"The Ferryman" has been done before. Justin Cronin’s latest novel is nothing more than a slight variation of some popular sci-fi movies and TV shows.

(No, I will not name names. To do so would give Cronin’s twist away.)

The book, however, starts out well enough. It’s about a group of people living in paradise on a secluded island. But the island and its people are a bit too perfect. Especially the people, seeing as they never die. A health monitor is embedded in the forearm of each person, and when the number on it drops below 10 percent, that person is ferried over to an island called The Nursery to be healed, to have their memories erased, and to start a new life.

Proctor Bennett is our narrator. He works as a ferryman, meaning he assists with the retirement process by providing emotional support to those boarding the ferry. Though Proctor loves his life and is fulfilled by his job, he suddenly finds both himself and the island unraveling, thereby forcing him to uncover the truth of the world he lives in.

Initially, I was so engrossed in Cronin’s tale that only my children’s cries of hunger could tear me away from it. But the more I read, and as more hints leading to the twist of the story were dropped, my brain painted a picture of where the novel was headed.

And my brain was right. Nothing about "The Ferryman" surprised me. I was neither wowed by it nor all that driven to finish it, near the end.

The good news is a less experienced sci-fi fan may fare better with the book. It’s just not a great fit for readers who are well versed in the genre.


My sincerest appreciation to Justin Cronin, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Synopsis (carefully copied from GoodReads to avoid spoilers): Founded by a mysterious genius, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives in this island paradise until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire, embarking on a ferry ride to the island called the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.

This book was exceptional, with excellent character development, worldbuilding, and excitement. I know this is a long one (560 pages), but the story flew by and kept me guessing. I loved how it all came together at the end, too.

I can’t say more without ruining it for you. So I will just say: If you enjoy complex sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian storylines that are well-crafted and executed, I strongly recommend this one. I want to talk to you about it!

Thanks, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for a digital review copy. THE FERRYMAN is available now!

I’m a big fan of The Passage series (I’m still bitter over the TV show cancellation), so I was absolutely giddy when I saw Cronin had a new release on NetGalley. This is one of those reviews where the less said about the plot the better. I wouldn’t dare spoil anything for other readers. I’ll just say it’s complex, mind-bending, mysterious, twisty and sure to leave your head spinning.

Prospera is an idyllic place, but there’s a big class divide between the haves and have nots. The have nots, or support staff for the wealthy, live in the Annex – a much less than idyllic place. The wealthy live advantageous lives until the numbers on monitors embedded in their forearms drop below ideal levels. They’re then retired and transported to the Nursery where their bodies are renewed, memories wiped clean, and given a new life. Proctor has enjoyed a satisfying career as a ferryman, someone who helps citizens through the retirement process, until everything goes off the rails. He’s a flawed character and never claims otherwise, but he knows something isn’t right and does his best to figure out what’s going on in Prospera. You’ll root for him at every turn.

Although this novel is over five hundred pages, it didn’t feel that long to me. I finished the bulk of it in two days. With outstanding world-building and an ending that’s heart-wrenching but nothing short of perfection, it’s a novel I highly recommend. You’ll still be thinking about it days after finishing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Genre-bending reading experience -
Reading "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin felt like the science fiction dystopia of Blake Crouch had a baby with Andy Weir's space based fiction. Both of which are authors and reading experiences that absolutely love. These are the kinds of books that you wish you could have the opportunity to read again for the first time!

Not only did "The Ferryman" explore different sub genres within science fiction, it also had a great deal of character development reminiscent of your typical literary fiction plot. I think this book would be a great entry into science fiction, as long as the length wasn't a reading deterrent.


The twist is earned -
This book is easily ruined by spoilers, so I have to be careful here - the plot of "The Ferryman" definitely pulled me in quickly and while I was very confused at times, I think Cronin did an excellent job of making that confusion pay off. Ultimately the story does all make sense and you can tell that Cronin carefully plotted, planned, and rewrote to make sure his story was internally consistent. Too frequently, especially in popular thrillers, a twist is so abrupt that it feels disconnected from the rest of the book, and like a very cheap writer's trick, that was not the case with "The Ferryman".

