David Weber
{{Short description|American science fiction and fantasy author (born 1952)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = David Weber
| image = David Weber at CONduit 17 (cropped).png
| caption = Weber at CONduit 17 (26 May 2007)
| alt = David and Sharon Weber at CONduit 17
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = David Mark Weber
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|10|24}}
| birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Novelist, short story author
| education = Warren Wilson College
Appalachian State University (MA)
| language = English
| genre = Science fiction (esp. military science fiction), fantasy, alternate history)
| movement =
| spouse = Sharon Weber/Sylvia Hipp(first wife)
| children = 3
| website = {{URL|http://www.davidweber.net/}}
| notableworks = Honor Harrington series, Safehold series, War God series
}}
David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best-known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His first novel, which he worked on with Steve White, sold in 1989 to Baen Books. Baen remains Weber's major publisher.
Writing career
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 24, 1952,{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/davidweberauthor/|title=David Weber, Author|publisher=Facebook|access-date=January 19, 2016}} Weber began writing while in fifth grade.{{cite web|website=WildViolet.net|url=http://www.wildviolet.net/live_steel/david_weber.html |title=Interview |author=Wilson, Alyse }} Some of Weber's first jobs within the writing/advertising world began after high school when he worked as copywriter, typesetter, proofreader, and paste-up artist. He later earned an undergraduate degree from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina and an M.A. in history from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.{{cite web|url=http://www.davidweber.net/biography|title=Biography -- David Weber|website=www.davidweber.net}}
Weber's first published novels grew out of his work as a wargame designer for the Task Force board wargame Starfire. Weber used the Starfire universe as a setting for short stories that he wrote for the company's Nexus magazine, and he also wrote the Starfire novel Insurrection (1990) with Stephen White after Nexus was canceled; this book was the first in a tetralogy that concluded with their final collaboration, The Shiva Option (2002), which was included in The New York Times Best Seller list.{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7|pages=115}}
Weber was influenced by C. S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian, Keith Laumer, H. Beam Piper, Robert A. Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Christopher Anvil and Anne McCaffrey.{{Cite book | date = April 2003 | title = The Interstellar Patrol | last = Anvil | first = Christopher | publisher = Baen Publishing Enterprises | location = Riverdale, NY | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/interstellarpatr00anvi/page/3 | isbn = 0-7434-3600-8 | others = Edited by Eric Flint, Cover art by Mark Hennessey-Barratt | chapter = Introduction by David Weber | page = [https://archive.org/details/interstellarpatr00anvi/page/3 3] | chapter-url-access = registration }}{{Cite web|url=http://stage.scifi.co.uk/blog/interview-1/david-weber-takes-readers-on-a/ |title=David Weber takes readers on a tour Off Armageddon Reef and discusses writing, religion and responsibility |access-date=February 3, 2010 |author=John Joseph Adams |date=May 7, 2007 |work=SCI FI Weekly |publisher=SciFi.com }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Weber's novels range from epic fantasy (Oath of Swords, The War God's Own) to space opera (Path of the Fury, The Armageddon Inheritance) to alternate history (1632 series with Eric Flint) and military science fiction with in-depth characterization.{{cite web|website=Convergence-Con |url=http://www.convergence-con.org/convergence/node/95 |title=Convergence |date=2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105230546/http://www.convergence-con.org/convergence/node/95 |archive-date=January 5, 2009 |df=mdy }}
A lifetime military history buff, David Weber has carried his interest of history into his fiction. He is said to be interested in most periods of history, with a strong emphasis on the military and diplomatic aspects.{{Cite web | url = http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/features/2002/In-Honor-I-gained-them-5718.php | title = In Honor I gained them | access-date = February 2, 2011 | author = Stephen Hunt | year = 2002 | publisher = SF Crowsnest.com | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120312051327/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/features/2002/In-Honor-I-gained-them-5718.php | archive-date = March 12, 2012 | url-status = dead }}
Weber prefers to write about strong characters. He develops a character's background story in advance in considerable detail because he wants to achieve that degree of comfort level with the character. Weber has said he writes primarily in the evenings and at night.
Weber says he makes an effort to accept as many invitations to science fiction conferences and conventions as he can, because he finds the direct feedback from readers that he gets at conventions extremely useful. He makes a habit of Tuckerizing people from fandom, particularly in the Honor Harrington books (see, e.g., Jordin Kare).
In 2008, Weber donated his archive to the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.{{cite web|website=Ulib.niu.edu |url=http://www.ulib.niu.edu/rarebooks/sciencefiction.cfm |title=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Collection |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603071546/http://www.ulib.niu.edu/rarebooks/sciencefiction.cfm |archive-date=June 3, 2012 |df=mdy }}
Weber received four Dragon Awards[https://www.sfadb.com/David_Weber]
Personal life
Weber and his wife, Sharon, live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".{{cite web |url=http://www.webscription.net/chapters/1439133611/1439133611.htm?blurb |title=Mission of Honor by David Weber |website=Baen Books |access-date=May 19, 2010 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906183809/http://www.webscription.net/chapters/1439133611/1439133611.htm?blurb |url-status=dead }}
Weber is a lay speaker in the United Methodist Church, and he tries to explore in his writing how religions (both real-life and fictional) can be forces for good on the one hand, and misused to defend evil causes on the other.{{cite AV media |title=An Interview with David Weber, Part 4 |medium=YouTube Video |language=en|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_k6ZPGGBfA |access-date=14 September 2015 |publisher=Blackfive TV }}{{cite web|url=http://www.baen.com/Interviews/vintDWeber.htm |website=Baen |title=Blackfive video interview with David Weber |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803102251/http://www.baen.com/Interviews/vintDWeber.htm |archive-date=August 3, 2009 |df=mdy }}
Weber belongs to the American Small Business Administration, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and the National Rifle Association of America.{{cite web|last1=Suciu|first1=Liviu|title=Interview with David Weber (Interviewed by Liviu Suciu)|url=http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-david-weber-interviewed.html|access-date=17 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012120106/http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-david-weber-interviewed.html|archive-date=October 12, 2009|url-status=live}}David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer (2007). The Space Opera Renaissance. Macmillan, p. 145.
Published works
{{main|David Weber bibliography}}
Weber's main works are contained in the following series:
- Honorverse
- Dahak
- War God
- Empire of Man
- Safehold
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
- {{Official website|http://www.davidweber.net/}}
- {{ISFDB name|id=David_Weber}}
- [https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/index/id/1952 Baen Books' catalogue for David Weber]
{{David Weber}}
{{Honorverse}}
{{Safehold series}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, David}}
Category:20th-century American short story writers
Category:20th-century American novelists
Category:21st-century American short story writers
Category:21st-century American novelists
Category:American fantasy writers
Category:American male novelists
Category:American male short story writers
Category:American science fiction writers
Category:Military science fiction writers
Category:Writers from Cleveland
Category:American United Methodists
Category:20th-century American male writers