Justin Cronin creates an immersive world, drops the reader inside and says "good luck” as The Ferryman is in full motion from the start. I was looking in all directions for clues about Prospera, and where it was all headed. The dystopian world reminded me of Logan’s Run, for those old enough to remember, with the citizens being ‘reiterated’. There are many stories happening at the same time and the dreams remind me of the complex and layered story from the movie Inception. Justin Cronin adds heft to its expansive world-building by gradually unraveling the tapestry around its many mysteries. I loved the complexity and build up to why Prospera was created.

Proctor's story arc as well as many other key players, Elise and Thea, was nothing short of heart breaking. The Ferryman has a multitude of characters, all with more than enough happening to keep the most attentive reader on their toes. Each character is given a detailed backstory that gives them life and I was quickly invested in them. Caeli was another great character, her mysterious appearance in Prospera was another mystery to be solved.

Once enough puzzle pieces came together I was shocked, and then impressed with Justin Cronin’s imagination. The Ferryman was a joy to read, the post-apocalyptic component mixed with the science fiction was great, and I couldn’t get enough and I didn’t want to put it down. The Ferryman was my first read from Justin Cronin, how have I not read him before! I highly recommend this read if you are a sci-fi fan.

Wow! Where to start with this book? I loved it first of all! If you’ve ever read a Justin Cronin book before, you will agree with me! This was a great mix of sci fi and dystopia.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is not from our blog’s usual murder mystery/thriller genre. Rather, this is a novel about a future society which has been created on three islands somewhere in an idyllic island setting. The mysterious founder of this culture was referred to as he Designer. The outside world is deteriorating, but this entire group is protected from that. The first and most important island is Prospero where people lead a mostly long and trouble-free life. It’s an intelligent and creative group. When the physical and psychological health of the citizens of Prospero begins to wear out, they are taken to the Nursery island where their bodies are conditioned, their memories are erased, and they are released to begin their lives anew.

The protagonist in the story is Proctor Bennett, and his story begins in his mid-teenage years when he is newly released from the Nursery, and at the dock of Prospera, he meets the people who have been designated as his parents. It’s an awkward awakening for him and his parents, but they eventually learn enough about one another to carry on. The relationship seems rather emotionless, more of something the parents just wanted to try out. Meanwhile the group who lives on the third island are the laborers, ordinary people who keep Prospera operating.

However, there is dissention building among the laborers about their station in life relative to the privileged life of those on Prospera. As he continues his education and ages, Proctor lands a job as the ferryman. He gathers the people who are ready for retirement, and he takes them back to the Nursery. Typically, the ferrying goes smoothly. The story is complicated by Proctor getting the assignment to take his father into retirement. His father is resistant to the usual process and slips his son a strange and brief message before he is forced onto the ferry. Also, Proctor is aware that his own level of functioning is rapidly deteriorating, and he is dreaming, something that is supposed to be impossible for Propera people, a sign that they probably should be retired from service. With the note from his father and his dreams, as well as the social unrest of the laborers, Proctor wants to find out the truth about his supposed paradise.

I did finish this book, actually read it twice to see if I was missing something, but the dystopian future society just did not catch my interest, so I can’t give this novel a recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for providing me with an ARC of this book for review.

With "The Ferryman", Justin Cronin continues the streak he started with "The Passage" of combining high-concept sci-fi plotting and deeply empathetic, human characters.

The Ferryman takes place in a mysterious nation called Prospera, where a large group of humans has managed to build a paradise for themselves following a series of cataclysmic climate disasters that has, for all they know, wiped out the rest of humanity. Something known as “the Veil” keeps them from travelling too far from the shores of Prospera, protecting them from a ravaged Earth. Citizens of Prospera live easy, care-free lives, on a self-sufficient island that feels a bit like a country club. Prosperan citizens do not die, generally, nor are they born. Instead, when they are ready, each Propsperan is sent to the Nursery via the Ferry. At the Nursery, they are “reiterated” into a 16-year old version of themselves with none of their old memories, life beginning anew. The duty of escorting the “retiring” elderly citizens to the Ferry falls to the Ferrymen.

The Ferryman of the title is Proctor Bennett. Well respected and good at his job, Proctor at the start of the book is troubled by his vivid dreams, dreams which are unusual as Prosperan’s do not, as a rule, dream. Something about the reiteration process keeps the average citizen from dreaming, but for those who do, the dreams may be flashes of a previous iteration, or in Procotor’s case, perhaps something more.

The nature of consciousness, mortality, humanity, grief, and reality itself are all key to what is happening to Proctor and to tell more would be to give too much away. Suffice it to say Cronin has created a mind-bending story that borrows from a lot of great sci-fi but never feels derivative. As he did in the passage trilogy, Cronin creates a unique world and populates it with well written, unique characters. This was a pleasure to read and I recommend it highly.

Having read Justin Cronin's The Passage and The Twelve, I was interested in The Ferryman. In many ways, I preferred it to his earlier works. Shades of 1984 echo through its pages. I found the premise fascinating; but as in his earlier novels, sometimes the reader is confused as to plot, time, place, etc., and has to work overtime to keep up. Cronin has a beautiful way with words and kept me wrapped up in the story. But at times, I feel he attempts too much. There are beautiful passages near the end that I wanted to highlight and remember. I think Cronin's literary phrasing is mesmerizing. But at several places, near the novel's end, I thought the story was complete only to have him offer up another denouement. All in all, this is a great addition to the dystopian canon. Not perfect by any means but a very satisfying read nonetheless.

All I can say is WOW! I wish there were a sixth star to give. What a different, well written, and intriguing book! the twists and turns are amazing, and I love that it is both thought-provoking and completely different.

I just have to disagree with the esteemed Steven King. The Ferryman was quite easy for me to put down; for days actually.
It read to me like the futuristic space station on Mars that is already being planned for one day.
It honestly gave me nightmares.
Justin Cronin is in the same fantasy league (to me) as Steven King. Which is saying a lot about the intuitive writing, the feelings or lack there of, in the characters, the looking for the promise land, or at least somewhere better; after they’ve destroyed what they already have.
To be the The Ferryman that had to take the people to the boat to go be reborn again and again is bound to wear on a person.
Come take a journey with The Ferryman.

First, thank you to NetGalley for an early ebook of The Ferryman for my enjoyment. To me, this is definitely a sci-fi story, of Proctor who is from the state called Prospera. The story flows beautifully (not usually a sci-fi fan) but ended hard to put down. Highly recommend, like this author, J. Cronin.

I will say this book was a slow burn and I found myself putting it down a lot to wrap my head around the complexity of it. The book did pick up around half way thru and was interesting enough for me to pick it up more often. I loved the premise of this book and hits with a lot of the things wrong with the world now and live and loss. I did enjoy it and would recommend anyone who likes science fiction to give this book your attention.

Prospera is everything you would ever want a paradise to be. Sheltered from the outside world, the Prosperans are able to live long lives and new realities in pristine island living. With each resident wearing an embedded monitor to keep track of their health percentage, they are shepherded onto a ferry for retirement once their batteries can no longer be recharged and provided a chance at another new beginning.

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman that escorts these retirees to an island called the Nursery. He loves his job and finds it fulfilling, yet he has noticed his health monitor rapidly falling. With his own impending retirement, he must witness his own father’s departure to the Nursery and battle the questions that have arisen after the painful release of his father to the authorities. His father's confusing words mumbled at his departure have unsettled Proctor, and it’s now up to him to figure out the truth behind Prospera and its residents.

A fascinating take on future concepts and eerily mirrors quite a few social constructs today.

I enjoyed this book more than I had thought I would. It was a bit slow at times, but it was easy to follow and had a cast of characters that kept the plot from crashing to a halt.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Justin Cronin and I was impressed by the complexity of the plot! In fact, this was my only real issue with the book...the ending was hard for me to wrap my mind around. I liked the mysterious pace that slowly built as the story progressed. There were a lot of human and even metaphysical questions and issues raised throughout the plot and I appreciated those deeper themes. I didn't see any of the twists coming (and there were a lot of them!) and they kept me turning the pages to the very end. A fantastic sci-fi mystery thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC!

I was happy to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book via NetGalley. Id never read a Justin Cronin book and the premise sounded interesting. The world building in this futuristic, utopian society were fascination, the writing was descriptive, and the story moved at a quick pace. Before I know it I was halfway through the book! At about the 75% mark, I was very disappointed with the twist and the rest of the book was not nearly as good. The ending seemed to linger a bit too long. Even though I didn't love the last part of the book, I did enjoy most of it and would love to read more from this author.

I was beyond excited when I saw this book. How could I not be? I loved every bit of The Passage, The Twelve and The City of Mirrors. That was one of the best trilogies I have ever read and I still recommend those epic novels to everyone. After reading that trilogy, I will snatch up anything Justin Cronin writes. So, yeah, Christmas came early for me. I didn't know he had a new novel coming out this year so it was an absolute very welcomed surprise when I saw the cover for this book, I was covered in pure excitement!

