So many details and descriptions in this book. I love the world building. Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

Much appreciation to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for giving me a chance to read this early.

There’s always hesitation when reading a new author. In most cases, you’re learning their pacing techniques and their prose as a whole, so it might take some time to dive their writing initially. Having not read a Justin Cronin book before, I was interested to jump in without a second thought. After having heard zip about The Ferryman, besides the synopsis on Goodreads, which I started with zero reviews, I knew I’d rarely get a chance to read something with such a blind perspective. I’m glad I did too.

Although I’m uncertain if it’s because I read an uncorrected proof of the novel or not, there was an editor preface describing the story as a mix between The Stand and The Road… That’s is one hell of an expectation for me because both those stories are absolutely game changers—The Stand is one of my all time favorite stories—and I might have made the mistake of reaching for that comparison reading this story. Although I completely understand why this statement is made, for there are elements you’ll find in both those stories in The Ferryman, the story didn’t give me the same effect as those novels, which really shouldn’t be surprising. It can be difficult to make comparisons without be subjective, since we all love books in many different amazing ways. For me, it’s always the characters and their development across their arcs that pull me in. I’ve seen others dislike the boring discussions between two characters that I absolutely love. The Ferryman does have wonderful character arcs and interesting interactions along the way.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but I unfortunately lost interest during the last half. I don’t think the story was failing at this moment, but I do think it was losing some of the mystery. Without spoiling anything, The Ferryman has different layers throughout the story that unfolds into segments that almost changes genre, which might be a little disorienting for some. At some point I started to find myself astray from the characters, which is what brought me into it from the start.

Despite all that, The Ferryman does tell an interesting story that so many others can easily enjoy.

“The Ferryman” is a mind bending, twisty, thought provoking, frustrating, and at times familiar work of speculative fiction. He grabs you right away with compelling characters and setting. A mysterious island paradise cutoff from the crumbling world outside where people don’t really die but go to the nursery to start life anew when their time is up and their meters run down. It’s the stuff that sci fi dreams are made of and in Justin Cronin fashion he makes you feel comfy and then flips the script. The structure reminded me of his other book “The Passage” where we get a new spin on old tropes and then a twist and a time jump. For many readers it will make them think of The Matrix, Logan’s run, The passengers, and other sci fi films. There’s a lot here about reality, perception, humanity, class struggles, greed, human nature. It’s a solid work and I found it quite enjoyable. I would highly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

The Ferryman is definitely going to be a big hit. It has an intricate yet accessible mindbender plot that made the book hard to put down. A job well done by author Justin Cronin.

I will recommend The Ferryman to my patrons who are sci-fi fans and also to mystery fans who are interested in trying sci-fi.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley

A wild ride. The story really builds steam and makes you think it’s headed one direction only to be completely surprised at the twisted ending. You will notice themes throughout that bring current events to mind. Worth a read

This was my first foray into Justin Cronin's writing, and admittedly this ~560 page novel was quite the daunting introduction.

"The Ferryman" is a work roughly in the science fiction/dystopian genre told from rotating perspectives across its characters, but centers on the story of protagonist Proctor Bennett. A resident of the archipelago of Prospera, he's had the near-perfect life working as a Director in the Department of Social Contracts and enjoying his 15 year-term contract with his wife Elise, an esteemed fashion designer.

What continues to haunt him, however, is the suicide of his mother when he was a child, and it comes to the forefront after he's forced to take on the task of guiding his father to the Ferry for his "retirement" - a trip that supposedly takes Prospera residents to the Nursery island where they can be reborn into new lives. What ensues is an action-packed, fast-paced mystery and adventure as Proctor tries to unravel the truth of his being and those around him, including people he holds dear. He's also forced to come face-to-face with residents on the Annex island, a space where the support and service staff are relegate to live on.

There is an incredible amount of world building that Cronin as done, and I thought that introduction of different characters, societal structures, and organizations was incredibly well done and carefully paced. His writing style is fluid and complex, and I appreciated how he devoted sufficient time to both character development and plot progression. Perhaps most importantly (and my main critique of books in the science fiction genre), the core focus of "The Ferryman" remains on core issues about humanity - love and family, political oversight, classicism, and confronting inconvenient truths.

