David Poyer
Encyclopedia
David Poyer is an American
author
and retired naval
officer. He was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania
in 1949.
Poyer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. He wrote as an active duty naval officer and a naval reserve
captain, his service included duty in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, Caribbean, and Persian Gulf area, until his retirement from the navy in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976 and up until 2008 has published almost 30 novels, some of which are required reading at Annapolis, and he is called "the most popular living author of American sea fiction". Poyer is said to write in the style of Joseph Conrad
and Herman Wouk
.
Although best known for his naval fiction, in the 1980s, Poyer also wrote alternative history, and science fiction
under the pseudonym
David Andreissen. He has also published short fiction and nonfiction in numerous magazines.
Poyer's most popular novels, set in the present day, follow on the career of U.S. Navy officer Dan Lenson, a thoughtful surface line officer whose ethical questioning sometimes conflicts with his duty. Another, more slanted to the adventure genre, features an ex-Coast Guard commercial diver, Lyle "Tiller" Galloway. Both series have been published by St. Martin's Press
. A series about the US Navy during the American Civil War
is also published by Simon & Schuster
. According to Poyer, much of his work draws upon on his own experiences in military service and as a cruising sailor and sport diver.
Poyer also published a series of books set in a fictional Hemlock County. They explore the history and folklore of north-western Pennsylvania
, and the Pennsylvania oil industry that was the original basis for American industrial power. The best of these is "Thunder on the Mountain," set in the Great Depression
period. These were critically praised but did not prove as popular as his sea fiction.
Poyer currently teaches in the Wilkes University
MA/MFA low-residency program in Creative Writing at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He lives with novelist Lenore Hart and their daughter on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and retired naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
officer. He was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania
DuBois, Pennsylvania
DuBois is a city in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the principal city in the DuBois, Pa Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in 1949.
Poyer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. He wrote as an active duty naval officer and a naval reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
captain, his service included duty in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, Caribbean, and Persian Gulf area, until his retirement from the navy in July 2001.
Poyer began writing in 1976 and up until 2008 has published almost 30 novels, some of which are required reading at Annapolis, and he is called "the most popular living author of American sea fiction". Poyer is said to write in the style of Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
and Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author of novels including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.-Biography:...
.
Although best known for his naval fiction, in the 1980s, Poyer also wrote alternative history, and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
David Andreissen. He has also published short fiction and nonfiction in numerous magazines.
Poyer's most popular novels, set in the present day, follow on the career of U.S. Navy officer Dan Lenson, a thoughtful surface line officer whose ethical questioning sometimes conflicts with his duty. Another, more slanted to the adventure genre, features an ex-Coast Guard commercial diver, Lyle "Tiller" Galloway. Both series have been published by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
. A series about the US Navy during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
is also published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. According to Poyer, much of his work draws upon on his own experiences in military service and as a cruising sailor and sport diver.
Poyer also published a series of books set in a fictional Hemlock County. They explore the history and folklore of north-western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and the Pennsylvania oil industry that was the original basis for American industrial power. The best of these is "Thunder on the Mountain," set in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
period. These were critically praised but did not prove as popular as his sea fiction.
Poyer currently teaches in the Wilkes University
Wilkes University
Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students...
MA/MFA low-residency program in Creative Writing at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He lives with novelist Lenore Hart and their daughter on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
Books
- White Continent Jove Publications 1980
- The Shiloh Project: What If The Civil War Happened Now? Avon Books 1981
- Star Seed (Starblaze Editions), Walsworth Publishing Company, 1982
- The Return of Philo T. McGiffin St.Martin's Press 1983
- The Dead of Winter (Hemlock County) Tor Books 1988
- Stepfather Bank St. Martin's Press 1988
- The Gulf (Dan Lenson Novels) St Martins Press 1990
- Task Force 61 New English Library Ltd 1990
- The Med (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1991
- Bahamas Blue (Tiller Galloway Thrillers) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1992
- Hatteras Blue (Tiller Galloway Thrillers) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1992
- The Circle (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1993
- Winter in the Heart Tor Books 1994
- Louisiana Blue (Tiller Galloway Thrillers) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1995
- The Only Thing to Fear Tor Books 1996
- The Passage (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1997
- The Return of Philo T. McGiffin (Bluejacket Books) US Naval Institute Press 1997 (reissue)
- As The Wolf Loves Winter (Hemlock County) Forge Books 1997
- Down to a Sunless Sea (Tiller Galloway Thrillers) St. Martin's Paperbacks 1998
- Tomahawk (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 2000
- China Sea (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Press 2000
- Thunder on the Mountain (Hemlock County) Forge Books 2000
- Black Storm (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 2003
- Fire on the Waters : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea Simon & Schuster 2003
- The Command (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Press 2005
- A Country of Our Own: A Novel of the Confederate Raiders Simon & Schuster 2005
- That Anvil of Our Souls: A Novel of the Monitor and the Merrimack Simon & Schuster 2006
- Korea Strait (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Press 2007
- The Threat (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Paperbacks 2007
- The Weapon (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Press 2008
- The Crisis (Dan Lenson Novels) St. Martin's Press 2009