Review: Kratman Knocks Another One Out of the Park!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
"Big Boys Don't Cry" is something of a departure for Mr. Kratman, and as a devoted fan, I had to overcome some of my own prejudices to even purchase it.  First of all, it is a novella, a short form relatively rare in modern popular fiction.  For me, this was a stumbling block because, irrational as it seems, I like a bit of "meat" (length) in my reading material.  That said, Kratman is so consistently good that I went ahead and purchased this anyway.  I discovered that the work departs, very successfully, from the well worn tracks Kratman generally follows.  Still, if you are familiar with his canon, the familiar elements are there: military detail, an understanding of the psychology of war, and a well informed understanding of military history.  Like many other reviewers, I noted the Bolo-like protagonist, and again, like others, I was fascinated to see the turn which reverses our values as we view space combat through the eyes of one of our weapons.  Still, even this is not inconsistent if you recall that Kratman has often manifested a sharp understanding of how the "sharp end of the stick", the military, often serves a polity unworthy of it.  This is a must read, not just for Kratman's legions of fans, but for those who are open to examining a work by a skilled author and master of his genre at the peak of his powers.