In the real world, he is Special Agent Jaxon Weylock, FBI profiler of human monsters. But in the shadow world where supernatural beasts prey on the innocent, he is the Hexecutioner, punisher of otherworldly evil.
Versed in the dark arts, master of magic and occult ritual, Weylock hunts—and executes—the monsters that haunt humanity’s nightmares. Now he’s headed to the snowy mountains of Denver, Colorado, to confront a bloodthirsty werewolf targeting newlyweds on their honeymoons.
FBI Imbroglio! Ex-Agent Deploys Black Magic vs Crazed Werewolf! "Well, the rest of us back at Quantico are wondering when we're gonna get the same upgrade." - The Quantico Quacker
A quick read that barrels along at a fast clip. Evil villain, mysterious hero, and no fluff.
I'll be reading more of the Hexecutioner soon.
P.s. I love these novellas that can be digested in a sitting.
Jaxon Weylock use to be a FBI profiler but things went wrong for him and now he is considered a monster hunter. He seeks out and tracks down creatures not of this world. Jaxon also harbors a secret that helps him track down these creatures and he decides to help out a woman named Sara Thwaites. Sara is being tracked by a nasty and vicious werewolf that wants nothing more than to tear her limb from limb. Jaxon hopes to put a stop to the werewolf and he will do whatever takes to keep the wolf at bay.
Thoughts:
I have read other books and series by author, William Massa, and was very excited to jump into this series of books! I am so glad that I did as this first book kicks off with a perfect start and action abounds in no time! Love the writing style of this author as I am quickly drawn into the storyline of his books!
This book was no exception as the moment I sat down to read it I am pulled into the book and wrapped within the storyline quickly. The character, Jaxon Weylock reminds me a little bit of the character the Punisher except Jaxon leans more towards a dark arts superhero as he takes on villains that are supernatural and of occult nature.
The books are short too so it is very easy to read the books in one sitting and once you enter this world you are very much trapped within this cool world that the author has created.
Game of the Wolf by William Massa starts this series with a howl! This introduces the main character and how he got into the business of chasing monsters, real ones! He was in the FBI. This case he deals with a werewolf! Very good for a short book.
Jaxson is in a battle with a demon who possesses him and now the demon is controlled by him, but just barely. His life has changed in the last two years during his battle at a monastery in Italy. Now the hexecutioner, he defeats evil and saves innocent lives. Sarah is one of them when she is stalked by a werewolf serial killer. The story is a quick, fast paced read that doesn't let you put it down until you finish the story. There is enough fantasy in the story to allow the reader a form of comfort while reading the horror that covers the pages. An excellent read by the author I like to follow. Not surprising as all his other books have been spellbinding too.
This is a short novella that introduces Jaxon Weylock, the Hexecutioner. This is not an origin story but a quick read about a werewolf, a victim and an ex FBI profiler turned vigilante supernatural executioner. Because of the length, Jaxon's origin and personality are not fully developed but the story is a solid, quick read that reminds me of a comic book story. Very simply, this is a good back to basics adventure with a supernatural anti hero, a supernatural villain and a damsel in distress. As a fun side note, I currently have an RPG character named Jaxon that i have played for a couple of years and I hope he becomes as much as a force as this Hexecutioner.
Another great fantasy/supernatural series from Mr Massa.
If you love his other work, you'll love this - same great writing, same great story, only this time an ex-FBI agent takes the lead into the world of darkness.
I picked this up on Kindle unlimited after seeing an ad on Facebook. I was expecting a full length novel and, to be honest, haven't had much luck with those recently.
This book is a short novella type deal. There isn't a huge amount of character building or some complicated plot, but it was edge of the seat the whole way through. I could tell it's setting me up for more stories in the series and I'm glad for that.
That was an amazing read, a very cool mix of supernatural, dangers and crime. I loved the characters, the way they interact with the world and the very different look at paranormal but a far more realistic take in many ways. I could not put it down and would love to see more about hexecutioners.
