The Ferryman is an intriguing exploration of a utopian society, offering a thought-provoking premise that keeps readers engaged. While the novel is ultimately a rewarding read, its slow development may require patience. Some stretches of the story feel meandering, making it challenging to stay invested at times. However, those who persist will find an entertaining and worthwhile experience with compelling characters and an interesting world. It may not be a standout favorite for all readers, but it remains a solid and engaging novel for those who enjoy thought-provoking speculative fiction.

Justin Cronin is a masterful author. He sucks you in and then blows you away. There was quite a bit of world building going on with the separate islands and the mysterious horror from beyond. It felt like a really grown up version of The Giver world in some ways, but then there was an explosive crescendo that caused the final third to just blow by.

I swear on Mother that this was too long.

The pacing was way off throughout and characterization development was off.

The Ferryman was slow to develop. There were times where I felt that I wanted to give up because I did not know where the story was going and nothing was developing in the plot for long periods of time. At the end, I did enjoy it, but it was a difficult journey to get there.

Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman" is a masterclass in suspense and atmospheric storytelling, a gripping thriller that explores themes of memory, identity, and the chilling potential of unchecked power. Set on a remote island community seemingly untouched by the outside world, the novel immediately establishes a sense of unease. The protagonist, Proctor, lives a structured and somewhat idyllic life, ferrying the recently deceased to their final resting place. However, this carefully constructed reality begins to unravel as Proctor starts experiencing fragmented memories and unsettling visions, hinting at a past he can't quite grasp.

Cronin's writing is captivating, drawing the reader into Proctor's increasingly disorienting world. The island setting is vividly depicted, contributing to the growing sense of isolation and paranoia. The author expertly builds tension, slowly revealing pieces of the puzzle while keeping the reader guessing about the true nature of Proctor's past and the secrets the island holds. The supporting characters are equally intriguing, each harboring their own hidden agendas and contributing to the overall sense of mystery.

What makes "The Ferryman" particularly compelling is its exploration of memory and identity. Proctor's struggle to reclaim his lost memories is both heartbreaking and suspenseful, raising questions about what defines a person and the fragility of our sense of self. The novel also delves into the ethical implications of manipulating memory and the potential consequences of a society built on carefully curated illusions.

While the pacing is generally excellent, there are moments where the narrative becomes a bit dense, particularly when dealing with the intricacies of the island's history and the complex relationships between its inhabitants. However, this complexity ultimately adds to the richness of the story and its thought-provoking themes.

"The Ferryman" is a chilling and captivating read that will stay with you long after you finish it. It's a novel that blends elements of thriller, science fiction, and dystopian fiction into a truly unique and unsettling story. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy suspenseful narratives with complex characters and thought-provoking themes.

The Ferryman is a standalone post apocalyptic novel from Justin Cronin. The story revolves around Proctor, a ferryman for the land of the Prospera. Prospera is an island utopia where they have learned to reincarnate people so that when they get too old they are ferried to the Nursery to be brought back to life without any memories of your past lives. One day Proctor receives an urgent job to bring in his father, Malcolm, for a "retirement" trip to the nursery. Before Malcolm gets on the ferry he tells Proctor a secret that now has him hunted by the Prosperans. Proctor soon learns that nothing is what it seems and in order to save everyone he must figure out what is happening.

I found the story engaging and thought provoking. It is a story of what should humans learn from their own mistakes and who should be saved from those mistakes. Power, control, and money drive everything and can you really have a utopia of those exist. It also delves into who is responsible for mistakes and can they fix things. I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely recommend it. It is great to have a standalone book from this genre as soon many are now series and intended as series from the beginning. As the reader you get a satisfying conclusion to the story of Prospera and Proctor.

Interesting content. Like nothing I’ve read before. The characters were likable and I didn’t want to put it down!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions contained within are my own.

For awhile now, I’ve been wondering if dystopian novels are still for me. I love books that explore darker themes and a dystopian setting is a good way to get that. Still, I’ve noticed that quite a few that I’ve picked up in recent years had me either bored or confused or some amalgamation of both. So I was a little trepidatious when I realized that the e-ARC I accepted for The Ferryman had the “dystopia” tag. I thought the premise sounded interesting, though, and it was listed as science fiction, so I decided to give it a whirl.

This story follows Proctor Bennett, a man living on an idyllic island who has it all: the perfect wife, the perfect house, and the perfect job. Proctor works as a ferryman, a person who brings people to their “next stage” in life once they have reached retirement, and he is damn good at his job. Except… Proctor is starting to have increasingly disturbing dreams. And he’s starting to realize that maybe his perfect life isn’t as perfect as it seems.

Okay, first, I have to give this book it’s kudos. The writing in this was absolutely exquisite! Justin Cronin knows how to string together a compelling sentence and that definitely upgraded this reading experience. The writing immerses you into the world from the first chapter. It had me engrossed in the world and did a great job of world-building while not feeling like everything was being dumped on you at once. I will also say that the building of the characters was brilliantly done, to the point where I was emotionally invested to what happened to Proctor throughout the story.

That being said, this book was waaaay too long. I was in it, I was vibing, we hit a chapter where I was like “Whoa, mind-blown, this is a great ending!” …and then it kept going. For, like… 100 more pages. And it’s not that those last 100 pages were badly written or anything. The quality of the writing was kept throughout the story. But they felt so very unnecessary. Like they could have been the beginning of the second book in a duology, you know. Which made the fact that there was only about 100 pages feel like the last bit ended too soon. I don’t know if I’m making sense, but it left me feeling overall confused and underwhelmed.

