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Weapon of Flesh

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A weapon forged from flesh and magic...Tattooed with magical runes to enhance his skills and suppress his emotions, Lad is raised from birth to be the most lethal assassin the world has ever known. He is the pinnacle of his master's magical and martial arts, a true weapon of flesh, all according to plan. Until the plan goes awry...The Master is gone and the weapon is free. And in a dangerous world, a weapon does what a weapon is made to do. Or does he?Alone for the first time, Lad's future is now in his own hands. He has a destiny, but knows not what it is. Undeterred, he heads out into the world, and the weapon begins to become a person...But a person is not what the Grandfather of Assassins has invested a fortune and nearly two decades to achieve. When his weapon does not arrive as promised, the Grandfather sets loose his hunters.The only problem? No one thought a weapon of flesh would fall in love.Now only death will release Lad from his servitude and save the woman he loves--the Grandfather's death...or his own.

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2005

68 people are currently reading
1810 people want to read

About the author

Chris A. Jackson

90 books192 followers
From the sea to the stars, Chris A. Jackson’s stories take you to the far reaches of the imagination. Raised on the back deck of a fishing boat and trained as a marine biologist, he became sidetracked by a career in biomedical research, but regained his heart and soul in 2009 when he and his wife Anne left the dock aboard the 45-foot sailboat Mr Mac to cruise the Caribbean and write fulltime.
With his nautical background, writing sea stories seemed inevitable for Chris. His acclaimed Scimitar Seas nautical fantasies won three consecutive Gold Medals in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. His Pathfinders Tales from Paizo Publishing combine high-seas combat and romance set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Not to be outdone, Privateer Press released Blood & Iron, a swashbuckling novella set in the Iron Kingdoms.
Chris’ repertoire also includes the award-winning and Kindle best-selling Weapon of Flesh Series, the contemporary urban fantasy Dragon Dreams, as well as additional fantasy novels, the humorous sci fi Cheese Runners trilogy of novellas, and numerous short stories.
To learn more, please visit jaxbooks.com.

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5 stars
408 (25%)
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613 (37%)
3 stars
421 (26%)
2 stars
140 (8%)
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37 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for S.E. Lindberg.
Author 22 books208 followers
September 14, 2018
Weapon of Flesh: Accessible, Well-designed Dark Fantasy: The back-cover blurb is concise and has no spoilers, and captures the book well (copied/pasted below).

This book is saturated with oppression, violence, and murder but none of that is gratuitous. Like his assassin characters, author Chris A. Jackson balances several tight-rope acts: (a) have the protagonist, Lad, commit evil acts while being innocent at heart; (b) present the coming of age of three characters with burgeoning romance without being cheesy; (c) dole out humor (mostly through Lad's dialogue) while shedding blood; (d) present mature themes of identity and life-purpose with an easy-to-read style (suitable for YA or adult audiences).

Each chapter blends into the next with a carefully scripted, enjoyable plot with just the right amount of tension. All the main characters (Lad, Mya, Wiggin) grow while establishing strong character motivations. There are five more in the series and this is solid introduction. Before I jump into #2 Weapon of Blood, I will read Chris A. Jackson's Deathmask. I'm a sucker for necromancers and I already have the paperback.

Most (if not all) are illustrated by Noah Stacey:
Weapon of Flesh (Weapon of Flesh, #1) by Chris A. Jackson Weapon of Blood (Weapon of Flesh, #2) by Chris A. Jackson Weapon of Vengeance (Weapon of Flesh, #3) by Chris A. Jackson Weapon of Fear (Weapon of Flesh, #4) by Chris A. Jackson Weapon of Pain (Weapon of Flesh, #5) by Chris A. Jackson Weapon of Mercy (Weapon of Flesh, #6) by Chris A. Jackson

Weapon of Flesh Series
#1 Weapon of Flesh 2005
#2 Weapon of Blood 2013
#3 Weapon of Vengeance 2014
#4 Weapon of Fear 2015 *
#5 Weapon of Pain 2016 *
#6 Weapon of Mercy 2017 *
(* with Anne L. McMillen-Jackson)

Back Cover Blurb to Weapon of Flesh:
"Forged from flesh… and magic. Made to kill… but not to feel.

He was made for one purpose: To be the most efficient killer, the most lethal assassin the world had ever seen. But something has gone wrong with the plan.

