For fans of the Scythe trilogy and The Giver, Justin Cronin's The Ferryman is a futuristic, dystopian novel whose inhabitants are repeatedly reincarnated when the implanted monitors in their forearms reach below 10%. Citizens are "retired" by taking a ferry from the island of Prospera back to the Nursery, and Proctor Bennett, our main character, is a ferryman -- a sort of usher or guide for these retirees. But when Proctor starts having mysterious dreams, meeting strange people, and experiencing deja vu, he wonders if there's more to Prospera than meets the eye.

The Ferryman was cinematic, propulsive, and well-written, with memorable characters and a breathtaking plot. To say much more or to give other comparable titles would spoil what makes this such a page turner. There were a few elements to the conclusion that felt confusing, and the novel was probably 50 pages too long, but overall I give The Ferryman an enthusiastic 4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first Justin Cronin novel, and I will be reading more! This book had it all, but the suspense is what got me hooked. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, nope, I was wrong.

The thing that elevates The Ferryman above your typical thriller/sci-fi potboiler is Cronin's literary heft. Not only is this book entertaining, but it's also very, very smart. I thought I knew what was going on, only to have everything turned on its head. I was a fan of Cronin's Passage series, a trilogy of novels that combined a dystopian future with vampires--which sounds kind of cheesy but was ended up being a thought-provoking saga. He brings that same depth to The Ferryman, but this time, there are no vampires.

I can't say much about this book without giving away spoilers. In some ways, it reminded me of the Battlestar Gallactica reboot, but I don't want to say more than that. If you want to be as surprised as I was, just read the summary in the book description but don't read too many reviews. Dive into the story and see where it takes you. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but don't let the number of pages intimidate you--it moves quickly and you'll be entertained throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my views.

I loved Justin Cronin's previous books, The Passage, The Twelve, and City of Mirrors, so I was eager to read The Ferryman. This new book didn't disappoint me. In this story, the ferryman, Proctor, works to move people who are retiring onto his boat and then to an island named Prospera. Sometimes he has to force the retirees to go--including his own father.

It turns out there's a reason why not everyone wants to go to this so-called Utopia. Eventually, Proctor finds himself on a quest for the truth about what's going on. If you enjoyed Cronin's earlier trilogy, you'll like this one. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on but that made me not want to put it down. Great writing, interesting characters and plotline. Great read.

Reading The Ferryman was an experience. Justin Cronin creates a story that is very different than his other books with him trading Vampires for “utopias” and I think he succeeded with creating this one off story that I enjoyed while reading.

Cronin’s world building is his strength with the island and its people standing out and feeling fleshed out and being the standout of the book.

My least favorite part was the characters with none connecting with me and them not feeling like people which I hate because I feel Cronin can write great characters.

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!

I really enjoyed the beginning it grabbed by attention and was interesting. Then the book changed giving way to much information and and I got overloaded and made it difficult to keep up with the plot and I lost interest as it seemed to move so slow. However, as the story progresses, there were many unfinished ends and times that dragged out.

I have read others by this author and loved them. This one wasn't my favorite.

Imaginative and inventive, The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is another winner. This is a tightly plotted, engaging, and well written journey into worlds unknown. When this journey turns inward, the story really takes off with fully fleshed storylines and an ending that feels well deserved.
There were a few side characters that didn't feel fully fleshed out, but it works in the context of the plot. At times mechanical, and at times sweeping and ambitious., the two tones worked well together. I would recommend this to those who love science and literary fiction.
This is a winner and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC.

The Ferryman refers to Proctor Bennett's job. He lives in an idyllic world where people do not die they just take a ferry back to The Nursery where they are reborn. Except all is not as it seems. The Ferryman is a science fiction, dystopian novel that kept me up too late trying to figure out what was going on. Justin Cronin wrote the first half of the book as one story, then it suddenly changed but it all comes together in the end, in a way I never suspected.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

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

Different yet compelling science fiction.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House/ballantine books for the arc!
There was a LOT going on in this book. So much so that at times I felt like I was spinning in circles!