About that Plot Twist -
There is a significant plot twist that occurs in this book around the 70% mark. And while I do think it is worth it (see above), and I gave "The Ferryman" four stars, the bulk of the beginning was frustrating to make sense of - because it isn't supposed to fully make sense. It took me a really long time to forgive that feeling once everything started to come together - just know that you will likely spend a good chunk of time slightly confused and that it might or might not be worth it.


The Length -
I truly think that this book could've been a hundred pages less with the same story and it would likely not negatively effect the reading experience. As someone who does not primarily read science fiction, I'm not used to reading books this long. My typical reads are between 350 and 400 pages. And at a certain point, I start to get reading claustrophobia anywhere past that. It feels like I will be trapped reading this book forever unless I put it down and start a new one. While I did struggle for the first 70%, once the plot twist hit I flew through the ending of the book.

I am a MASSIVE fan of Justin Cronin's trilogy that begins with "The Passage," and this is his first published book since that concluded. I was looking forward to it but also reminding myself that I could not expect it to be an exact replica of those books. And I was very pleasantly surprised.

Cronin has a gift for writing about fantastical worlds, yet making his characters come to life in the most human, relatable ways. "The Ferryman" does just that. Where "The Passage" was more of a horror story, this one is firmly in the science fiction genre, but it centers on being trapped, escaping, and figuring out what role you want to play in the future of society.

I loved this one and was actually hoping it would be a series by the end of it.

Wow. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin was a very complex novel. It was a sci-fi novel that felt a bit like dystopian, but at some point went into almost fantasy. If I am being honest, I almost knocked a star off what I ultimately rated it because it was very confusing to me at times. However, in the end, I stuck with 4 stars since I do think the author created a deeper meaning that will hit different readers uniquely and he did it effectively despite the occasionally confusing juxtapositions between setting changes. (Not to mention, readers who are fans of sci-fi and fantasy will not likely struggle as much as I did with these quick changes from one reality to another.) And I presume that many people who read The Ferryman will have read the author's The Passage trilogy. And that trilogy used a bit of that same style.

For me, I preferred The Passage for entertainment purposes, but I appreciate The Ferryman for deeper meaning. I really do think there are so many themes that are touched on in this novel that it would almost be a shame just to read it for entertainment. It makes the reader think. It makes the reader feel. It occasionally makes the reader cry. It definitely challenges the reader's preconceived notions about many things. I am glad I took the time to go on the journey of The Ferryman.

Director Proctor Bennett appears to lead a charmed life in a colonized world created to protect the citizens from the destruction happening to the rest of the planet. He has a beautiful wife, lives in a wonderful home, and life has no struggles. There are citizens who are like Proctor and live long, easy lives and the other citizens are “the Support Staff” who do all the jobs and work to make life for the privileged easy. It seems to work but things aren’t what they seem. Odd things happen that make him question the world around him. What is happening and why?

This story is intriguing with a slow build of circumstances that break open what is really happening to these people. It will keep you wondering what twist of circumstances will happen next and how will they get their lives back on track for establishing their new colony.

The Ferryman was a good read. A sci-fi mystery with a mix of global warming, end of world and starting over. Because this type of sci-fi read is not a normal trope for me, I took a leap of faith and wasn’t disappointed.

Justin Cronin’s work is a marvel, and this latest novel is no exception. The world he builds, and that we live in for a while is grand, and absorbing. A great summer read, and I’m telling everyone

This dystopian novel encapsulates themes of climate change, human survival, classism and grief among other things. Proctor Bennett is the Ferryman in this dystopian society of Prospera. When the monitors on Prosperans run low, the Ferryman takes them to the Nursery to be wiped clean and restarted. But there is also the Annex, where the laborers are and there appears to be trouble brewing. When Proctor has to ferry his father to the Nursery, an incident sets forth a whole series of incidents that propels the reader deep into the story.

