The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is a honker of a sci-fi novel. I was really interested in the world and the mystery throughout the first half of the book, but then it was almost like the pace of the novel flipped and I just found myself... bored? I know I'm definitely in the minority here but ultimately I just think that this book wasn't for me / I wasn't in the mood for this book!

The Ferryman is a mind-bending, dystopian sci-fi thriller, and it is so very much more too. It is a tough book to review without spoiling the fun. I'm not going to make comparisons to other books or movies. The story does remind me of a few other books/movies, but is totally unique in its own way. It's a long book that doesn't feel long because of the thrilling moments and mysteries within.

Cronin starts by introducing an Intriguing world and interesting characters. He sets the stage and had me wondering, what the heck was up with this perfect island paradise. The characters are mysterious and clearly had interesting backstories. That and the questions about what was really happening in Prospera combined to propel me through the story.

Highly recommended book. Don't be intimidated by the length, or the sci-fi genre, this book has something for everyone!

Notes: longish chapters, multiple povs, dystopian, thrilling, shocking twists

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eArc. All opinions are my own.

Some people like to guess at endings when they read a book. I'm not usually one to do so - I enjoy the journey to the ending, but I found myself making assumptions throughout the Ferryman as the story unfolded. And I was wrong every single time.

Cronin creates an interesting world where things are not as they seem, yet, everything comes together at the end. The story poses larger philosophical questions about big topics (climate change, fate/free will, wealth/social status, etc.) but lets you, as the reader, ponder nuances amid the layers of these questions. It's a long book that is well-paced and keeps moving so you're not stuck in any one moment, rather, the pieces come together building something even bigger than what you might have even considered at the start. This was a satisfying read that definitely leaves you thinking even after the final chapter ends.

Imagine mixing Inception with The Giver. This sci-fi story is one that will keep you guessing because you never really know what is reality and what is not.

Director Proctor Bennett is a ferryman. As members of Prospera retire or fall low in their happiness monitors, he is in charge of moving them along on the ferry to the nursery where they will begin their lives again and reintegrating into society. This process continues and those reintegrated start off as youth and get placed with adoptive parents. Prospera is an oasis. An ideal world where happiness is of the upmost importance and the citizens live seemingly very happy and wealthy lives. But echos of the past keep occurring to Proctor in dreams. Is he remembering something from a past life, or is there more to Prospera than meets the eye.

Honestly this book was thrilling. Just as you think you understand what is happening another curveball hits and the book takes an entirely new course. I loved it. A great mix of sci-fi, action, and mystery and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Great read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Open this book and enter the lush, carefully curated world of Prospera. Justin Cronin makes this world come alive. We are there under its blue skies where the citizens come from the Nursery as teenagers, then return to be reiterated when they are aging. It is the Ferryman's duty to accompany the citizens to the pier when they are called to be return to the Nursery. In this dystopian world, there are undercurrents of tension between the privileged class and the working class. As we spend more time in their world, we realize that it is not so different from our own. People are people and when they are not valued and/or recognize the purpose behind their life, trouble is not far behind. What can Proctor Bennett, our Ferryman, do to save those closest to him? I hope this book will surprise you as it did me with the richness of the narrative and the beauty of loving your neighbor.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I made it 65% of the way through the audiobook from my library and I literally had no idea what was going on. And I started it over twice. So. I don’t know if it was me or the book.

Justin Cronin’s latest novel is a multilayered and thought provoking journey of a read. I’ve admittedly never read any of his books, but even I saw the blurb for this one I told myself this sounds interesting.

I waited months until I got closer to the publication date and I now regret it. This is the best book I’ve read all year. I really don’t know what I’d have changed in the plot. It hit all the points.

I enamored from the opening chapters. 75% in I wondered how this could possibly end. The ending was not only satisfying, but the final paragraph was perfect.

I think it’s better if you read it without knowing too much. This is an adult speculative fiction/science fiction novel.

I’ll be quickly adding Cronin’s other books to my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of the Ferryman. I was so excited to read another book by the author of The Passage. The Ferryman did not disappoint. It is a beast of a book and you have to pay attention but it's worth it. There were many unexpected twists and I appreciated the various connections made throughout the story. I can't say too much about the plot without giving it away but if you like sci-fi, twists and big books, check this one out.

4 1/2 stars

For those that live on the archipelago of Prospera, life seems idyllic. They live well and are patrons of the arts. Money isn't an option for them and they have few struggles. The only down side is that they wear monitors to keep track of their life force. Once they fall below ten percent, they are basically expected to voluntarily retire or else it is forced. Once identified for retirement, the citizens are sent via ferry to The Nursery where they are basically reset to a new version of themselves. Then they are sent back as sixteen year olds to new guardians with no memories from the past. Prospera butts up to another area, known as The Annex which is home to many of the working class people and also some who have differing beliefs about what happens at the end of life. There is friction between the ruling class and authority of Prospera and those inhabiting The Annex which is starting to turn violent.

