Highly enjoyable dystopian fiction! I love Justin Cronin!! I am a huge fan of his writing style, which is complex, rich, and completely satisfying! After reading his trilogy, the Passenger, I knew I would read anything by this author in the future. This standalone novel did not disappoint. The surrounding dystopian, as well as utopian, themes in this book spoke to me on many levels and was scary reminiscent of “what could be” in our own future! Highly recommend!

A sci-fi book that doesn't seem too outside the realm of possibilities, this book reminded me of Blake Crouch book's, which I love. Set on the paradise Island of Prospera where many are living a perfect life, we meet Proctor Benett. Proctor is a Ferryman. Everyone living on this island is born with a device installed in their bodies and this device allows for a window into their health and life span. When a person reaches a low health percentage it is Proctor's job to lead them onto a ferry that takes them to another island where they will be reborn and then brought back to Prospera to lead another perfect life.

Bennet has always been the exception to the rule and even though he has what seems to be a satisfying life, it has not been perfect. As with all utopias, things are not always what they seem (dun, dun, dun). As Bennet's life starts to unravel, he learns about the underbelly of this perfect world and where the truth really lies.

I was immediately sucked into this book. It's obvious the utopian vision of this world is a facade and I enjoyed trying to figure out where the story was headed and what the plot twists were going to be. A couple of the twists I didn't completely see coming and was loving the fast-paced plot in the second half of the book. However, I have extremely mixed feelings about the ending. At first, I didn't like it at all and immediately wanted to discuss it with someone.

Even though I didn't love the ending, the fact that I wanted to discuss the book right away and kept thinking about it shows that is a good book with a compelling story. I think this would be a fantastic book club read when it's released on May 2nd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this book. This will make a great bookclub pick when it comes out on May 2nd.

I would like to preface this review by saying I loved Justin Cronin’s Passage Trilogy. The Passage is one of my favorite books and The Passage Trilogy has a special place in this reader’s heart. So when I received an advance copy of The Ferryman, I couldn’t wait to dive in. However, The Ferryman is not The Passage and after a strong Prologue, I struggled to get into this book. It was slow going and did not hold my interest. I finally dnf at 20%. Fans of The Passage trilogy should still give this one a try, it just wasn’t for me.

Another wonder from the mind of Justin Cronin! Full of unexpected political commentary, unexpected t we it’s, and dysfunctional familial love and regret.

Cronin's Passage series was one of my favorites of the last few years. The Ferryman is a great departure from the series but with similar Cronin writing. I personally felt the last few chapters weren't needed, but readers who like full closure will appreciate the details.

This book drew me in from the beginning! Love the Sci-fi element that emerged as the story progressed. The characters are complex and interesting. The story is well thought out with many hints at what's coming. It's one of those stories I know I will want to reread to see if I missed any foreshadowing. Highly recommend.

Welcome, sci-fi fans, to the world of the Ferryman!
Here you'll find a Crouchian, mindbending mystery from Justin Cronin, packed with twists, too many characters to count, and a possibly devious plot behind it all.
While discerning readers may be able to guess the twist in the first or second chapters, the path to get there and especially the path after is completely unpredictable, making for an interesting read throughout.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley*

I love good dystopian and post-apocalyptic books and am a fan of Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy. That said, I was optimistic when I received Cronin's latest book for review. I'm happy to say, I was not disappointed with this novel, in fact, my main complaint is that this is a standalone book!

Propsera is an idyllic island where residents don't die. Instead, when their bodies fail, they are retired and take a ferry to another island, the Nursery, where they are reiterated and begin life anew in a younger body with no memory of their prior life. They are served by Support Staff, normal people who reside on an island known as the Annex which is connected to Prospera by a causeway to facilitate their comings and goings.

This island archipelago is protected by an electromagnetic barrier that hides the islands from the outside world. It is governed by a group of Prosperians, one of which is Proctor Bennett. His main job is to ensure the citizens of Prospera make the transition to the Nursery when their time comes--he is known as the ferryman. When Proctor has to retire his own father, things don't go smoothly. His father tries to escape and when Proctor captures him, his father's strange behavior and the words he utters, catch not only Proctor's attention but that of his superiors as well. Was he passing along a secret message or was it just the ravings of a madman?

As one might expect, not all of the archipelago residents are happy with their lot in life. The Support Staff begins a work slowdown and a resistance group forms that threaten the hierarchy of Prospera--with Proctor Bennett caught in the middle.

