Born in
Cleveland, Ohio, on October 24, 1952, Weber began writing while in
fifth grade. 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. Weber's first published novels grew out of his work as a wargame designer for the
Task Force board wargame
Starfire. 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. 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. 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. 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 received four
Dragon Awards. == Personal life ==