Tom Kratman
Tom Kratman | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 4, 1956 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | A Desert Called Peace series, Big Boys Don't Cry (Hugo nominee), Watch on the Rhine (with John Ringo) |
| Website | |
| www | |
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Thomas P. Kratman (born September 4, 1956) is an American military science fiction author and retired United States Army officer whose work is published by Baen Books. Kratman's novels include the Desert Called Peace series which has been praised for its action sequences and attention to philosophy of war. He has also authored three novels with John Ringo in the Legacy of the Aldenata series. Kratman's works often reflect distinct political perspectives and some have been seen as deliberately provocative. During the Sad Puppies campaign in 2015, Kratman was nominated for a Hugo Award for his novella Big Boys Don't Cry.
Biography[edit]
Kratman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1974.[1][2] He attended Boston College on an Army scholarship and was commissioned as an officer in 1980.[1][2] Kratman left active service for law school in 1992, graduating in 1995 after which he practiced law for some years. He was called back for service in 2003 and ended his Army career at the United States Army War College as Director, Rule of Law, for the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute.[1][2] Kratman retired in 2006 as a lieutenant colonel and became a full-time author.[3][2] In an autobiography on his website, Kratman gives a personal perspective on his military career, mentioning details such as years of service in Panama and a deployment with the 5th Special Forces Group during the Persian Gulf War.[2] Kratman met his wife in Panama, and has four children and three grandchildren.[2]
Writing career[edit]
Kratman was recruited as an author by ex-soldier and publisher Jim Baen who "recruited a batch of younger, like-minded authors from similar backgrounds";[4] Kratman, Michael Z. Williamson, David Drake and John Ringo.[4] Commonalities in the works of these authors include the setting of a civilization in decline with heroes battling against conventional wisdom.[4] Kratman's first novel, A State of Disobedience, deals with a revolution against tyranny in a future United States.[5] The book was described by Lesley Farmer of Kliatt as a "libertarian-inspired combat story" with shallow characterization.[6] Another politically-oriented stand-alone novel, Caliphate, takes place in a future Islamic Europe where a German girl is sold into prostitution to pay her family's yizya.[7] The work has been described as a part of a trend towards more speculative fiction focus on Islam after the September 11 attacks.[8] Mark Steyn discussed the novel's political aspects at length and also described it as "a brisk page-turner full of startling twists and bad sex".[9]
In the Desert Called Peace series of novels, the hero battles a worldwide Caliphate.[5] The second novel in the series, Carnifex, was praised by Publishers Weekly for its action sequences, characterization and attention to philosophy of war.[10] The third novel, The Lotus Eaters, placed #8 in the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list in the hardcover science fiction category.[11] The fourth novel, The Amazon Legion, was praised for its realistic descriptions by Booklist reviewer Jessica Moyer, who also cautioned that "repeated discourses on the physical limitations of women" might annoy female readers.[12] The fifth novel, Come and Take Them, was reviewed positively by San Francisco Book Review which described it as engaging and well crafted with Kratman excelling in "graphic descriptions of outrages and suffering."[13] Library Journal praised the series for its "high standard of graphic and strategically detailed military sf".[14]
Kratman has co-authored three novels with John Ringo in the Legacy of the Aldenata series. The first was Watch on the Rhine which tells of rejuvenated members of the Waffen-SS fighting alien invaders. German author Dietmar Dath criticized the book's politics and warned of the use of "cool retro-fascism from the future" as a propaganda tool.[lower-alpha 1][15] Publishers Weekly called the book "audacious and deliberately shocking" but rewarding for readers who could "overcome their ideological gag reflex".[16] The second novel was Yellow Eyes, where a war against aliens is set in Panama. The book was described by Publishers Weekly as having vivid characters and satisfyingly detailed battle tactics.[17] Roland Green at Booklist praised the book's action scenes and described its military science as intelligent though "sometimes overly political".[18] The third novel, The Tuloriad, draws on Homeric themes and tells of defeated aliens in search of a new home. Roland Green praised the battle descriptions[19] and Publishers Weekly called the book "an intriguing discussion of the power of faith".[20]
Kratman's work often reflects right-wing perspectives[21][22] and he "delights in offending left-wing sensibilities".[10] During the Sad Puppies campaign in 2015, Kratman was nominated for a Hugo award for his novella Big Boys Don't Cry.[23][24][25] Kratman's story placed third while "no award" won the most votes.[26]
Published works[edit]
Essays[edit]
- "The Amazon's Right Breast" (2011) As part of Baen's Free Nonfiction 2011.[27]
- "Indirectly Mistaken Decision Cycles" (2012) As part of Baen's Free Nonfiction 2012.[28]
- Training for War (April 2014) (ISBN 978-1625793027 Search this book on
.), Baen Free Nonfiction.
