David Drake

David A. Drake (September 24, 1945 – December 10, 2023) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran, he worked as a lawyer before becoming a writer in the military science fiction genre.

Biography

Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His studies at Duke University School of Law were interrupted for two years when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry (the Black Horse Regiment) in Vietnam and Cambodia. After the war, from 1972 to 1980 he worked as the assistant town attorney in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1981 he transitioned to full-time writing of science fiction literature. With Karl Edward Wagner and Jim Groce, he was one of the initiators of Carcosa, a small press company. He lived in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

In 2019, he announced that he may be suffering from Parkinson's disease. On November 17, 2021 he announced he was retiring from writing novels, due to unspecified cognitive health problems. Drake died on December 10, 2023, at the age of 78.

Works

His best-known solo work is the Hammer's Slammers series of military science fiction. His newer RCN Series was a space opera inspired by the Aubrey–Maturin novels. In 1997, Drake began his largest fantasy series, ''Lord of the Isles'', using elements of Sumerian religion and medieval technology. In 2007, Drake finished the series with its ninth volume.

Drake co-authored novels with authors such as Karl Edward Wagner, S. M. Stirling, and Eric Flint. Typically Drake provided plot outlines (5,000–15,000 words) and the co-author did "the real work of developing the outline into a novel".Novel Plot Outlines
David Drake, May 26, 2010 He did not "consider isinvolvement to be that of a real co-author." Drake also contributed to the '' Heroes in Hell'' series.

A common element in most of his works was the focus on military, in particular, lives of regular soldiers. Drake's plots often use history, literature, and mythology; in his foreword to ''The Lord of the Isles'', Drake explained that while he had an academic background in history, he regarded himself as an antiquarian rather than a historian and that this perspective informed his approach to writing. Starting with ''Northworld'' in 1990, he generally explained the background of each book in an afterword or preface. Additionally, Drake's plots frequently involve a contest of political systems.

Some of Drake's works are available for free download in the Baen Free Library.

Bibliography

Adaptations

* Mayfair Games produced the licensed '' Hammer's Slammers'' board game (1984) based on David Drake's novel '' Hammer's Slammers''.
* Mongoose Publishing adapted Drake's novel as the licensed setting ''Hammer's Slammers'' (2009) for the '' Traveller'' role-playing game.
* John Treadaway has adapted Hammer's Slammers into a wargame, of which several editions have been published. The game utilizes various miniatures from companies such as Brigade Models, Old Crow Models, and Ground Zero Games.

References

External links

David Drake's web site
*
"Drake, David A"
at ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', Third Edition
David Drake's Papers
are housed at the University of Iowa

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, David
1945 births
2023 deaths
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
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