Proctor Bennett is a ferryman. His job is to usher the residents of Prospera through the retirement process, a process that begins once a person’s health and well-being drop to ten percent. Each resident of Prospera has a monitor embedded in their arm which converts their health into an objective, measurable unit. While most individuals approach the retirement process willingly, knowing that they will be going to an island known as the Nursery, a place where their bodies will be rejuvenated and their memories erased as they prepare to start a new life, not all are willing. One who does not go quietly is Proctor’s father; as Proctor struggles to get his father on the ferry he is given a strange and cryptic message, leading Proctor to have some questions of his own, and he is not the only resident of Prospera questioning the status quo.

This novel was honestly a bit of a struggle for me. There were numerous times in which I was confused as to what was happening and why and rereading sections did not always clear things up; it seemed like things were jumping all over the place and I was never sure where the characters were going to land. I felt as though many of the characters were not developed enough, and I found myself not really caring what happened to them as the narrative progressed. Proctor was a bit of a letdown as a character; I never quite knew what his motivations were and I never felt a connection to him. Overall I was disappointed in this novel, especially the second half; after hearing certain things about Cronin and his works I was hoping for a lot more.

Oh, my word! I’m not one to read much science fiction but when I do, I seem to reach for some fantastic ones. The synopsis for this one sounded perfect but the page-length looked too daunting but let me tell you, this book did not drag. It did take me a while to get into the flow of the story but then, I needed to know more about this new world and the individuals who lived there.

This book centers around an interesting concept as a barrier separates these citizens from the rest of the world. The community is further separated into islands based on their function. As you can imagine, this is a controlled environment and productivity is monitored. High productivity is key to remaining on the island of Prospera. Wealthy educated individuals live here and you must continue be a productive asset to the community to secure your existence. Should your monitor show low productivity, you’ll become retired. The Ferryman will then escort you to one of the other islands, which is called the Nursery and your existence on Proapera is no longer. I thought of the Nursery as being a place where individuals get rehauled. Call it a transformation but who knew what really happened while individuals lived at the Nursery. They did know that who you were when you landed at the Nursery was not who eventually left that island. When all the alternations are complete, a new teenager with a new body and mind will be transported back to Prospera. Back on Prospera, this teenager would reside with some of the residents, learning how their community works and growing up to become a high performing adult. There is a third island where individuals work to maintain the upkeep of all the islands. Annex keeps this community functioning.

Our Ferryman is Proctor. Proctor’s mother had a tragic death and it’s during one of Proctor’s shifts that he’s to take his own father to the Nursery. I can’t imagine doing that myself, but this is Proctor’s job and it’s during this trip that his father says something to him that really affects Proctor. I’m not going into much more detail but the whole concept around this book, the characters, and the implications this book has really makes this book so enjoyable. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest opinion. 5 stars

I really enjoyed The Feeryman by Justin Cronin. The best ok was really well written and thought provoking. I wasn’t expecting the ending.

This was incredibly wordy with bizarre pacing. I had a hard time caring about any of these characters, although the setting was great. I think the author was a bit too ambitious and good have edited this one immensely.

I really enjoyed The Passage from this author and was excited to pick up The Ferryman. This one is slower paced and at times felt like it was too slow placed. I also had to reread a few sections because they didn't seem to "flow" for my understanding.
With that said, I did enjoy this book. I just went in expecting a faster paced edge of your seat book like the authors previous work, which was my mistake not the authors.

This book is incredibly readable. Cronin weaves a high impact story that keeps you guessing about what is going on and how these people are intertwined. I fully understand what made him so popular in the early 2000s. The thriller mixed with sci-fi was wonderfully done. I also enjoyed the way he wrote the novel, a mix of first person versus third person perspective that let us in the mind of one man and the actions of those surrounding him.

That said, a lot of this book felt a bit dated and undercooked. There were sections that seemed to jump in ways that left me confused more than covered in the mystery. I also felt like the female characters were one note and lacked the complexities that they could have with the situations they were in. Overall, it felt like a book that was meant for the early 2000s. It was fun to read, but I wasn't fully on board by the end.

The end also let me down in various ways. The surprise felt like the premise was stronger than the why it was happening. It was like Cronin had to backtrack the twist. It didn't work for me.

I became emersed in the story from the very beginning. I was immediately intrigued by the concept of a society that allows its inhabitants to be regenerated into 16 year olds with no memory of their past lives. Justin Cronin gradually reveals that there is something very wrong with the seemingly perfect society. I found this tale disturbing and memorable. The Ferryman is a worthy successor to Cronin's previous trilogy which I thoroughly enjoyed. Fans will find the author takes the same care to craft memorable and believable characters that the reader will care about throughout the story.

