David A. Drake (born September 24, 1945) is an

American author American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

literature. A

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now a writer in the

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...

genre.

Biography

Drake graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His studies at

Duke University School of Law Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit t ...

were interrupted for two years when he was drafted into the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry (the Black Horse Regiment) in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. After the war, from 1972 to 1980 he worked as the Assistant Town Attorney in

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

, North Carolina. Since 1981 he transitioned to full time writing of science fiction literature. With

Karl Edward Wagner Karl Edward Wagner (12 December 1945 – 14 October 1994) was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. He ...

and Jim Groce, he was one of the initiators of

Carcosa Carcosa is a fictional city in Ambrose Bierce's short story " An Inhabitant of Carcosa" (1886). The ancient and mysterious city is barely described and is viewed only in hindsight (after its destruction) by a character who once lived there. Ameri ...

, a small press company. He now lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina. On 17 November 2021 he announced he is retiring from writing novels, due to unspecified health problems.

Works

His best-known solo work is the

Hammer's Slammers ''Hammer's Slammers'' is a 1979 collection of military science fiction short stories by author David Drake. It follows the career of a future mercenary tank regiment called ''Hammer's Slammers'' after their leader, Colonel Alois Hammer. This coll ...

series of military science fiction. His newer Republic of Cinnabar Navy series are

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

s inspired by the Aubrey–Maturin novels. During 1997, Drake began his largest fantasy series, '' Lord of the Isles'', using elements of

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...

ian religion and medieval technology. During 2007, Drake finished the series with its ninth volume. Drake has co-authored novels with authors such as

, S.M. Stirling, and

Eric Flint Eric Flint (February 6, 1947 – July 17, 2022) was an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are Alternate history (fiction), alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures. ...

. Typically Drake provides plot outlines (5,000–15,000 words) and the co-author does "the real work of developing the outline into a novel".Novel Plot Outlines
David Drake, May 26, 2010 He does not "consider isinvolvement to be that of a real co-author." Drake also contributed to the '' Heroes in Hell'' series. Drake's plots often use history, literature, and mythology. Starting with ''Northworld'' in 1990,Northworld, Vengeance, and Justice
David Drake, May 15, 2000 he has generally explained the background of each book in an afterword or preface. Additionally, Drake's plots frequently involve a contest of political systems. John Clute stated in the entry on Drake in the 1993 edition of ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

'', "Today there seems very little to stop rakefrom writing exactly what he wishes to write." Some of Drake's works are available for free download in the Baen Free Library.

Bibliography

Adaptations

* Mayfair Games produced the licensed ''

'' board game (1984) based on David Drake's novel ''

''. *

Mongoose Publishing Mongoose Publishing is a British manufacturer of role-playing games, miniatures, and card games, publishing material since 2001. Its licenses include products based on the science fiction properties ''Traveller'', '' Judge Dredd'', and ''Parano ...

adapted Drake's novel as the licensed setting ''Hammer's Slammers'' (2009) for the '' Traveller'' role-playing game.

References

External links

David Drake's web site
*

"Drake, David A"
at ''

'', Third Edition {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, David 1945 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American alternate history writers American fantasy writers American male novelists United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American science fiction writers Duke University School of Law alumni Forteana Military science fiction writers People from Pittsboro, North Carolina University of Iowa alumni United States Army soldiers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Novelists from Iowa Novelists from North Carolina American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers