On April 28th, 2026, get ready for a blistering debut novel set in a post-apocalyptic world that’s every bit a eerie as it is timely.
Set in the near future, Sanctuary, the debut novel from James Cleary (published by Berkley), imagines an America crippled by climate disasters—half the country underwater, the other half a dust bowl. As unrest spirals into chaos, billionaire John Brandt activates a plan years in the making. With his family and elite security team, Brandt retreats to Sanctuary, a sprawling underground luxury bunker hidden beneath the Nebraska Great Plains. But survival has a price… and above ground, desperate people will stop at nothing to avoid death, which puts Brandt, his family, and others in the crosshairs.
One of the most anticipated debut novels of 2026, Book Spy readers are getting an exclusive look at the cover art for Sanctuary, plus a sneak peek at the first chapter.
“I was searching for a story that centered around some of today’s global issues,” Cleary explained to The Real Book Spy, “one that could play out on a large, sweeping canvas. I wanted complicated characters caught together in complicated circumstances. I found I needed to look no further than my own backyard. I began this book almost three years ago, long before the recent moral and ethical decline of so many institutions in our country and the world. The ‘overabundance of the few’ versus the ‘need of the many’ was my touchstone while writing this book, as well as the blatant corruption of the powerful and their appalling indifference to others.
“Someone once said that all novels are born out of either a sense of nostalgia or outrage. The latter is true of Sanctuary.”
Check out the plot details, cover art, and free first-chapter excerpt below.
“The meek shall inherit the Earth, unless the rich get there first.” That’s the reality of the post-apocalyptic world in this electrifying debut thriller.
The near future…
Climate disasters have crippled the United States. With half the country under water and the other half a dust bowl, civil unrest would soon escalate into something darker, something unstoppable. Billionaire John Brandt anticipated this and channeled his money, power, and influence into being prepared for the great unraveling.
Now Brandt, his family, and his security team must retreat to Sanctuary, their underground bunker—a vast luxury mansion beneath the parched earth of the Nebraskan Great Plains. But they are not alone. Above ground, a group of raiders is desperate to survive and will use any means possible to accomplish that goal.
As tensions mount both inside and out, battle lines are drawn— between the haves and the have-nots, between decency and expediency, between life and death. In this game, everyone’s a loser.