I didn’t really believe that such a short story would be so good. It gave the background without being choppy or taking away from the story as a whole. And for some reason I keep seeing Vin Diesel as the main character!!??!!
“THE DEMON DOESN’T POSSESS THE HEXECUTIONER; THE HEXECUTIONER POSSESSES THE DEMON.” (Cue the chills!)
THE HEXECUTIONER BOOKS 1 THROUGH 9 IN GENERAL, THE ENTIRE SERIES, TO DATE BY WILLIAM MASSA
28 OCT 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 👍👍👍👍👍
—————————— I’ll let you know, right up front, this review is long. I’m not known for my short reviews. However, I have found with many longer reviews, it is easier to just HIGHLIGHT THE ENTIRE REVIEW and then tap “SPEAK” in the options that present themselves. It is, however, advisable to read along with the narrator — sometimes they have a hard time interpreting punctuation, and the like. (IE: quotation marks, dashes etc.) Thus, it can make for some interesting listening, if you don’t follow the actual wording. Also, I’ll apologize up front also, if I made too many egregious mistakes. I was “one-finger hunting and pecking” on an itty bitty iPhone and this, like I just mentioned above, is a very long review — I did have nine books to cover, after all. 😅 ——————————
Alright, so to begin with, I waited until I read the entire series of books (one through nine) to right a review. Book ten is on “pre-order,” as I write.
I was too entranced, as I was reading, to stop and write a review at the end of each individual book. Plus, I read every single book, in one night.
Not only was this a brutal, no nonsense series of right revenging wrong, it was a revelation in writing, for me.
It didn’t mess around with all the extra (and sometimes boring) details that are really, so many times very unnecessary, that many authors tend to throw into their stories.
We get the straight scoop from start to finish.
My favorite was the book four . . nice ending.
AND HIGHEST ON MY LIST OF PRAISES?
The express fact that William Massa did not feel the need to throw in the obligatory love interest, or sex scene, that absolutely has no place in this series. There was absolutely nothing at all like it — not even close. He got that point across loud and clear in the very first book in this series. I picked up on that tidbit of information — it gave me hope. So, I kept reading and he stuck with that throughout all nine books.
There’s no distraction from the storyline — an ex-FBI agent, possessing/controlling a demonic creature and forcing it’s evil nature to work for the good that he still possesses it his own nature, consuming the evil he went after as an FBI agent, in his former life.
Only this time around, he’s fighting an evil he never even knew existed, in this earthly world, (hint: earthly) until his very last case as that agent of the FBI.
“The demon doesn’t possess the Hexecutioner; the Hexecutioner possesses the demon.”
Sadly, the Hexecutioner’s righting of wrong ONLY comes after a number of people have already died at the hand of just one truly evil incarnate person. It’s when there is enough carnage wrought, to determine this is truly an evil of a “DIFFERENT“ nature, the (now, numerous) dead’s cries for justice activate the Hexecutioner’s book of the dead — The Necrodex. Fitting name — BOOK OF THE DEAD.
The Necrodex alerts the Hexecutioner.
When the Necrodex activates it’s for one reason, and one reason only — the dead demand justice. And justice is what the Hexecutioner is all about. There is only one true Hexecutioner born once every generation. This generation? It’s a renowned FBI profiler, Special Agent Jaxon Weylock. The bureau’s leading expert on violent crime. Ex-FBI agent, now. Still, he carries his Glock, right along side his Necrodex. Sometimes there is still one innocent life left to save. Sometimes there is not. But, in the end, it’s all about stopping this particular evil incarnate that his book of the dead brought to his attention.
You may ask . . . “How can he keep this demon inside of him under control?”
Simple. And, yet, not so simple.
It’s a constant power struggle.
This demon gets to feed his own lust, by devouring the evil wielder who is the source of all those souls who have activated the book of the dead, calling for justice.
As the demon gets to devour this book’s particular evil, the Hexecutioner sets the souls he’s terrorized to rest. Sometimes they were killed just for the fun of it. Sometimes there’s a deeper, much more disturbing reason. Mostly, it’s just for the evil-doer’s greed and/or lust for power. Either way, the Hexecutioner frees them, from whatever TERROR their CAPTURED SOULS have been encased, or trapped within, frees them from having to perform evil acts on behalf of this particular evil-doer. The possibilities for using these trapped terrified souls are endless.