The Master is gone… The weapon is free… And in a dangerous world, a weapon does what a weapon is made to do. Or does he?

Without even a name, the weapon chooses one: Lad. And so the weapon begins to become a person… All he has been told is that his destiny awaits him, so he seeks it out, though he knows not what that destiny is.

But the one who paid for the weapon to be forged awaits his prize…impatiently. The Grandfather of Assassins has invested nearly two decades and a fortune in his perfect weapon, and when it does not arrive on time, he begins to search. His hunters are seeking Lad, and Lad is seeking his destiny.

There is only one problem: No one thought a weapon of flesh would fall in love."
Profile Image for C.S. Carrig.
17 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2015
To date, this is the only book I've ever purchased at a convention because the author took a few minutes to convince me it was worth reading, and I think he actually undersold it.

Weapon of Flesh is just the sort of fantasy novel I like, relying more on characters and story than the elaborate world building so many authors use to distinguish themselves from Tolkein and fantasy conventions. Rather than reinvent a perfectly good wheel, the author wastes no time in introducing the weapon of flesh--a nameless boy engineered by magic and training to be an unstoppable assassin--and setting him loose to make his own destiny. The characters and dialogue really shine through, managing to feel and sound like real people without distracting from the medieval fantasy setting. The idea of a living weapon going off the reservation and learning free will is a well-worn premise, but the story was anything but predictable. Just at the point I thought I knew what to expect, things took a surprising turn and kept me glued to the book until the last page. I highly recommend it, even if fantasy isn't usually your thing.
Profile Image for Jack.
104 reviews13 followers
March 17, 2014
Decent book, I will try the others in series, I have a difficult time trying to rate this novel as while it was a good read it... I think the issue is it had the potential to be a great read but just fell short.
The premise of the story is about a boy that has been trained in fighting and infused with magic to dampen "feeling's, and emotion's) these things are foreign to him as he was made to be the perfect weapon. Now of course as story progresses he has something change in his world and gains a measure of control and with these plot lines it fall's short (for me) in the characters I just did not sympathize with them as I could have. I also like my "villains" a bit more ...ruthless'
good idea just didn't follow through with connection,but I will come back and try and finish series, but will set it aside for now.
Profile Image for Kat Heckenbach.
Author 33 books233 followers
June 5, 2012
Weapon of Flesh has a really interesting mesh of elements. It combines a martial arts feel with a touch of organized crime, all mixed with traditional fantasy. Sounds a little strange--you're thinking ninja-Godfather with Elves in tunics aren't you? Well, you'd be right. And believe me, it actually works!

The story begins with a boy, stolen from his mother and magically altered into a killing machine. (I found it amazing that the author made me connect with a character who was almost completely emotionless.) His training complete at the age of 16, the boy leaves with the man who has "made" him--a man he only knows as "Master"--to be handed over to the tyrant who has commissioned him.

But the boy is not delivered as promised, when his Master is killed and he suddenly finds himself alone, no idea where his destiny lies, but consumed with the need to find purpose.

Excellent read.
Profile Image for James.
Author 9 books149 followers
June 22, 2007
My review of Chris A Jackson's Weapon of Flesh is posted here:
http://www.freewebs.com/jkbowers/chri...

In the city of Twailin a power struggle has been heating up for years. The fate of the city hangs in the balance as the Duke, others of the noble families, and factions of the Guilds ruthlessly vie for supremacy. The chessboard is cluttered with numerous pawns, but one very special pawn might sway the battle. But who will control this pawn?

Per the exacting instructions of the mysterious Grandfather, a weapon is fashioned. Through the painstaking labor of the wizard, Corillian, a perfect killing machine is created. Over the span of years, an innocent babe is transformed into a flawless, nameless assassin. He is simply “the weapon.” As a result of the wizard’s magic, the weapon has no emotion, feels no pain, moves silently, leaves no traces of his passing, and enjoys enhanced senses, agility, and strength. Grievous wounds knit and heal in moments. The weapon is trained by masters of the various martial arts in all forms of combat, armed and unarmed. His training does not include the clutter of social skills or human emotions. He has but one purpose: to kill.

This weapon is readied for delivery to a new master who will wield it to his advantage. But Corillian fails to deliver the weapon to this new owner, and a nameless young man, who knows nothing of the world and thousands of ways to end a human life, finds he must find his destiny on his own.

