Several years ago I proclaimed Justin Cronin’s "The Passage" trilogy my favorite read of the year (and one of few 5 star reviews I gave on Goodreads). So, when I was offered an early ARC of "The Ferryman" I quite literally jumped out of my couch! You can probably guess that I was rather favorably predisposed towards the book before even cracking my Kindle open.

"The Ferryman" is a dystopian science fiction with strong overtones of "Inception" and "The Westworld." The setting is a several-thousand-small group of people who have survived some kind of cataclysmic event and have taken refuge on a hidden island of Prosperos that many would describe as an utopia.

Our protagonist is Director Proctor Bennett aka the titular ferryman. The Prosperans live a life of perfect leisure until their life monitor numbers reach low digits. At that time, Proctor assists these elderly citizens to "retire" to an island known as The Nursery, where their bodies and minds are renewed to then come back to Prosperos for another round at life.

Before long, the reader discovers a darker side to this perfection, and it starts with the island called the Annex, which houses all the laborers who serve the Prosperos' residents and make their leisure-filled life possible. Unsurprisingly, this underclass feels righfully exploited and resentment brews.

And all of this is just a tip of the iceberg - to say more would be to spoil. I will simply say that when you think you know what the story is about, Cronin will throw a wrench, and then another. And another. The author continues to keep the reader guessing; some of the twists moderately predictable, but only to lull you into a false sense of safety, as each heart-wrenching twist is bound to lead you down a completely unexpected road.

The novel is a non-stop action filled with a gamut of relatable characters who are fueled by emotions. Loss and grief play a huge part in why and how things play out, and the writing allows the reader to experience these emotions alongside the characters. In that, Cronin has proven himself a master once again.

You know when you see a blurb on a book from an author you love and they say "I couldn't put it down!" and the you buy the book and you can very easily put it down and wonder what the fuss was about. Well let me say you won't be able to put down The Ferryman once you pick it up. It should actually come with a warning label! It's that good. I don't think I've devoured a book like this in years!

It's a story about a Ferrryman. A ferryman is a person who lives in a world outside of the rest of the world who escorts people who have completed a life cycle to be reborn. People walk around with meteres on their arms and when your number goes below a certain number it's literally time to go. What happens to a particular ferryman sets the story moving at a breakneck pace. I really don't want to say much more because you truly have to allow yourself to dive into this created world and watch the events unfold. I will say it tackles many issues of today's world without choosing sides. I'm sure there will be second part of this series because I can't imagine it ending it where it ended.

A huge thank you to #Netgalley and #randomhouse for the read. I'm so excited to share this with my book group and followers

The Ferryman follows Proctor Bennett in a city called Prospera. There he works as a Ferryman bringing people who have reached the end of their life to the Ferry to cross over into a new iteration. The concept is fascinating and I really enjoyed the storyline after about 60%. Before that mark, I found myself not wanting to pick the book back up when I set it down. The last 40%, I did not want to stop reading because I needed to know how it would all end up. I felt the ending was very satisfying, but I would have loved to have known more about Thea and her group of people instead of Proctor and his next journey.

Similarly to how I felt about The Passage series, Justin Cronin's writing is easy to read yet also very dense at the same time. I enjoy his work and will probably pick up just about anything he writes going forward.

***ARC received from Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I loved Justin Cronin’s The Passage trilogy so was really interested to see how he would manage to fit his vast world building into a single book, thankfully he had almost 600 hundred pages to create a multi layered book with interesting characters and a story that shows that even paradise is not free from corruption.

The story is told through a few different perspectives which allows it to explore the society of those that live in Prospera and those that keep Prospera running especially through Proctor and Thea. There are a few other characters around that expand on the story and show that people probably know more than they are letting on. I liked each of the characters, they have their own unique voice and they each drive the story forward in their own way. I do wish that we could have spent some time with Elise, I missed what her pov could have brought to the story. I understand probably why it was chosen to keep her as one of the few main characters we don’t get a pov from but it would have been nice particularly near the end of the book.

There are a few twists throughout the book that I won’t spoil and while the big one is mostly obvious if you are familiar enough with the trends of these types of stories I will admit that the other ones caught me off guard. None of them feel forced either, it feels like a natural result of human nature to respond the way that certain characters do. The book also does a great job of interweaving the hints which I think would be fun to start to pick up on a second read through. It uses the lore that society creates to foreshadow what could be happening later on in the book.

The writing is good, there are a few parts that should get cleaned up by the final release. I liked the world building and that it spent a little time in both parts of the world. Not just that but it followed both the older generation and the younger generation, all after the same thing but going about it in different ways. The exploration of the Nursery was probably the most creepy part of the book and it served as a good transition point for the story as like in the world its rebirth which also served the story flow well.

It is hard to write this review without giving anything away. It really is a book that should be read and then reread to pick up on all the hints that get dropped and I’m really looking forward to giving it another read at its release. I highly recommend this book for fans of Justin Cronin and science fiction fans.

a future uptopian paradise known as Oranios is nothing but a ship. The archipelago of Prospera is hidden from the horror of the outside world.. In this world its inhabitants live long lives until the sensors in their arms fall below ten percent where they are taken by the Ferryman who is known as Proctor on board a ferry to an island called the Nursery where their memories are wiped clean and they are readied to start life anew as teenagers of 16 years of age.

Prosperians are incapable of bearing children of their own, so the teenagers are adopted by Guardians.

Proctor has been having drea, questioning everything he has known. and begins a mission to uncover the truth.

Justin Cronin's THE FERRYMAN is an initially intriguing ball of yarn, wound tight, that slowly unspools over its chunky page length. On the whole, it's enjoyable enough - stitches are severed, threads are frayed - but ultimately the narrative is needlessly complex, overloading its head with plot, with worldbuilding, & leaving its heart far, far behind.

Review will go live on 5/7/23

This is my first Justin Cronin book, though I deeply loved the show version of The Passage and will definitely read it at some point. I really quite enjoyed his style of writing, so I have little doubt I’ll enjoy his earlier fare as well. The Ferryman definitely had my head spinning, but in a really great way. And I am having a terrible time figuring out how to tell you about this one without spoiling basically everything, so. We’ll keep this short and sweet, eh?

Basically, our main character, Proctor, is a Ferryman. This means his job is to escort people to the nursery where they are “retired” and begin life anew in a new body. It’s a lot- some people go willingly and happily, and others resist, hence the need for someone to accompany them. But it’s very clear that there are some shenanigans going on beyond what Proctor can see. He knows something is “off”, but doesn’t know what or why, not really. But he seems determined to uncover some secrets, and so we begin the journey.

No one is quite what they seem, and Proctor (and the reader) are unsure who they can trust. The twists are wild and fabulous, and while the book can feel a bit long at points, it is absolutely worth the ride.

Bottom Line: Mind-bendingly great, the twists and turns kept me guessing throughout.

A big thank you to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this wonderful book!

"The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin is a mind-bending and complex science fiction novel that will leave you feeling like your brain cells have run a marathon. The story takes place in a utopian paradise known as Prospera, where the residents are retired to another island called the Nursery when their bodies fail. The main character, Proctor Bennett, is the director of the Department of Social Contracts and is known as the "Ferryman," responsible for escorting those who need to make the transition to the Nursery. However, when he escorts his own father, he discovers a dark secret that sets him on a path to discover the truth about Prospera.

The novel is a blend of many dystopian and science fiction themes, including Logan's Run, The Matrix, 1984, and Lost, among others. The characters are well-drawn, and the moral dilemmas they face are believable, making the story more engaging. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the end, and the story has a fast-paced and action-packed ending that will leave you breathless.

The setting of Prospera is captivating, and the storyline changes are slowly fed to the reader, making the world believable and the plot more immersive. The author's writing style is excellent, and the book is an easy read despite its length. "The Ferryman" is a standalone novel, and fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic books will thoroughly enjoy it.

"The Ferryman" is another triumph from Justin Cronin. A dystopian, sci-fi/fantasy TRIP, this novel follow Proctor as he uncovers the realities that lie deep within the archipelago of Prospera. When the Support Staff begin to question their place in the island's caste, unrest begins among the people, who are nervous a revolution will begin with the Arrivalists. This novel is action-packed with an incredible plot that consistently keeps you on the edge of your seat. With deeply crafted characters, I was captivated and invested in the quest for truth and transparency in a system that denied its people for so long. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy for review!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, a person who escorts people to be "reiterated" when their life on Prospera is no longer viable. For on Prospera, no one dies, at least if you are one of the Prosperans, you only become a new person.. This is an island paradise, for the chosen, hidden from the "real world" and all its horrors. But there is trouble brewing.

First, Proctor dreams, which is not normal here, and he dreams a LOT, and sometimes even sleepwalks, and has since he was a child. Then one day he is assigned a special case - his own father. And his father does not go easily, but rants and raves - and gives Proctor a message, if only he can decode it.

And then there are the the Support Staff, who perform all the labor necessary to keep this paradise going, but live separately, on an adjacent island, the Annex, where life is not so ideal. But they live more normal lives, living and aging and dying, even having babies. But they are beginning to realize that they are being exploited and are becoming unhappy with the current system.

All of this comes to a head during an exceptionally strong storm. And Prospera will never be the same.