In the end, it’s JUSTICE for the ex-FBI/Hexecutioner.
And, tidbits of FOOD for the evil demon he controls.
Tidbits given to him, specifically, to KEEP HIM UNDER HIS CONTROL. You’ve, got to give him something, you know. It’s hard enough to control the demon inside him, so he can wield his black-magic for good instead of evil, without allowing him a small reward for his submission.
There’s a balance to all of it.
The demon gets to absorb a very tiny, minute bit of the evil he craves. While, in exchange, the Hexecutioner gets to use the demon’s abilities for good instead of evil.
“The demon doesn’t possess the Hexecutioner; the Hexecutioner possesses the demon.”
I’ve been craving what WILLIAM MASSA is authoring here for a very long time. I’ve praised other authors for their brutal, no sugar coating, no nonsense, non-apologetic way in portraying a character and/or a storyline. Their no nonsense approach to get straight to the point and straight to a solution where it’s needed. No matter how it gets done.
No apologies offered. No apologies needed. None for the characters. None for their actions. Especially no regret, or second thoughts, from any of the actors involved. Got to do it. Get it done. NO APOLOGIES.
The difference here? This is what I really wanted. These SHORT, CONCISE, NO LOVE , NO SEX, type of story.
We get the Hexecutioner’s story at the beginning of every book — although, more about his own ordeal is revealed throughout this series.
We get the dead’s story. We get to the root of all the evil.
THEY (and we) GET JUSTICE. THE DEMON GETS FED.
SHORT. PRECISE. BEAUTIFUL IN IT’S CONSTRUCTION. END OF STORY.
However, in the sixth book, “The Demon Within,” something slightly changed in the theme of things.
A FEMALE antagonist was introduced.
I hope, to all these character’s different gods, that he does not try that time old adage of her trying to use sex to taunt him, or get him into bed, either to use him, throw him off his game or just to antagonize him even more about his poor, definitely “dead-before-her-time” wife — Avery.
He’s already had him acknowledging that he thought this newest trouble was attractive . . .
“She was strikingly beautiful and repellant all at once.”
I WILL NOT TAKE IT WELL, NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT, if the author has Jaxon Weylock defile his memory of his wife, for even one thought — I’m out of there. This comment was bad enough for me. I’m not looking for a romance novel here — I just cannot take ANY kind of betrayal, about anything, ever. As soon as that starts to take place, whether in thought, or body — I POSITIVELY WILL NOT READ ONE SINGLE WORD FURTHER. And, I’m very serious, about this. Not something I’m willing to witness — NO MATTER HOW IT TURNS OUT.
This newest entry into this series basically (and I mean, basically) steals his Necrodex — which in no way should have been possible. It’s specifically TIED to the Hexecutioner.
She plans on going through her book’s (re-animated) version of the Necrodex and follow in the Hexecutioner’s footsteps, behind him, (so to speak) to undo all the righting that he’d already done on behalf of all those innocent souls.
She sees these evil black-magic wielders, as so-called “victims of justice.”
She plans on giving the evil wielding culprits, who have been brought down by the Hexecutioner, their revenge for suffering the indignities of having been caught, punished and thus, properly dealt with, by the Hexecutioner. More importantly, she also plans on setting every DEMON POSSESSED HUMAN who is kept carefully guarded in the deep, dark recesses of a mountaintop monastery in Italy. Though kept inside, under lock and key, these poor men and women are being very well cared for by the monks inhabiting this monastery. Unlike Jaxon Weylock, these are the people who have been unable to free themselves of the demons that possess them, no matter what has been tried.
And, the one thing that stands in her way?
THE HEXECUTIONER.
THIS IS HIS HOME.
Not only is she his equal (and possibly even more, from the looks of it) but, she unmercifully tempts the beast within the Hexecutioner who, now that he knows she exists, wants more than ever to be set free.
