David Drake Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Hammer's Slammers Books
Hammer's Slammers | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
At Any Price | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Counting the Cost | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rolling Hot | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Warrior | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Sharp End | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Paying the Piper | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 1 | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 2 | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 3 | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Hammerverse Books
The Forlorn Hope | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cross The Stars | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Voyage | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of ARC Riders Books
Publication Order of Battlestations Books
Publication Order of Belisarius Books
An Oblique Approach | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In the Heart of Darkness | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Destiny's Shield | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fortune's Stroke | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Tide of Victory | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Dance of Time | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of The Books of the Elements Books
The Legions of Fire | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Out of the Waters | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Monsters of the Earth | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Air and Darkness | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Citizen Books
Into the Hinterlands | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Into the Maelstrom | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Crisis of Empire Books
An Honorable Defense | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cluster Command | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The War Machine | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crown of Empire | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Crown Of The Isles Books
The Fortress of Glass | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mirror of Worlds | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Gods Return | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of The Fleet Books
Counter Attack | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Breakthrough | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sworn Allies | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Total War | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crisis | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Heroes In Hell Books
Publication Order of Lt. Leary / RCN Books
With the Lightnings | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lt. Leary, Commanding | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Far Side of the Stars | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Way to Glory | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Some Golden Harbor | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
When the Tide Rises | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In the Stormy Red Sky | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
What Distant Deeps | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Road of Danger | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Sea Without a Shore | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death's Bright Day | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Though Hell Should Bar the Way | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
To Clear Away the Shadows | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Lord of the Isles Books
Lord of the Isles | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Queen of Demons | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Servant of the Dragon | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mistress of the Catacombs | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Goddess of the Ice Realm | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Master of the Cauldron | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Northworld Books
Northworld | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Vengeance | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Justice | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Raj Whitehall/The General Books
The Forge | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Hammer | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Anvil | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Steel | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Sword | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Chosen | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Reformer | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Tyrant | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Heretic | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Savior | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Reaches Books
Igniting the Reaches | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Through the Breach | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fireships | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Seas of Venus Books
Publication Order of Starhunters Books
Men Hunting Things | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Things Hunting Men | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Bluebloods | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Time of Heroes Books
The Spark | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Storm | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Serpent | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Tom Kelly Books
Publication Order of War and Honor Books
Publication Order of World Of Crystal Walls Books
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Dragon Lord | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Birds of Prey | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Killer | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Active Measures | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Strangers and Lovers | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Bridgehead | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lacey and His Friends | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kill Ratio | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dagger | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Vettius and His Friends | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Target | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Undesired Princess and the Enchanted Bunny | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Hunter Returns | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Old Nathan | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Starliner | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tyrannosaur | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Enemy of My Enemy | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Redliners | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Patriots | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Other Times Than Peace | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Voyage Across the Stars | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dinosaurs & a Dirigible | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
Time Safari | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
From the Heart of Darkness | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Military Dimension | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Military Dimension Mark II | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
All the Way to the Gallows | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Grimmer Than Hell | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Balefires | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
NightDemons | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Publication Order of Heroes in Hell Books
Heroes in Hell | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Gates of Hell | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kings in Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crusaders in Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Angels in Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Little Helliad | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
War in Hell | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Prophets in Hell | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lawyers in Hell | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Poets in Hell | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Magic: The Gathering: Anthology Books
Tapestries | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rath and Storm | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Colors of Magic | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Myths of Magic | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Dragons of Magic | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Secrets of Magic | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Monsters of Magic | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Path of the Planeswalker: A Magic: The Gathering Graphic Anthology | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Honorverse Books
On Basilisk Station | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Honor of the Queen | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Short Victorious War | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Field of Dishonor | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Flag in Exile | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honor Among Enemies | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In Enemy Hands | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Beautiful Friendship" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Whiff of Grapeshot" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Grand Tour" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Echoes of Honor | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Stray" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"What Price Dreams?" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Hard Way Home" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Queen's Gambit" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Deck Load Strike" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ashes of Victory | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Changer of Worlds" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"From the Highlands" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Nightfall" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