The main character, Proctor Bennett is a ferryman - - one who escorts those identified for retirement to the ferry. He insures that their transition is smooth and calm with no upset and he's been very successful at his position. But when he is sent to ferry his guardian father, his life drastically changes and starts an avalanche of doubts to surface. Proctor starts to feel unmoored and at a loss. Things he has believed his entire life suddenly don't make sense the way they did previously. As his life starts to unravel, so does the environment around him. Prospera and The Annex seem to be at odds and there are storms hitting the area and causing extreme damage. In addition to Proctor, there are several other pivotal characters involved in the storyline. All of their stories blend together to create a rich and creative plot. Even though there was some predictability to this book, there were also a few surprises. It was all done quite well and The Ferryman is a book that keeps you thinking long after you finish the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book takes place on an idyllic island paradise called Prospera. Hidden away from the rest of the world, Prosperans live long and fulfilling lives. When nearing old age, they are retired to a mysterious neighboring island known as The Nursery, where their bodies are renewed and their memories are wiped clean so they can begin a new iteration of life. Proctor Bennett works for the Department of Social Contracts, and his job as a ferryman is to gently usher the aging citizens of Prospera into retirement. Of course, it wouldn’t be dystopian fiction without things being not quite what they seem.

There is a lot of mind-blowing action in this book, and I really liked it. A mix of dystopian and science fiction, it’s a little outside of my comfort zone. A good book is a good book is a good book, though. I’ve discovered so many amazing authors and stories as I’ve begun to branch out by reading books that challenge me. Justin Cronin and The Ferryman are perfect examples. If you don’t mind a long book (560 pages), I recommend this one.

This is the first Cronin novel that I have read and I enjoyed it a lot. The world building was exceptional, the characters were very flawed, but that just made more realistic, and the truth about this supposed utopian society was excellent.

So why didn’t give this a higher rating? The ending. Sure, I could be happy with the open ending and the possibility of humanity surviving on without future troubles, but I feel like the characters spent too much time trying to escape to essentially end up exactly where they started. I guess I just wanted something a little more believable at the end.

Recommended for: sci-fi readers; dystopian fans

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just a little too much: too many people, too many plots, too many realities. You know this is all going to be a little bit out there, but after awhile I wasn't sure what was even going on anymore. It's hard to tell who the heroes and the villains are when they change back and forth so quickly. Interesting, but could have been simplified and improved by being shorter.

An Idyllic Society Showing Signs of Stress

Proctor Bennett is an official in the idyllic land of Prospera, an archipelago in the ocean. The archipelago consists three islands: the main island of Prospera is where the elite live, the Annex is the province of the workers, and the Nursery is where the old people go to be reprogrammed. Proctor’s job is to take the old people, either willingly of unwillingly to the Nursery. He enjoys his works until he has to take his father who is unwilling to go. They ugly scene makes Proctor think, and he becomes uncomfortable with some of the aspects of his environment and the stresses between the classes.

The divide between the elite and the servants who are basically slaves bothers him and in fact he learns of unrest in the Annex. The workers are in many respects basically slaves and Proctor begins to see the difficulty of the situation.

This is a long book with a complex plot. There are a great many characters. Some are well developed, but others could have been fleshed out better. There are plenty of twists and the ending is somewhat surprising. However, it’s a satisfactory read. In some ways, it reminded me of Plato’s Republic. Plato sees no conflict between the classes in his ideal society, but perhaps The Ferryman presents a more complete picture of what could happen.

I received this book from Random House for this review.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Justin Cronin, and my mind is still grappling with it. I love dystopian sci fi, and this novel left me reeling a bit.

Proctor is a ferryman on the utopian archipelago of Prosperan, a place set apart from outside destruction, whose inhabitants don’t die. Instead of death, their health is monitored and when their numbers drop to a certain level, they are ferried across to the Nursery, where their bodies are reiterated and they start again at the age of 16. Connected to the Prosperan mainland by a causeway is the Annex, where the workers of Prosperan dwell. These workers don’t participate in reiteration; they live and die natural deaths. But some are not happy about the disparity between these two classes and a general sense of unrest is beginning to spread.

When Proctor has to ferry his father to the Nursery, his father reveals that there is something deeper amiss with Prosperan and the quiet life Proctor has led, putting him in the center of a bigger plot that he cannot fathom, one that others in power will do anything to keep a secret.

This book makes your brain think…. alot. There are many major twists that completely throw you off, and you have to shift your entire mindset to grasp how the narrative changes as each twist unfolds. Cronin paints a very real portrayal of a world battered by the actions of man, while diving into the topics of classism, grief, and loss. I’m a huge fan of dystopian sci fi, so I loved this wild ride of a book. But I did have to reread several technical parts to understand the plot, and I did get lost in some visual descriptions. Overall, it didn’t change my total understanding of the story, but I can see how some readers may struggle with those elements. I think that this book needs to be adapted to either the big or small screen, because my mind was playing it as such the entire time.

Overall, if you love sci fi or dystopian fiction, you should definitely read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for this advanced copy!