I don't usually read sci-fi but I do enjoy dystopian societies. The story started slow for me as the world building is extremely detailed and well done. The second half is action packed with all sorts of twists and turns and this had me flipping the pages quickly. Sci-fan fans and dystopian readers will definitely enjoy this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Ballantine Books for this gifted copy.

The Ferryman is an engrossing sci-fi story that occurs in a dystopian world of the future. With amazing world-building, The Ferryman takes place mostly in Prospera where life is lived in either luxury or in poverty. There are class struggles and unusual definitions of family. There is romance, murder, happiness, contentment, and grief. There are also parts that seem to be unreal as descriptions formerly presented as factual are subsequently replaced with other seemingly unbelievable contradictions. While the story is told from multiple POVs, the main narrator is Proctor Bennett and so we see this world primarily through his eyes. There is much to-do about Proctor’s dreams as dreams are a significant aspect in this tale.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” - Shakespeare

And what are dreams made of? According to Proctor,

Your dreams are made of you. Your memories, your experiences, your obsessions, all mixed together and staged in an organized symbolic landscape constructed by the unconscious mind.”

The Ferryman is gripping and fascinating, especially as the end draws near and the story of Prospera’s evolution is finally told. This novel held my attention throughout and kept me reading long into the night as I strove to figure out what was happening to Proctor and to Prospera. Well-recommended!

I'd like to thanks NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an opportunity to read the ARC of The Ferryman, by Justin Cronin. I must admit that after the first quarter of this book, I was pleasantly lost. Cronin's world-building was masterful, and the storyline was very interesting, though confusing. I must say that I really like figuring out where the author is going with a story, but I confess that I was blissfully lost, but enjoying the ride. What seemed to be a post-apocalyptic story of a set of islands in the middle of the ocean, cut off from the rest of the world, really held my interest. As the story progressed, I still really enjoyed the characters, but was even more confused. Yet, when all ws said and done, the story wrapped itself up with a great ending, and made eminent sense. At the end of the novel, I had the feeling that I'd read one of the 21st century's classic SF stories, and I'd put this in my top 5 novels of the past several years (I read 50+ books per year). If you enjoy exercising your mind and love a good story with some interesting science involved, this is the book for you. Exceptional, and most highly recommended!

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me but then it quickly picked up and was such a fast page turner for me. It is a first book I’ve read by this author and won’t be my last. This book has quite a few twists and turns that left me guessing all way until the end about what was really happening. It’s extremely mind bending, intelligent, complex and challenging! It’s Westworld meets Inception. The book takes place on the islands of Prospera. It’s paradise. Majority of the people live very fulfilled long lives. They are monitored and if their health or mental health dips below 10 they will be sent to the nursery for retirement. Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a complex and long novel with several twists. It is hard to summarize without giving away too many details of the plot but it kept my attention and I read it quickly wanting to know what happened next. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This is one of those books that I had a hard time following the thread of the story. That was difficult for me, but it brought back many memories of when I was reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. That's why I feel that as the story went on and I got into it, even though I didn't fully understand what was going on, I became attached to it and everything ended up having more meaning.

It is an extensive book, and if it happens to you like me that you do not understand much of what is happening, you want to leave it but believe me that it is worth read it.

I really liked the construction of the world, the complex characters and how each of them develops throughout the story was also an interesting point.

However, it is not one of those books that I wanted to read at all costs and finish to find out what happens. I will not deny that the author has tremendous talent when it comes to writing and that he can create very intricate stories!!

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for gifting me a digital ARC of the newest novel by Justin Cronin, author of The Passage, which I loved. 4.5 stars!

The islands of Prospera is geared towards everyone living their best life. Once they get old or sick and the monitor in their arm falls below 10%, they are ferried over to The Nursery, where their minds are wiped, their bodies renewed, and they can begin again. There is also an island called The Annex, where the support staff live. Director Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman, charged with helping those people pass over to The Nursery. Everything is fine until he has to ferry his father over and there is an incident, including a message from his father that Proctor doesn't understand. From that point on, nothing is as it seems.

