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.

*Full review to be posted closer to publication in May 2023!*

Although I've seen Justin Cronin's name and books around for many years, this is the first book of his that I've actually ever gotten around to reading–and now I'm realizing I need to go get more of his books!

The Ferryman is a brilliant novel that kept me engaged the entire time, whether the pacing was moving at a fast or slow speed. This is a really unique story full of twists, turns, and tons of creative world-building and plot points that I couldn't have predicted or expected. This is a dystopian fantasy of sorts that I'm sure will be a hit with many fans of the genre, and even those that aren't.

I'd bet money that this was pitched as The Truman Show meets Arthur C. Clarke's 2001. And to be honest, that's about all you need to know about it. HAL is replaced with a group of "brilliant" people who are mostly devoid of ethics; the backdrop is pods and pods of people in hibernation on a generation ship to another planet; the crux is that the brilliant people, who dislike each other, have all been creating havoc for the sleepers and the mission in general. At the end, I wasn't intrigued, and I didn't think it was clever or very interesting. I didn't care how it ended.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to review this book as an ARC. This book is a difficult one to summarize. It put me in mind of several other books and movies I have enjoyed in the past- Logan's Run, Life on Mars, The Matrix, to name a few. This is more than just a pastiche of familiar science fiction tropes. It is a fully realized, epic story told from the perspective of one man, who may or may not have all of the information. Proctor Bennett is a man who lives in a place called Prospera. It is a beautiful shining city on the hill type of place. He works for the government, as Director of Social Contracts.( more on that later). He and his wife Elise are part of the beautiful people. They live work and belong to the ruling class. There are 3 parts to this world, Prospera, the Annex and the Nursery. While the Prosperans live a good life, the people in the Annex do the work. Prosperans have a monitor in their arms, which gives a value to their overall health. When the number goes below 10, they must retire. When a Prosperan retires, they are taken to a ferry by an employee of the Dept.of Social Contracts, and taken to the Nursery. This is where they die and are reborn( reiterated is the term) as a 16 year old. These teenagers are taken in as wards by Prosperan couple. Proctor Bennett is the head Ferryman, and one day everything changes for him. He is told to bring his father to the ferry. Malcom Bennett is at first ready to "retire" and goes with Proctor willingly. At the ferry, however, he becomes disoriented, speaks incoherently and gives Proctor a cryptic message.This changes Proctor's life.
Much is changing in Prospera- the people in the Annex are becoming unhappy with the Prosperans, and there is unrest, strikes and a movement for change. Proctor is caught up in it, and unsure of what he must do.
This is a well written book. I enjoyed the first half very much. Things got a little confusing as it went on, with a large twist about 3/4 of the way through it.I found myself having to go back and reread sections to make sure that I had read it correctly. While the twist was not unexpected, it changed a lot of the dynamics of the storyline and characters.The characters were well written and interesting. Thanks again for the opportunity to read this book.