In Benjamin Percy's new thriller, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga, a super flue and nuclear fallout have made a husk of the world we know. One hundred and fifty years ago - when the world began to fall apart, when the flu mutated and millions began to die - downtown St. Louis was fortified. There was no time for committees, for debate, for a show of hands. There was no time to collect toothbrushes, rifles, photo albums, to call upon family members to join those inside. The few had to make the immediate decision to live or die. The flu was airborne. And it was coming. So a wall was built and has remained ever since. St. Louis - now called the Sanctuary - is a shielded community that owes its survival to its militant defense and fear-mongering leaders. Then a rider comes from the wasteland beyond its walls. She reports on the outside world: west of the Cascades, rain falls, crops grow, civilization thrives. But there is danger too: the rising power of an army that pillages and enslaves every community they happen upon. Against the wishes of the Sanctuary, a small group sets out in secrecy on an epic quest across America's blasted heartland, determined to secure a better life. Led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark, they hope to expand their infant nation and reunite the States - but the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight. -- Jacket flap.