I'm not big on sci-fi but I love Justin Cronin and as much as there was going on in this book, it still was fantastic and fun to read!

3.5. This book and author are not my usual genres. However, it sounded interesting and I was grateful to receive the ARC from NetGalley. So my journey through this lengthy tale was interesting, to say the least. The first half of the story was fascinating to me. It involved the story's protagonist, Proctor Bennett's role as a Ferryman in a society where people shed their prior lives and assume new identities in the future, called reiterations. I found this fascinating and understandable. However, the story became more about science fiction and dystopian futures than I enjoyed, so I had trouble staying with the story line at that point. The plot and the array of characters, particularly as they assumed new roles and timeframes were difficult for me to keep up with. I think readers of dystopian, science fiction thrillers would enjoy the book, but it was not one I could recommend for readers like myself.

Sensational--Justin Cronin does it again! An eerily pleasant dystopian world gives way to something altogether shocking, building to a climax that had me holding my breath and turning the pages as fast as I could. Bravo!

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman in Prospera. That means he is the one who escorts citizens to the ferry when the monitors in their arms say that their lives are depleted. Then the ferry takes them to the island they call the Nursery, where their bodies are believed to be renewed, and they are made ready to start life again. All goes smoothly in Proctor’s successful career, until the day that it is his father that he must escort to the ferry. On the way to the ferry, his father utters a word into his ear, at which point, his father is tackled and strong-armed onto the ferry.

Meanwhile, unrest is building in the deteriorating world outside of idyllic Prospera. A resistance group called the Arrivalists, seem to be the ones responsible for the upheaval. And Proctor, himself, has been dreaming and questioning…

Through this book, Mr. Cronin takes us on an incredible journey of twists and turns and unexpected pathways! His characters become very real to the reader on this roller coaster ride. This is a tome in which the author never questions the reader’s intelligence, never undermining her ability to follow him on these twists and turns. All of this results in an unforgettable ride!

Already a fan of Justin Cronin from his Passage Trilogy I was so excited to get a chance to preview his newest work. I'm happy to say I was not disappointed in the least. In fact, I am hooked on Cronin's writing and will be fast to pick up any future gifts from this great mind.
This story had me hooked from the beginning. The world we find ourselves in is very peculiar yet easily visualized. Set on an archipelago called Prosper lives a society of people who have chosen to break off from the rest of the world. Here you will live a life of peace, health, beauty and ease. When life gets too much, and you no longer feel your youthful self you simply sign a contract and get carried away to an island called The Nursery. Here you will go to begin the reiteration process to starting your next life all anew. Everything on Prospera runs smoothly, you go about your routine never burden by stress and there are plenty of things to enjoy in your free time.
Our protagonist Proctor Gamble is a Ferryman whose job it is to collect people who are ready to move onto the Nursery. He is one of the top in his field always helping to ease people into the end phase with gentleness and care. Everything about Proctor's life is easy and routine until he gets the contract to bring his estranged dad to the ferry. in his last moments with his father something is triggered within Proctor that will have his world turned upside down.
The Ferryman was a perfect book to end a year of great reading. As my 159th read I would place The Ferryman in my top 10! The character development, the world building and the language was all perfection. This story keeps you hooked from start to finish. There are twist and turns all along the way, a great mystery to solve and plenty of surprises to be found in the end. If you have never read Justin Cronin before you are truly missing out. The Ferryman would be a perfect starter read to welcome you into his magnificent mind.

I was grateful to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Balantine Books. I am leaving my review her voluntarily.

I was so excited to receive this ARC of The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. I loved The Passage!

An archipelago named Prospera was founded mysteriously. Citizens of Prospera are shielded from the outside world. As they age, viewed by monitors in their arms, they are given the chance to go to The Nursery and start over. The ferryman accompanies them on their journey.

Buckle up for a wild ride. I was guessing until almost the end. The people are restless and aren't happy with the status quo. A revolution is building. With the detail and description, you can see every last event as it happens in your mind's eye.

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!