Overall, this book explores some tense and bleak topics in a way that both hurts and feels like a particularly good session of therapy. It makes you think and has some fantastic writing. The characters are vivid and nuanced and, probably, my favorite part of the entire book! I just wish that it hadn’t dragged out the conclusion to the point that I was wondering when it was going to end, heh.

This was intriguing but it was the second book I read just this year with the same plot twist so I took a star off for originality.

This was a fantastic book, as all of Justin Cronin’s have been in the past. It made me think! Buy it.

Wow! This book swept me away. I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this one, as it was my first of the Author’s books. I absolutely loved it, the world building, the characters and the intrigue behind the idea of the life monitor.

The ferryman is an emotional and mysterious futuristic dystopian novel and I cannot recommend it enough! If you enjoy scifi/dystopian novels that are slower in pace but with a powerful story then definitely give this a read.

The Ferryman is a mind-bending, dystopian thriller set on a mysterious island where life seems perfect—until cracks begin to show. Proctor Bennett, a ferryman who escorts residents to their “retirement,” starts uncovering unsettling truths about his world and his own identity. The twists are wild, and Cronin’s world-building is top-notch. If you like big, thought-provoking stories with a sci-fi edge, this one’s a must-read!

This book was so interesting. I’m still processing and don’t even know how to explain it. I had no idea what I was getting into and don’t remember reading any reviews so went in blind really.

The society was fascinating and yet simplistic in its order at least at the beginning. The way the ferryman position worked and old age would send you back to the nursery. But our narrator wasn’t very reliable they kept forgetting everything.

And the dreams kept giving me a clue. My dreams usually get majorly intense or scary when my body is overheating or I need to wake up for other reasons. But I was not expecting where all the stories and dreams would lead.

The result of a wasted world and a parents intense grief.

Dystopia is becoming a more difficult sub-genre for me with every passing day. Is that because I feel the world I’m actually living in becoming one? Maybe. Either way, it is what it is. Luckily, a past version of me read The Ferryman. A version of me that didn’t feel the daily slide into oblivion. That version of me had a good time with the story. It’s a bit overlong (538 pages!), and it’s not treading any new ground (if you’ve read a dystopian story before, you know what I mean – they’re rarely mind-blowing), but it is told in an engaging manner.

Proctor Bennett, as main characters go, felt a little underwhelming to me. He pretty much cycles through every aspect of the dystopian-hero’s journey beat for beat, and doesn’t offer the reader much beyond that. He has an Everyman feel about him – I imagine that was intentional. But I liked pretty much all the characters he interacted with much more than I did him, so it still worked out well for me. The Ferryman has big The Giver and Logan’s Run vibes, although as mentioned, I definitely engaged with the mc way less than I did in either of those examples. But story-wise, like I said, if you’ve read one dystopian novel, you can pretty well figure out where this one is going.

I know all this sounds like I didn’t enjoy The Ferryman, which is probably confusing. I apologize for that. But the thing is this: although I didn’t find the premise of The Ferryman terribly original, and at parts the story did feel a bit too plodding for my taste, overall it was an enjoyable read. I like this kind of story even though they lean heavily toward mind-numbing predictability. It’s like I watched a really long episode of a comfort show. Or literally any of the Hunger Games movies, but this time I actually had a good time (which I wouldn’t because WHY ARE THEY SO LONG AND BORING). He definitely plotted it out well, and told an entertaining story. (3.5 stars)

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, Ballantine for the copy of this eArc. I read this book way back in April 2023. Sometimes life gets in the way of reviews despite the reviewers best intentions. This is this reviewer's attempt to make up for past regressions. This book was surprising. The description of it couldn't give the story justice. I have enjoyed Justin Cronin so I decided to read it. I was not disappointed. It is a strange world Cronin has created that is layered with tropes of dystopianism.

This book was like a fever dream and was quite the wild ride. If you like The Matrix, Inception, or Shutter Island, I would recommend this book. I did get a little confused at times, but I didn't have difficulty getting back on track. I enjoyed the world building throughout. I was also satisfied with the conclusion. I did a mix of the audiobook and e-book and would recommend either format.

Enjoyed this one very much, another great dystopian horror suspense from author Justin Cronin. Never disappoints, highly recommend!

I love this I wish i hadn’t waited so long to read this science fiction fantasy novel. Proctor is the ferryman the one who helps usher the people of Prosper to be reset as children after their lives are over as adults. Surrounded by the mystery of his mother’s suicide when he is told about Oranios from his dying father it leads down a crazy rabbit hole that has him questioning everything and everyone. This is a big book but bought myself a physical copy because I just had to have it. Justin Cronin is an amazing storyteller. 5⭐️

4 Stars

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is a haunting and intricately woven tale that pulls readers into a world both familiar and unsettling.

Cronin’s storytelling truly shines in dystopian/apocalyptic realm as we already know from The Passage. I found this story to be an interesting take on a thriller. Our main character Proctor Bennett, is a compelling perspective to explore the mysterious, idyllic society of Prospera through. The world building is excellent, and forces us to consider deeper questions about mortality, memory, and the pursuit of perfection. The atmosphere is both utopian and eerie, an makes the novel compulsively readable.

My one drawback is that certain plot points are predictable. There are many surprises to maintain suspense, but if you're a reader of the genre (and I am) you will find some aspects of the story to be underwhelming.

The Ferryman was well written and imaginative sci-fi/dystopian thriller . I would recommend this to readers who enjoy speculative fiction with a layered, intricate, thought provoking plot.

DNF at 81 percent. I am just confused... I keep thinking about this one and how I should just pick it back up, but I don't even really know for sure that I was liking it? There was just so much going on but at the same time, I actually couldn't tell you a single thing that was really happening. I wanted to see this one through since I hate quitting once I am past the halfway point, but after reading some reviews and seeing that others say it doesn't really get better, I lost the desire to continue completely.