A review by shadda
Big Boys Don't Cry by Tom Kratman
1.0
I will preface this by saying that I don't usually read military sci-fi, and that I am only reading this because it was part of the Hugo voter's packet. Lots of people seem to have loved this book, so clearly Kratman is doing something right, it just didn't appeal to me.
First off, I want to discuss the combat sequences. In contrast to what most people have said, these seemed quite boring to me. There was a lot of description, but no cleverness in what the characters were doing. They targeted the enemy and blew them up or were blown up, end of story. To me, the appeal of a fight scene is not the size of the explosion, but getting to watch the metaphorical gears in the protagonist's head spin. Here the mechanical nature of the protagonist meant that there were no mad scrambles, only methodical slaughter.
The social commentary in a nutshell? Humanity is corrupt, incompetent, and generally just bad. If the dust jacket blurb is to be believed, "Kratman delights in offending left-wing sensibilities". Here, aside from a cardboard characterization of modern women, the opposite seems to be true. It's the military officials, the government bureaucrats, and the capitalists who are immoral. Even the oft-hated literati are spared the sword. What historical reports we get are written in a decidedly nonacademic style - more propaganda than formal report - suggesting that this is a world where education in the humanities is seriously devalued and liberal voices have been silenced. I suppose I should be pleased by a book that so reinforces my values, but that's not why I read sci-fi.
Overall impression? I didn't actively hate it.
This is one of those books that makes me wish Goodreads used 3-stars as a neutral rating rather than a positive one. I didn't like it, yet I feel like it deserves more than one star.
First off, I want to discuss the combat sequences. In contrast to what most people have said, these seemed quite boring to me. There was a lot of description, but no cleverness in what the characters were doing. They targeted the enemy and blew them up or were blown up, end of story. To me, the appeal of a fight scene is not the size of the explosion, but getting to watch the metaphorical gears in the protagonist's head spin. Here the mechanical nature of the protagonist meant that there were no mad scrambles, only methodical slaughter.
The social commentary in a nutshell? Humanity is corrupt, incompetent, and generally just bad. If the dust jacket blurb is to be believed, "Kratman delights in offending left-wing sensibilities". Here, aside from a cardboard characterization of modern women, the opposite seems to be true. It's the military officials, the government bureaucrats, and the capitalists who are immoral. Even the oft-hated literati are spared the sword. What historical reports we get are written in a decidedly nonacademic style - more propaganda than formal report - suggesting that this is a world where education in the humanities is seriously devalued and liberal voices have been silenced. I suppose I should be pleased by a book that so reinforces my values, but that's not why I read sci-fi.
Overall impression? I didn't actively hate it.
This is one of those books that makes me wish Goodreads used 3-stars as a neutral rating rather than a positive one. I didn't like it, yet I feel like it deserves more than one star.