Definitely did not see the end coming. Kept me guessing and wanting answers the whole way through. I love books that make me think about things in new ways or that I never thought of before. It's not easy to come up with intriguing new ideas like this, but Justin Cornin is a master at it! I love everything that he writes! So glad to have gotten the chance to read this book early and share my thoughts.

In the idyllic archipelago of Prospera, citizens live long, fulfilling lives until their monitors indicate a decline in health and well-being, at which point they retire to an island where they're rejuvenated and their memories wiped clean. Ferryman Proctor Bennett enforces this process until his own father delivers a cryptic message before being retired. Meanwhile, rumors of a resistance group grow, and Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, embarking on a dangerous mission to uncover the truth.

This being my first Cronin novel, I went into this completely blind and with little to no expectations. The beginning of the book was strong, and I had high hopes as the events unfolded for Proctor Bennett with an eery familiarity. With hints of Fahrenheit 451, The Truman Show, The Village, and even Vanilla Sky or The Matrix — all early on — I headed into the second half of the novel geared up for an entertaining reveal, never quite sure where Cronin would take the story.

And while where we ended up wasn't wholly mind-blowing or even thought-provoking, I was nevertheless entertained. My main problem with this book is something that has happened recently with several other reads. For a book that sports a heavily embedded lesson folded into the plot, Cronin doesn't really take the story anywhere fresh. I went into this book already on board with the undercurrents that would eke out along the way, and without needing to be convinced or persuaded, a monotony tends to fill those gaps.

In addition, along with that familiarity and whispers from other novels or movies' stories, there came a certain level of predictability. Often this level of recognition in the plots that have come before can add a depth and certain comfort, but with The Ferryman Cronin seems to have been influenced by too many pieces from other tales and this unfortunately lands without the necessary balance by adding in something I would be able to recognize as just his.

The first half of the novel is a knockout, and being the doorstopper that it is, that's saying a good bit. I appreciated Cronin's careful play with the tense, tightening up some scenes with present tense — but using it wisely and sparingly. Also, while there was a fairly large roster of characters, Cronin is clearly capable of handling the task, keeping each individual multi-dimensional and necessary to the story.

I think if you're a fan of Cronin already, this one will be right up your alley. For me, coming in fresh to his work, I'm not sure where I stand, but it does make me curious about his best-known series, beginning with The Passage.

Glad to see a new story by the author of The Passage trilogy, A fresh apocalyptic story that starts in an utopian setting where Proctor Bennett is a ferryman who delivers citizens to their demise where they can be renewed and born again. Soon we see how this world (Prospera) is not all it seems. There are disgruntled workers and an underground network and we can't forget "the dreams" especially by Proctor himself .
It isn't until the epilogue where we see where this story lands. It's almost a story within an story within another story. In its scope reminiscent of Cloud Cuckoo Land. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the add

I have not read a book like this in a very very long time! I’ve seen so much about this book and couldn’t wait to read it. I was glued to it since page one.

Justin Cronin delivers a compelling and fantastic book with his new release, The Ferryman. He seamlessly blends psychology, action, character study, and dystopian elements. Plus, the twists kept coming during the entire second half. If that’s not enough, I can’t wait to reread The Ferryman.

This is a challenging story to explain without moving into the twists. Since I’m committed to blogging spoiler-free, you’ll have to trust me on the effectiveness of the last half of the book.

But, as the book begins, we meet Proctor Bennett. He lives on an island called Prospera, presumably after cataclysmic events on Earth. Using future technologies, island residents are “reiterated” multiple times. They reach “retirement” only to be shipped to a lab and recreated as a new person. And Bennett is part of a team responsible for delivering the retirees to a ferry where they travel to the lab. As you can see, the story relies on science fiction and futurism.

At the same time, we learn that Proctor experiences sleepwalking incidents and begins to feel unsettled with his life and job duties. As a counterbalance, Cronin also introduces Thea. She’s a woman who straddles the world of Prospera and the nearby Annex. At the Annex, no one gets “reiterated.” The population lives and dies in the typical human way. They also live to serve the residents of Prospera. When Thea and Proctor connect, events in these very different places start imploding.

My conclusions
As I said above, I couldn’t put The Ferryman down. I spent every spare moment for a week reading it and loving every moment.

Cronin is a storytelling master. He built characters I cared about, even if I didn’t always like them. And while the plot draws from other futuristic stories, Cronin offers an original approach to post-apocalyptic events and decisions.

You can’t read dystopian fiction without suspending disbelief. Reiteration? Sure, it seems far off in the future. But that’s the point here. And how Cronin develops the final chapters wasn’t unexpected. He subtly projects the big twist, which added to my enjoyment. Once the big twist hits, the book’s lens opens wider, and then Cronin adds more complexity and layers. It’s positively excellent work!

