Ferryman by Justin Cronin surprised me. It was suggested to me based on other books I had reviewed, but reading the description left me with more questions about what the book was about than really made me read it. Still my churlish was piqued and so I gave it a shot. I am glad that I did.
The main character is Proctor Bennett, his is an escort for those who are soon to leave their life for the Nursery to prepare to be born anew. You receive a biography of him as an info dump in the beginning of the book, through this you know quickly that Proctor is unusual in that he dreams unlike most in the intentionally isolated land of Prospera. (I immediately got whiffs of The Island and 6th Day)
If this small snippet of a description isn't enough to tell you already, this is a science fiction novel. At first though, the differences between this world and ours seems surprisingly small given the amount of exposition description you are given concerning the society of Prospera. There is, of course, a secret to Prospera. One that Proctor (naturally) is stumbling towards. Without giving any spoilers, by the time of the reveal, the main surprise in the mechanism of that secret.

Overall, this story moved well and was a fun read. The characters start off fairly thin (except Proctor), but by the end are well fleshed out. This increasing complexity in not just the writing and characters, but also in the story leads to the last 1/3 moving along faster than the previous 2/3. This meant, for me, that I enjoyed the last bit much more than the first (except the last two chapters). While this book wasn't an earth-shattering read, it was fun and it was nice to read a full story contained in a single volume instead of stretching it out over a trilogy or more. It is also well enough written that I felt no hesitation in recommending it to a friend even before I finished.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. #TheFerryman

I read this after seeing the cover and the summary. It's a slow build but it's interesting. It's hard to describe the book because it would give away some of it's mystery. It explores grief, humans flaws, hope and redemption and greed. But there are no 'deaths', so to speak. But there is a god or is there? Also love.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that Justin Cronin's writing was simple yet engaging, pulling the reader into the story and into the lives of the characters. While I felt the "twist" reveal was a little predictable, the journey to get to the reveal was fun and kept me interested

I was given an advanced reading copy through NetGalley.

This is the first book by Justin Cronin that I have read. Some people may find it a long book but it's a fast read.

At first the world that the Ferryman takes place in seems to be a paradise, albeit a post-dystopic one. As the story progresses, the holes in paradise become apparent. There is a ruling class who manipulate people to stay in power and a subjugated serving class but not everything is as it seems.

There are a number of twists in this story which keep it interesting. In essence, it's a story of love and loss in a dystopia.

The island paradise of Prospera is divided into the halves and their servants. The halves are subjected to monitoring, and when their levels fall below 10% their bodies are recycled and they are reborn at the age of 16. They are then adopted by the halves, to repeat the cycle of life. Their servants live in poverty, barely making ends meet. They are forced to provide menial service to the halves, while they scramble to survive. Bennett, one of the halves, is a ferryman. His job is to take those who have fallen below 10% to the Nursery to be recycled. When he leads his father to the ferry, his father tells him that not all is at it seems. Determine to uncover the truth, Bennett begins to spiral out of control.

I do not want to give anything away about the story. All I can say is that the mystery was not well explained, I wanted to know more details about the process and how everything came to be. I think a prequel and sequel would both be interesting to read. It felt like something was missing about the characters, perhaps a prequel would help round them out and make them feel more realistic. Overall, an interesting world, one I want to know more about.

The story takes place on three islands: Prospera is home to the wealthy, people who live comfortable fulfilling lives until an imbedded monitor notes they are deteriorating and at that time a Ferryman comes to take them to a ferry that sends them back to the island with the Nursery, where their minds are wiped and the bodies are renewed, ready to return to Prospera and restart their lives. The third island is the Annex, where the support staff live in poverty. They take a daily ferry to Prospera where they provide the labor, their lives are never refreshed.

Prospera is a paradise for the wealthy, the weather is always perfect, they enjoy the arts and social functions, and long, healthy lives. But things are starting to change, little things that start to add up, and soon this world seems to be heading in a different direction.

I’ll admit I got lost in the story, not sure what was happening at times, wondering what was real in this world and what was happening in a dreamlike state. The ending completely took me by surprise.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine allowing me to read an advance ready copy; these are my honest opinions.

Cronin is justly famous, wielding a very fine pen, with a narrative voice that confidently embraces a slow pace. And this book begins slowly, with a fascinatingly weird premise. Unfortunately, it slows even more in the second half, resulting in a trope that I really dislike [It was all a dream!] and cannot get past. But my piddly-ass reaction will be the minority. Most will love it, I am sure.

WOW. this was usch a good book. Cronin writes dystopia but I'd rather he go back to lit. Having said that this was another great book, with twits' and turns galore. Clever. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

The Ferryman is a brilliant new novel by Justin Cronin. He has created a utopia with more than one dark secret. The worldbuilding is excellent, with enough science to make it interesting without overwhelming the reader with data. There are plenty of twists and turns as the mystery of this utopia is revealed. The characters are likable, and the story is well-paced and well-plotted.

I definitely enjoyed this book.

Not family friendly due to violence and suggestive language.

