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Warhammer 40,000
Lemartes (5)
Lemartes, the Blood Angels' Guardian of the Lost, leads the Death Company into battle on a world gripped by a blood-madness that reflects his own tortured soul.
Lemartes is the Guardian of the Lost, a Space Marine warrior who balances on the edge of madness, ever close to falling into the grip of the Black Rage, the secret curse of the Blood Angels Chapter. When he is awakened to lead the Death Company into battle on the war-wracked world of Phlegethon, Lemartes must battle his incipient madness as his forces clash with equally insane foes: the blood-crazed servants of Chaos.
Lemartes is the Guardian of the Lost, a Space Marine warrior who balances on the edge of madness, ever close to falling into the grip of the Black Rage, the secret curse of the Blood Angels Chapter. When he is awakened to lead the Death Company into battle on the war-wracked world of Phlegethon, Lemartes must battle his incipient madness as his forces clash with equally insane foes: the blood-crazed servants of Chaos.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 12, 2017
Lemartes was a rather different tale. Focusing on the Blood Angels, a chapter I had heard about but never read any books about, was very interesting.
On the planet Plegethon a doomed miner, caught in a mine collapse with his co-workers, prays fervently for rescue from his God Emperor. But, near the end, his pleas are answered not by the God-Emperor of Man. It seems his isolation has caused him to go mad and his pleas are heard by the Blood God- Khorne. Resurrected as the Prophet of Blood- Khorne's prophet unleashes an armageddon of blood. But no more than that shall I say since that would be spoilers.
This is far more about the Blood Angels and their peculiar "gene corruption". The Blood Angeles are the sons of Sanguinius, one of the most puissant of the Primarchs. As truly amazing as Sanguinius was to behold there was a flaw in his gene seed. This flaw became worse after the Horus Heresy and began to manifest in two ways in all Astartes of this chapter. The first is called the "Red Thirst" where Blood Angels feel a deep need to consume the blood of their foes, and sometimes friends. This flaw was kept from the Emperor but, in time, became known to Horus the Warmaster. In the finals moments of the Traitor's assault on Terra-it was Sanguinius who first teleported onbaord Horus's warship to confront the now-traitor Warmaster. It was Sanguinius' death at the hands of Horus that led to the second, and more nefarious, form of the flaw- The Black Rage. The psychic trauma of the fall of Sanguinius caused some of the Blood Angels to go mad. They suffer from the Black Rage where they only see/feel/act out the finals moments of Sanguinius in battle with Horus. This causes them to enter berserker levels of frenzy where they destroy all in their path-freind of foe alike. Once a Blood Angel is lost to the Black Rage he is put into a unit known as the Death Company- comprised of "The Lost". They are let into combat at crucial moments to destroy all. Their leader is a Blood Angel known as Lemartes- as he often relives the finals battles of the Heresy, lemartes isn't "all there". but he has a remarkable ability to control and lead the Death Comapny.
An interesting look at the Blood Angels and a story full of violence as the agents of Khorne, cultists and Chaos Marines of the Blood Disciples all clash of a doomed world. An enjoyable read though it never soars to the heights of some of the other tales of the Space Marines. Perhaps it was the discordant thoughts and ramblings of the Lost that throws the story-it is hard to keep track of what/who they see since their vision is often obscured by memories of the final battle on Terra of the Heresy. Still an enjoyable read over all.
On the planet Plegethon a doomed miner, caught in a mine collapse with his co-workers, prays fervently for rescue from his God Emperor. But, near the end, his pleas are answered not by the God-Emperor of Man. It seems his isolation has caused him to go mad and his pleas are heard by the Blood God- Khorne. Resurrected as the Prophet of Blood- Khorne's prophet unleashes an armageddon of blood. But no more than that shall I say since that would be spoilers.