Based on his first brief encounters with society, the weapon makes the assumption that his name must be Lad. He thrills in his newfound autonomy, but Lad is unaware that the Grandfather’s hunters track him, intent on locating and capturing him alive—at any cost—by any means. After nearly two decades of waiting, the Grandfather is impatient to try out his new weapon. The Grandfather’s agenda remains a secret, even to his closest underlings, but there is no doubt that Lad, the weapon of flesh, is integral to the plan’s success.

Lad, through the controlled process of his creation, is like no other young man this, or any other, world has known. This fact was not lost on the author, who offers his readers the stark realities of a world rife with magic, intrigue, assassins, and death. This is not a tale for children, nor is it for those of meek demeanor. It is an often-dark exploration of man’s emotions, desires, hopes and downfalls. It is a clash of a wizard’s arcane spells and the magic of love, a battle of innocence against soul-consuming evil. The author’s treatment of the book’s characters is both consistent and insightful, allowing one to easily empathize with the heroes and loathe the villains. Some of Jackson’s characters fit neatly into one of those categories. Others, however, occupy that grey area between, adding spice to this tale as we struggle to sort them out. Weapon of Flesh is a fabulous tale of medieval fantasy that will leave readers begging for more from author Chris A Jackson.

To discover more about this talented author, visit http://www.jaxbooks.com/
Profile Image for Mark.
141 reviews18 followers
September 18, 2013
Good, solid read. Can't remember how I found this on Amazon, but there it was while I was killing time on my way out to get GTA 5.

It's always fun reading about a boy trained to become the ultimate weapon. Didn't take long to get started, we got a little back story on his training...then boom - off into the world this innocent weapon goes.

I'm happy the Author included other POVs - I like being able to see how other characters reacted to this boy (named Lad). Some books you never get to see how other characters react to the main character - when reading from Lads perspective, he is a blank slate (not to say that he's boring - he's not), when he asks why he needs money, and tells the Inn Keep to "give me money" - loved it!

If you like assassins, pick this one up.
Profile Image for Ares.
27 reviews8 followers
February 6, 2015
The beginning was interesting, the comportement of the witless main character which happened to be brain washed for his entire life facing life outside his bubble was really well made, I liked his serious questions being laughed at and him being oblivious to everything et he should have taken that comtempt at seeing the world as the main theme which would have been original, but fact is that the ending was predictible and boring, a happy ending for our guilless murderer even if the following books make it different and more incertain, i'm sure that in the end he will end up a happy inn keeper with a joyful family or something along these lines (hope i'm wrong , and sorry if i spoiled the end of the serie :p )

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jennifer Erwin.
1,323 reviews14 followers
February 19, 2013
Oh wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author really pulled me in from the first page with this one. Part fantasy, part sci-fi, part organized crime (think Godfather), with a little bit of love weaved in the layers. Very good book, and I'm going to have to read more from this author now.
Profile Image for Courtney.
1,989 reviews210 followers
November 3, 2014
Finally finished. Great read!

Great book - please do not take into considertaion that time frame of me reading this. I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next one.

I just totally forgot about it when I got sucked into my other reads.
15 reviews
September 25, 2013
Yeah...no. Premise is decent everything else is terribly generic, derivative and stereotypical.
Profile Image for Brenda Rezk.
252 reviews21 followers
December 20, 2021
Note: the cover art does not reflect what the main character looks like. It is symbolic of the young man/boy, Lad, being a magically-altered slave trained from a young age to be a master killing machine. He is referred to as "the weapon". He is magically bound to obey his master, who can wield him as he sees fit. Lad has no emotions, no independence. He has no traditional sense of right and wrong. Despite his lethality, Lad has been kept naive about how the world works. Apparently, he has been taught reading and writing, but he doesn't know what money or parents are. Apparently, in his master's household, he never saw anyone kiss either. And despite supposedly retaining a sense of curiosity and living all of his life in an agrarian setting, he didn't know what sex was either.

The concept was interesting, as were most of the characters. I felt for Lad and Grandfather was a good villain. I liked the book ok, but it's a bit outside of my usual reading preferences. I thought the story was wrapped up nicely. I don't really feel the need to read any other books in the series.
Profile Image for Vicky Camp.
287 reviews10 followers
April 8, 2024
Unusual story.

This book was on Kindle Unlimited and I'm glad I found it.