As typical for Cronin's books, this is a long, book that will totally transport you to a different reality and environment. It's a complicated world but there are twists and turns that keep you glued to the pages. As with most dystophian novels, there are lots of issues that translate directly to our present day. Intriguing, engrossing read!

Utopia is a popular theme in science fiction and there is typically a dystopian side in the same world. You know that, at some point in the plot, there will be a clash of worlds. The Ferryman, by Justin Cronin, takes those basic elements, leads readers along the expected path and then flips things over and around.

Readers start questioning what’s happening from the start, with a prologue that sets the stage for things not being as perfect as they seem. We then dive right into that world, finding out how things are run on Prospera and what life is like for those devoting their lives to excellence. Then there’s the mystery of the Nursery and the function of a ferryman – sounds ominous and yet residents accept these things as part of life. (And I’m not going further into it, because everything gets spoilery!)

Justin Cronin is a great world builder. The utopia of Prospera is well-developed, as is the dystopian side known as the Annex, populated by the lower classes working for Prosperans. But just as you’re getting immersed in this world, the surface starts to crack and something entirely different shows up. It’s mind-bending at times and there’s a twist that is so obscurely foreshadowed that it’s a surprise when it happens.

Sure, this is a long book at more than 500 pages and it may intimidate some, but if you want a well written and exciting piece of scifi, it is so worth it. It’s always a nice surprise when a book like this keeps a reader wanting more.

Thank you to Random House for sending me a copy of THE FERRYMAN by Justin Cronin. This one is out now!

So I really got into the first 60% of this book. I had to read it pretty fragmented with a busy work schedule, but it still grabbed me immediately. However because of it's length and the fact that the last 40% weren't all that compelling to me, I just didn't love this book. I do think there are many people who will dig this Inception like story, but it just wasn't for me. I'd watch the movie for sure, but my little brain couldn't handle everything that was being thrown at me. Ya know?

#theferryman
#justincronin
#NetGalley published 5/2/2023
#ballantinebooks

⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️/5

Just an FYI, this dystopian story will turn into a regular soft scifi at some point in the book. Don't want to spoil it but some people don't like scifi. 🤷‍♀️ The world that JC built was very interesting and different to me. He described it in great detail. There is/was no apocalypse at any point. They live on an island that is closed off from the rest of the world. It's almost as if they could fall of the end of the earth.

I was intrigued right from the beginning. I always wanted to keep picking it up. But I wouldn't necessarily say, "wow, I loved it." But I would definitely recommend it. JC will still be an auto-read for me. I put off doing this review bc I just was not sure what to say. I still don't. So, it's just going to be a super short review.

#randomhousepublishing
#bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendation #booknerdsbookreview #recommend #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse

The archipelago of Prospera is hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. Citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until monitors embedded in their forearms fall below 10 percent. Then they are ferried to the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh. Proctor Bennett is one such ferryman, but some things don't add up. He's dreaming, which is supposed to be impossible, his monitor percentage is dropping fast, and he must ferry his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry. The Support Staff are questioning their place in the social order, and unrest is building. Proctor is questioning everything he once believed, and is desperate to uncover the truth.

Any utopia is someone else's dystopia, and this one is no different. People live charmed lives on Prospera as long as they don't question it or look for more. Once Proctor begins to, he sees how hollow his relationships are, how he has no actual friends, and that his superiors are all too ready to lie and cover up what's really happening. This brings him across different areas of his known world, and more of his life simply doesn't add up. He has few allies in this search, especially with location changes as we continue with the book. The plot twist at the two-thirds mark was fantastic, setting off a number of wrinkles for Proctor to deal with, and I couldn't put the book down.

The story deals with grief, individuality and after a fashion, the nature of the soul. The people of Prospera have an idyllic life, but often it's passion, pain, and love that drives creativity in the arts or looking for solutions to complex problems. Maintaining the idyll for some means subjecting others to practical servitude, and creating a highly surveilled state to try quashing dissent as soon as possible. Of course, humans would rebel and want the truth, no matter what. I promise that the truth in this one is an interesting twist that makes this more fun to read.