War of Honor | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Promised Land" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"With One Stone" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Ship Named Francis" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Let's Go to Prague" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Fanatic" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Service of the Sword" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crown of Slaves | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Shadow of Saganami | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
At All Costs | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Storm from the Shadows | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Torch of Freedom | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mission of Honor | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Ruthless" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Let's Dance" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"An Act of War" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Beautiful Friendship | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Rising Thunder | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fire Season | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of Freedom | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"I Will Build a House of Steel" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"By the Book" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Beauty and the Beast" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Best Laid Plans" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Obligated Service" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Call to Arms" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Treecat Wars | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cauldron of Ghosts | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Duty | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Arms | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of Victory | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Our Sacred Honor" | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Vengeance | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Uncompromising Honor | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Recruiting Exercise" | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
To End in Fire | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Insurrection | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Books in parentheses are short stories found in collections or anthologies. |
Chronological Order of Honorverse Books
"By the Book" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Beautiful Friendship" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Beautiful Friendship | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Stray" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fire Season | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Treecat Wars | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Duty | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Arms | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Call to Arms" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Vengeance | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"What Price Dreams?" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Beauty and the Beast" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"I Will Build a House of Steel" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Our Sacred Honor" | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Best Laid Plans" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Recruiting Exercise" | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Queen's Gambit" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Hard Way Home" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Promised Land" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Ruthless" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Let's Dance" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
On Basilisk Station | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"With One Stone" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Honor of the Queen | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Short Victorious War | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Field of Dishonor | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Grand Tour" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Deck Load Strike" | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Flag in Exile | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Ship Named Francis" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honor Among Enemies | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Changer of Worlds" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"A Whiff of Grapeshot" | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In Enemy Hands | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Echoes of Honor | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Let's Go to Prague" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ashes of Victory | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"An Act of War" | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"From the Highlands" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Nightfall" | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Fanatic" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"The Service of the Sword" | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
War of Honor | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crown of Slaves | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Torch of Freedom | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Shadow of Saganami | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
At All Costs | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Storm from the Shadows | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mission of Honor | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
"Obligated Service" | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Rising Thunder | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of Freedom | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cauldron of Ghosts | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of Victory | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Uncompromising Honor | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Call to Insurrection | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
To End in Fire | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Publication Order of Car Warriors Books
GURPS Autoduel: Roleplaying in the world of Car Wars | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Square Deal | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Double Jeopardy | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Back from Hell | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Heroes In Hell Books
Rebels In Hell | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Gates of Hell | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Masters in Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kings in Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Legions of Hell | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Worlds of Honor Books
More Than Honor | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Worlds of Honor | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Changer of Worlds | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Service of the Sword | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In Fire Forged | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Beginnings | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
What Price Victory? | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Ranks of Bronze Books
Ranks of Bronze | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Foreign Legions | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Excalibur Alternative | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Foreign Legions is a novella collection. |
Publication Order of Anthologies
Nameless Places | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series IV | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rivals Of Dracula | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Whispers | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series V | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series VI | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Chrysalis Volume 2 | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
There Will Be War | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series XII | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Third Omni Book of Science Fiction | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Free Lancers | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Separate Star: A Tribute to Rudyard Kipling | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Far Stars War | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Power | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cats in Space... and Other Places | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Battlestations | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honor of the Regiment | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
100 Vicious Little Vampire Stories | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Warmasters | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mountain Magic | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The World Turned Upside Down | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Elemental: The Tsunami Relief Anthology | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Space Opera Renaissance | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Best of Jim Baen's Universe | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This Is My Funniest 2 | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Book of Cthulhu | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Fleet | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mammoth Book of SF Wars | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadows of the New Sun | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Flotsam Fantastique: The Souvenir Book of World Fantasy Convention 2013 | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Baen Big Book of Monsters | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Worst Contact | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's Best Military & Adventure SF Volume 3 | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Infinite Stars | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Space Pioneers | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Give Me LibertyCon | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Weird World War III | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Bullet Points 2 | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
David Drake is one of the major bestseller authors in the American Military Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. Since 1979, he authored and co-authored more than a hundred books, and published many more anthologies and short stories. He worked in collaboration with many writers such as Eric Flint, Karl Edward Wagner and S.M. Stirling.
