This is a comprehensive, complete story that solidly stands on its own. It is told from multiple perspectives and uses both 1st person (for the main character only) and 3rd person narration. For the most part, characterization is done well. The writing style is also fine. Although there are many elements to the plot, I found the whole thing to be predictable and nothing really surprised me. With that being said, the pacing of the story and overall mood still made each reveal/explanation interesting, if not a shocking revelation. I do feel that some issues and direct consequences in the book were not adequately discussed or resolved, particularly at the ending and the main character's key decision. This book does remind me of another series, but I will not list it in order to avoid spoilers. I will say that it is very fitting that the main character's name is "Proctor."

The story also raises thought-provoking discussions about accountability, justice, autonomy, and power. I could see this book generating lots of animated discussion as a book club read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys futuristic science fiction with a dystopia feel.

Rating: 2.5

I really liked the prologue, but after about the first thirty percent of the book I started losing interest and I didn't really care about the characters or plot. I think the only POV should have been Proctor's.

Prospera is a utopian archipelago, tucked away from a deteriorating society. Created by “The Designer”, the residents live long, happy and healthy lives, until they chose to “retire”, where they are taken to a part of the island known as “The Nursery”, when the second part of their lives can begin.
Proctor Bennet is part of the Department of Social Contracts, and his job as a ferryman ensures that those making the trip to The Nursery have a successful, and uneventful, passage. Proctor, however, has his own secrets, including fading health and an increase in the amount of lucid dreams he has been experiencing- a secret because, unlike Proctor, no one on Prospera has ever experienced dreaming of any kind. As Proctor tries to keep his dreams secret in a world where everything is monitored, tensions on the mainland are high and the “support workers”, employed to keep all of Prospera running smoothly, are not showing up for work. Something big is underway and Proctor is beginning to wonder if Prospera is the utopian world he thought it was.
Justin Cronin is the author of the irrefutable best seller “The Passage”. His new novel, “The Ferryman”, is unique, spell binding and utterly thought provoking. An emotionally complex journey, Cronin’s new work will take you to the far reaches of your imagination, through his rich language and captivating scenes.
The novel is told in multiple POV’s, although the primary narrator is Proctor. The beginning of the novel starts when Proctor is given the responsibility of bringing his aging father to “The Nursery”, but Cronin jumps backwards and forwards throughout the novel, bringing Proctor’s past, and Prospera’s creation, to the surface in slow, undulating waves.
Part science fiction, part dystopian fantasy, “The Ferryman” provides an honest portrayal of humanity (at both its highest and lowest points) and the characters, although plentiful, are uniquely distinctive. Cronin has the reader questioning their own morals and belief systems, which extends far beyond when the book reaches its conclusion.
Cronin continues to keep the reader guessing; just when you are convinced that you have anticipated the ending, “The Ferryman” delivers a heart-wrenching twist, leading you down another road entirely. “The Ferryman” was non-stop action, all leading to the inevitable conclusion that will stick with you.
“The Ferryman” will immediately speak to fans and followers of Cronin’s previous novels, but it is also a standalone novel that will resonate with readers who are looking to make a connection with an engaging plot and relatable characters. This story will once again thrust Cronin into the spotlight, and “The Ferryman” will quickly rise to the top

I had high hopes for the book, but I was very disappointed. The premise of this book should make it an engaging, hard to put down book, but it is just the opposite. It drags and is at times a real slog to read. To me it reads like the author wanted to create a long book. The story could have been told and been more engaging with half the number of pages. Other readers loved this book, but it just did not resonate at all with me.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Proctor lives in Prospera, a utopian society where everyone has a meter in their arm that tells them when they need to retire to the Nursery. Proctor is a Ferryman and helps take people on their next journey. However, he can’t shape the fact that keeps dreaming when he shouldn’t be and then mysterious things start happening.

This book was an up and down journey for me. I found it slow at first then was really into it and then the big twist happened that took me out of it again. I did like the ending though.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read The Passage series by Justin Cronin (while not even being a huge sci-fi reader) and after reading this absolutely magnificent story, am convinced the man is a genius! How anyone can write such a complex story, all the while making it easy to follow and so addicting, is beyond me. This is a story within a story within a story!! Just when you think you've figured it out, you couldn't be more wrong! The flow is perfection, the characters so well developed, the story so engrossing; it's just everything to keep you glued to the pages until the very last one.
I simply loved it.

Clever plot and an immersive read, The Ferryman will have you wanting answers with every turn of the page.

No matter what I write about this awesome book, it's going to sound like I'm a blithering idiot. At the moment, at least, I'm awestruck; after finishing it, I still can't believe another human could conceive such a complex story, much less write it coherently and so engrossingly that I really, really didn't want to put it down.

So what's it about? Well, in general it's a sort of "Soylent Green" meets "Brave New World" with a few other fantasy/science fiction works that played with our minds mixed in. The setting is Prospera, an archipelago that's a sort of utopia for residents. They live their lives for the most part in the lap of luxury, served mostly by "Support Staff" who live, some in squalor, on a nearby island known as the Annex.

Prospera's citizens have some kind of monitor in their forearms that are "read" with regularity. When their physical and mental health fall below an established percentage - which may not happen for many years - they are retired (voluntarily, for the most part) and sent to a nearby island called the Nursery. There, they are turned into what are called "iterations" who begin life all over again and returned to Prospera to begin another life cycle with no memories of their previous stint (or stints) there.

