Wow this book was fantastic! It had elements that reminded me of some many other books and tv shows, but at the same time it was unique. I won't share the shows it reminded me of because I don't want to give away any spoilers. I had such an enjoyable time reading this book! I looked forward to picking it up at night and then I would think about it all day long.

The Ferryman takes place in prospera, an Island that's isolated in its own world. Its inhabitants are able to live an extraordinarily long life and when they are ready to "retire" they go to the nursery to be born again and live a whole new life. But things are starting to become confusing for the main catcher Procter. He's asking questions about too many things, which is getting him in trouble.

This book is science fiction and also a thriller. It was really fun. This is one I'll be thinking about for awhile and recommending people check out!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
Proctor Bennet resides in Prospera, as grouping of islands hidden from the rest of Earth. He is a Ferryman, he helps usher retirees into reintegration. On Prospera all vitals are tracked and when your monitor is 10% you retire and reintegrate at the Nursery. All your memories are wiped and you begin again.
When I started reading this book and realized it was 560 pages I thought it may drag on. It did not, I was captivated through out. I was intrigued with the concept of Prospera. Without giving anything away the twists and turns and revelations keep you engrossed. Wonderful and imaginative books

What can be said about Justin Cronin that hasn't been said by somebody better than myself already? After his Passage trilogy, he returns with this masterpiece.
This novel is dystopian, strange, speculative, and deeply engrossing. Once you pick this one up, you are helpless but to finish it. Just like his previous novels, he grabs you and doesn't let go. I highly recommend this one. It's the first great read of 2023.

I really loved this book- what a great way to kick of 2023! In this futuristic/ sci-fi novel, Proctor Bennett helps people "retire." The whole book is a well-crafted mystery where you are trying to understand what this new future holds and what the social dynamics mean. About 2/3 of the way through the book, all is revealed (no spoilers) and you continue to still try to figure it out. It is suspenseful and a truly interesting envisioning of our future. I loved the mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #TheFerryman #NetGalley

Juston Cronin has hooked me in again with his latest book, The Ferryman. A master storyteller, Cronin takes you on a journey into an underworld you'll never forget.

I was a big fan of Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy, so I was eager to read The Ferryman. The book did not disappoint. The world-building was intense and wild, but clever and masterfully architected. I cared about the characters with all of their flaws. There was a lot of story to tell, but I stayed engaged and anxious to keep reading throughout. The book was a blend of bittersweet and urgent, mystery and adventure, all mapped in a sci fi future world. Hightly recommend!

I finished my first book of 2023! I am hopeful that Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman" sets the tone for the rest of the year, because I absolutely loved it.
Let me start by saying I was given this thanks to @netgalley and I went blindly into reading it without any idea of what the story was about. This is probably not something that would have been on my radar, but I am so glad that it was put in front of me.
Cronin built a complete world in writing about an island called Prospero that is hidden from the rest of the world, a world that is deteriorating. The inhabitants are embedded with health monitors that check levels of physical and psychological health. If the meters fall below a certain percentage, they are retired and sent by ferry to an island called the Nursery where their memories are wiped clean, their bodies are renewed and they start a new life cycle.
Enter our lead character, Proctor Bennett, a ferryman who's job is to transport the retirees to the ferry. One catch, Proctor's own health meter is dropping rapidly. He is also given the difficult task of escorting his own father to the ferry. His dad delivers a cryptic message to him before being wrestled onto the ferry.
This coupled with stirrings of discontent from inhabitants that are known as The Support Staff, the laborers that keep Prospero running, take us on a wild ride. An urgent mission to uncover the truth of the island.
Just when you think you may have the story figured out, there are twists that totally send you in another direction. This isn't just a great edge of your seat read, its also wonderfully written. Cronin has a talent for beautifully descriptive writing that helped make this a very visual read.

I received a free ARC ebook of The Ferryman from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cronin's latest take on a world done in by humankind is wonderful. Prospera, an island of privilege and beauty, is a Utopian dream where a few live long and happy lives. Of course, the nitty gritty side of this privilege is the Annex, where workers live in squalor to order to service the well-off. When the Prosperans' health diminishes, they are whisked off to the Nursery to be renewed. Here their memories are wiped clean and they are ready to begin a new life.

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman; he escorts the aged to the ferry for their trip to the Nursery. Mostly, he is happy and content and he views his work as an important part of the social contract. His marriage to Elise is somewhat superficial but otherwise a happy arrangement. The only problem is that he dreams - something that is viewed with suspicion and alarm among the Prosperans. When Proctor must escort his own estranged father to the ferry, his world begins to disintegrate. No longer certain of his role and purpose, Proctor is cast adrift by his wife, fellow employees, and Prosperan society at large.

Cronin cleverly does not reveal the true purpose of Prospera until the final quarter of the book. Thus readers will share Proctor's growing unease amidst the heightening tensions on Prospera. A resistance group, the Arrivalists, amplifies the unfairness of Prospera without a clear alternative. Proctor, really for the first time, must confront the inequities and uncertainties that surround him.

The Ferryman is a great read.

In the not too distant future, elderly or sick humans are asked to be "reprogrammed". This story is about
memories, thier worth, and what does it mean to live a life. Interesting premise

I'm not a sci-fi fan usually, but this is Justin Cronin so I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. A really good story with great characters. Highly recommend. You'll love this.

Justin Cronin has produced an exceptional sci-fi thriller with his latest novel, The Ferryman.

As someone who prides themselves on being able to figure out what is going on in a story, Cronin has managed to keep me guessing with his many twists and turns until the very end. The characters of Proctor and Thea are enigmatic and extremely well written and the world in which they live in, where humans are reiterated into bodies over multiple lifespans is a fascinating concept and what may be considered a utopia for some, is far more frightening for others.