I loved Justin Cronin’s The Passage trilogy, so I was very excited to get an early copy of his newest, The Ferryman. What seemingly starts as a dystopian story turns into so much more. Cronin’s writing fully immerses you into the characters’ lives. Also typical of his style are the many twists and turns. Through the narrative he reveals just enough to make you sense something might be coming, but the surprise is still impactful and most importantly, believable. Along the way he also manages to drop in some philosophical nuggets that we should be advised to heed. A thrilling read that keeps you guessing what might happen next!
#TheFerryman #NetGalley

I recently received an email from Penguin Random House that made my day! Justin Cronin has a new book entitled, "The Ferryman". I was pre-approved an ARC! I am not a wild fan of Dystopian fiction but I AM a wild fan of Justin Cronin. "The Passage" trilogy is my favorite dystopian read.

I will admit I took a gulp when I saw the book was 560 pages but once I began reading it was impossible to put down. Well, I am an old lady so I did have to put it down, but reluctantly and not for long.

"The Ferryman" places you on Prospera; a hidden island utopia - where truth isn't what it seems. The lucky residents live the perfect life far away from the deteriorating outside world. In a way it reminded me of the easy-going lifestyle in the movie, "The Truman Show". But, as you would expect, life on Prospera is complicated. Everyone has an embedded chip in their forearm monitoring their health and wellbeing. The score is continuously monitored by the authorities. When your chip score falls below 10%, you are sent back to the Nursery for a refurbished new life. Proctor Bennett of the Department of Social Contracts, the ferryman, transports you to the Nursery.

Oh I would love to tell you more but I can't ruin it for you! Let me say, if you liked Andy Weirs's "Project Hail Mary" or Emily St. John Mandel's "Station Eleven" you will probably really like this book.

It has its moments that could have been trimmed but it won't keep me from giving it a 5 star rating!

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. Was wondering if Justin Cronin would be writing another book after The Passage series and here it is! The Ferryman is a fascinating tale. A dystopian world that is creative and compelling. Well written with vivid descriptions and a unique and unforgettable character in Proctor Bennett.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Ferryman was Cronin’s best work to date, and dare I say better than The Passage. Thanks to the author for this ARC, it was like The Passage meets the movie The Lighthouse. Lots of intriguing characters, mystery, and a huuuuuuuuuuge twist in the third act.

This book is not part of "The Passage" series by this author, but it is another speculative, dystopian, science fiction novel, which this author excels at. In my opinion, it is very well written.

I don't want to give anything away, so suffice it to say that this story both grabbed my curiosity and really made me think. There are so many layers to this story and the twists and turns that it takes are mind bending and at times confusing. I ended up liking some portions of the story more than others and wasn't sure how I really felt about it. I enjoyed a lot of it, but I didn't love it. However, I do think that it will be a definite hit with dedicated science fiction fans.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date: May 2, 2023.

I keep thinking about this. When I first started the book, I mentally rolled my eyes a few times because I THOUGHT I knew where it was going. Boy was I wrong. There was almost a "Village" movie vibe at first. Isolated community where only a few "elders" know what is really going on behind the scenes. That was why the mental eye roll started. Trust me, that only lasted a few chapters. Cronin is one of my all time favorite authors, his world building is complex and layered. I really should have known that it wouldn't be that easy to figure out. There are a lot of characters in the mix here, but I never felt that any of them were one dimensional or not fleshed out. As the story unfolds and you think you understand motivations, there is always an undercurrent of confusion, both Proctor's confusion and mine. So many elements seem mystical and shrouded in secrecy in Prospera it's hard to know if Proctor is slowly going crazy or if there is a reason behind the madness.

The reason behind the madness blew my mind. I literally had to put the book down and think it through. Re-read some pages. Think about it some more. I am in no way going to spoil this, but holy cow! Buckle up. The social and political unrest of the Support Staff was a biting backdrop to Proctor's personal issues. I'm so impressed with how Cronin tied everything together and delivered another completely original engrossing story.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, an interesting read. What secrets lie buried on this strange island? How are the miracles performed? What does it all mean?

Justin Cronin never disappoints. I just wish he would write faster. I finished this book in a matter of days and I am ready for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the copy of The Ferryman. I loved the description of this book and was excited to read it. I thought the first 50% where we are introduced to the characters and learn about the world (which was fascinating) was too long. If you love world-building it probably won’t bother you but I kept waiting for more to happen that would grab my attention and it never did. The book did get interesting and made me curious about the new characters and location and then the focus changed again and it was kind of disappointing. This book just wasn’t for me because so much time went by before I really understood what was going on. If you love sci-fi you would probably love this book, but it was too slow and confusing for me.

Proctor Bennet is the Ferryman, he takes people who need to "retire" to the ferry where they will be reinvented into a teenager, to live life again

However, Proctor is also being swept up into a larger picture that he can't figure out, until he must be retired also.

This book while sweeping in its scope and all that was going on, however, some of the characters were never flushed out, the dream states were hard to tell if it was real or not.

This was a thick, dense book that was a great world building novel.
I loved the story, but got lost in the details.
I felt that the author tried to put too much into the book and then some parts were left lagging.

I was excited when I saw this book was available on NetGalley. I actually had not yet heard that Justin Cronin was coming out with a new book. I read The Passage when it came out and loved it (I still need to read the next two I’m horrible about remembering to read the sequels if they’re not out when I read the first one). The plot and characters kept me interested enough that I read it in two sittings. There are plenty of plot twists to keep you wondering where it is going.