The story is about a most unusual young man, Lad, and the horrors that happen to him and through him. The magic in this book is used to torture Lad from birth to create the perfect assassin. It works, too, until he encounters love.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a darn good story about good versus evil.
Profile Image for Viridiana Kholin.
163 reviews30 followers
November 4, 2018
DNF at 32%
This one was recommanded to me because I love King's Dark Tidings by Kel Kade.
While I can see why they are compared, I just couldn't get into Weapon of Flesh. At a third of the book, it still didn't feel like the story had started and I didn't care about the characters enough to continue.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
10 reviews
March 28, 2022
Read this because I thought the title was cool and the picture on the cover was intriguing. I really ended up liking this one. Would recommend if you're looking into something a little dark and weird with a sprinkling of romance.
Profile Image for Dan Cameron.
10 reviews
October 4, 2017
Great book! I think they could have come up with a better way around the 'Magic' but it still worked. I'll read the rest.
5 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2017
Great

A little short, but still very good well written and easy to get into. Looking forward to the next book
498 reviews
May 27, 2020
This book was really bad. I didn't like the writing at all. I couldn't get into it or feel any connection to any of the characters. I did like the idea of the book.
Profile Image for Thoregon.
27 reviews
February 7, 2016
The characters were detailed, their motives and actions believable. Lad especially stood out because of his unique upbringing and created some comical moments, but the side characters and their own plans and motives were up to par.

The plot was well executed, could be easily followed and held my attention the whole time.

On the hand the writing was descriptive and concise (just the way i like it) with no info dumps. On the other hand the world building suffered a bit and could have been more detailed particular in regards to magic/mages & the government.

All in all, reading the book was enthralling and i couldn't put the book down. Definitely recommended!


Characters 5/5
Plot 5/5
Suspense 5/5
Writing 5/5
World Building 4/5
Profile Image for Jennie.
226 reviews7 followers
May 27, 2013
Interesting angle on a story I felt like I've read before. Then I realized that there are many elements from many fantasy novels that weave together to create this story. The same, yet very different. I enjoyed that familiarity of scene and at the same time was caught by surprise a few times. The main character was very easy to fall for with his uninhibited innocence yet deadly abilities. The girl always gets the guy in the end and I think that was the one thing that would've put this story over the top for me. If this one time, the girl didn't get the guy and things ended bittersweet. That would've convinced me to read book 2 when it comes out.
Profile Image for Scott Wozniak.
Author 7 books97 followers
February 2, 2017
I really wanted to like this book. It has a great idea--from infancy boy was trained and enspelled to become the ultimate assassin. He is magically compelled to obey his master. But then his master dies. So know what to do in the world?

But the book nails the action totally misses on character. The heart of the story is him discovering that people matter, what feelings are, and even falling in love. And I didn't believe a single emotional conversation and the entire book. Action can only take you so far. Oh well.
4 reviews
August 12, 2013
Too find writing of this quality in the fantasy genre these days is unusual. Chris is a top flight writer and I'm really surprised he is not more famous than he is! The quality of the prose, the character development, the suspense, the depth of insight. He has it all. And does it while not falling into the same 'ol fantasy stereotypes. If you are a fantasy aficionado you won't go wrong reading this book.
Profile Image for Maranda.
192 reviews
January 19, 2016
Weapon of Flesh is an amazing fantasy book about a boy(lad) who is raised by a wizard and only taught to be one thing, a weapon. When the time finally come's for him to be given to the man who ordered his construction something happens on the way. The wizard, the only master the boy has ever known is gone. He is alone and all he knows is that his master was taking him to his destiny and he was going to find out what that was.

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
30 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2008
A decent dramatic/fantasy/action novel that does get a little boring now and then with some unneeded sidetracking, but it's main plot about a boy who was magically created to be the perfect weapon who then finds that love conquers all is fleshed out well enough. Too bad the ending isn't all that satisfactory.
51 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2017
I loved this book. It would have to be one my favourite fantasy books to date.
The main character is so well thought out, love how he slowly becomes human and less of an assassin. Weapon of Flesh is the perfect title for this book, its exactly what he is, even when he has a weapon and should keep it he knows he doesn't need it.
Profile Image for Albert.
183 reviews4 followers
December 9, 2013
Soild book with likeable characters (even the uber villian!). Lightly touches on the ethics of killing, which could have been fleshed out more. I'd give it 3.5 stars, but I liked it enough to round up to 4.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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