History Literature / SpaceMarineBattles

* SuperOCD: Chaplain Boreas in ''Purging of Kadillus'' stops in the middle of a pitched siege to glue part of a statue back together. In his mind he realizes there's probably better things to be doing at that moment, but he'd also be a bad [[BadassPreacher Chaplain]] if he wasn't a stickler for details.

''Space Marine Battles'' is a series of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' novels launched in 2010 and written by many well-known Black Library Authors such as Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Nick Kyme and Chris Wright. The series focuses on many major and notable battles as well as exploits of various famous (and infamous) SpaceMarine Chapters and their heroes, following their victories against the Daemonic Forces of Chaos, Heretics and Xenos in their service to the Imperium(and an occasional book on the Chaos Space Marines counterparts too).

As the series is based on the military and warfare of the [[SpaceMarine Space Marines]], expect to see lots of MilitaryAndWarfareTropes. The series is also ''very'' quotable, as the sheer number of excerpts that have been quoted on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki prove.

** Scipio in ''Fall of Damnos'' keeps flashing back to an attack against Nurgle cultists, in which he failed to [[spoiler:MercyKill his Chaplain in time, resulting in a demon popping out of Chaplain Orad's flesh and killing another squadmate.]] Thus he becomes a bit of a perfectionist ([[UpToEleven by Space Marine standards]]), and when more squadmates die to the Necrons he's having trouble accepting it truly isn't his fault this time.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Every novel is a separate story, usually with no characters connecting them. Every novel has roughly (sometimes more, sometimes less) twenty important characters. So far, ''Space Marine Battles'' has had forty installments. Do the math.

* ActionFilmQuietdramaScene: Despite the brutal action and depiction of war in the 41st Millennium, some of the best scenes are quiet moments where the [[SpaceMarine Space Marines]] were discussing tactics and plans about how to wage war or giving some {{Exposition}} on the background of the planet or enemy they face. For example, during ''Helsreach'' where Grimaldus speaks to his Fighting Company's Apothecary, who is close to crossing the DespairEventHorizon due to the casualties that the Black Templars are sustaining (by this point in the book only a few are left and the defenders are near defeat).

* BadassBeard: Some of the Space Marines, especially the Space Wolves Chapter, have [[BadassBeard Badass Beards]].

** In ''Death of Antagonis'', Toharan early on rescues a small girl, who later dies [[spoiler:at the hands of Sethano, due to being a daemonhost]]. He had invested a lot in rescuing the girl, and the moment shakes him to the core.

* OneSceneWonder: Commissar Yarrick makes an appearance in Helsreach wherein he commands the attention of a room full of chapter masters, generals and colonels. When one astartes captain disagrees with his tactical assessment (that Hades Hive will not survive the first week - indeed it does not), Yarrick silences the captain with a look.

* OneSceneWonder: Commissioner Yarrick makes an appearance in Helsreach wherein he commands the attention of a room full of chapter masters, generals and colonels. When one astartes captain disagrees with his tactical assessment (that Hades Hive will not survive the first week - indeed it does not), Yarrick silences the captain with a look.

** In ''Death of Antagonis'', Toharan early on rescues a small girl, who later dies [[spoiler:at the hands of Stheno, due to being a daemonhost]]. He had invested a lot in rescuing the girl, and the moment shakes him to the core.

* {{Hypocrite}}: For a guy that uses psyker spells a lot, Mortarion does enjoy insulting the "[[Literature/GreyKnights little witches]]" for being pyskers.

* ReverseMole: In ''Malodrax'', [[spoiler:Kraegon Thul’s mysterious alien lieutenant Karnak is revealed to be Inquisitor Corvin’s assassin Sildyne, who worked his way into a position of power so that he could kill Thul if he ever got the chance. Thul knew Karnak’s true identity, however, and never let his guard down around him]].

->''"They shall be my [[SpaceMarine finest warriors]], these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them, and in the furnace of war forge them. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them and with the mightiest guns will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. They will have tactics, strategies and machines so that no foe can best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity.''"

** Cato Sicarius, following the fall of Damnos, considers it his greatest failure, has troubles fighting and is plagued by BadDreams about the Undying.

* BadassGrandpa: The veterans of any Space Marine Chapter. AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Indeed.

* HeroicAlbino: ''Battle of the Fang'' gives us Jarl Vaer Greyloc of the Space Wolves. His pale skin, blue eyes, and white hair all set him apart from other Space Wolves, who call him the White Wolf as something of an insult.

* AntiVillain: The Flayed Lord, from ''Fall of Damnos'', realized how messed up he has become but can't really stopped himself.

* BigDamnHeroes: In ''Fall of Damnos'' Agrippan, Captain of the 1st Company, saves Sicarius and kills the Voidbringer.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: ''Fall of Damnos'' gives the Necrons one in there ResistanceIsFutile line.

* PyrrhicVictory: ''Fall of Damnos'' ends with the Ultramarines saving Kellenport, but half of 2nd Company is killed or wounded including Captain Sicarius, most of Damnos' defensives are gone and the Necrons haven't even begum to fight.

* BigDamnHeroes: The titular Legion of the Damned. They arrived at the last possible moment before [[spoiler:Captain Kersh of the Excoriators SpaceMarine Chapter]] was overwhelmed by the foul forces of Chaos.
** Also virtually guaranteed to happen [[OnceAnEpisode once per book]].

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: This CrowningMomentOfFunny from ''Malodrax'':

* BigBadDuumvirate: Ghazghkull and Nazdreg, Ork warbosses of the Goffs and Bad Moons respectively, in ''Purging of Kadillus''.

* TheMole: In ''Malodrax'', [[spoiler:Kraegon Thul’s mysterious alien lieutenant Karnak is revealed to be Inquisitor Corvin’s assassin Sildyne, who worked his way into a position of power so that he could kill Thul if he ever got the chance. Thul knew Karnak’s true identity, however, and never let his guard down around him]].

* EyeScream: In ''Battle of the Fang'', an unfortunate deckhand gets his eyes gouged out by a Thousand Sons sorcerer so that the sorcerer can implant magical eyes in their place and use him as a mind-controlled spy.

** ** Toward the end of ''Malodrax'', [[spoiler:Brother Helaestus reveals that the Iron Warriors stole his gene-seed during his captivity]].

** [[spoiler:TechnicallyLivingZombie: This is because they aren't fully dead, they're brainwashed by a Chaos mind-virus called the Doubtworm. The zombies are still, in their own minds, actually loyalist imperial citizens [[AndIMustScream fully aware of their infected state, but with no ability to communicate that fact]]. All they can do is wildly flail at the Doubtworm's asymptomatic carriers, hoping to kill them before they can spread the Doubtworm to the next planet. This is also why they ignore space marines, who are immune to the Doubtworm in the first place.]]