Sterling E. Lanier

Sterling Edmund Lanier was an American editor, science fiction author, and sculptor, born in New York City on December 18, 1927, and died on June 28, 2007. He is often remembered for his work at Chilton Books, where he helped bring Frank Herbert’s Dune into print when the novel had already been turned down elsewhere.

As a writer, he is especially associated with Hiero’s Journey and its sequel The Unforsaken Hiero, vivid post-apocalyptic adventures with a strong cult following. He also wrote the Brigadier Ffellowes stories, blending fantasy, tall tales, and a playful storytelling voice.

Beyond books, he also worked as a sculptor and jeweler, which adds to the sense that he moved easily between different kinds of imaginative work. Taken together, his legacy is that of a versatile genre figure: an editor with sharp instincts, and an author whose fiction still stands out for its sweep and strangeness.