The Hero

The Hero is a military science-fiction short story by George R. R. Martin, first published in the February 1971 issue of Galaxy Magazine. It takes place in the "Thousand Worlds" universe, and is set on an unknown planet in the Manrealm during the Double War. It is about a soldier who is seeking retirement from the military and hoping to live a more exciting life on Earth. His superior officer however does not want him to retire, and tries to convince him to re-enlist.

Plot Summary
— WARNING: THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS — Field Officer John Kagen is a soldier in the Terran Expeditionary Force, and is aiding in their attempts to conquer new planets for Earth. Kagen leads the attack on a foreign planet, slaughtering the natives, who prove no match for Terran technology.

Back at the outpost, Kagen has orders to see Major Grady to discuss the end of his enlistment. After twenty years of service, Kagen is entitled to retire with a full pension. But Major Grady doesn’t want him to leave, citing his great records and all the excitement that is to come now that they’re close to open war against the Hrangan Empire. Despite his insistence, Kagen is adamant about retiring and settling specifically on Earth. Born in one of the War Worlds that provide soldiers while Earth provides high-ranking officers, Kagen wants to see what he’s been fighting for all those years. He’s getting bored with fighting and feels he’s getting older and slower. He also wants to enjoy the fame and recognition that his heroic reputation will earn him.

When it becomes clear that Kagen knows his rights and won’t step down, Grady tries to reach his gun. Kagen stops him, but is seized by the tractor beams protecting Grady’s office. Still, Grady decides to give Kagen what he wants. On the day of his retirement, Kagen takes a shuttlecraft for a starship to Earth. He’s kept in place with tractor beams for the liftoff, but instead of releasing him the tractor beams get tighter and tighter, to the point of crushing him. In the outpost, the perpetually bored Grady tells his aide to jettison Kagen’s corpse into space, release a fake news note on his death blaming the Hrangan Empire, and send his medals to the barracks museum in Kagen’s homeworld. — END OF SPOILERS —

Themes
Priscilla Zorzi from The Fandomentals argues that The Hero is an anti-war story which depicts the dehumanisation of soldiers and the indifference of their superiors. Martin describes Major Grady as perpetually aloof, as though he sees soldiers and natives as nothing but tools to achieve his goals. He clearly considers War Worlders like Kagen to be second-class citizens, to the point of feeling offended with the idea of Kagen moving to Earth. Overall Grady reads as "a sharp criticism against the people responsible for wars, who hide behind desks disregarding the lives of soldiers and civilians alike."

Meanwhile, Kagen was become conditioned by war, to the point where the violence he commits is automatic and routine. His narration reveals very little inner life, suggesting that "after twenty years of service that translated into killing, maiming, and conquering, there seems to be little humanity left in him." Kagen dedicated his life to military service and it took everything it could from him, both physically and emotionally. Even his death will serve to further an agenda against his personal wishes.

Martin's political opposition to the Vietnam War provides context for the message of the text. The reader never learns the reasons behind the conflict between Earth and the Hrangan Empire, so the whole battle feels pointless. It is the product of "two major nations measuring forces against each other in a Cold War, conquered people and territories be damned, but we never understand what they’re fighting for besides this expansionism." When asked why he wants to retire to Earth, Kagen himself says he wants to see what he’s been fighting for, implying he doesn’t know that yet.

Author's Notes
The Hero was Martin's first manuscript to be professionally published. Initially he sent the story to Galaxy Magazine in 1970, but received no response for a year. He telephoned the magazine and discovered that the story had in fact been purchased, but that somehow the manuscript and purchase order had fallen behind a filing cabinet and only recently turned up again. Martin jokes that "in some alternate universe, no one ever looked behind those files, and I'm a journalist today." Afterwards he describes the excitement he felt, followed by paranoia that they had mixed his manuscript up with someone else's or that Galaxy would go out of business before his story was published.

Finally, however, his $94 check arrived and the story was published in February 1971. Since he did not own a car, Martin had one of his friends drive him around to half the newsstands on the north shore of Evanston, Illinois (where he attended university), where he bought up ever copy of the issue he could find.

Martin partially credits the publication of The Hero with being granted "conscientious objector status" by the draft board, and avoiding conscription into the Vietnam War on the basis of his profession.

Publication History
The Hero was originally written in 1968, before being revised for professional sale in 1971. It was first published in the February 1971 issue of Galaxy Magazine.

It was included in the Martin's short story collection A Song for Lya and Other Stories, published in 1976.

It was later included in his 2003 anthology Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective.

Adaptations
In 2007, Martin's short story anthology Dreamsongs was released in audiobook format. It included a recording of The Hero read by Roy Doltrice.

Reception
In 2014, the Vassals of Kingsgrave podcast released a review of The Hero:

Connections to the "Thousand Worlds" Universe
The Hero story takes place during the Double War, as the Federal Empire seizes control of various planets in their ultimate conflict against the Hrangan Empire.

Kagen is a native of the Wellington, one of the World Worlds of the Manrealm.

The story mentions duralloy, viewscreens and stardrives, technology which is ubiquitous throughout the "Thousand Worlds" universe.