The Ferryman did not disappoint one bit! Justin Cronin is a master at creating relatable characters and he quickly made me feel like the world he created was familiar, like when you are deeply invested in a favorite show. One of the things that I like about Justin Cronin's writing is that nothing is predictable. He pulls you on not only a journey but more of an experience. You get wrapped up in a fantastic story with great characters and as the pages turn, you simply get hooked! This is one of my favorite books this year. I dropped everything when I got this book and I am glad I did. I look forward to the next great Justin Cronin novel. I just hope I don't have to wait as long as I did for this one.

I want to thank Justin Cronin, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange of my honest review.

A great dystopian/Scifi read. Perfect for lovers of passengers movie. Definitely had the same feel but in reverse.
The story takes you to a place where people are able to regenerate as they age or are injured. They go to a place called the nursery to be reborn and start anew, but things aren't always as they seem.
A ship in space, which is the last civilization of earth, but all the passengers are asleep. Until some of them escape the dreamcast to find someone woke early and messed things up before going back into the dreamscape now, leaving the last of humanity in a precarious situation. The only way to fix it is to go back in themselves, but at what cost and can they save everyone in time. Even if they do, will they be able to start their colony successfully on the new planet, which isn't as stable as they hoped.
The copy I reviewed was an arc. It seemed a bit jumpy in parts, and there were some spelling and grammar mistakes, which I'm hoping to be updated before release.
This was a fun read. I definitely recommend it to Sci fi and dystopia lovers.

The Ferrymen was my first Justin Cronin book and wow! What an adventure that was! The book takes place in a place called Prospera, where people live very long, fulfilling lives. When their internal monitors fall below 10%, the people are sent to the Nursery where they are basically reborn. Prospector Bennett is the ferryman who guides the people from one to the next. There's a lot of sci-fi and speculation in this very large book (nearly 600 pages!) but I actually enjoyed it even though it's not my typical go-to genre. I'd love a physical copy of this book now!

The Passage did well in our libraries, and this one has similar style and depth of world building, so I can see this one being popular with our patrons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐
Sci-fi fans will love this book, I'm not even a huge sci-fi reader and I really enjoyed the complexity of the story.
Proctor is a ferryman, a prestigious role for a Prosperian. He takes people to the ferry, when they are ready to go to the nursery, to retire. When he gets called to take his father, everything changes for Proctor. He starts to notice how poor the support staff are treated and realizes he's never really thought about The Annex where they live. As a Prosperian, he is afforded a life of wealth and prosperity.
They live secluded on 3 islands, one for the nursery, one for the support staff, and one for the Prosperians. They don't know what lies outside their islands, and prefer not to, as the world was failing when they created this paradise.
Suddenly, Proctor starts to question it all. Is there more than meets the eye? What did his dad mean with his final words?
Just when you think you know where this book is headed, it adds another layer. On repeat. Fun to read and also mind boggling.

This was my first novel by Justin Cronin and it won't be the last. Justin was able to bring the unexpected to life. What started as a dystopian novel, completely changed as the storyline progressed. The world building was brought to life with vivid details. This storyline is one that will stay with you long after you have finished it!

Overall, I would recommend this novel to those who love mysteries with cryptic messages and hidden truths!

Justin Cronin wrote one of my favorite books, The Passage, which is also part of one of the best trilogies I have ever read. I was delighted when I was offered the chance to read this upcoming novel by him.

The Ferryman shares similar themes to other writing by Cronin because he has this way of analyzing humans and their relationships and interactions with the world around them in such a unique perspective that it tends to highlight both the flaws and the wonder of what it means simply to be alive. As The Ferryman story begins, the reader is put into a world that seems similar to our own, and yet there is something different. The characters and world were at first a little confusing and I felt unsettled with what was happening, but as it progresses I see the genius in presenting it that way.

I will admit, having finished it now I am not quite sure that I understood it all, or made all the connections that I should have, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I cannot stop thinking about it or talking about it.

This book is a slow build with intriguing details that come together in some surprising ways at the end that will leave the reader contemplating so many things. It is a book that begs to be talked about, discussed, and reread.

Unputdownable! The world building in this book is amazing. Made me feel like I was there experiencing everything alongside with the characters. This book made my mind go places and kept me guessing. The Giver vibes with a sci-fi twist to it. I absolutely adored the main character Proctor. I was rooting for him from start to finish. The Ferryman would make an excellent movie. I have never had an author reach out to me to try their book. I was absolutely flattered! Thank you so much for the opportunity to experience such an awesome book! I will definitely be adding a copy of this to my collection. I give The Ferryman 4.5 stars rounded up.