TW/CW: Death of a child, violence, police violence, sex, grief

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily writing an honest review.

The Ferryman is the story of Proctor Bennett, a citizen of a tropical paradise named Prospera. In this paradise, nobody dies – they just get aged back down and given a new life. Everyone is, or is supposed to be, happy, except for the less fortunate who live trapped on an island called the Annex, only visiting Prospera when they are needed to perform manual labor or service work.

Proctor has a good job, a beautiful wife, and a lovely house, but for some reason, the edges of his life start to blur and he starts to sense a wrongness in his perfect world. Is he going crazy, or is something else going on around him that nobody understands?

This was a good book, and I enjoyed reading it. It is more than a little on the long side, and I’m not sure 580 pages was really necessary to get the point across, but Cronin’s writing is good and I didn’t find myself bored. Cronin lets the reader in on things just a little bit at a time so we’re pretty much there with Proctor as he learns what’s going on.

I feel a little iffy about the ending of this one – I think it could have been better. I saw what he was going for, but I would have enjoyed it more if he’d gone in another direction. (I can’t say much more because I don’t want to leave spoilers on the plot!).

In all, though, this was a very interesting science fiction novel and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend to fans of dystopian fiction and science fiction.

The Ferryman is, at once, a simple story and a complex idea.
The Ferryman brings people to the ferry which goes to the island where the Nursery is.
People go to the Ferry when they are ready to retire, and start all over again
I don't want to give away anymore.
Dreams play a major part in both the characters lives and the story itself.
I love sci-fi. This book took me on a wild ride! Some topics, like ruining our earth, could be taken from current events. Other sections dealt with the idea of the Haves and the Have-nots.
The further I read, the more complicated the plot became. I was actually lost at one point! But that feeling just makes one want to push on reading.
The ending was both satisfying - you find out what happens to all the characters, and unsatisfying - because I wanted the answers to my questions explained at length.
Overall I liked this book
I'd give it 4-1/2 stars.
If you enjoy sci-fi, it's worth your time.

"The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin was simply amazing.

From the very first pages, the reader finds themself in a mysterious world that keeps introducing new questions. Cronin does a wonderful job of both informing the reader about this world while simultaneously adding to the mystery. The emotion, adventure, risk, and exploration of the perplexing society painted in this book kept me fully engaged to the very last page. Given the intricacy of the society and plot, I was concerned whether or not Cronin could pull off a successful ending. (Hint: Yes! He did!) Without providing any spoilers I will share that the ending was surprising, but satisfying, It was also consistent with the proceeding story but still fresh. And as with the rest of the story, it was comfortably thought provoking. I can not wait to read more by Justin Cronin.

I am very grateful to the author and publisher for sharing an advanced electronic review copy of this excellent book. Thanks!

If you were to combine a sci-fi read like Logan's Run with a concept like Russian nesting dolls, you might get a book like Justin Cronin's The Ferryman.

Prospera is a remote paradise, created by a mystery person known only as The Designer. In Prospera, citizens live long, fulfilling lives, away from the horrors of a crumbling world. Citizens have an embedded chip that measures the quality of their lives - physical and mental - and when that chip registers that the quality of life falls below 10%, it is time for that person to 'retire' - meaning to take the ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are prepared to start all over.

Proctor Bennett has had a good career as a Ferryman - someone who helps guide a retiring citizen through the retiring process (occasionally enforcing it) - until the day he has to shepherd his own father, who does not go quietly and who leaves Proctor with a cryptic message. At this same time, Proctor is noting that he's having strange dreams and, more alarming, his own life monitoring percentage is dropping fast. Much too quickly, Proctor is forced into retirement and the ferry ride to the Nursery. But there he encounters rumors of a resistance group known as "Arrivalists" who are stirring up a revolution ... one in which Proctor Bennett is key, even though he doesn't know it.

I'm not sure I would have been drawn to this book if it weren't for the success of Cronin's popular The Passage series. I am glad that I did read this, however, because this sort of intricate plotting and revealing of story is right up my alley.

Earlier I reckoned this with Russian nesting dolls, but I might also compare it to, as Shrek might say, an onion, with layer upon layer upon layer of story which Cronin deftly peels away to reveal the story underneath the story.

This story went to places that I did not anticipate (note that I do not read generally synopses before reading a book - or if I do, a significant enough time has passed that I forget why I was drawn to a particular book) but looking back on it, I think there were sufficient clues so that the reader savvier than I might not be quite as surprised. However, the sometimes disorienting experience while reading this is a large part of the appeal.

And of course, there's character. I do love character-driven stories and I think this is very much a character-driven novel. Proctor Bennett is every bit as confused as the reader through the twists and turns and we really do get inside his head through this.