A Short Bio
David Drake was born on September 24, 1945, to a middle class family in Iowa. David was an avid lover of the written word from a very young age. When he was only two years old, way before he learned to read, he fell in love with a poem from The Big Golden Book of Poetry, “The Chickens”. He liked it so much, that he insisted that his parents read it to him every night even though he knew it perfectly by heart. When David was ten years old, he read his first science fiction novel – The Angry Planet by John Keir Cross – which astounded him both in its ingenuity and its seriousness. Even though it was intended for children, the book dealt with sensitive subjects like war and death.In 1967, David graduated the University of Iowa, majoring in History and Latin, and moved to North Carolina to enter Duke University Law School. However, David’s studies were interrupted in 1969, his second year, when he was drafted to the US military and sent to fight in the Vietnam War.Drake cites his service in the Vietnam War as “The greatest single influence on my life”, and then goes on to add “I wish that weren’t true, but it is.” He actually spent most of his time in Cambodia, as he finished his military training just in time for the invasion of Cambodia in 1970. If not for the war, David says, he wouldn’t have written so many stories about soldiers, battles and the military. As a result, his stories often hold a very cruel mirror to life, describing in great details all the atrocities done by human beings in order to win a war. During the war, he saw a lot of death and pain caused to soldiers and civilians. Some of his books deal specifically with these tender subjects.He lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina, with his wife Jo, whom he met at a young age when studying at the University of Iowa. Together they have one son, Jonathan, born in 1973. David was one the initiators of a small press company called Carcosa, along with fellow writer Karl Edward Wagner.
David Drake’s Best Known Novels and Series
Redliners (1996)
David Drake’s novel Redliners tells the story of the Strike Force Company C41, with their commander Major Arthur Farrell. The company has seen a lot of war, and each of its members deals with their own painful memories. They are no longer fit for battle, but nor do they fit to lead their civilian lives again. When their last mission goes wrong, it becomes their responsibility to protect civilian lives and risk their own like they never dreamed before.David says about Redliners “…What came out in Redliners broke twenty-five years of, well, something…” Refering to his own experience of fighting against a larger than life enemy in Vietnam and Cambodia. He says many people with PSTD (Posttraumatic stress disorder, sadly common among war veterans) have read the book and said it helped them a lot to deal with the pain. Dealing with these touchy subjects is why Redliners is one of Drake’s best and most disturbing novels, some would even go as far as to considers it Drake’s masterpiece. David himself says that in Redliners he was “writing over his head” and that the process of creating the novel had helped him to deal with a lot of stress and trauma he had since the war.
Hammer’s Slammers
The “Hammer’s Slammers” series is one of David Drake’s best known works. First book of the series was published in 1979, with the same name as the entire series, and is a collection of short stories following the missions of a mercenary armored tank regiment in a fictional war in the 30th century, and their captain Colonel Alois Hammer. David says the series is very much influenced from his own experiences as an interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Vietnam War. The series contain purely Science Fiction themes like advanced technology and weaponry.
The series contains 10 books, the last one published in 2002, and four anthologies. It has been adapted to many board games and role playing games, and has enjoyed a very loyal fan base over the decades since its first book.
Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles is a series of fantasy novels David began in 1997 with the first book – Lord of the Isles. The series tell of an archipelago known in the books as The Isles, and its inhabitant, specifically four young children from a small village in one of the isles. The books deal with one of the children, Garric or-Reise, and his claim to rule the entire archipelago. In the series world you can find many fantastical elements like magic and parallel realities. The series is 9 books long, but is usually divided into two parts – The first six books are called together Lord of the Isles, and the final trilogy is called Crown of the Isles.Garric or-Reise is just a young boy from a tiny town by the seaport. His destiny is changed forever once he saves the life of a mystical sorceress from the ancient past called Tenoctris. Through the first book, he finds out he is the heir to the last great king who ruled over the entire archipelago a thousand years ago, and sets forth on a journey to discover who he really is and reclaim his throne.Sharina is Garric’s sister. She too, on the first book of the series, finds out that she is not just a simple town girl, when a galley lands on the shores of the town with an envoy seeking for the lost heiress for an ancient dukedom, and finding Sharina to be that heiress. Like her brother Garric, she also embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.
Availability
You can get David Drake’s books in many retailers, like Amazon, in either Hardcover, Paperback or Kindle versions.
Book Series In Order » Authors »
I found this fascinating in its scope. I can’t wait to read (or re-read) books in their order of appearance. I have the three collections of Hammer’s Slammers, and I love the series of books about a more-lucky-than-good starship captain and his odd sidekick, a withdrawn librarian who can make computers dance the samba while fighting off a hoard of enemies. And the crew of the good ship Cecille – the “sissies” are wonderful characters in themselves. I really love those, and was excited to see that the series has grown dramatically since I last read one – can’t wait to read them all. Plus, I want to read all the other David Drake books. Thanks for this list.