This is far more about the Blood Angels and their peculiar "gene corruption". The Blood Angeles are the sons of Sanguinius, one of the most puissant of the Primarchs. As truly amazing as Sanguinius was to behold there was a flaw in his gene seed. This flaw became worse after the Horus Heresy and began to manifest in two ways in all Astartes of this chapter. The first is called the "Red Thirst" where Blood Angels feel a deep need to consume the blood of their foes, and sometimes friends. This flaw was kept from the Emperor but, in time, became known to Horus the Warmaster. In the finals moments of the Traitor's assault on Terra-it was Sanguinius who first teleported onbaord Horus's warship to confront the now-traitor Warmaster. It was Sanguinius' death at the hands of Horus that led to the second, and more nefarious, form of the flaw- The Black Rage. The psychic trauma of the fall of Sanguinius caused some of the Blood Angels to go mad. They suffer from the Black Rage where they only see/feel/act out the finals moments of Sanguinius in battle with Horus. This causes them to enter berserker levels of frenzy where they destroy all in their path-freind of foe alike. Once a Blood Angel is lost to the Black Rage he is put into a unit known as the Death Company- comprised of "The Lost". They are let into combat at crucial moments to destroy all. Their leader is a Blood Angel known as Lemartes- as he often relives the finals battles of the Heresy, lemartes isn't "all there". but he has a remarkable ability to control and lead the Death Comapny.
An interesting look at the Blood Angels and a story full of violence as the agents of Khorne, cultists and Chaos Marines of the Blood Disciples all clash of a doomed world. An enjoyable read though it never soars to the heights of some of the other tales of the Space Marines. Perhaps it was the discordant thoughts and ramblings of the Lost that throws the story-it is hard to keep track of what/who they see since their vision is often obscured by memories of the final battle on Terra of the Heresy. Still an enjoyable read over all.
October 21, 2017
This is a Space Marines Legends book and it details the living existence of Lemartes, the leader of the Death Company of the Blood Angels chapter. He is the Guardian of the lost and the stoic and barely hinged master of the Black Rage.
The Blood Angels are cursed with two disastrous flaws, the first being the Red Thirst, where the marines drink blood and become berserk and feral. The Black Rage is the power to simply kill and destroy.
Lemartes is old, as in he fought on Holy Terra with his chapter against Horus, during the Heresy. He remembers Sanguinius falling, remembers the death of his Primarch at the hands of the Warmaster, Turned. The Black Rage is become Lemartes, and he embraces it. The curse makes him see and relive the final battle where his Primarch fell. He sees other things when he slays foes upon the planet Phlegethon, where this battle takes place. The Blood Prophet has called forth vast Chaos powers and uses blood and fanatical wrath-filled people of a hive city to fuel his warp fury. He uses these people to attack the Mordian Iron Guard, come to justify the place and destroy the traitorous powers here. They fight well until the true power of the Blood Prophet is unleashed. The Blood Angels land soon after and the Fourth Company and the Death Company are released. Lemartes goes straight for the jugular, as expected and the fourth company fights a more strategic battle, thought out and planned. This doesn't last long for the Blood Prophet amps up his powers and transforms into a Bloodthirster of Khorne, a Greater Chaos Daemon. The Iron Guard fall by the wayside and it is left to Lemartes and the Death Company to end the threat and save the planet.
I like the way the writer explains how the Death Company are imprisoned, though it is not against their will. They are almost in a coma until roused, and then they are shackled and released only when their solidity of purpose can be shown to and expected from them. This is a interesting insight to this group, small in number and yet the most fierce, without fear and dangerous servants of the chapter.
This was well written and a fun book to read. It shines a little more light on the grim darkness of the far future. Mr. Annandale, I salute you. FOR THE EMPEROR!!!!
Danny
The Blood Angels are cursed with two disastrous flaws, the first being the Red Thirst, where the marines drink blood and become berserk and feral. The Black Rage is the power to simply kill and destroy.
Lemartes is old, as in he fought on Holy Terra with his chapter against Horus, during the Heresy. He remembers Sanguinius falling, remembers the death of his Primarch at the hands of the Warmaster, Turned. The Black Rage is become Lemartes, and he embraces it. The curse makes him see and relive the final battle where his Primarch fell. He sees other things when he slays foes upon the planet Phlegethon, where this battle takes place. The Blood Prophet has called forth vast Chaos powers and uses blood and fanatical wrath-filled people of a hive city to fuel his warp fury. He uses these people to attack the Mordian Iron Guard, come to justify the place and destroy the traitorous powers here. They fight well until the true power of the Blood Prophet is unleashed. The Blood Angels land soon after and the Fourth Company and the Death Company are released. Lemartes goes straight for the jugular, as expected and the fourth company fights a more strategic battle, thought out and planned. This doesn't last long for the Blood Prophet amps up his powers and transforms into a Bloodthirster of Khorne, a Greater Chaos Daemon. The Iron Guard fall by the wayside and it is left to Lemartes and the Death Company to end the threat and save the planet.
