Customer Reviews

Weapon of Flesh

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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.

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, highly recommended.

I generally don't read many fantasy novels but because I met Chris and was intrigued by his books I decided to read one. Chris had recommended Weapon of Flesh and I purchased it from him directly.

I must admit it is a compelling read and thoroughly draws the reader into the scenes with extremely good narrative and scene setting which I found very easy to submerse into. I read the entire book in one day and really enjoyed the whole experience.

I will look out for the other books in this series.

Thanks Chris.

Weapon Of Flesh is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy literature category.
This book appeals to readers over the spectrum of genres. The story is the age-old question of nature vs. nurture.
I was unable to put this book down, reading long into the night. The characters are well-written, and the books' pace keeps your attention, as you can't wait to turn the page to see what happens next.
I am so glad Chris Jackson has left the ending at a point where he can bring these characters back for another book. I would love to read more adventures of Lad and his journey through life.

I purchased this book from the author at DragonCon. I don't get a lot of time to read, although I used to be an avid reader, so I was hesitant to buy books because I knew I'd be hard-pressed to find the time to read them. I only bought one and I couldn't be happier that I did!

Not only is the story gripping, the author's writing style is exquisite! Never dull, he develops the characters with style and panache, and I can't wait to read his other books. Having tried my hand at writing, I can't say enough about this book... I spent four hours at DragonCon reading instead of attending the myriad other things that were going on and I don't regret a minute of it.

Kidnapped from his mother shortly after his birth, a child grows up under the tutelage of an aged master of magic. The child is known only as "the boy" as his early years are filled with the physical training and skills that will transform him into the crowning achievement of the Master's life: an undefeatable assassin, a weapon of flesh. The Master weaves magic spells into the child's skin and hires a parade of tutors in every conceivable art of attack known in the world. The boy progresses through each phase until he is crafted into a virtual killing machine. Deep in the halls of Krakengul Keep, the Master bled magic into the boy's skin with needles and ink, creating a tool fit for the Grandfather of Assassins, who paid a fortune for this experiment. In the Boy's sixteenth year, the Master announces they are ready to set out on a journey - a journey that holds the boy's destiny.

However, the Master meets his death along the road, and the boy is left with questions that no one can answer. With no one to guide him, the boy assumes the name of "Lad" and follows the road to the city of Twailin. He can only hope that his destiny will find him somehow.

Taking refuge with an innkeeper named Forbish, Lad is put to work and allowed to bed down in the stable. Here, Lad learns his first lessons in decent humanity, kindness, trust, and love. Wiggin, Forbish's daughter, awakens Lad's sense of conscience and shows him that there is more to life than obedience to the Master, more choices to make than blindly accepting the destiny handed to him.

But the hunt is on, as the Grandfather of Assassins sends his servants out to find this missing weapon. The trick could be staying alive when they do find the weapon though! Can they capture him, returning him to the Grandfather, before his training kicks in and cuts them to pieces? Can this undefeatable weapon be contained? Or is there another road open to Lad, another destiny, one of his own making?

Mr. Jackson has crafted an amazing tale of one boy's journey to maturity, complete with unforgettable characters. But watch out! You might see yourself around a corner or two! In a world where conscience is often seared with a hot iron, Mr. Jackson challenges the reader to look beyond what we're told we should do to see all we can be. Thanks for the trip, Chris! What a ride

The weapon is ready. Vested with magical powers, trained in every aspect of mortal combat, and devoid of all emotion, it's ready to be delivered to those who will use it to destroy thier enemies. But something goes wrong. Through a chance of fate the weapon is left to fend for itself, to find its own destiny. The weapon discovers through contact with kind strangers that a large part of the human experience is unknown to him. His quest to discover who he is and learn what it means to be human, as he struggles against those who would reclaim him and use him only as a weapon, will have you turning page after exciting page.

Chris Jackson raises interesting ethical issues in Weapon of Flesh. I used to be a straight-out sci-fi fan (rockets, black holes, time warps and such) but Jackson has finally broadened my horizons.

In this book, the Weapon slowly discovers its dark side and struggles to overcome it. The resolution (as so frequently in life) is negotiated rather than triumphant and readers will find themselves oddly sympathetic with this killing machine. In all, a great tale.

Try it, and if you like it, get Jackson's other fantasy struggles of character: Death Mask and Soul for Tsing.

wonderful story. My favorite of Chris Jackson's. Once, I started it, it was impossible to put down. Captures the personality of the characters so well, particularly the main character, or rather the lack of personality in his case. I would most certainly recommend this to anyone remotely interesting in fantasy, or even just an action packed story. This certainly fulfills both cravings.