David Drake (24 September 1945 – 10 December 2023) was a military veteran and science
fiction and fantasy author. He was the author of over 80 books over the course of 40 years,
including the Hammer’s Slammers, Lord of the Isles, and Republic of Cinnabar Navy series.
Drake spent his life in North Carolina, after a childhood in Iowa. He completed law school after
returning from being drafted into the Army 11th Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam and Cambodia.

After a short while as an attorney, he turned to writing to deal personally with his time in the
Army, soon making it his full-time career. He spoke bluntly and roughly of his violent and
isolating experiences in war and was glad his books helped others feel less alone.

Writer Howard Andrew Jones shares, “David Drake was concisely direct and yet incredibly kind
and supportive from the first time I wrote him (without publishing credits) to the last email I
exchanged with him after he blurbed my new series. His approach with me never changed — I
think he always saw himself primarily as just another genre fan, happy to talk the stuff he loved
with anyone who shared that love. I’ll never forget his warmth and generosity.”

David Drake lived 78 years.