Pair with some Octavia Butler. For example, Parable of the Sower, Dawn, or Wild Seed. I noticed elements from all three in Cronin’s work with The Ferryman.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. The expected publication date for this book is May 2, 2023.

The country of Prospera consists of three islands: the main island of Prospera where citizens live, work and play; the Annex where support staff live, commuting back and forth to their jobs on Prospera; and the Nursery, where Prosperans are recyled to new existences. Not everyone is happy with this arrangement and revolt is brewing. Or is it?
The first 2/3 of the book is fabulous - I read it in a single day and could not put it down. But the last third - not so much. We find out that it's all just a dream. Been there, done that (am I the only reader old enough to remember LOST or St. Elsewhere? or the old TV series Dallas, where mercifully only one season was a dream? Maybe the author figures no one over 20 is going to read his books?). The it-was-all-just-a-dream trope is such a copout when an author doesn't know how to finish a story in a satisfying manner. Also, there is more than one ending. Really disappointing. Five stars for the first 2/3, one star for the last third, averaging out to three stars.

The rest of the world is falling apart, but Prospera is a safe and seemingly wondrous place. When the monitors implanted in your arm monitoring your mental and physical health drop below a certain percent, you simply “retire” and are born anew, into a new body, with none of the memories of your previous life.



Proctor’s job is to help people through the retirement process, though sometimes he has to use force when someone doesn’t want to go. But Proctor’s monitor is dropping quickly, and his life isn’t seeming as routine as it once did. Prospera isn’t seeming the same either.



This is very far from the type of book I typically read, but I’m glad I did. I’m still not sure I completely understood everything I read, but let’s put it this way-I had no clue I was reading a 560 page book because I was so invested in the characters and what was happening that the read didn’t feel long. Cronin has a great writing style. If you’re looking to read something different than what I typically review here, check out this book.

Humans have finally pushed Earth to the edge of destruction with no going back. The lucky and wealthy few survive on an island of perfection known as Prospera; however, all is not bliss for everyone. Big Brother takes on a whole new meaning where each citizen must wear a monitor so that when their health ratio goes below ten percent, they are sent to another island known as the Nursery to be essentially recycled, their memories wiped clean with a new beginning that starts at age sixteen. The man in charge of “helping” citizens along their way out is Proctor Bennett, Director of the Department of Social Contracts. Proctor may be a gentler version of the Grim Reaper, he is called the Ferryman; however, citizens are “retired” by arbitrary decisions they do not always welcome.

Proctor has recently started unraveling himself by having disturbing dreams, which is not supposed to happen, challenging his concept of reality. He and his wife, Elise, are part of the elite in the carefully constructed world of Prospera. Proctor is beginning to question his own sanity, and the mores of their world where only some people live the privileged life while those known as Support Staff are required to live under harsh conditions in the area known as the Annex. When Proctor must forcibly send his own father to be erased and resurrected anew, a father who makes some disturbing last-minute claims, he becomes more convinced that something is rotten in paradise.

The working-class people, who are made to live and often work in squalor, in the Annex are starting to dissent, calling themselves Arrivalists. They have operatives on the other side who are helping to aggravate the rebellion. Some of the important people in Proctor’s life are also connected to not only the coming crisis, but major changes in Prospera’s government. For Proctor, telling friend from foe has become fraught with a lot of challenges. Something very disturbing has awakened in him that indicates all is not as it seems.

Fans of this type of dystopian, post-apocalyptic Science Fiction will enjoy the convoluted, tangled up, and complicated versions of reality going on in this story. At 560 pages, readers will be taken on quite an intense ride showing the best and the worst of human nature. Parsing out what is real and what is an allusion is quite the challenge in this book. The author keeps readers guessing, fascinated and afraid in equal measures, to see how it all turns out.

In a land called Prospera people are healthy and wealthy while living long lives and everyone spends their time pursuing their passions. Yet when their time is up, they board a ferry to retire to the Nursery, an island where they are “reiterated,” with their minds erased before being reintroduced back into society as teenagers. As the head “Ferryman,” Proctor is in charge of each journey, until he is called to the home of his estranged father to facilitate a rare, forced retirement. At the ferry dock, Proctor’s father wildly challenges his journey and things in this sinister dystopia begin to unravel. Like in all dystopian novels, there is a hidden resistance movement. Cronin is the author of The Passage, his hugely popular novel of 2010 where society is destroyed by a deadly virus. This time around Cronin sends hints about social inequality and the condensing of wealth along with the question of what to do with an aging population. I for one am now keeping a wary eye out for any boat that comes along. This long book, 445 pages, is deceiving. What you think is happening is really not.

I'm not a big sci-fi fan but this was very interesting. A wild ride with many twists. I'm still processing what I read.