Sanctuary, by James Cleary (REVIEW) — Inside a Fortress, Is the Greater Danger Outside... or Within?

 It’s the end of the world as we know it... but only the super-rich feel fine.

(Well, closer to fine, anyway.)

 

In an America that could exist in the not-so-distant future, every nightmare scenario has become reality.

The oceans have encroached on the coasts, submerging entire cities. 

The fertile farmlands of the country’s midsection have completely dried up—no longer fit to produce either crops or livestock—leaving them nearly-unlivable dust bowls.

Unable to afford even the basics—ample food, safe housing, medicine, modern technology and equipment—and being refused government assistance, the general populace is stirring.

Angry. Hungry. Tired. Restless. 

Millions of powder kegs set to ignite.

The government is well aware of the imminent danger—as are the multi-billionaires whose money runs all of the men in power.

And those wealthier-than-Croesus individuals? They’ve been planning for this eventual outcome a very long time... building luxury bunkers for themselves, to weather the storm.

James Cleary paints a vivid picture of how this might all play out in his chilling debut, Sanctuary.

 

 

When billionaire John Brandt receives word that all hell’s starting to break loose, his team has mere hours to act... frantically gathering the Brandt family (wife, teenage daughter—currently on a climbing trip in Central America—and young son) and support staff (mostly military), then getting them on private jets bound for his remote compound—Sanctuary—now.

No one really wants to go to the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska—even though they’ll hardly be roughing it, staying in a luxurious mansion with every amenity.

If danger gets too close? They’ll just move into the equally well-appointed underground bunker, which has enough provisions to last their number for several years.

The Brandts. Their cook/housekeeper and her adult daughter. A scientist. An engineer. A botanist. And the small-but-lethal group of ex-soldiers who monitor every inch of the property, 24/7.

All of them settle into their new “normal”—safe, pampered... and quietly suffocating inside their well-protected fortress.

 

What they don’t know is that a mere hundred miles to the east, a motley group of regular people—families, mostly, with meager belongings (and plenty of guns) crammed into several pickup trucks—is heading their way across the hot, dusty plains.

Hungry. Scared. 

And aware of the bunker’s existence through one man, Tom Grady... who’d been part of Sanctuary’s huge construction crew, a few years earlier. 

Grady knows how enormous the bunker is... and he also knows its weaknesses.

He knows there’s more than enough food and supplies to go around for whoever the billionaire has with him... and for the desperate neighbors accompanying Grady.

If Brandt invites them to stay—like a decent human would—they’ll all be happy to pitch in and do any work that needs doing, to keep everything running.

But if—as Grady fears likely—Brandt refuses to offer them hospitality and aid, well... that’s why they’re loaded for bear. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all.

Because when the lives of whole families are in peril, not just individuals?

Fighting with everything you’ve got becomes the only option.

 

 

Cleary has created a tale both timely and wrenching with Sanctuary.

Echoing so many things currently going horribly wrong in our world, he nudges them just a degree or two higher... to stunning—and frequently heartbreaking—effect.

His vision feels like a mere blink from where things stand today... and all the things we’ve been doing—and letting happen—for decades.

Beautifully written, Sanctuary is an easy read, as Cleary’s words flow easily and resonate strongly. At the same time, it’s also a painful one, with blow after emotional blow.

There are moments of quiet devastation—accompanied by an unholy cacophony of noise, yet somehow themselves devoid of sound... because the pain you feel while reading is all you really hear.

Every character is thoroughly drawn—nobody is one-dimensional, here—and when any of them chooses to do (or not do) something, you fully believe it. (That isn’t always easy to achieve when writing for this many characters—and so much action—but the author nails it.)

The physical worldbuilding is likewise spot-on. Whether the action is out in the gritty, dust-swirling outdoors, in the walls of the immaculate mansion, or within the confines of the immense underground bunker, it’s easy to picture everything... and to feel like you, too, are right there.

The best stories—no matter how fantastical or ordinary—work because they feel real. 

Because they connect to common emotions, thoughts, and experiences that all of us understand.

Happiness. Pride. Hate. Fear. Greed. Inequality. Selfishness. Sadness. Loss.

Sanctuary holds up a mirror, showing what it looks like when common decency and respect for people and the world around us are the driving forces... and what can happen when they aren’t. 

 

Whether you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories... psychological thrillers... sci-fi that’s gazing mere moments into the future... action-adventure tales... speculative fiction that’s incredibly well-written (or some combination of the above)... I’m giving James Cleary’s Sanctuary my hearty recommendation as a “must-read”. 

~GlamKitty

[Thanks to Penguin Random House and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]