One of those iterations is Proctor Bennett, who as a young man was adopted by husband and wife parents and now, at age 42, serves as a Ferryman - one who personally escorts the retirees to the ferry that will take them to the Nursery to begin their transformation. On one fateful day, he gets a somewhat unsettling charge: the man he's to escort to the ferry is his own father. All goes well until the last minute, when his father suddenly balks and a fiasco ensues - Proctor must do whatever it takes to get his charges on the ferry, after all. But his father utters some cryptic words that are confusing and upsetting but at the same time make him determined to get to the truth, especially since he's been having strange dreams of late (and Prospera's reiterations don't dream). On top of that, Proctor's arm monitor readings have been dropping like a rock. How long will he have before he, too, must be traded in for a reiterated model?

As all this is going on, all is not well on the Annex, where the people are becoming unhappy with their servile status. Led by a resistance group called the Arrivalists, their unrest seems to be quickly turning toward out-and-out revolt.

And it is here that I must stop, even though I've barely scratched the surface of this 500+ page tale. For that, I'll blame the author; you see, he's concocted so many - well, not exactly twists and turns, but rather angles and perspectives - that mentioning much of anything that happens beyond the first few chapters would totally spoil it for others.

Okay, did all that make sense to you? I didn't think so. Ignore my ramblings and go read it for yourself - you won't be sorry. Meanwhile, I'll just say a big THANK YOU to the publisher, via NetGalley, for offering me a pre-release copy of this mind-bending book to read and review.

I'm just not that into it. The premise sounded freaking fantastic. The execution took way too long for me, while also not really giving me anything. I didn't connect with the characters much and at times I struggled to follow the sequence of events. I wasn't feeling attached to the story in any way. And I wasn't motivated enough to slog through the rest of this beast.

Having read Justin Cronin’s Passage series, I had very high hopes for this new book. Unfortunately, after about 60 pages in, I had to DNF. It wasn’t able to capture my attention and I found it to be confusing.

This was a beautiful, intricate, breathtaking novel. It's a long book, but well worth the high page count. It's one of those books that you really don't know what's going on until you've read through a big chunk of it. In a badly written book that can be annoying, but in this one, I was happy to just go along and see where Proctor's story took me. Highly recommend this book, especially if you're already a fan of Justin Cronin's writing (The Passage).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The Ferryman
By Justin Ronin
Pub Date: May 2
Ballantine
Science Fiction
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley
For the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Riveting stand alone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia - where the truth isn’t what it seems.
It’s a little long for me. Read and enjoy!
4 stars

I do not normally gravitate toward sci-fi/fantasy novels, but the description of this one got me interested, and I'm glad I read it. It's reminiscent of "The Matrix," and I didn't completely understand everything that happened, but I got enough to really enjoy it. Fans of this genre should especially love it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have such a book hangover now that I’ve finished this amazing dystopian novel by Justin Cronin! This is the type of longish story I would love as an audiobook, but with this one, I wanted to savor every concept, every twist and turn.

This is the first book I’ve read by Justin Cronin and now I can’t wait to read his previous novels. Even if you don’t think you like sci-fi, this story could make you a convert.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheFerryman #NetGalley

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I was very impressed by this book. It felt like a mash up of tj klune and Blake crouch as far as writing style.

I am not sure if I should classify this as thrilled, sci fi, or dystopian. Regardless it was a story unlike anything I’ve read before. I think you should read this if you enjoy slow paced, action packed, emotional stories.

At times the book was complex but it didn’t take away from the overall story.

Author Justin Cronin, will always be one of my favorite authors. His legendary series starting with The Passage, is a masterpiece. To be chosen to receive this ARC for The Ferryman, made my year! I felt humbled to be able to read and give my honest review. The Ferryman did NOT disappoint. The prologue opens up with a horrific scene, a blood soaked woman gives up on life itself. I was instantly drawn in, and curled up for a night of no sleep - as I devoured this book. To say “this book engulfed me” is putting it lightly. In this dystopian world, the Ferryman is Proctor Bennett, who helps people “retire”, with the aid of implanted body monitors. When he starts to question his purpose, he isn’t the only one to do so in this new society. What happens throughout the book is met with bloodshed, terror, mystery, battles, revolution and ultimately - horrible truths.

If you open yourself up to this story, you will NOT be disappointed. You will come to love Cronin more than ever, and again, carry pieces of his latest story, within your soul.

So grateful to Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this arc. All opinions are 100% my own.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.

Do not let the length of this novel intimidate you. It is a beautiful, thought-provoking story that will stay in my mind. The characters were wel developed, and I felt like I knew them.

The Ferryman is a smart sci-fi dystopian novel. Proctor Bennet is a ferryman. He takes people who live in Prospera an island where everything is perfect to the Nursery when they have worn down and need to be refreshed. He enjoys his job until he has to take his father to the Nursery. What follows after is twist after twist that will have your mind reeling until the end. Thank you for my ARC #NetGalley.

I really wanted to like this book. I have read other books by Justin Cronin and loved them, but not so much on this one. There is so much going on, I felt overwhelmed. The first part of the book was good, but as it went on, I lost interest. there was so much potential but it just went flat. Once I hit the big plot twist, meh. I guess I expected more - better writing based on prior novels.

I don’t normally read science fiction, but the premise of this book caught my eye. A dystopian society is living free of the death and hazards occurring in the rest of the world. Everything is just peachy for the upper class, but a slow rumbling is building in the lower class. Proctor, whose job is to escort individuals to the ferry to be “reborn”, is able to dream, which should be impossible in his society. This ability starts a crack in what he believes is his world.
I love the description of people and events in the dystopian society. At times near the end of the book, I lost focus; I think the depth of imagination of the author is more fine-tuned, and I simply couldn’t keep up with his train of thought. Similar to “The Matrix”, there are numerous layers.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is May 2, 2023.