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). More than just a collection of stories, Balefires features extensive story notes that chronicles the development of the writing career of one of science fiction's most popular writers, and provides detailed snapshots of the larger-than-life editors, publishers, and writers with whom Drake has worked throughout his career.
David Drake was born on September 24, 1945, in Dubuque, Iowa. In 1967 he graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in History and Latin. In the same year he was married and entered Duke Law School. Drake was drafted out of law school and served in the army from 1969-1971, spending most of 1970 as an interrogator with the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, the Blackhorse, in Vietnam and Cambodia. Drake returned from Vietnam and finished law school, after which he spent eight years as Assistant Town Attorney of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1980 he resigned and drove a city bus part-time for a year while doing more writing. He's been a full-time freelance writer since 1981.
Drake sold his first story ( a Lovecraftian pastiche which on rereading isn't as bad as he thought it was) to August Derleth in 1966 while still an undergraduate. He continued to sell stories in law school, the army, and while working as an attorney. His first book was published in 1979 and he has had over 60 books published since then.
Cover Art by Richard Pellegrino
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 Hardcover
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.
First Edition, June 2007
Night Shade Books
Please visit us on the web at
http://www.nightshadebooks.com
Electronic Edition
Baen publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com
Electronic version by WebWrights
http://www.webscription.net
Printed in the United States of America
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ISBN-13: 978-1-59780-071-6
ISBN-10: 1-59780-071-6
Balefires: © 2007 by David Drake
This edition of Balefires © 2007 by Night Shade Books
Jacket art © 2007 by Richard Pellegrino
Jacket design by Claudia Noble
Interior layout and design by Jeremy Lassen
"Denkirch" © 1967 by David Drake; first published in Travelers by Night.
"Lord of the Depths" © 1971 by David Drake; first published in Dark Things.
"Arclight" © 1973 by David Drake; first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1973.
"The Song of the Bone" © 1973 by David Drake; first published in Whispers, December 1973.
"The Shortest Way" © 1974 by David Drake; first published in Whispers, March 1974.
"Something Had to Be Done" © 1975 by David Drake; first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1975.
"The Master of Demons" © 1975 by David Drake; first published in Dark Horizons #11, Winter/Spring 1975.
"The Barrow Troll" © 1975 by David Drake; first published in Whispers, December 1975.
"Awakening" © 1975 by David Drake; first published in Nameless Places.
"Black Iron" © 1975 by David Drake; first published in Nameless Places.
"Firefight" © 1976 by David Drake; first published in Frights.
"Blood Debt" © 1976 by David Drake; first published in The 4th Mayflower Book of Black Magic Stories.
"The Hunting Ground" © 1976 by David Drake; first published in Superhorror.
"Children of the Forest" © 1976 by David Drake; first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1976.
"Smokie Joe" © 1977 by David Drake; first published in More Devil's Kisses.
"Best of Luck" © 1978 by David Drake; first published in The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series VI.
"The Red Leer" © 1979 by David Drake; first published in Whispers II.
"Men Like Us" © 1980 by David Drake; first published in Omni, May 1980.
"Than Curse the Darkness" © 1980 by David Drake; first published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos.
"The Automatic Rifleman" © 1980 by David Drake; first published in Destinies v2, #4, Fall 1980.
"The Dancer in the Flames" © 1982 by David Drake; first published in Whispers, August 1982.
"The False Prophet" © 1989 by David Drake; first published in Vettius and Friends.
"The Elf House" © 2004 by David Drake; first published in Masters of Fantasy.
"A Land of Romance" © 2005 by David Drake; first published in The Enchanter Completed.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
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