The island of Prospera is hidden away from the rest of the world that has begun to deteriorate. The citizens of this haven have their physical and mental health monitored by a bit of tech embedded in their bodies. When their monitor registers below 10% they are ready for reiteration. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman who guides people toward the Nursery when they are ready for reiteration, where they will have their failing bodies renewed, memories wiped clean and be ready to start their life anew. Meanwhile the "support staff" who are ordinary people entrusted to keep Prospera functioning have started to question their role on the island and are starting to form an uprising. When Proctor assists his father onto the ferry for reiteration, he is given a cryptic message during their final moments together, which lead him to start questioning everything he knows.

This book was mind bending in the most wonderful way. Every time I thought I knew where this story was going, I was surprised by a twist I didn't see coming. There were so many different elements going on in this novel, that had someone told me ahead of time, I would not have been able to understand how Cronin could make it into a cohesive story, but he did it and did it really really well! It was an amazing mix of Utopia/Dystopia/SciFi with a dash of mystery/thriller mixed in and I loved every second of it.

I did not choose this book, this book chose me. I think for that reason, it was not meant to be my book. The first chapter was magically underwhelming. It was a hard pass sadly.

The description for Justin Cronin’s recent novel, The Ferryman caught my attention with elements that reminded me of some of my favorite dystopian and science fiction novels, dating back to my elementary and middle school days. Though it took me a while to really get into it and though the description was (necessarily) a little misleading, the story picked up enough by the halfway point to carry me through to an ending that made the early slog worth it.

Proctor Bennett has been enjoying his current iteration on the island of Prospera – he and his wife, Elise have been happy with their marriage contract and he’s a director at the Department of Social Contracts where he works with retirees as they ship out for reiteration. Sure, he’d like for them to take on a ward and his meter shows his percentage has been dropping, but he’s still a long way from needing to retire and things are fine enough. But then he’s tasked with managing his father’s retirement under the eye of a new trainee and things start to go sideways. There’s also unrest as the support crew for Prospera have been growing increasingly discontented with their treatment. As Proctor’s world begins to fall apart, it looks more and more like someone is purposely pulling and loosening the threads, but to what purpose?

The Ferryman is a novel that requires patience and perseverance. I found the first half to be scattered and gesturing at certain themes, but without enough coherent force to really feel worth it (it had the feeling of something that was trying to be edgy and profound but wasn’t quite hitting the mark and was getting closer to landing on ‘tedious’). Around the halfway point, however, the larger picture began to take shape and the pacing picked up making it easier to power through to the point where the story had genuinely sucked me in. The themes that were hinted at early in the novel took on greater meaning when the proper context was added (still less genuinely profound than I feel like was being aimed at but at least more relevant than it seemed early on).

What surprised me about The Ferryman was how engaged I became by the end even though I wasn’t particularly drawn to the characters. It was the plot and the premise that ultimately carried the story for me. At the same time, I think this novel would make a fantastic television limited series adaptation, especially with the right casting. I feel like the characters were generally underdeveloped but also that they were probably written that way in order to preserve a lot of the key twists and reveals surrounding the story – so, understandable but a little disappointing to me personally as a reader who tends to prefer more character-driven stories. The characters who were largely cast in “villain” roles, in particular, felt flat and though motivations were outlined, they weren’t presented in ways that gave them the emotional weight I think they deserved (but in the hands of the right writers and actors adapting the material…).

Overall, I enjoyed the novel enough that I’m going to check out some of Cronin’s other work and probably add one or two to my virtual TBR pile.

The longer I read this book, the less I enjoyed it. I normally create my own synopsis at the top of each review I write – but just know that if the synopsis intrigues you, I promise you it won’t have any effect on the story whatsoever.

This story is told in rotating 1st person POV from the main character, Proctor, and a plethora of 3rd person POVs from characters both supporting and very very minor. They blended together more and more as the book went on, to the point that I would realize a page into a chapter that Proctor was narrating, so long had the story unfolded without the quintessential “I” required. Additionally, a personal pet peeve of mine is exclamation points used outside of dialogue. And Proctor freaking LOVES narrating with exclamations. There were more and more with every passing page and I lost what little was left of my mind.

The world we’re given is ever so close to our own, with just a few key differences that are either overexplained, or never explained fully. If you are a reader who likes answers, you will get them, but you will have to wait until the very end of the tale. This novel may make you question your sanity, or your ability to understand the English language; I have to hope that that was an intentional authorial choice. You will want to keep reading because you have an innate need to UNDERSTAND – and when you finally do, you will likely be disappointed that that’s all it was, and angry that you’ve spent so long reading a book that bears practically no resemblance to the one marketed at you.

2 stars for potential, I guess.

Content warning: blood, guns, death, violence.

Wow this was a beautifully written book! There was a lot going on and I was confused for parts of it but it all came together so well. I think I may like this one even more than The Passage!

I think the biggest thing that you can take out of this book is come into it with a super open mind. Nothing is going to be as it seems. Either you are going to embrace what is revealed or it is going to throw the story off for you. Personally, it kind of threw the story off for me. Some plot twists aren’t always the best. That being said, I did enjoy the writing style and I liked the character development. I think that readers will be swept up in this fantastical world. I just don’t know how some people will respond to the reveal. I will be interested in recommending it to patrons and see what their thoughts are.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.