Standalone works[edit]
- Big Boys Don't Cry (novella; 2000, 2014)[29]
- A State of Disobedience (December 2003) (ISBN 0-7434-9920-4 Search this book on .)
- Caliphate (April 2008) (ISBN 1-41655-545-5 Search this book on .)
Series[edit]
- Watch on the Rhine (August 2005, with John Ringo) (ISBN 0-7434-9918-2 Search this book on .)
- Yellow Eyes (April 2007, with John Ringo) (ISBN 1-41652-103-8 Search this book on .)
- The Tuloriad (October 2009, with John Ringo) (ISBN 1-4391-3409-X Search this book on .)
- A Desert Called Peace (Carrera)
- A Desert Called Peace (September 2007) (ISBN 1-4165-2145-3 Search this book on .)
- Carnifex (November 2007) (ISBN 1-4165-7383-6 Search this book on .)
- The Lotus Eaters (April 2010) (ISBN 1-4391-3346-8 Search this book on .)
- The Amazon Legion (April 2011) (ISBN 1-4391-3426-X Search this book on .)
- Come and Take Them (November 2013) (ISBN 1-4516-3936-8 Search this book on .)
- The Rods and the Axe (July 2014) (ISBN 978-1476736563 Search this book on .)
- A Pillar of Fire by Night (November 2018) (ISBN 978-1625796714 Search this book on .)
- Countdown
- The Liberators (February 2011) (ISBN 1-4391-3402-2 Search this book on .)
- M Day (September 2011) (ISBN 1-4391-3464-2 Search this book on .)
- H Hour (July 2012) (ISBN 1-4516-3793-4 Search this book on .)
Notes[edit]
- ↑ German: "den coolen Retrofaschismus der Zukunft."
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kumar, Lisa. "KRATMAN, Tom". Something about the Author. 175. Thomson, Gale. pp. 122–123. ISBN 0787687995. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Author Tom Kratman". Tomkratman.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ↑ Robson, Seth (1 July 2016). "Former troops building second careers in military science fiction". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Buchanan, Craig (2015-04-16). "Sci-Fi Battlefields". The Big Issue: 30.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Clute, John. "Kratman, Tom". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
- ↑ Farmer, Lesley. "Review of A State of Disobedience": 20.
- ↑ Kratman, Tom. Caliphate. Baen Books. Search this book on
- ↑ Durrani, Haris A. (September 2012). "The Failure of Post-9/11 Science Fiction". The New York Review of Science Fiction: 9–10.
- ↑ Steyn, Mark (June 9, 2008). "Just to be clear, folks, it's a novel". Maclean's.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Carnifex". Publishers Weekly. October 8, 2007.
- ↑ "Best-Selling Books ; Week Ended April 25; With data from Nielsen BookScan". 30 Apr 2010.
- ↑ Moyer, Jessica (April 15, 2011). "The Amazon Legion". Booklist Online.
- ↑ David Lloyd Sutton. "Come and Take Them". San Fransisco Book Review.
- ↑ Cassada, Jackie (Nov 15, 2013). "Come and Take Them". Library Journal.
- ↑ Dath, Dietmar (8 September 2005). "Weltretter Himmler". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ "Watch on the Rhine (Die Wacht am Rhein)". Publishers Weekly.
- ↑ "Yellow Eyes". Publishers Weekly./9781416521037
- ↑ Green, Roland (April 15, 2007). "Yellow Eyes". Booklist Online.
- ↑ Green, Roland (September 28, 2009). "The Tuloriad". Booklist.
- ↑ "The Tuloriad". Publishers Weekly.
- ↑ Nicholson, Blair (2016). A Literary and Cultural History of Military Science Fiction and the United States of America, 1870s-2010s (PDF) (PhD). University of Waikato. pp. 216–221.
- ↑ Bourke, Liz. "Admirals and Amazons: Women in Military Science Fiction". tor.com.
- ↑ "2015 Hugo Awards". Retrieved 15 Jan 2016.
- ↑ Walter, Damien (6 April 2015). "Are the Hugo nominees really the best sci-fi books of the year". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ Schneiderman, Miles (14 August 2015). "Sad Puppies, Rabid Chauvinists: Will Raging White Guys Succeed in Hijacking Sci-Fi's Biggest Awards?". Yes! (U.S. magazine). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2015-hugo-awards/
- ↑ Free Nonfiction 2011, Baen Ebooks
- ↑ Free Nonfiction 2012, Baen Ebooks
- ↑ Castaliahouse.com, Castalia House, February 24, 2014
External links[edit]
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- 21st-century American novelists
- American male novelists
- American science fiction writers
- Boston College alumni
- Military science fiction writers
- Writers from Boston
- 1956 births
- American male short story writers
- 21st-century American short story writers
- 21st-century American male writers
- Novelists from Massachusetts