If there is a downside, which prevents me from giving this a full five stars, it's that all the other characters are less well defined. I recognize that some of this has to do with the unknown realities of the world(s) Proctor goes through, but in at least one case, there's a character who seemingly becomes vital to the story revelations, and I don't think that even here, that character ever really comes into sharp focus.

It is October when I write this, but the review won't appear online until December. Even so, the book isn't released until May. I suspect there will be a good media blitz but don't take that chance ... mark your calendars right now so that you don't miss this book.

Looking for a good book? The Ferryman is the newest book by Justin Cronin and it will engage and deceive you in all the right ways. Go read it.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A bizarre and beautiful dream of a book. Certainly different than what I thought it was going to be when I started it, glad I kept going.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow! Cronin has outdone himself with this novel. Captivating from the first line "The Ferryman" is a unbelievable story about what it means to live. Proctor is the Director of the Department of Social Contracts in Prospero, he is responsible for ferrying the retired to the nursery for reinstatement and he's good at his job. While his job is not without conflict, he finds comfort in helping prepare aging Prosperan's get a new start. Until there is a mishap when he has to retire his own father that fateful day. Everything changes and Proctor's world begins it's topsy-turvey spin into the unknown and forgotten. What follows is a story unlike any I've ever read. Cronin is a master of world building and he immerses you so deeply into Porospero you can't leave. Cronin's prose is stunning, the descriptions of this world are so well done I could smell the sea air, I could hear the drones overhead, I could feel the oppressive heat that comes with a crowd. This novel has such a unique and unexpected world you can't help but want more and Cronin delivers over and over again with twist after twist. Shocked! I was shocked when it all came to the surface. I loved this novel, it tick's all the boxes for me.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group for allowing me read an ARC on NetGalley!

So I'm not normally a fan of the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre.... I tend to find them emotionally exhausting to read, plus the world is crazy and dark enough these days without adding extra crises to the bill. But I still find myself picking up Justin Cronin's novels, even knowing they'll break my heart and be tough to read, because he just writes so magnificently. He has an incredible ability to craft complex characters that live and breathe on the page. Pair that with his vivid imagination and a sense of timing and pacing that is spot on, and the result is always a devastating and magnificent tale that will horrify, move, and amaze in equal measures.

The Ferryman is no exception.

There is SO MUCH going on here. The first half of the book feels like one story. The second, another - in another genre - entirely. Yet the two pieces are seamlessly intertwined in a way that not only makes complete sense and is absolutely believable, it's also completely engaging and un-put-down-able. It took me a while to read - his books always do, and not only because they are long but because of the emotional and intellectual heft they bear as well - but it was well worth the effort and the journey was a brilliant one!

I was hooked on Justin Cronin as an author as soon as I got into "The Passage". That trilogy was thrilling, haunting, mysterious, and action-packed. I knew that I would want to read whatever he came out with next.

The Ferryman was not a letdown. He has delivered again on a completely different premise and plot line. This book is full of twists and turns to keep you guessing what is actually reality vs fantasy. The undercurrents woven into the fantasy and their impact on reality was well thought out and executed. I don't believe a sequel to this book is planned, but if there is, I am more than interested in reading the next chapter.

Highly recommended.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin- So much to take in it can leave you dizzy. World-building and all the strangeness that after a while seems familiar. When your time is up, the Ferryman will guide you to a special place and make it all better, or so you think. Very complex and satisfying. Great Read! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC and Justin Cronin for a marvelous book.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of this book. It definitely lived up to its hype. This author has become a must read.

Justin Cronin’s The Ferryman is a page turner. Not the kind where a bunch of bad guys are after a good guy and the author creates artificial chapter endings to get you to read on. This is a true page turner, where the storyteller reveals just enough to get you anxious to get to the next reveal. This turns out to be a rather complex process, as several layers of truth are revealed in the last half of the book. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the final chapter was “true” or not, but it didn’t even matter. In this world, the past and future are constructs, the present is fungible, and relationships are subject to the interchanging worlds they inhabit. I read the last half of the book in a single day - I’m not sure if saying anything at this point would reveal spoilers, because I’m honestly not sure what happens in each chapter is a spoiler or a clue to each character. I just encourage everyone to read this and figure it out for yourselves.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Balanchine books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

I was up late finishing this book. Well don't try to guess or figure out this story because you won't! I have loved Justin Cronin since The Passage trilogy. This storyline kept me guessing and then I figured it out. I did not. The book is a journey and its long in parts. I would have welcomed more backstory on Mother and characters like Otto. Proctor was well written and the hero/villain dichotomy kept me interested. I would recommend this book to friends. Anything from Cronin is going to take you on a wild ride!