The Hexecutioner is always fighting for the beast to stay in HIS control — NOT the other way around. And, she sooo tempts this beastly demon, within him. I doubt this demon knows he’d be UNDER her control, even more so, than he is within the Hexecutioner.
But at least he’d, NO DOUBT, be fed . . . and be fed not only MORE, but MORE OFTEN — which helps to make him more powerful, again.
Now, the Hexecutioner has TWO evils to CONSTANTLY do battle against (his demon and the nun’s demon) while he’s ALSO battling all the smaller, lesser evils he’s been put here to take care of, in the first place.
The HISTORY of the Hexecutioner goes BACK in ALL OF TIME. And, clearly, this new entity is JUST AS OLD as the Hexecutioner, IF NOT MORE SO. After all, there had to be EVIL FIRST, in order for there to be a NEED FOR THE HEXECUTIONER . . .
RIGHT?
She’s even decided to give herself a kicking new moniker to go along with the Hexecutioner’s — she’s calling herself the “Hexercist.”
The sh¡t of this is — she’s using the good of a NUN, (worse than using the good of an FBI profiler) who was herself, an EXORCIST for the Catholic Church. Compared to what we’ve seen the Hexecutioner deal with so far — plain old EVIL HUMANS and/or HUMANS PRACTICING black-magic — this exorcist has dealt with the truest of all evils — down and outright DEMONS FROM THE DEPTHS OF H€££ . . . ITSELF !!!
That’s how, or maybe that’s why, this older than time demon was able to, or possibly wanted to, get hold of her — think of all those excised demons just waiting for justice, or more precisely waiting for REVENGE, for having been blocked and (basically) neutered by this NUN.
This nun, Sister Amelia, had the “power of the light” within her and, also, the power of a particular cross — a pendant . . .
“The pendant had belonged to Blessed Oratius of Toulouse, the medieval Saint of all exorcists, and the cross’ white magic served as her most potent weapon against the legions of darkness.”
Except her last exorcism went horribly wrong — instead of exorcizing a demon, she gained a demon and lost the pendant. That should not have been able to happen — as is with the Necrodex, so it goes with the pendant. Other than the one person it has attached itself to, NO ONE should be able to get near it.
Which, in and of itself, points to just how STRONG this newest DEMON is. TWO supposedly UNTOUCHABLE saintly relics were so easily snapped up, by great evil, with great ease — the very thing they were supposed to repel against.
This saintly nun will now, have to do the nefarious work for this demon — just as those other lost souls had to do before the Hexecutioner had freed them. A demon who now wields the magical “power of the light” of that pendant.
“I can use Sister Amelia’s power of the light in the name of darkness, just as you have twisted your demon’s magic for good. I can walk into any church, I’m impervious to any magical weapon or white magic protective ward, and I can create my black magic containment circles. Isn’t it just thrilling?”
No. Not to me. It’s not thrilling at all. I can just picture more losses than saves coming out of this, and I’m not just talking about the poor tortured souls, here. I mean to the Hexecutioner’s psyche, more than anything else. He’s always battling his own guilt, right alongside battling the demon which is literally, not metaphorically, inside himself.
PLUS, I REALLY HATE GAMES. The fact that this was NOT resolved in book 6, is NOT to my liking. That means this is now a game of give and take, gain and lose, control and loss of control. I hate the introduction of a new antagonist that isn’t simply dealt with, like all the rest have been, so far. I do realize that the author feels like he has to add something new. Some — NEW BLOOD — (I know, horrible pun!) to keep these novels going.
But, unlike many readers (at least, I think unlike many readers) I do not need, nor do I think I want, this interjection. As long as he had kept coming up with new narratives, with great endings of justice metered out — I’D HAD BEEN VERY HAPPY. Other readers might have gotten bored . . . NOT ME, I NEVER DO.
Besides, like I stated earlier, I APPRECIATE THE NO SEXUAL CONTENT.
