help?
Anyway, I am writing this blog for a purpose, and here it is.
The Black Tattoo
SAM ENTHOVEN
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?
This book reminds me of something that my little brother would read. Its full of boys eating bats vomit, daemons and martial arts. But don't be deterred. I started this book one fatefully night and I was rewarded by an original story! Don't get me wrong, I love vampire/romance/fantasy novels, but eventually the same old plot gets old. The Black Tattoo, however was completely original. Its concepts were brilliant and the twists were unpredictable throughout the entirety of the novel. Although I would say that this book is for slightly younger readers, or boys, I still enjoyed it thoroughly.
The Black Tattoo blows away every religion and its beliefs- this could offend people who are religious. If you think about this story, and dig deep, you can see lots of subliminal messages and serious points which the author raises.
Its very hard to believe in parts and the language sometimes becomes extremely confusing- especially in fight scenes (The technical language confused me to no end- I didn't know that there were so many ways that you could kit someone!) and in the 'gladiator pits' when the author attempts to describe the contestants. Sometimes I found myself having to go back and re-read sections because there was so much information to take in, and it was presented in a block of information. It became extremely boring.
I also found that I didn't feel emotionally attached to any of the main characters. The story doesn't spend any time setting up their lives or personalities and you are forced to pick up as much as you can during the break neck pace of the plot. Because I didn't know anything about the characters, to be quite honest I didn't really care what happened to some of them (not a good thing when they are the 'good guys').
Another negative was the main character Jack. While everyone around him has special powers or becomes special, he remains the ever suffering best friend (who narrates a vast majority of the book), its only at the end do we really get to see some of his qualities and see him fighting back. His weak mentality annoyed me, especailly when I am so used to powerful or influentual main characters.
I know, that's a lot of negatives. But to be honest the plot completely makes up for them. Its original and gritty. The language was well used and I spent a lot of time reading this book late into the night when I was supposed to be working on my assignments- in other words, it had me hooked.
In this book the concept of 'Hell' and 'God' are really funny and original. You have to read it to understand what I am saying, but it is defiantly not what you are predicting.
I defiantly think that people who enjoy books such as the Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale and all Garth Nix books, will probably enjoy this book. Oh and I also have to add that Esme- a main character in the book- was voted one of the most 'Kick-A** Female Book Characters of all time', I have to agree with this. She is pretty amazing.
More Information:
The Black Tattoo Website
Amazon
Good Old Wikipedia
Captain Libeka.
1 comment:
As I crawl out of a marking and reporting stupor slowly ebbing my way back to a reality that does not involve grades, calculations and little letters that mean the world to some, I see that the KOOBIANS are still going strong.
Fantastic to see so much writing. The good and evil dichotomy, as mentioned in previous posting, has always interested writers and reader alike. It is thought that there will always be two inherent sides of human essence 1. Good 2. Evil. However, what this dichotomy does not take into account is the social entities we have put around them, our social greys not black and white.
If you take the classic Jekyll and Hyde story or even good ole' Billy boy's Macbeth, it is the choices that the character makes that determines their rise or downfall not the presences of evil/supernatural force.
With this in mind do you, as the Koob's, believe their is a definite black and white (evil or good) in modern literature or does modern literature deal more with the what if's.. (the grey's)?
If you have further interest in this subject read into Sigmund Frued or Plato...come on test yourself you know you want to...:)
TTFN,
Grumpyteacher101
P.S Dear Captain Libeka I realise this is highly hypocritical that I correct your spelling, as mine is appalling (insert irony here), but the word is definitely not defiantly. A pet hate of mine :)
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