''Hiero's Journey ''is a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by American writer

Sterling Lanier Sterling Edmund Lanier (December 18, 1927 – June 28, 2007) was an American editor, science fiction author and sculptor. He is perhaps known best as the editor who championed the publication of Frank Herbert’s bestselling novel ''Dune''. Life ...

first published in 1973 by

Chilton Book Co. Chilton Company (AKA Chilton Printing Co., Chilton Publishing Co., Chilton Book Co. and Chilton Research Services) is a former publishing company, most famous for its trade magazines, and automotive manuals. It also provided conference and market ...

The novel follows the adventures of a priest by the name of Per Hiero Desteen, a descendant of the ancient

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

people, as he explores the mutant-infested wilderness of Canada and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

five millennia after an event called The Death destroyed civilization (7476 A.D.). Riding a mutant

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

named Klootz, with which he is able to communicate telepathically, Hiero is on a secret mission to uncover the secret of the computer, pre-death technology which could help coordinate his people's defence against evil forces which are slowly subverting, corrupting and encircling his civilisation. Hiero's eventual allies include Gorm, a telepathic

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, Luchare, a princess from the distant kingdom of D'alwah, and the Eleveners, followers of the Eleventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not destroy the Earth or the life thereon". On his journey he faces many dangers, including mutated humans, mutant beasts, pirates, and the evil forces of The Brotherhood of the Unclean, ancient enemies of the Eleveners, who are desperate to learn the secret of Hiero's mission and stop him from undoing their evil plans. Several reviewers note that the novel reflects

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

sensibilities, including fears of a

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear Armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. Such a scenar ...

wiping out civilization. The presence of a Christian religious order is also reminiscent of the novel ''

A Canticle for Leibowitz ''A Canticle for Leibowitz'' is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating n ...

''. ''Hiero's Journey'' was the first book in a planned trilogy, but only the sequel, ''The Unforsaken Hiero'', was ever published."Tor.com: Advanced Readings in D&D: Sterling E. Lanier"
/ref>

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

, co-creator of

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

, credits ''Hiero's Journey'' as an influence on Dungeons & Dragons in Appendix N of the AD&D

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

."AD&D Reading List"
/ref> The novel is also credited as a direct influence for another TSR roleplaying game, the post-apocalyptic RPG

Gamma World ''Gamma World'' is a science fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and first published by TSR in 1978. It borrowed heavily from Ward's earlier game, ''Metamorphosis Alpha''. Setting ''Gamma World'' ...

References

1973 American novels 1973 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Post-apocalyptic novels Novels by Sterling E. Lanier Chilton Company books {{1970s-specf-novel-stub