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Angels of Death #3
Skin Deep
Amongst the Silver Skulls, great deeds are commemorated with victory tattoos. Lord Commander Argentius, Master of the Chapter, visits the aged Cruor Primaris to have his latest exploits added. But Argentius is uneasy and as he talks with his old friend, he bares his soul as well as his tattooed body.
Read it because
A 1,000 word Silver Skulls story by S P Cawkwell.
Read it because
A 1,000 word Silver Skulls story by S P Cawkwell.
9 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2013
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Cawkwell
60 books44 followersA freelance writer based in the north east of England, Sarah is old enough to know better, but still young enough not to care. When not slaving away over a hot keyboard, Sarah's hobbies include reading everything and anything, running around in fields with swords screaming incomprehensibly, and having her soul slowly sucked dry by online games. Her minimum bribe level is one chocolate orange.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 1, 2016
A very quiet and touching short tale about the relationship of Silver Skulls chapter master and the old chapter tatoo artist. In the grim darkness of the far future there is not only war.
June 27, 2024
A quiet, yet complicated moment of calmness in the endless war of a space marine.
In such a short time we learn so much about the chapter.
In such a short time we learn so much about the chapter.
January 4, 2018
You can read the full review of the first 5 Angels of Death eShorts over at my blog:
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the first five Angels of Death short stories.
“As always with such things, this is a right mix of all sorts of stories and for the most part they were all enjoyable. Great little experiment that I’d like to see repeated at some point.” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields
Black Library has been putting out digital eShorts for about a year and a half now. These particular eShorts are usually about a 1000-words long, sometimes more. They are a great way to provide some extra little content, either to provide more stories about existing characters and series or to springboard altogether new ones, especially when there’s no discernible “market” for novel-length stories about the same. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed all of these, although there have been a few duds here and there.
The latest in this format is a series of eShorts that are being put out as tie-ins to the upcoming release of the new Codex: Space Marines, which is rumoured to be coming out very soon. I’ve recently started to get back into reading Black Library’s short content and I have to say that reading all these short stories has been really great. They give great snapshots of the universe at large, often fleshing out some new areas.
This is another Silver Skulls short story, much shorter than I’d like it to be. Sarah’s previous installments featuring this somewhat reclusive chapter have all been among the best I’ve read, and this one is no different. It steps away from all the action, and goes for a very whimsical tone, one that shows off the life behind the war that Space Marines are constantly fighting. The look behind the scenes was really interesting. Up until now, we’ve always seen the Silver Skulls at war, and this story makes for a great change in the pace. There’s such an emotional tone to it, one that I’d never expected to see really.
Additionally, we get to see the Silver Skulls’ Chapter Master, Argentius. One of the things that I love about 40k fiction is reading about all the big heroes, such as the Chapter Masters and the Captains and the Chaplains and others who define the heroism of the setting. The same goes for Argentius. We’ve seen only brief flashes of him here and there in Sarah’s other work, so I loved that aspect of the story.
And just generally, its a great look at the traditions of the chapter, one of their most sacred traditions in fact, their tattooing. It adds some great character to the chapter, especially when expanded upon like this. So in short, this one was a definite winner for me.
Rating: 9/10
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the first five Angels of Death short stories.
“As always with such things, this is a right mix of all sorts of stories and for the most part they were all enjoyable. Great little experiment that I’d like to see repeated at some point.” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields
Black Library has been putting out digital eShorts for about a year and a half now. These particular eShorts are usually about a 1000-words long, sometimes more. They are a great way to provide some extra little content, either to provide more stories about existing characters and series or to springboard altogether new ones, especially when there’s no discernible “market” for novel-length stories about the same. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed all of these, although there have been a few duds here and there.
The latest in this format is a series of eShorts that are being put out as tie-ins to the upcoming release of the new Codex: Space Marines, which is rumoured to be coming out very soon. I’ve recently started to get back into reading Black Library’s short content and I have to say that reading all these short stories has been really great. They give great snapshots of the universe at large, often fleshing out some new areas.
This is another Silver Skulls short story, much shorter than I’d like it to be. Sarah’s previous installments featuring this somewhat reclusive chapter have all been among the best I’ve read, and this one is no different. It steps away from all the action, and goes for a very whimsical tone, one that shows off the life behind the war that Space Marines are constantly fighting. The look behind the scenes was really interesting. Up until now, we’ve always seen the Silver Skulls at war, and this story makes for a great change in the pace. There’s such an emotional tone to it, one that I’d never expected to see really.
Additionally, we get to see the Silver Skulls’ Chapter Master, Argentius. One of the things that I love about 40k fiction is reading about all the big heroes, such as the Chapter Masters and the Captains and the Chaplains and others who define the heroism of the setting. The same goes for Argentius. We’ve seen only brief flashes of him here and there in Sarah’s other work, so I loved that aspect of the story.
And just generally, its a great look at the traditions of the chapter, one of their most sacred traditions in fact, their tattooing. It adds some great character to the chapter, especially when expanded upon like this. So in short, this one was a definite winner for me.
Rating: 9/10
September 3, 2013
Skin Deep is a wonderfully calm, thought-provoking story.
I think that it succeeded in what it tried to do. Sarah Cawkwell did a fantastic job putting an idea into words that reach beyond what is shown, and may even feel touching in their implications.
A clear reading recommendation from me, and off to the favorites it goes.
I think that it succeeded in what it tried to do. Sarah Cawkwell did a fantastic job putting an idea into words that reach beyond what is shown, and may even feel touching in their implications.
A clear reading recommendation from me, and off to the favorites it goes.
March 26, 2016
Ah the Silver Skulls, it has been quite some time since I last read of them, or any of Sarah Cawkwell's work. She does the chapter amazing justice here, showing the chapter master's relationship with the chapter tattoo artist. Again I'm shocked at how much feeling these authors can put into just a thousand words. A really good read, for any 40k fan.
December 20, 2013
My review of this short, and all the shorts in this collection, can be read here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
December 22, 2017
A very short, sweet story that offers a rare glimpse at the relationship between a Space Marine and a chapter serf, which is something I wish we saw more of.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews