I think I hyped this up for myself too much given my love for The Passage series. I was expecting too much. Don't get me wrong, it was good and I enjoyed my time reading it but I don't think it will stick with me like The Passage trilogy did.

I did enjoy the sci-fi intrigue feeling of "what is going on" and the explanation did not disappoint. The writing was compelling but I just didn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

Overall, a solid sci-fi book that was enjoyable to read! Thank you to netgalley and random house Ballentine for the arc!

Having not read what Justin Cronin is most known for, but knowing he is best to know as little as possible, I had interesting expectations. It has a slower start, but then it feels like everything is full speed ahead and you don't know what is going to happen next. I have to go now for his best known work.

One of the best parts of this book is the overall sense of paranoia: dreams, odd words, mysterious characters who pop up and disappear, leaders who have stuff to hide, cryptic conversations. Lots of stuff is happening, but our main character can't quite grasp what's really going on.

The story is engaging, and the pages almost turn themselves as the plot gets weirder and weirder. The author does a good job juggling multiple viewpoints and plot strands. The main characters are sympathetic - you want them to survive and succeed.

3.5 stars
It’s hard to review this book without spoilers so I’ll try to be non-specific. I was thoroughly confused at the start of The Ferryman. I felt like we were missing a lot of the world-building/backstory— (a la Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood). But then I realized that was the point. It had an “Inception” type feel to it so I tried to keep track of the loose threads, knowing they’d all tie together in the back half. Sure enough, right when I was ready to give up trying anymore, WHAM. All was revealed. And it made total sense. But then things took another turn and I was concentrating to put those pieces in as well. We come full circle with the epilogue. I have comments about the heart of the matter with this book but it would be a big spoiler. So I’ll just say that I think this is a great addition to the genres this book represents but I can’t comment as to which genres they are (I think it’s safe to at least mention Dystopia) without spoilers!
*Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy for review.

Just when I thought I had things figured out...I was WRONG! Cronin has once again created a unique, mysterious, creative, original and twist filled book! Cronin is a master storyteller and he once again dazzled me with The Ferryman!

Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, is a Ferryman on the archipelago of Prospera. This is a unique living environment where residents have embedded monitors which measure their health - both physical and mental health. When their numbers dip below 10, they retire themselves and are taken by a Ferryman to the ferry which will take them to the nursery, another island where their memories will be wiped clean, and they will be readied to start a new life.

Proctor is good at his job and is respected at work. Then one day he is called to take his father to the Ferry and his father says something which results in a chain of events out of Procotor's control. Soon his monitor numbers begin to drop...

This was a gripping book and for most of it, I had no idea where things were going and what was going to happen next. Then, I thought I had everything figured out. I just knew what was really happening, only to be so completely wrong. When the twist and reveals began coming in, I couldn't help but be impressed with Cronin and how he created not only so many twists, so also so many levels to this book as well. He kept me on my toes and had me turning the pages.

I enjoyed this dystopian science fiction book. I am not a big Science Fiction fan, but I love Cronin's writing, his world building, and his ability to craft a multilayered novel. This book is imaginative, original, thrilling, and intense. This book also evoked emotions and was thought provoking.

I was first introduced to Justin Cronin when I read The Passage. If you have not read that book, I highly recommend it (and the other books in the series). I was so excited when I saw he had this book coming out! It was worth the wait!

Gripping, mysterious, thought provoking, and well written.

A mind-blowing dystopian sci-fi rollercoaster that you cannot put down!

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin was an absolutely incredible journey and had me truly hooked from the first chapter! Right when I thought I could see the direction that this story was going, it took exciting twists that just increased the scope and stakes in amazing ways. It really is very hard to summarize my feelings for this book in a review. Rather, the Ferryman is one of those unique stories that just need to be experience for oneself.

The main character, Proctor Bennett, is a highly ranked ‘Ferryman’ on the island of Prospera. His job is to bring people who are physically or mentally deteriorating (based on percentage levels from imbedded health monitors in their arms) to a ferry. This ferry brings these people to their ‘retirement’ by transporting them across the water to another island, a mysterious place called ‘the nursery’. Once they are retired, these people are re-instated in society with new teenage bodies with their minds wiped to start a new life. However, Proctor starts to question everything he has ever known and believe in when he is tasked to take his own father to the ferry for retirement. When his father’s retirement process does not go exactly to plan, a chain of events ensues which slowly reveal that this society might not be as perfectly run as everyone thinks.

The Ferryman is huge in scope and the complex nature of this story and the fantastic worldbuilding/imagery will leave you thinking about it long after you finish. I felt just as lost and confused as the characters did, all while trying figure out everything that is happening right alongside them during this mind-bending ride.

A book like this does not come around very often and the manner in which Cronin wove this complex story into such a satisfying adventure from beginning to end in a standalone novel is nothing short of masterful. I cannot recommend this book enough and want to thank Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in which I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Don't be intimidated by the size of this brick of a book... believe me every page was necessary! It starts a little slow with the world building of this mysterious utopian society, but then the pages started flipping faster and faster and I couldn't put it down. I was as drawn into this story as I was his Passage series! It's really best to go into the story blind, so just grab a copy for yourself! I hope you love the character Proctor as much as I did!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lyrical prose and engrossing story mark this as yet another amazing novel by the author. I was immediately pulled into Proctors story, and the haunting tone of the story still resonates.

I don’t want to give too much away about this book because I think being able to fully experience the various twists and turns in the story without any expectations made it more impactful. I was intimidated by the length and premise of the book, but I ended up enjoying it. Whenever I thought I knew what was happening, another twist was revealed that made me question everything I thought I knew about the world and characters; there were a lot of layers to unpack during this reading journey. This book could spark a lot of interesting questions about humanity and it definitely made me think about the capabilities of humans and technology. Overall, I’m glad I read this and I hope to read more from the author in the future!

CW: grief, classism, violence

I had high expectations for the ferryman as I loved the earlier novels by Cronin! The plot synopsis intrigued me-a man lives in a place called prospera and his job is to ferry people to their retirement journey. All seems well in his world-until he has to ferry his father into retirement and everything falls apart. Why is he the only person who is dreaming? Why is he being monitored by higher ups?
What starts as very promising begins to fall apart as the story starts to drag out. The book reminded me of The Hunger Games at a certain point, only more sluggish and with more baggage. Something just didn’t click with me the way the passage did-it may be because of the stronger sci-fi elements in this novel and less of the horror elements that I was expecting.

objectively well done and i see a LOT of praise for this but this just wasn’t fully for me. for such a long investment of a novel, it really lost me in its second half and by the 70% mark i was ready for it to be over.

The Ferryman is an intensely exciting read that you won't be able to put down. Filled with different narratives it took me down a path that I never strayed from. It was a complicated read but it was made easy to understand through the authors words. Cronin definitely didn't disappoint and I look forward to seeing where his mind.will take us to next.

Prospera is an island utopia that the mysterious Designer founded to shield people from climate change and the general chaos of the outside world. Death is not known in Prospera. All residents wear a monitor embedded in their arms, and those monitors measure their physical and mental health. Once the meter falls below 10 percent, the citizens must retire to the Nursery. There, their memories are wiped, their bodies rejuvenated, and they are readied to start life again as a teenager. But things are beginning to change in Prospera. The support staff, who mainly live in the Annex, are beginning to question their place in the social order of the island, and a resistance group is formed. While that is happening, Proctor Bennett, the Director of Social Contracts, is having a crisis. He has been dreaming, something no one on the island should be able to do. Proctor also received a cryptic message from his father shortly before his father forcibly retired. Running into roadblocks, Proctor starts to realize that there is more going on in Prospera than he realized and that Prospera isn’t what he thinks it is. What will happen when Proctor uncovers the truth? Will he be able to handle it?

I first heard about The Ferryman when I read several reviews on blogs I follow. What I read got me very interested in reading it. But I figured I would have to wait for it to be published to read it. It so happens that I saw it was on Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine’s NetGalley page as a wish. So I figured I would wish for it and see if I got it. And as you can see, I did. I was very excited; this became the book I read this spring. I hyped it up in my mind, and I became a little wary about it. Usually, when I get so excited to read a book, I get let down. Not in this case. Nope, this book definitely delivered for me!!