I definitely will NOT stop reading this series, though. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I’VE ENJOYED THIS SERIES, IMMENSELY, way too much to stop now. I know WILLIAM MASSA is great at this stuff, so I’ll just have to trust him. I’m just a bit leery. That’s all.
THIS PART IS MOSTLY FOR THE AUTHOR: When I think of Jaxon Weylock, (not the Hexecutioner) and his wife, and his guilt, and sadness, and everything that tears him up inside when thinking of her, I think of the older song by Christopher Cross “Think of Laura” and Chris’ sad lament of her when he sings “ . . . think of Laura, laugh don’t cry. You know she would’ve want it that way . . . “ Yeah well, maybe not exactly laugh in this instance, but definitely not BETRAYAL — just don’t let that happen. PLEASE. I believe the reason Jaxon Weylock fights so hard, against all this evil, is wrapped up in his feelings for his wife, his INTENSE LOVE for her and knowing they were BOTH victims, at the same time. He can tell the difference between a spector and his real wife and can destroy that image of her when it’s projected toward him — he knows it really isn’t her. But, please, don’t destroy what his left of his own resolve to never betray her, again, (whether he had/has any control over it, or not) by having him BETRAY HIS LOVE for her, also.
Oops, not only did I get a bit off track I, also, got ahead of the storyline . . . I APOLOGIZE.
I’LL KEEP READING.
And yes, at the very least, I owe you this — THANK YOU, William Massa! I’m happy I’ve found you!
3.5 stars on this one. Good enough for me to buy the second story in the series for 99 cents after I finished this one. Not enough action or world building yet but it’s like this was only the first handful of chapters of a story with lots of promise so I’m curious to see where this goes. I like to read these short stories in between other novels of much greater length.
A very different kind of hunter. A rarity for his kind, rather than being a monstrous threat, he fights his inner nature and is gifted with other worldly talents to destroy the evil amongst his kind. A quick tale yet it is chocked full of just the right amount of details and elements to provide a solid base to tempt a reader to seek out more. Best writing tactic ever! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
Game of the Wolf 4.8 stars great start for the series!
This is a blast and I can hardly wait to read book 2 of the Hexecutioner series. You can't help but side with the victims and cheer on the revenge! The Hexecutioner makes a great hero reminding me of the Punisher. Short episodes but never missing the revenge. You will enjoy these too!
Start of a new series, introducing Jaxon Weylock the Hexecutioner. Good start, with a little detail about Jaxon's past, but more a case file about his fight against evil, as he battles the evil within him.
I bought this book for the picture and blurb. It was a really pleasant surprise. It had all the goodies; a storyline, backstories, great characters, action, adventure. It was really a good book. Now I have yet another series to keep up with.
I liked the main character and the story was ok. There could have been more world building and less exposition. I'll definitely try the next in the series to see how things develop.
An enjoyable start to a new series from an author I like. If I do have any criticism of these stories, it is that they are a little similar to each other albeit with different heroes, with different backgrounds. I will certainly read more, however, as they are an easy read and good fun.
I think I expected a bit more. The potential is there, but the results were average at best. It was like let us make a “cool” name, then try to write the book to fit the name
The reason for starting this book was there were so many in the Series, but it was very short, if the other books are like this then you need 4 the equal a book! Simple story, not much on character development. Easy read
This story is fast paced , a new take on the werewolf story with a good dash of both , Supernatural and the Exterminator feel to it ; this story is very well written and extremely enjoyable ! I plan to read his other book .
Nice introduction to the Hexecutioner series. A bit short but cleverly written . A good alternative to the Shadow Detective which I find good reading as well
A pretty good, if short, introduction to a new world. Lots of tantalizing hints of a larger world. Overall it’s good and handles the themes it works on well.
Short but sweet. Nice start to what looks to be an excellent new series. Don't want to spoil if you've not read the book, but it's an interesting read.
A simple story but quite readable. I believe it actually meets the requirements intended by the premise of this series. It reminds me of the old tv series “The Night Stalker”.
Short novella, but the main character Jaxon Weylock, the Hexecutioner, is fascinating and who will (hopefully) become more developed as the series progresses.