[Thanks to Baen Books for this tribute.]

David Drake, the science fiction and fantasy writer often referred to as “the Dean of Military Science Fiction,” died December 10, 2023, in his home close to Pittsboro, North Carolina. He was 78.

The author or coauthor of over 80 books, he is best known for helping to establish the military science fiction subgenre. Drake’s writing after his Vietnam war experiences is credited with bringing a “grunt’s eye view” to the writing of military science fiction, centering the experience of the soldiers on the ground. His works made an indelible mark on the fields of science fiction and fantasy, and influenced the lives of many veterans and first responders for the better.

Born September 24, 1945, in Dubuque, Iowa, Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin—a subject which would prove a lifelong passion and inspiration for many of his works.

While studying law at Duke University, Drake was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11^th Armored Cavalry, the Blackhorse Regiment, in Vietnam and Cambodia. The experience was a defining one for Drake. He described his work—especially his early stories and novels—as a form of therapy, helping him deal with what he had seen during the war. Upon returning stateside and graduating law school, Drake served as assistant town attorney in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for eight years before turning to writing full time.

His first book was the influential Hammer’s Slammers (1979), the first in a series of ten books, drawn largely from his own military experience. In addition to launching Drake’s literary career, the book also marked the beginning of Drake’s association with Jim Baen, which would continue until Baen’s death in 2006. Three of the stories in Hammer’s Slammers were bought by Baen as editor of Galaxy Magazine, and when Baen took over as science fiction editor at Ace Books, he contacted Drake’s agent, asking for additional stories to complete a collection. Drake would follow Baen to Tor and would become one of the first authors to sign with Baen Books when Jim Baen started the company in 1983. Drake’s relationship with Baen Books continued after the death of Jim Baen, with many more works including Drake’s final published novels, the Time of Heroes series.

In addition to the Hammer’s Slammers series, Drake’s work included the RCN series, which were influenced by Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin novels, the Belisarius series, the General series, and the Lord of the Isles series of fantasy novels, as well as the Old Nathan Appalachian stories and many standalone novels, including Starliner and Redliners, both cited by current Baen Books publisher and editor-in-chief, Toni Weisskopf, as personal favorites and exemplars of the best the science fiction genre has to offer. An anniversary edition of Redliners contains samples of the many positive reader responses to that work.

Drake was a collector of pulp magazines and an advocate for the stories that appeared in them. With his friend and fellow author Karl Edward Wagner, Drake founded Carcosa, a short-lived but legendary small press in the mold of Arkham House. With Jim Baen, he curated the Robert E. Howard Library for Baen Books and served as editor of almost a dozen collections of short fiction.

Drake often downplayed his contributions to the field but was honored by author/editor Mark L.Van Name and Baen Books with a tribute volume Onward, Drake! featuring appreciations and new stories influenced by his work. It was released in 2015, the same year Drake was named a special guest at the World Fantasy Convention.

Reflecting on his career in a newsletter to his readers earlier this year, Drake wrote, “I wouldn’t have become a writer if I weren’t a Nam vet. I’ve been asked if you can write military sf if you’ve never served. Of course you can, but I don’t know why you’d want to.”

After a series of health problems, Drake announced his retirement from novel writing in 2021.

He is survived by his wife Joanne (Kammiller) Drake; his son, Jonathan Drake, daughter-in-law April, and his grandson, Tristan Drake, all of Burlington, NC; and one sister, Diana Drake, and her partner David Handler of Old Lyme, CT.