The Ferryman centers its storyline around Proctor. Proctor is an Elite. From the age of 15/16, he grew up lacking nothing on Prospera. He eventually married an artist and became head the Director of Social Contracts (who oversaw the ferryman). Life was good until it wasn’t. The author briefly explains Proctor’s early life, including the death of his beloved mother. More focus was on Proctor’s dreams, his rapidly falling stats on his monitor, and his shaky mental health. Everything started to happen after Proctor was forced to retire his father, and his father kept repeating a word over and over. That starts Proctor’s digging into the truth, and what he uncovers is amazing and, frankly, a little scary (and I am applying what was revealed in the last part of the book to this statement)

The other main storyline in The Ferryman centers around Thea, The Annex, Mother, and the resistance. The author did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing how Thea was involved and why she sought out Proctor. And when he melded the storylines, it was gold. I loved it!!!

There was a major secondary storyline involving the heads of the society. I can’t get much into it, but everything they were doing made sense once it was explained. I can’t give any more detail than that. But I was a little surprised by what Proctor did at the end. I was left scratching my head at first, but then I thought of the old saying: Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Then it made perfect sense.

The characters in The Ferryman were well-written and fleshed out. I wish I could go more into them because there is more to their characters than what is revealed at first. I loved the comparisons once the author dropped his bombshell. It made sense.

I liked Proctor. He was a natural leader, but he was so confused by what was happening to him. I liked that even his dreams kept telling him to do things. I also liked that his dreams hinted at something that could destroy him. When that was revealed, it did. But then he got back up and resolved to keep fighting.

I thought Thea was awesome. I had her pegged as someone totally different than what she was portrayed as. Her actions throughout the book showed that. She loved Proctor to the point where she was willing to let him go.

The end of The Ferryman was amazing. The author explained everything that was going on in the book. And when I say everything, I mean everything. All of my questions were answered, and then some. Did I agree with what Proctor did at the end of the book? Not really, but I got why he did it. There was also a big twist involving Thea that I maybe should have seen coming, but I didn’t.

I recommend The Ferryman to anyone over 21. There is language, mild sexual situations, and violence.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Justin Cronin for allowing me to read and review The Ferryman. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Published: May 2, 2023
Ballantine Books
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Pages: 530
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Justin Cronin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage, The Twelve, The City of Mirrors, Mary and O’Neil (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize), and The Summer Guest. Other honors for his writing include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Whiting Writers’ Award. A Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Rice University, he divides his time between Houston, Texas, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

“And just like that, it’s done.”

Proctor lives on the beautiful island of Prospera, where things are almost perfect. He enjoys his job, even if it’s slowly draining him. When he starts dreaming, he realizes there is more to his story.

This was a weird book. But I liked it. The story flowed well, and I found the plot to be unique. This would make a great series if done correctly.

I enjoyed the characters and found them well-developed. Proctor was relatable, and I enjoyed his humor. I liked Thea and her confidence.

There were several well-placed twists throughout this book. The seamless way the story developed, flipped and continued was fantastic.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a rather surprising, inventive book. By the time I got sucked in, I imagined it would be a certain kind of book and looked forward to the thriller-ish, vaguely disquieting, potentially nightmarish dystopia.

I mean, sure, there are certain things that are very wrong here. How people are adopted, how they leave the world, all of that really gives me a Charon kind of feel. I thought it was definitely going to be THAT.

And then, much later, when things get weirder, well after the half-way point, I am proud to admit that I got bait-and-switched and I LOVED it.

I cannot say a damn thing about it, either, or it's massive spoiler territory, but I WILL just say that this made the book for me. It's quite clever, and while I think that certain people should have experienced a bit more punishment for the crime, I can't fault the intent behind it.

There's a lot of good storytelling here. As a novel-structure, broad outlines, it's pretty fantastic. The mirroring and assumptions we must go through come back around to eat itself. I love that kind of stuff.

The island of Prospera appears to be an paradise where citizens are protected from a hostile outside world and enjoy long, extended lifetimes until monitors embedded in their skin show a significant drop in their physical and mental health. Those citizens can then “retire” by taking a ferry to The Nursery, a nearby smaller island, where their bodies are renewed, their memories wiped, and they can then come back to start a new life on the island.

