''Hiero's Journey ''is a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres 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; astronom ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by American writer Sterling E. Lanier first published in 1973 by Chilton Book Co. The novel follows the adventures of a priest by the name of Per Hiero Desteen, a descendant of the ancient

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

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

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

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

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

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, 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, Hiero 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 was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

sensibilities, including fears of a

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear annihilation, nuclear armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a Futures studies, theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes widespread destruction and radi ...

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 ...

''. ''Hiero's Journey'' was the first book in a planned trilogy, with the sequel, ''The Unforsaken Hiero'', published in January of 1983."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 tabletop role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax creat ...

, co-creator of

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

, credits ''Hiero's Journey'' as an influence on Dungeons & Dragons in

Appendix N Appendix N is a list of books and authors which informed the creation of Dungeons and Dragons. The term now covers a loose literary aesthetic of pulp fantasy and planetary romance. History The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons ''Dungeon Master's Guide ...

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 post-apocalyptic science fantasy role-playing game in which player characters explore Earth centuries after the collapse of civilization, searching for artifacts from the time before "The Great Upheaval". The game was origi ...

."Tor.com: Advanced Readings in D&D: Sterling E. Lanier"
/ref>

References

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