Although it is long, the book is education and entertaining. The Ferryman is a story of an unusual group of people and the prosperous life they live. The way the people live is very different, but the action with the people are them very of human nature. I found a evolution of the ferryman as people interaction. The characters are representee of different people but are very realistic. I hated to see the story end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Ferryman is a stand alone story that took a ton of twists and turns. It took a bit to really get the story going, but once it did then it really took it off. It combined many different elements and devices into the story, and at times it did get a bit long for my preferences. Overall a decent read and fans of Justin Cronin will be sure to enjoy his follow up to The Passage trilogy.

A fairly interesting story. Have seen this twist done before. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This book is the best of the movie The Island with a dash of Passengers and a sprinkling of The Day After Tomorrow. I started this book with no expectations and when I finished it I had no words. First I am a Justin Cronin fan and with this latest book I am a super fan.
This is the tale of Proctor Bennett and his life on Prospera or is it?? The twists and turns that this book takes will keep you on the edge of your seat. What is the truth and what is in his mind?
I cant stop thinking about this book. I would recommend it to anyone who loves an intelligent and twisty sci fi adventure

Where does someone start after reading something like this?

I feel a little bamboozled, and I think that’s exactly where Cronin wanted me to be….so props to him for that.

What I liked: well he can set a scene that’s for sure, it gave me “The Stand” vibes, which was very well received upon publishing, so I think will stand (see what I did there) to do well. There’s a darkness to it that carry’s through well, and helps with the kind of slow build that a book of this length needs.

What I didn’t like: speaking of length…..this is too long for me. Granted that is very much so a personal perspective, some truly enjoy the depth that can be provided when an author really knows how to build, but for myself personally, I could have used it to be a bit more condensed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, I don’t think I would have ever picked picked this up without this opportunity but I’m glad I did.

I think this book is quite nice, but I wouldn't tear my hair out about it. In most of the time I spent on this book, I was simultaneously trying to remember in which other science fiction book or movie I had read the same "tropos" and believe me, the list is quite long. It is also my first Cronin, although his trilogy has been waiting on my shelves to be read for a long time, so I cannot compare. In short: if you are a science fiction reader with a passion for dystopia and plot twists, you have chosen the right novel.

Penso che questo libro sia piuttosto carino, ma non mi strapperei i capelli a riguardo. Nella maggior parte del tempo che ho passato su questo libro, stavo contemporaneamente cercando di ricordare in quale altro libro o film di fantascienza avevo letto lo stesso "tropos" e credetemi, la lista é piuttosto lunga. Inoltre é il mio primo Cronin, nonostante la sua trilogia stia aspettando da tempo sulle mie mensole di essere letta, quin di non posso fare paragoni. In breve: se siete lettori di fantascienza con un passione per la distopia e i colpi di scena, avete scelto il romanzo giusto.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

It's been quite a while since Justin Cronin finished off his Passage trilogy, a post-apocalyptic tale of vampires that had a lot more ambition and heft than many series of its type, to say nothing of a real taste for horror. It's a shame, then, that The Ferryman, his first novel since, doesn't live up to expectations or entirely make up for the long wait. The tale of a dystopian society living on an island named Prospera, The Ferryman is the story of Proctor Bennett, the society's "ferryman" who helps the dying and sick to move on to their next reincarnation and life. But when Proctor has to escort his own father to the ferry, he gets clued in that not everything in this society is as it seems, and that puts him in the crosshairs of the island's ruling class. If all that sounds pretty generic, well, it kind of is, and it doesn't help that the major reveal of the book is, at this point, a pretty hoary old chestnut, even if Cronin ultimately has a novel take on it that incorporates some interesting character work. There's a lot going on here - the book touches on climate change, class warfare, philosophical musings on death, grief and guilt, and so much more - but in the end, it all feels sprawling and unfocused, and the pacing of the big reveals means that it's hard to ever get a read on some of the characters. The Ferryman certainly isn't bad, per se, but there's just not much here that you haven't seen before in different forms, and the book ultimately feels like Cronin had too many ideas to fit, and rather than balance them well, just crammed them all together so that it's hard to ever get a sense of what the book is about. It's an ambitious misfire, and it's always readable, but it's a misfire all the same.

I felt stupid bc I had no idea how to review this book. Then I looked at other people's reviews and realized they had no idea either. As others have said, I have no idea what I just read, but for some reason I really liked it.

The plot is very complicated, and scattered, and I'll admit, about 80% of the time, I didn't know what was going on. It sort of comes together in the end, at least I think it does if I'm interpreting it correctly. I still really enjoyed it even though it was confusing and all over the place.