Balefires

Balefires is the long-awaited collection of David Drake's weird and fantastic fiction. Before Drake was a best-selling author of military science fiction, he was a prolific writer of horror and fantasy short fiction. Balefires collects some of his earliest professional sales (including his first sale to Arkham House.) In addition, Balefires brings together many stories set in the worlds of his fantasy novels (Ranks of Bronze, Lord of the Isles, etc.) and contains original fiction. More than just a collection of stories, Balefires features extensive story notes that chronicle the development of the writing career of one of the science fiction's most popular writers, and provides detailed snapshots of the larger than life editors, publishers and writers that Drake has worked with throughout his career.Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for his hard-hitting military SF, Drake (Some Golden Harbor) has also written some impressive fantasy and horror, as shown by this collection of 24 stories from all phases of his career. "Firefight" and "The Hunting Ground" are as gritty as any of the Hammer's Slammers series, while U.S. soldiers in Vietnam battle unexpected enemies in "Arclight," "Something Had to Be Done" and "Best of Luck." Fans of sword and sorcery will find "The False Prophet" as exciting as any adventure of Conan or Elric, but anchored by the realism evoked by the author's extensive classical scholarship. The controversial "Smokie Joe" is genuinely horrifying, while "Than Curse the Darkness" reveals why some humans worship Lovecraft's dark gods. Drake is perhaps at his best in tales like "The Red Leer" and "The Barrow Troll," which deal with the changes that violence brings about in its wielders. Illuminating introductory author notes explore each story's origins. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This collection efficiently rescues 24 of Drake's early short stories from the archives and out-of-print limbo. Drake's career began in fantasy and horror, with his first sale being to August Derleth of horror specialty publisher Arkham House, and he didn't entirely give up those genres after his Vietnam experience allowed him on-location research on the realities in which his military sf is based. His introductions to the separate stories are quite valuable, since they offer the closest thing to an autobiography yet from this distinguished and versatile writer. Readers can find samples of the distinction and the versatility in "The Red Leer," "Smokie Joe" (twice banned for its erotic content), "The Barrow Troll," "The Dancer in the Flames," "The Hunting Ground," and "The Automatic Rifleman," a classic of both horror and Vietnam's influence on Drake. Like much of Drake's later work, this stuff isn't for the weak of stomach or those averse to high body counts. It's high-quality storytelling, nonetheless. Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

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