David Drake

[biodroid]

I found a shop called Readers Warehouse in my area and also found out that they sell over printed (too many copies for the regular bookstores to handle) at 1/4 of the retail price. I then picked up David Drakes Lord of the Isles and Queen of the Demons, is he a good writer? Are these good books and a good series?

 

[chrispenycate]

I like his style generally, and have a number of his series and no few standalones, plus a selection if collaborations; but that particular series I just couldn't stomach. Mind you, I've never tried to claim my taste was universal; perhaps you'll think they're the best things he's ever done.

 

[Clansman]

I like his style generally, and have a number of his series and no few standalones, plus a selection if collaborations; but that particular series I just couldn't stomach. Mind you, I've never tried to claim my taste was universal; perhaps you'll think they're the best things he's ever done.

I must agree. By all means, get the Hammer's Slammers books, and his collaboration with S.M. Stirling on The General series (The Forge, The Hammer, The Anvil, The Steel, and The Sword) is dead brilliant. The Lord of the Isles series was sub-par, at best, but at bargain prices, it might be worth a go. His latest, The Legions of Fire, in a new series set in ancient Rome (sort of) I have critically panned:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/528218-the-legions-of-fire-by-david-drake.html

and

David Drake | Fantasy Literature

Drake is off his game of late, but his older stuff is a lot of fun.

 

[chrispenycate]

Well, I'm not sure it's the timing (although I have stopped with the Raj Whitehall books at "The Chosen"); I'v been enjoying his "Belesarius" books with Eric Flint (and "the General" with it's paranoid emperor never giving his best general enough of anything to do the job properly was based on the life of the Roman General Belisarius, so Drake's been studying up on that for some time) and the Lt. Leary books aren't that bad, while some of his older ones were.

He just doesn't win every time.