Proctor Bennett, Prospera’s ferryman, enjoys his job guiding retired people on their journey of renewal. But one day a retirement doesn’t go according to plan. Also, the ordinary laborers on the island have slowly stopped doing their jobs. The strange and bizarre become more normal, and Proctor begins to question what is real and what isn’t.
I loved this story so much! Anytime a story takes place on an island it automatically captures my attention. Islands always seem to be apart from the normal world. They’re places where things always seem a bit out of place and time. The Ferryman captured that feeling perfectly.

The novel often left me confused in the best way possible. It created the perfect atmosphere of mystery and unease, a puzzle that became more clear until by the end I could see how each piece was important to building the inevitable end.

This is the story of a utopian gone wrong. A story where the beginning is a very different place from where the story ends. It does have many familiar tropes that I have read before, but it plays with those tropes in new and fresh ways. While the answers at the end won’t necessarily surprise you, I found myself thinking about this story long after I was finished.

If you enjoy dystopian stories with clever new twists, if you love that feeling of confusion and unease while reading and if you enjoy sci-fi stories that focus on social commentary and philosophy, I’d highly recommend reading The Ferryman.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

The Ferryman put me off for awhile because of the length and because the genre seemed to be sci-fi. Sci-fi isn’t always my favorite genre, I usually find it hard to get into and connect with the characters… but this book? It blew me away. It honestly may be my favorite book I have read this year. It had everything I look for in a book and it was unique. I was so enraptured with this story and could not put this book down. I could honestly read 500 more pages of this book and still be intrigued. It’s just one of those really special books that you never want to end. I can’t wait to go back and read some of this author’s previous works!

And on the day it’s published, I finally finish! 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Ferryman was everything that I hoped it would be.
Some dystopian, lots of wild plot twists, sci-fi concepts, and a plot that’s entertaining and complex.

The Ferryman is about three islands in a utopian-like setting that is safe from the brutal and horrifying conditions of the outside world.

The main island is called Prospera.
It’s paradise and the lucky few that get to live there are in luxury, wealth, and good health.
They live long lives until their monitors start to decline. Monitors have been inserted into forearms and when this device starts failing, it alerts the Designer and Prosperan government that the person needs to be retired.

When this happens, a ferryman will come to the rescue and take the citizen of Prospera to an island called the Nursery.
At the Nursery, the failing body and mind is renewed, and they will start a new life.
Not much is known about the Nursery other then it's a secret island of rebirth and renewal.

The island next to Prospera and the Nursery is called the Annex. The occupants on this island are the laborers that serve Prospera. The living conditions on Annex are not good and things are about to get interesting in this "utopian" type of setting.

You might be thinking that this whole plot summary sounds wild, and you would be correct.

I went into this book not knowing a thing and you should take the same approach.
When the plot twists start coming, your mouth will hit the ground and you’ll think, “What in the hell is going on?!”

I loved this book!

The concept of this book works for me. I'm a sci-fi geek that loves dystopia and post-apocalyptic stories and I could not be happier after reading The Ferryman.

I thought the ending was handled well and I bought it.
The characters are interesting and strange enough that you’re not sure who’s good or bad. As the reader, you’re caught in the mystery of this world and just hanging on for the twisty ride.

It’s a plot that I will remember years from now. I’m so glad that I got the chance to read this one for the publishers and Justin Cronin!

I tried to get into this one but I couldn’t it’s not really my style of book. However it was beautifully written. He’s a fantastic writer !

I was so excited to receive a copy of The Ferryman on NetGalley. The Passage was one of my favorite books, so I dove into The Ferryman without even knowing anything about it. I wasn’t at all disappointed. In fact, I couldn’t put it down! I love post-apocalyptic, creepy, what-is-going-on stories. The story completely engulfed me and I really had no idea what was going on as I frantically read the 445 pages.
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The story did feel like a little familiar to me in some ways, paying homage to movies like The Matrix and the TV show, Lost. And the dialogue felt a bit stilted and strange at times. But the island of Prospera was a very strange place. I almost wish I had saved reading The Ferryman for a summer vacation day or a thunderstorm-filled night. I loved this book.
4.5 stars