Big Boys Don’t Cry
Tom Kratman
Castallia House
ebook $2.99

This is another novella that’s on the final ballot for the Hugo Awards this year.  I reviewed one of its competitors recently.

There’s some pretty good competition here.  If you like military science fiction, you”ll like this one.

Maggie is a tank, and she’s been damaged beyond repair.  Her brain is still functional as the technicians are beginning to take her apart for scrap.  Big Boys Don’t Cry gives some of the highlights from her illustrious career, a career that spans centuries if I read the book correctly.  (The memories aren’t in chronological order.)

But something in Maggie’s memory is damaged.  There are certain memories that are partitioned off, memories she isn’t supposed to access. 

This is where the story gets interesting.  Maggie has been highly decorated for bravery and valor during battle.  And not just once, but multiple times.   Through her memories and other sources Kratman includes, we get to see her in action.

But as her forbidden memories return, we see other things she’s done.  Things that could be considered war crimes.  Things that could be considered atrocities.  These aren’t acts that Maggie wanted to do.  She often argued against them.  But she’s a machine, which means she’s programmed, which means she can be forced to to things against her will.

But she’s also a self-aware intelligence.  She can take initiative if it doesn’t conflict with direct orders.  And in the end she does.

I was liking and enjoying the story until I got to the end.  Then I loved it.  In less than a page, Kratman provides a satisfying conclusion to a very dark situation.  There’s been a lot controversy over the Hugo nominations this year.  I’m not getting into that.  I’ll just say that Big Boys Don’t Cry is worthy of its nomination.

This is the first work of Col. Kratman’s that I’ve read.  I’ll be reading more.