Thomas P. Kratman (born September 4, 1956) is an American science fiction author. He is, along with John Ringo, an author of the Legacy of the Aldenata series, but most of his writing is in worlds of his own creation, particularly in military fiction (science fictional and not). The nature of his writing tends to result in backlash due to the highly charged political content and the very clear religious conflict.
Formerly a colonel in the US Army before medical issues forced him to retire, part of his service was in Panama, and he apparently liked it there, resulting in it being a recurring theme in his books. Panama IN SPACE! happens in the Carrera's Legions series, while the Legacy of the Aldenata novel Yellow Eyes (and the very beginning of The Tuloriad) have Panama during and after an Alien Invasion.
Works by Tom Kratman with their own pages:
- Carrera's Legions
- A Desert Called Peace
- Carnifex
- The Lotus Eaters
- The Amazon Legion
- Come and Take Them
- The Rods and the Axe
- A Pillar of Fire by Night
- In John Ringo's Legacy of the Aldenata:
- Watch on the Rhine
- Yellow Eyes
- The Tuloriad
- Countdown
- Countdown: The Liberators
- Countdown: M Day
- Countdown: H Hour
- Caliphate
- Okuyyuki
Tropes associated with his works not already covered in the above pages:
- Author Avatar: You can expect a U.S. (or Recycled In Space U.S.) army retiree, usually between major and colonel, with hot blood and discontent for his past, to be the protagonist. There are actually two of them in A Desert Called Peace - the 26th century protagonist and his wife's 22nd century ancestor.
- Commie Land: Kratman's original settings usually include some kind of Soviet Union analogue, but with a twist. At least two of them feature the hybrid ideology of Tsarist-Marxism, a species of monarchistic communism.
- Flame War: Mr. Kratman has a history of showing up on discussion boards where his works are being discussed to talk to his readers directly. Given his politics compared to many internet participants and his having little patience with people who attack his arguments, this can become quite heated.
- Icy Blue Eyes: His Author Avatar reflects his own blue eyes, which often intimidate or intrigue Salafists.
- Religious Stereotype: Any Muslim character, especially in Caliphate.
- Straw Character: Tom Kratman is an avowed libertarian/conservative, so expect "evil, baby eating liberals".
- Take That, Critics!: Minor characters resembling certain critics and reviewers who have mocked Kratman's works—by purest coincidence, no doubt—sometimes appear in the later books. Their portrayal is invariably unflattering, and they not infrequently come to a bad end. This is exaggerated with a transgender ex-Marine tanker who posted a particularly hostile review of A Desert Called Peace on Space Battles. A character with similar traits appeared in one of the later Carrera's Legions volumes, only to suffer a gruesome fate.