I did struggle with the sheer length of this novel, but found the read well worth the additional time. Very much recommended and I'm excited for when it gets released in May 2023!

I rarely read books twice. Too many books, too little time for repeats. But I've read Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy three times, and I already know his new book, The Ferryman, is one I'll return to soon. Much like The Passage, The Ferryman will stick with you for awhile. This is one of those stories you find yourself thinking about days later, still trying to digest it all. I can't wait to read it again, knowing what I know now about the way it turns out -- I look forward to finding things I didn't notice the first time through.

I can't say much about the plot without giving away a lot, and this book is best if you go into it blind. The less you know the better. It's probably just as well that I can't say much -- this book and its effect on the reader is impossible to describe. You really have to experience it for yourself.

The world-building and character development remind me a bit of Michael Crichton or Stephen King, and are, of course, reminiscent of Cronin's work in The Passage as well -- a well-structured, believable universe that you can easily immerse yourself in, but full of people you never feel like you know all that well and who are a bit flat. But that isn't the flaw in this book that it would be in most others, because this isn't a character-driven story -- it's really all about the universe they inhabit, and that universe is fascinating. Just once I'd love to have a chance to talk to Justin Cronin, because his mind must be an amazing place.

This book is long but never drags, and just when you think you know what's going on and where things are headed, it throws you a curve. All you can do is hang on and try to catch up. This book proves that Cronin's strong suit is dystopian, post-apocalyptic stories. I have to admit I was nervous about reading The Ferryman -- I love The Passage trilogy so much, and I was afraid his next effort might not measure up. I'm delighted to say I couldn't have been more wrong. I can't wait til this book hits stores next spring -- I want to know what the rest of the world thinks of it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so excited to read this new book, coming out in 2023, by one of my favorite authors. I had read The Passage trilogy and enjoyed it very much. The Ferryman is quite different. It focuses on the future and the main character, Proctor Bennett, is very likable and very well developed. This book was so unpredictable - just when I thought I knew what was going on and what was going to happen, I discovered I was completely wrong. I may need to go back and reread some sections, but didn't want to take the time while I was reading it the first time. Cronin tells a great story and it's well paced and very readable. Science fiction for people who don't read science fiction.

Thank you to Ballantine books and Netgalley for the ARC of this ebook to read and review.

So this was my first Justin Cronin experience. I didn’t know his writing style or know his type of stories. I took a shot with this story. And I was underwhelmed. It took me a while to get into it, and not really sure I ever got into it fully. Then once it started to pick up steam, it pivoted, and I was let more confused than entertained. Maybe I just didn’t get it. That happens a lot. I read for enjoyment and entertainment, but sometimes miss hidden meanings. The story is probably more than I understand/comprehend. That’s fine and I am okay with that. As enjoyment goes, I just didn’t love it. I picked it up to finish it, not because I wanted to finish it. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat every page. And that’s okay.I’m sure tons of people will love this book. And I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading it. I would actually encourage it.

Thank you Justin Cronin, Random House, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced reading copy.

Another Cronin masterpiece. The characters, the writing, so well done. There's a lot going on so I would advise you to take your time and savor the story.

Just when I thought I had this book figured out, yet another twist was thrown in that made my brain screech to a halt and have to think about everything I thought I knew once again. Justin Cronin, you've done it again! One of my favorite authors, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read his newest novel before the release.

Great book and an intriguing adventure. This was my first book by the author and I was hooked . This one was so much fun and unlike anything I had ever read before.

This is a dense, masterful, and profound sci-fi read. Cronin is surely a gifted talent. Did I entirely love all of this book? Nope. But did I RESPECT it? You bet.

This book starts out pretty straightforward, in Prospera, a hidden sanctuary created "to shelter the best of humanity from the worst of it," following Proctor a ferryman who ushers the elderly to "the Nursery" where they are recycled into new lives. After one ferry trip goes awry, Proctor begins to investigate the world he lives in and the book ultimately goes into unexpected directions (that I saw coming, but enjoyed nonetheless.)

For me personally, this book wasn't quite a slam dunk because while I liked the Prospera mystery (Why does this place exist? Why are there haves and have nots? What's on the other side of the water?) and I liked the mystery that comes AFTER we solve the Prospera mystery, I didn't necessarily enjoy the part that connects the two. During this section we are slowly awakening along with Proctor and the story gets trippy.

To that end, I would recommend consuming this book in longer sittings. Once we begin following Proctor through dreams within dreams and dreams that bleed into versions of reality, the narrative flow can get confusing (and, as in the visit the the Nursery, even a little tedious). If you were reading this in small chunks you may find these passages confusing as hell.

That's a small quibble however. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Review Copy

*3.5 Stars*


This was a *mostly* extremely well written book. It needs a lot of editing and there are some ends that were just left dangling. But without going all spoiler on all y'all the main end point of the novel for me was very dissatisfying. It's something that that writers just shouldn't do. It was done on tv roughly 50 years ago and was the show's downfall. It's just not done. And And I think mistakes were made. But that could still be fixed in editing.

I've read a lot of sf over my life and this was very good theory. It could have been awesome; it's almost there.

First off, as I was reading, the chapters seemed VERY long. According to my Kindle, it said the total page count was 7640. I was on page 897 thinking I would never finish chapter two. I was also thinking that I was going to DNF this one after having the publisher reach out and offer it to me. I toiled on....
And I was glad I did. VERY. SLOW. START. However, once the action began, it didn't leave off. It just kept building and building and what just happened?! It was excellent. Finish it, you won't be sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

Yowza, this book was long. It definitely held my interest and told a compelling story, but either could have been significantly shorter or broken up into a series or trilogy. I love long books (huge Stephen King fan here) but the length here didn't serve the story. Honestly it just ended up feeling long winded and unnecessary.

This book tackles a lot of diverse topics; global warming, nuclear warfare, societal collapse, parenting, suicide, psychosis, end times prophecies...it's a lot. I can absolutely see this being turned into a Netflix series, and I would have probably loved it as a series of 2 or more books, but I was exhausted by the end and was just ready to be done.

The author writes well, intelligently, and compassionately. I'm interested to read more of his work.

Intriguing dystopian novel. From first page to the last could not put book down. Thought invoking futuristic novel foretelling what could happen to our world. Albeit a little confusing at times as multiple characters experience dream state verses real time exchanges.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

My head is still spinning. So much to think about.

Proctor Bennett lives on an island paradise called Prospera along with its two neighboring islands Annex (where workers live) and Nursery (where aged residents are sent back to). Proctor’s job is to help the older members make the journey to the Nursery when it is their time. He is given a cryptic message by his father and the cocoon of his life starts to unravel. There is social unrest among the Annex workers.

About 3/4 of the way through the book it takes a huge turn which I can’t even begin to describe. Don’t read too many reviews, let yourself take the journey and be surprised. Gripping read, lots of social commentary of the elites vs. the common man. I am very tempted to go back and reread the book immediately ignoring my towering pile of to be read pile. Very unique book and well crafted story.

This was such a creative book. There’s a utopian world, cut off and protected from the rest of the world. People live to an old age, and when their energy and mental health begin to finally deteriorate the Ferryman comes to put them on the ferry and transport them to the Nursery. There they are promised a new beginning. The Ferryman has always enjoyed his life and his work until things happen that cause him to question his entire existence. This book has romance, mystery, and at the same time is a commentary on human behavior and societal norms. #TheFerryman

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I've been a big fan of Justin Cronin since The Passage so was excited to get this early look at his new book for 2023.
It introduces us to a world where people are recycled into new lives once they get too old or they get injured in a permanent way. Is this a utopia or a kind of hell? People enter into relationship contracts where they can renew or end their relationship when the contract expires. Again, either a genius idea or a mad social experiment? This book flips the story a few times which kept me guessing as I gathered more information, but it definitely kept me reading.