Books: The Unforsaken Hiero

 (Drivebycuriosity) - The 1970s were the time of the cold war and everyone was afraid of a possible devastating nuclear conflict between the West and the Soviet Union. A good climate for books about post-apocalyptic worlds.

Sterling E. Lanier`s fantasy novel "Hiero`s Journey", published in 1973, belongs to best post-apocalytic scenarios (my. review). The plot is set about 5,000 years after the disaster. The nuclear strikes had changed the genes of everything living - and created new and bizarre life forms. The plot follows a military priest who is fighting against powerful evil forces, with the help of exotic mutants and his own enhanced psychic capabilities (this is a spoiler-free blog). Much fun to read.  

Unfortunately the follow-up "The Unforsaken Hiero" disappoints ( amazon). Some of the fascinating companions of the first book are missing in the begin of the novel and the new challenges and life forms the protagonists meets instead are less interesting. Parts of "The Unforsaken Hiero" remind of Brother Grimm`s fairy tales, but not in a good way.

I still recommend Vol. 1 for fans of well written post-apocalyptic fantasies.