I like the way the writer explains how the Death Company are imprisoned, though it is not against their will. They are almost in a coma until roused, and then they are shackled and released only when their solidity of purpose can be shown to and expected from them. This is a interesting insight to this group, small in number and yet the most fierce, without fear and dangerous servants of the chapter.
This was well written and a fun book to read. It shines a little more light on the grim darkness of the far future. Mr. Annandale, I salute you. FOR THE EMPEROR!!!!
Danny
owned-but-not-going-to-read
April 29, 2015No offense to David Annandale, who has written a number of works that I like a lot. But, this is not technically a "to read" book, as I have little interest in actually reading it. I Apparently spend so much money with Black Library that they're going to send me a free copy. It's probably going to be shelved next to the unfinished 'Dwarfs' Omnibus.
Goodreads could use a tag for "Yeah I have one of those lying around somewhere".
EDIT - I found the instructions on creating exclusive shelf states.
EDIT 2 - Apparently, I spend so much money with them that Black Library is now going to send me Two copies of this book. What am I going to do with two of them?
EDIT 3 - My two copies arrived today, and I had a few observations. First thing I noticed was that it came in the same box-in-a-box packaging that the special edition rulebooks come in. I don't know why this surprised me. The second thing I noticed was that the dust jacket was really odd, with one side folded in just behind the cover like normal, and the other folded in just behind the same cover, wrapping around the book pages. Meaning, if you wanted to actually read the book, you're required to find someplace to stash the dust jacket, contrary to my habits. Third thing I noticed was that the spacer booklet (a softcover object designed to fill the gap between the book and the hard slip case) had two stories in it, situated in the ever-obnoxious flipbook style.
These failings all fall upon the Black Library general staff, and not the author. I haven't read the book yet. I did however, hear that it was about space vampires[1]. Not the old-fashioned grotesques, or the modern mockeries, but the 80's angsty prettyboy vampire. They're all mourning the loss of their progenitor, 'the bloody'[2] who got staked thousands of years ago by an Egyptian[3] on a spectral[4] boat[5]. Every so often this angst and mourning gets to be too much for one of them, and they just start killing things mindlessly. Our title character is the uber-special one that came back from this hyper-angst and regained his senses. But, the other space vampires said "You went crazy once, you stay with the crazy guys forever".
[1] - No, seriously, all Blood Angels and their successor chapters have to drink blood.
[2] - Sanguinius, killed by [3] - Horus on board [4] - the Vengeful Spirit [5] - a battle barge.
EDIT - I found the instructions on creating exclusive shelf states.
EDIT 2 - Apparently, I spend so much money with them that Black Library is now going to send me Two copies of this book. What am I going to do with two of them?
EDIT 3 - My two copies arrived today, and I had a few observations. First thing I noticed was that it came in the same box-in-a-box packaging that the special edition rulebooks come in. I don't know why this surprised me. The second thing I noticed was that the dust jacket was really odd, with one side folded in just behind the cover like normal, and the other folded in just behind the same cover, wrapping around the book pages. Meaning, if you wanted to actually read the book, you're required to find someplace to stash the dust jacket, contrary to my habits. Third thing I noticed was that the spacer booklet (a softcover object designed to fill the gap between the book and the hard slip case) had two stories in it, situated in the ever-obnoxious flipbook style.
These failings all fall upon the Black Library general staff, and not the author. I haven't read the book yet. I did however, hear that it was about space vampires[1]. Not the old-fashioned grotesques, or the modern mockeries, but the 80's angsty prettyboy vampire. They're all mourning the loss of their progenitor, 'the bloody'[2] who got staked thousands of years ago by an Egyptian[3] on a spectral[4] boat[5]. Every so often this angst and mourning gets to be too much for one of them, and they just start killing things mindlessly. Our title character is the uber-special one that came back from this hyper-angst and regained his senses. But, the other space vampires said "You went crazy once, you stay with the crazy guys forever".
