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.
In 2019, he announced that he may be suffering from Parkinson's disease.[4] On November 17, 2021 he announced he was retiring from writing novels, due to unspecified cognitive health problems.[5] Drake died on December 10, 2023, at the age of 78.[6]
Drake co-authored novels with authors such as Karl Edward Wagner, S.M. Stirling, and Eric Flint.[3] 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".[8] He did not "consider [his] involvement to be that of a real co-author."[8] Drake also contributed to the Heroes in Hell series.[7]
A common element in most of his works was the focus on military, in particular, lives of regular soldiers.[3] 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.[citation needed] Starting with Northworld in 1990,[9] he generally explained the background of each book in an afterword or preface.[original research?] Additionally, Drake's plots frequently involve a contest of political systems.[citation needed]
Some of Drake's works are available for free download in the Baen Free Library.
Mongoose Publishing adapted Drake's novel as the licensed setting Hammer's Slammers (2009) for the Traveller role-playing game.[10]: 401
John Treadaway has adapted Hammer's Slammers into a wargame, of which several editions have been published.[11] The game utilizes various miniatures from companies such as Brigade Models, Old Crow Models, and Ground Zero Games.[12]