This book was a MONSTER. It's over 500 pages and took me a while to read because it's pretty dense, I feel like it's a bit of a slow read. You know something is wrong in Prospera, but I didn't consider what it might be. The ending wasn't what I thought it would be at all, but I got into it. The monitors were an exceptional kind of creepy - if they fall below 10%, you have to be sent away, and you restart life. In a way, that seems comforting, but somehow isn't. It's just disconcerting. There is a theme running through the book that something is wrong, so it's very tense but builds slowly. I enjoyed this one and will read other books by this author (I know, he's super famous and amazing but there are so many books out there to read!).

Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman" hooked me from the very first page. Set in a seemingly idyllic island utopia called Prospera, the story follows Proctor Bennett, a man tasked with transporting citizens to be "reborn." This supposedly peaceful existence begins to unravel when Proctor receives a cryptic message hinting at a dark reality.

The novel excels at building suspense. Cronin masterfully crafts a world that feels both familiar and unsettling, raising questions about memory, identity, and the true cost of paradise. Proctor's journey of discovery is both thrilling and thought-provoking, as he uncovers the secrets Prospera desperately tries to hide.

While the beginning moved at a fast pace, I found the middle section to be a tad slow at times. However, the mysteries continued to simmer, and the payoff in the final act was well worth it. The ending left me wanting more, but in a satisfying, pondering kind of way.

Overall, "The Ferryman" is a captivating blend of science fiction, mystery, and literary fiction. Fans of Justin Cronin's previous work and readers who enjoy mind-bending stories with a touch of social commentary will definitely enjoy this book.

Who is a man when he has to challenge everything he thought he knew. Is he a cog in the machine or the pivot in social upheaval?

This apocalyptic novel kept me wondering about protagonist Proctor Bennett and Prospera, the crumbling utopia where he lives. Bennett is the titular ferryman, whose job it is to shepherd his fellow citizens in their latter days to the Ferry that will transport them to the Nursery, where they will be "reiterated". So ritualized euthanasia with a promise of reincarnation. The first half of the book kept me guessing about how this utopia would fall and what would happen to Bennett, whose repressed memories and general psyche is starting to revolt, as are the citizens of the Annex, a neighboring island where the service industry for Prospera lives. When Bennett is tasked with escorting his own father to the Ferry to be reiterated, and his father big-time glitches in a very public display, shit hits the utopian fan. It gets even more complicated and way, way more melodramatic from there. Like telenovela-level melodrama. Author Justin Cronin knows how to draw out a scene, milking it hard. Milking it, milking it, milking it. The book intrigued me, but I was annoyed by many instances when a concept was described with six similar images or phrases, rather than one or two arresting ones.
[Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Yes, Cronin's books are long, but rightly so--every page is necessary. The Ferryman brings to mind other dystopian stories, but it never feels derivative.

4 stars!

I was a little scared of this because it's definitely chunky and science fiction isn't always my go to genre but I was really interested in this. I felt like the world the author created was super interesting, and I liked the dystopian element as well. I also liked how the author completely wrecked my expectations of what I thought was happening in this novel in such a fun way!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There's no doubt that Cronin has a way with words, however... I felt like the author tried to do too much with this story as it was entirely too long and although I resisted the urge to start skimming, it was hard for me to want to stay connected. I also didn't particularly like that I saw that ending coming way before I would have liked, which left me feeling rather unsatisfied.

I’ve been a fan of Justin Cronin since The Passage, so I knew this would be good. His writing never disappoints. The story was engaging from the start and had me guessing until the big twist was revealed. My favorite part about his books is that he writes action sequences like movies where you can visualize everything perfectly. His characters are always unique. Very much enjoyed this one

Justin Cronin is worth the wait. His books are large and daunting but they are worth every page. The Ferryman is a story you will not soon forget.

This had a really good combo of sinister mystery government, a divided society where one group shoulders the labor, and a beautiful Shutter Island like setting where no one really knows what happens once you get on "the ferry," but it seems fine.
This had great characters, was absorbing, but the ending just ripped it all away and angered me.

This dystopian novel was full of twists and turns. Besides the compulsive plot I thought there was a good exploration of humanity (even if the characters weren’t exactly humans like us.) Themes of family and grief were handled beautifully. While I’m not a big sci fi reader I found myself drawn into the world Cronin created.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I read The Passage and enjoyed the writing, so I knew I wanted to grab this ASAP. Hidden truths with survivors is a no-brainer when it comes to entertainment and this kept me going to the last page.

THE FERRYMAN is the first book I have read by Cronin. And if this is any judge of his writing, I will be diving into others by the author. With a carefully crafted plot, uniquely intriguing characters, and a perfect pace, this dystopian novel shows how truly great science fiction can be. Loved this book!