[1] - No, seriously, all Blood Angels and their successor chapters have to drink blood.
[2] - Sanguinius, killed by [3] - Horus on board [4] - the Vengeful Spirit [5] - a battle barge.
November 20, 2018
What a pleasant surprise! This book brought a genuine smile to my face, a fun read!
I think a lot of the enjoyment I experienced was two fold...
1 there were some small nods to the Mephiston: Lord of Death novella, with a certain but small Deathwatch character appearing twice from that book. I really love this sense of a larger and distantly connected world, a great touch by Annandale.
2, the Mordians and more specifically the Mordian general Reinecker who has a genuine & compelling character arc. To top it off there was even a Commissar that was half likeable in Stormberg, with the dynamic between the two being quite entertaining in a morbid sort of way
The Blood Angels/Death Company element was interesting enough but without the Mordian segments of the story; the concept would have gotten old rather quick. It is a shame that authors don't really seem to know how to write stories about them that don't primarily focus on the Chapter's genetic flaws, there is more to them than that!
that being said, it was refreshing to have the focus of our protagonist flipped from resisting the thirst and the Rage to actually being completely submerged in it, a welcome change for sure!
It is also worth mentioning the delightfully evil forces of the Blood Disciples and the.....Use of Rage as a plot device, I will say no more; surface to say it was quite unusual and enjoyable
A 4 out of 6
I think a lot of the enjoyment I experienced was two fold...
1 there were some small nods to the Mephiston: Lord of Death novella, with a certain but small Deathwatch character appearing twice from that book. I really love this sense of a larger and distantly connected world, a great touch by Annandale.
2, the Mordians and more specifically the Mordian general Reinecker who has a genuine & compelling character arc. To top it off there was even a Commissar that was half likeable in Stormberg, with the dynamic between the two being quite entertaining in a morbid sort of way
The Blood Angels/Death Company element was interesting enough but without the Mordian segments of the story; the concept would have gotten old rather quick. It is a shame that authors don't really seem to know how to write stories about them that don't primarily focus on the Chapter's genetic flaws, there is more to them than that!
that being said, it was refreshing to have the focus of our protagonist flipped from resisting the thirst and the Rage to actually being completely submerged in it, a welcome change for sure!
It is also worth mentioning the delightfully evil forces of the Blood Disciples and the.....Use of Rage as a plot device, I will say no more; surface to say it was quite unusual and enjoyable
A 4 out of 6
February 18, 2018
I've read a good deal of Annandale now and this is one of his best works. Annandale has a strong grip on how to write an army that acts like a giant mob, and in this he does get to do that with the Khorne Chaos infestation, but he also gets to play with Lemartes' (and also Corbulo's) thoughts, actions, and attitudes which brings a lot of character to the book which otherwise might have been a by-the-numbers typical Annandale story. It makes the entire experience of reading it far better and more interesting.
November 12, 2018
Absolutely incredible book! Gives a look into the mind of Lemartes, the Chaplain who has miraculously remained in some form of control of himself through the Black Rage, rather than succumbing to its throes, using it as a tool to lead the Death Company on mission after mission. The book does an incredible job of showing what it's like in the mind of someone in the depths of the Black Rage, and the scenes of blending realities and Lemartes fighting to regain control of his own mind are very well done, and really give you an idea of what those in the Black Rage experience. It also gives a very sympathetic and hopeful portrayal of Corbulo.
February 15, 2018
Great at what it does, which is to tell a war story in the Warhammer universe. Ultimately, it's dry, which is to be expected, and mostly involved with the main characters' internal struggle. It does some nice descriptive things, but it will never be accused of having purple prose.
November 10, 2019
I would have perhaps liked it more if roughly a quarter of the story wasn't the words red, black, rage, or blood. The author did present the tale from a madman's perspective so I realize some liberties had to be taken to better showcase this. Also Khorne. All in all though its a solid 40k novella.