Without giving too much away, The Ferryman is highly recommended for fans of 1899 and Altered Carbon.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Justin Cronin for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Justin Cronin's The Passage series, so I was camping at the bit to start The Ferryman. I can't recommend it enough. Scary sci-fi with deeply human and humane turns, it's another book I couldn't put down

WOW. Now I would say this reminded me of my favorite era of science fiction novels, like--Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, etc. At first, I was not a fan of them switching POVs because it caused a bit of confusion and wasn't sure where it was leading but as I got further into this giant book I was like oh wow. Seriously I felt like Procter being assigned to this family was no coincidence. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now I have to go start more Justin Cronin books because it reminded me of my childhood and I couldn't put this book down.

There is so much going on with this… and I'm pretty sure i liked it? I don't even know where to begin!

Proctor is a Ferryman who takes people to die on an island when they have about reached the end of their life. This book is sad, creepy and full of twists and turns It kept me flipping the pages! Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book before its release. This was my first book by Justin Cronin, and I was not disappointed. Very interesting concept, and fantastic twist and turns I couldn’t see coming. Would highly recommend to others, especially those who enjoy the works of King and Crichton.

I want to thank the Publisher and author for giving me an Arc copy of this book. I plan to read this book as soon as possible. I am really intrigued by the synopsis of this book and cannot wait to dive into it.

Ooh, I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. I tend to give out 5 star ratings very easily, but this book really deserved it. Once the story really started, I couldn’t stop reading.

Some things that especially stood out:

1. The writing is masterful. The prose, the details, the dialogue, etc. are all very well done. The text is actually quite dense, but it doesn’t feel that way because everything is so cohesive.

2. The world. Both of them. There is something vivid and alluring about the dreamscape and Caelus. I’m a little upset that I didn’t get to see more of Caelus, and learn about the civilization that used to be there, even though it was outside the scope of the story.

3. The cerebral quality. The constant question of what is and isn’t real, especially regarding Caeli in the first half of the book and Proctor’s dreams (dreams within a dream… of course Proctor can’t tell the difference between dreaming and being awake. He’s dreaming the whole time.).

I did think the ending was a bit campy, though it didn’t significantly influence my opinion of the book.

Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman, guiding people through the "retirement" process when their satisfaction meters drop below acceptable levels, so they can prepare themselves for "new lives." Proctor and these others live in a utopia like community called Prospera separate from the rest of the damaged world where people can safely pursue their ideals while a secondary group take care of the mundane day to day chores. The main difference is the secondary group can have children, and while the others "adopt" new 16-yr-olds. But odd things are beginning to happen in their world. Proctor is having dreams which is supposed to be impossible and wrong. The workers are beginning to revolt. And what is right and wrong is not as clear as it once was. And Proctor suddenly finds he needs answers.
Of course it is all far more complex than this. It is a far more insular world, and does not have the sweep of The Passage; is even almost claustrophobic at times. But always quite fascinating. Oddly, it only bogs down a bit after the big reveal, a little too much of a data dump slows down the story I think. Otherwise it is all quite thought provoking and impossible to discuss here without spoilers. I was quite satisfied with the ending, I thought it made a great deal of sense. I'm sure others will disagree. Will be a fabulous book for book clubs to discuss. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.

Despite the fact that I am generally not a sci-fi reader, every now and again one finds its way into my hands, mostly through my husband. He all but forced me to read The Passage by Justin Cronin back in 2010, when I was gigantically pregnant with our second child and didn't want to do anything but lay around and wait for the baby. I raced through his totally absorbing vampire novel, all 800 pages of it.

This is another lengthy but completely different tale than the Passage series. It's also nearly impossible to explain. especially without spoiling the plot.

I will say that Proctor Bennett exists in a pretty perfect world. Prospera is an island, and the luxurious lives of its inhabitants are closely monitored to keep them as healthy and beautiful as possible. Proctor is a Ferryman - a government official who brings those who desire to "retire" to the ferry, where they are taken to the Nursery and their memories are wiped, their bodies are renewed, and they enter back into society as 18-year-olds with foster parents.

Across the causeway is the Annex, where the people serving as support staff to the Prosperans live. They live the normal way, aging, giving birth, and working hard.

The Ferryman is Proctor's tale, and it's a wild, wild ride. Just when you think you've figured out what is going on, everything will tilt sideways and blow your mind again.

My husband actually won a review copy of this on GoodReads and he raced through it in three days. He calls it less like The Passage and more like "Blake Crouch but with better writing," and I have to agree. If you like the mind-bendy Black Crouch type of sci-fi -- very accessible to those of us who don't love reading about aliens and math -- then I think you'll love The Ferryman.

For me it was a tad long and there were some parts that felt a little like an action movie, which isn't my favorite to read. But overall it was well worth the time it took me to read this fat book!

Thoughtprovoking and well-written, I did enjoy trying to guess at what the twist would be, and there were several interesting thematic explorations including class, grief, and purpose, but it just doesn't ever manage to live up to its full potential.

I really feel like this would have worked better as a duology than as a single book. It would have given the big twist more time to be realized because as it stands now the momentum basically grinds to a halt when the reveal happens as we suddenly get a massive exposition dump and then a big "But we have to go back!"

It also suffers a bit from what I consider the Fall; Dodge in Hell problem. Once the big reveal happens, the stakes basically disintegrate. Sure there's some excuses from the exposition on why the previous central conflict still matters, but it feels tacked on and rushed.

Overall, could have been great is merely good.