This is an excellently written, fast-paced novel that is so engaging, I had a hard time putting it down. It is a complex story whose characters are well-drawn and the moral dilemmas they face, are believable. There are twists I didn't see coming and a storyline that is, at times, unnerving but overall, very satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia - where the truth isn't what it seems.

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

Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process - and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he's been dreaming - which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.

Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group - known as "Arrivalists" - who may be fomenting revolution.

Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized - and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth."

Shakespearean horror?

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin follows Proctor Bennett, a ferryman for the island of Prospera. The ferryman's job is to escort residents of Prospera, who have reached the end of their current iteration, to the ferry that takes them to the Nursery. At the Nursery, they are prepared to be reiterated back into society and start a new life. When Proctor has to take his father to the ferry, there is a commotion at the dock which sets of a chain of events that disrupts Proctor's life in Prospera.
I'm finding it hard to review this book without going into specific events and thus spoiling the plot, so I'll just say that I did thoroughly enjoy it. I found the beginning to be a little slow, but it picks up at around 40% and never really slows back down. The writing was descriptive and engaging and kept me wanting more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Ferryman in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fanatasic. We have a great science fiction and fantasy section and this will go right with The Passage series after it leaves the New Times Bestsellers. It's an easy book to recommend to shoppers because its a fast paced thriller with science that's easy to understand.

Huge thank you to the publisher for this ARC.
I am a huge fan of Justin Cronin and this book was highly anticipated for me.
I really enjoyed the premise, a very atmospheric dystopian world.
I will be updating my review and content within review after the book is published to GoodReads as to not provide any spoilers.

If you are looking for a good Sci-Fi novel, Justin Cronin is your guy! I would also recommend his other books. The Ferryman does have a lot going on. I really liked the first part of the book then it did get a bit crazy at the end with new twists which I found to be a bit confusing.

I do not want to rehash the book description and the book is hard to describe. I enjoyed the story and the characters will stick with me for a while. When Procter has to take his father to the Nursery, it did bring a tear or two.

I will recommend reading this book when it is released in early May. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Ferryman. #NetGalley, #JustinCronin, #TheFerryman

The Ferryman is was not my cup of tea. I read about 32% of the book before I called it quits. I usually DNF much sooner. The plot is decent enough, the idea reminded me of The Giver but the writing felt flat and reading it required too much energy. I want a book that “reads” itself. I think cutting out 50% of the book would have made the read more compelling or maybe it was too sci-fi for my liking.

I went into this blind, forgetting the synopsis and why I requested an advanced reader copy, and never having read Justin Cronin’s The Passage series. I was intrigued by the sort of dystopian, class-war-ish world that the reader steps into: drones watching everything, the strange life cycle of the Prosperans, the difference between Prospera and The Annex.

Just as I got my footing in this new sci-fi world, things started shifting and not for the better. In fact, the entirety of the book’s setting jolts around too quickly, it was hard to gather a sense of place, and there was too little detail where detail was due. Conversations felt unnatural and stilted in parts.

The plot twist we get, so far into this 560 page monstrosity, felt like a cop out, and other elements were downright predictable. No one character is very likable. Certain descriptions felt overused, “sea of stars” and things being “atomized” and attempts at making the reader feel as confused or out of place as the characters by simply describing things as being “there but not there” or “loud but also quiet” which isn’t exactly saying anything. For all its faults, it was readable and I felt compelled to continue on to see how things would end. It’s hard to say much more without spoiling things.

My prevailing emotion upon finishing this was relief.

Well, Justin Cronin did it again. An epic novel that has twists and turns and has such a surprising ending. Beautifully written with characters you really form a connection with. It's definitely a change of scenery from The Passage series but no less enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and provide my honest review of The Ferryman but Justin Cronin.
This book follows our main character Proctor who works as a Ferryman taking mostly older people from a utopia style society to a boat that takes them to the afterlife. Of course that’s what everyone thinks is happening when the truth of the situation is much stranger.
While I admit there were several instances of head scratching and asking just what was happening in this book ultimately the ending was a bit too predictable and disappointing.
I liked Proctor as a character but didn’t care for any of the other characters so it was hard to care what would happen to any of them.
As a fan of The Passage series I will continue to read more works by this author but this one is only a 3 star book for me.

I’m not quite sure what I just read. In the beginning this book had me hooked and by the end I was totally confused.

Very dystopian, which I love but way more sci-fi than I like. Justin Cronin is a good story teller and that’s what made me stay the course. This is definitely more of a this book is not for me then a bad book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the story until halfway through when the big reveal left me disappointed. The world built was fascinating until it wasn’t. Not on par with Cronin’s Passage series.