David Drake
David Drake is
an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Born in Iowa in 1945, he
earned a degree in history and classics. He was studying law when he was
drafted into the Army. After serving in the Vietnam War, he returned to
Duke University to complete his law degree.
Drake became left his post as an Assistant Town Attorney to devote
himself to writing. He’s been a full-time writer since 1981. His first
story publication came in 1966, and his first two books were both
published in 1979. These two books were a novel, The Dragon Lord, and a
story collection, Hammer’s Slammers. The latter was the start of a
10-book series of military science fiction stories.
With over 60 published books, Drake is a prolific writer of both
military science fiction and fantasy. He regularly publishes works in
both genres, and is considered among the best military science fiction
authors. Drake has also co-authored and edited many books, including
eleven anthologies and dozens of novels.
Drake has said he is highly influenced by his time in Vietnam, the
writing of Rudyard Kipling, and the ancient Greek and Roman societies.
All of these show up regularly in his fiction, most notably in Cross the
Stars, The Voyage, and The Forlorn Hope, which each include retellings
of pieces of classical writing.
Despite being best known for his military science fiction, Drake points
out that most of his writing is outside this subgenre. He continues to
write a variety of science fiction and fantasy fiction.
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