March 26, 2019
Just couldnt get into the dark rage vs blood rage vs everyone else on the battlefield.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
Full of pulse pounding events right from the beginning, unexpected plot twists, unbridled heroics form the start and great dynamic events you won't see coming! :D
March 3, 2025
Not my favorite, but fine. Blood Angels are an interesting chapter, but the black rage and red rage stuff is very tricky to make into a compelling story. Not sure that was achieved here.
June 3, 2023
Altough it is interesting to see the world from the perspective of a space marine fallen to the black rage, and the devastation of khorne is just awesome in its edgyness, this story becomes quite repetitive, and i think this is because of the antagonists. I see the paralell between the death company and the khornate traitors, but i think that they are too similar to crate an interesting conflict. Also greater daemons deserve more respect.
October 23, 2024
This compact novel focuses on Lemartes and his command of the Death Company. The plot follows a straightforward path, tracking Lemartes' internal battle with the Black Rage curse while leading his cursed brothers into combat.
The story succeeds in showing how Lemartes maintains control over both his own demons and his Death Company warriors. His struggle with the Black Rage comes through in each chapter.
Yet the book lacks depth. The central character needs more development, and the main conflict feels small - just a local battle without wider implications for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The story reads more like a snapshot of Lemartes leading the Death Company than a full exploration of his character.
This serves as a decent introduction to Lemartes and the Death Company, but doesn't push beyond the basics.
Rating: 3/5
The story succeeds in showing how Lemartes maintains control over both his own demons and his Death Company warriors. His struggle with the Black Rage comes through in each chapter.
Yet the book lacks depth. The central character needs more development, and the main conflict feels small - just a local battle without wider implications for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The story reads more like a snapshot of Lemartes leading the Death Company than a full exploration of his character.
This serves as a decent introduction to Lemartes and the Death Company, but doesn't push beyond the basics.
Rating: 3/5
May 6, 2015
David Annandale’s latest Black Library release is Lemartes : Guardian of the Lost, a novella in the Lords of the Space Marines series. Having already looked at the only Blood Angel ever to conquer the Red Thirst (in his previous Mephiston novella), he now turns his attention to the only one ever to contain the other of the Blood Angels’ curses – the Black Rage. Roused from his stasis to lead the Death Company into battle on Phlegethon, a world consumed by madness and anger, Lemartes must cling tight to his tenuous grip on reality as the Blood Angels face a dark mirror of themselves in the form of blood-hungry traitors.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
May 10, 2016
This is a book of blood. Truly, it might be the bloodiest book I’ve ever read. I mean, we have Blood Angels, Blood Disciples, the Prophet of Blood, the Blood God, blood daemons and of course, actual blood! A whole space-elevator-height fountain of blood! In fact, it shouldn’t have worked wih that much blood flooding the page. I should have been sick of blood. I should have had blood fatigue. BUT IT DID WORK AND I ONLY WANTED MORE BLOOD. The key here was great writing. Employing the same skills of restraint he showed in Damnation of Pythos, Annandale gives us a brilliant portrait of a Space Marine with so much willpower that he can turn the state of being permanently insane into a boon for battle. 5 out of 5 stars for this one. READ IT.
September 2, 2016
I like David Annandale, I have met him a few times at author meet and greets, and we've had conversations about his work. I would call myself a fan of his writing style and his previous work. But sadly I just didn't enjoy this book very much. And it is a shame, not only is it presented superbly beautifully, but the premise of the story is perfect Warhammer 40k. I found the parts of the book that were from Lemartes pov very hard to comprehend, and I know that it is because of the Rage inside of him, I just couldn't get with it. I think the book would have slotted together better if it was all written in 3rd person.
December 26, 2025
Loved this book. It has a very narrow focus, more or less centering on the one engagement, but it does so from several points of view and does an excellent job in showing the depth of Lemartes struggles with the curse, and shows the black rage itself in a much more intimate and stark light.
January 13, 2021
Despite the bloody action this book manages to be boring.
Finished reading it now, it didn't get any better, what a waste of money.
Finished reading it now, it didn't get any better, what a waste of money.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews