This beautifully written science fiction mind-bender has put Justin Cronin on my radar. As dystopian stories go, this is one of the best I've read so far. A strong main character takes us through how humanity has managed to survive a deteriorating world where quality of life is everything, and yet nothing is as it seems! Fast-paced and unputdownable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

I only discovered Justin Cronin recently, via his "The Passage" trilogy, and I gobbled up those three books for the delicious, compelling treat they are. Imagine my delight when I saw that his forthcoming book was available to request on NetGalley, and my excitement when I was granted the chance to read it!
This book reminds me of what you'd get if Blake Crouch, Madeleine L'Engle, Anthony Doerr & Pat Conroy collaborated with all the power & creativity of their beautiful minds to create one super-novel that defies simple genre categorizations. If we're comparing it to movies, I'd say it's "Inception" meets "Interstellar" meets "The Truman Show", so, essentially all of my favorite things in one glorious page-turner of a book. It looks like this doesn't release until May of 2023, so get your pre-order in now and be excited. Be very excited. This one's with the wait.

* I received this as an ARC, thanks to NetGalley & Ballantine Books*

OMGeeeeee. This is why I love reading books!!
This book blew my mind. I had NO IDEA what was going to happen and when it was finally revealed what was really happening I couldn’t stop thinking back into to book to see how I missed it. I can’t even begin to describe this book because I don’t want to reveal a thing. I had no idea about this book and took a chance on it, and I am so glad I was in the dark before I read it because I feel like it made the book that much better for me. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and read this book. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it is.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a copy of this book. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! Such an amazing book. I have no idea how to capture all the emotions I felt for these characters... Cronin continues to create an exceptional world that leaves you questioning your reality. More detailed review to come.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy. I definitely recommend!!

This is quite a hard book to describe. I hadn't read any of this author's work before and didn't know what to expect but I could tell it would be somewhat otherworldly. We follow the tale of Proctor, a ferryman who lives on the island of Prospera, its own little utopian paradise, somewhere unspecified. What he ferries is people, when their time has come, out to the little island called The Nursery. Here, this life ends and a new one begins. It's not clear exactly how it happens, but their bodies are renewed and they are reborn as a different person, starting life again, but as a teenager. Every citizen wears a monitor embedded in their arm and when it gets too low, your time is over. You can go voluntarily or they will come for you. A bit forbidding, right there.

The Prosperans cannot have children, so there are no parents, but instead, 'Guardians' who are basically parents but without deep emotional connections. For instance, Proctor is dumbstruck when his mother tells him one time that she loves him. Their society practices marriage but sets it up as a contract of a certain time period that can be renewed if you actually enjoy your partner. Unsurprisingly, most people have multiple contracts throughout each of their blissful lives.

It's not only Prospera in this little slice of heaven, there is also the Annex where the laborers who serve the Prosperans live. Think - maids, cooks, any and all types of 'support staff’ who live on the Annex and travel daily to work in Prospera. I'm still a bit unclear on the geography, it's connected to Prospera, but not really? Like an...annex. The people here are not quite as content as the Prosperans, as you can imagine. At least they are able to have children, although that doesn't make up for essentially being slaves.

So now Proctor is having a bit of an existential crisis after he is in charge of ferrying his own father to the Nursery. His father makes a scene at the dock, spouting gibberish and attempting to relay a message to Proctor, who's embarrassed but also concerned. What would his father want to tell him so desperately? And why does everyone seem so interested in what his father might have said to him?

Here's where the story really takes off, as Proctor begins to question anything and everything about their way of life. Why should those on the Annex suffer and live to serve the fortunate Prosperans? What would happen if he tried to just leave for good? It's pretty slow-going through the story, but eventually, these questions are answered. And I have to say, I was pretty satisfied. I was worried it would veer off into some supernatural or fantasy territory, but it didn't. I had no idea where the plot was headed and it was very slow at times, but worth it in the end. I'm not sure who to recommend this to, as I'm typically a mystery and thriller reader, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book and found it enjoyable. I guess I would say that if you have an open mind and want to read something out of the ordinary and undefinable, then this is the story for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine Publishing for this ARC. Many thank to Mr. Cronin as well!
#NetGalley #RandonHouseBallantine #TheFerryman #JustinCronin
This was a marathon! I experienced exhilaration, fatigue, second winds, and absolution. Exactly what one would expect to experience from a marathon. Also like a marathon, I’m much better off in both body and mind from having experienced it.
The Ferryman is a dystopian world created by one known only as “The Designer”. This community is designed to protect from the world that is becoming less stable. Prospera is an island in which residents have their health monitored via monitors implanted in their bodies and all lives are lived under contract from birth and death to marriage and family. Delightfully disturbing! This book was mind-bending as well as long. I still didn’t want it to end despite my emotional exhaustion.
I cannot recommend this book enough. I don’t want to say more at the risk of saying too much. Go read it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed everything from this author. I enjoyed this one as well. It was well written, intriguing and unique. The author has a specific voice and it's always entertaining to enter his world.

I enjoyed Cronin’s previous trilogy and was excited to read this. It starts off a bit slow, and picks up a bit. I’d way before slowing once more. However, the twists do keep coming and the strangeness of the universe the characters inhabit make this book worth the read (and patience). Well crafted.

One thing you can always expect from a Justin Cronin book is that its going to be long.
This is no exception.
And it seems like there could have been more added.
It was decent, but more sci-fi fantasy and not real interesting to me.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this amazing novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books!

Five Stars all the way!

WOW WOW WOW!!! If the Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch and Project Hail Mary had a baby, it would be this book. And those are two of my top 5 all-time favs, so needless to say, this book blew me away! There was not one page of writing where I wasn’t completely immersed in this story. Its sci-fi, fantasy, and suspense wrapped together and then topped off with wonderful character development and an intriguing storyline! It’s a big boy at 500+ pages, but it doesn’t feel anything close to that and you won’t want it to end. It’s one of those books that you think about when you’re not reading, because you can’t wait to get back to it. And if you like plot twists, well this book has several of those, which just keeps the excitement building. I haven’t read The Passage by this author, but it’s most definitely on my TBR now! I predict this will be a top read for 2023!

Wow. This book definitely takes you on a ride, and an exciting one at that! I enjoyed Justin Cronin's The Passage, and was curious and interested to see what new world he would take us to next. The Ferryman is a huge book to get through, but I stayed up several nights to find out what would happen next. You think you know where it's going, but it takes you on another ride. It reminds me of Blake Crouch books with the science fiction elements, but also an interesting main character and side characters with different twists and turns set in a utopian and dystopian future. Several movies came to mind while reading this book, The Matrix and Inception are just two movies, but they don't completely capture the full story. Get ready for a twisty ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

1. Strap yourself in.
2. Keep your concentration levels set to 11.
3. Enjoy!

That's my advice when entering the world(s) of Justin Cronin's 'The Ferryman.'

This really is an achievement of imagination, characterization, storytelling, and structure - it's complex and it really does require you to stay focused but it pays you back with interest.

It's hard to go too deeply into the story and plot without giving away much of the story and the context but I'd say if you liked Neal Stephenson's 'Fall; or, Dodge in Hell' you'll like this. I think I can say that it's a novel of world building without spoiling it for anyone. Like with 'The Passage' trilogy Cronin delivers really great characters and keeps you interested in and engaged with them throughout the story but like much else in this book you'll need to keep well tuned-in to get the best out of it. All that said, this is a book full of raw and human emotions, chief among them being grief and, in a way, mirrors another great ARC I recently read and reviews, Gemma Amor's 'Full Immersion.' The power of grief and guilt are much examined here from multiple viewpoints.

Because 'The Passage' became a trilogy I started this with not a little trepidation that this might be book one in a trilogy and, given this was an ARC and not due for publication for another year, it could be three years before part two. However, I finished it hoping like hell it is book one in a trilogy but knowing that if it's not, it works superbly well as a stand-alone.

I loved it.

ARC provided by Net Galley.

I think I am going to struggle with this review and it may not look like my other reviews. I may come back in a day or two once I digest more. I just loved this so much and don't want to wait to review.

This book is 560 pages and while that feels long, I think I could have read another 560 pages to continue these stories. The first half of the book has a great soft tension that I found myself savoring. I knew there had to be some explanation for it but as soon as I knew what it was, I would always know it. Once the explanation came through, I thought it would be an easy ride to the end as it all resolved. I could not have been more wrong. Instead, the story grew from there and took turns I was not expecting.

It is hard to say who will enjoy this without giving away any hints, and I don't want to take the story development away from anyone. It is a book about family and relationships and how deep those go. I highly recommend it!

When seeing that this novel was over 500 pages, I groaned as I started it...too many books I've read lately just slog along. To my pleasant surprise (which shouldn't be a surprise given the author and my love of his past novels), I devoured The Ferryman in just three days. The pages flew by as I was immersed in the world of Prospera and its residents. I don't want to say too much because discovering the mysteries of this world is part of the joy of reading - just know it's worth the time.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. The premise certainly sounded intriguing, but it wasn't the MOST unique storyline idea I'd ever heard. I went ahead and requested the ARC and gave it my best shot.

Let me tell you something. Wherever you think this book is when you read the synopsis? It's not. It starts out almost plain-jane run-of-the-mill Dystopian fiction, but it evolves (literally turning into something else entirely) until you have to check to make sure you're reading the same book you started out with. I really enjoyed this book and I think a lot of others will, too.

This was my first Justin Cronin novel. It will not be my last. Thank you to NetGalley, Justin Cronin and Ballentine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy eBook

Prospera, an archipelago state hidden from the world by an electromagnetic Veil, is a secluded paradise. People who serve in support positions live in the Annex, connected to Prospera by a floating causeway. And Nursery Isle, shrouded in mystery, receives Prosperans at the end of their lives, erases their memories, and returns them to Prospera as new iterations, thus allowing them to begin again, to live new lives.

Proctor Bennett, managing director for District Six of the Department of Social Contracts, enforcement Division, is better known by Prosperans as the Ferryman. It’s a source of pride for Proctor, assisting with the reiteration of those in their final years who need to move on. His wife, Elise, a model turned fashion designer, is preparing for an important show. Like all Prosperans, they each have a monitor embedded in their forearms to measure their health and well-being.

But all is not well with Proctor Bennett. Dreaming is supposed to be impossible in Prospera and yet, Proctor dreams. His number on his monitor is dropping, too fast, and registering too low. But all those worries become unimportant when Proctor must guide his father to the Nursery for reiteration. The task becomes difficult when his father, Malcolm, resists boarding the ferry and ultimately gives Proctor a cryptic message.

Adding to Proctor's anxieties, unrest is building among those who live in the Annex, among those who provide the labor that keeps Prospera running smoothly. Rumors of a resistance group . . . the Arrivalists . . . begin to circulate. Can revolution be far behind?

It isn’t long before Proctor, caught up in something he can barely grasp, something he cannot define, finds himself questioning everything about his life in Prospera. What is the truth of Prospera? And what does it mean that the sea is full of stars?

=========

“The Ferryman” sets a new standard for science fiction. It’s complex, intriguing, and compelling. It’s intelligent, brilliant, and creative. The world-building is first-rate; impressive, exciting, and immersive. The characters are believable, relatable, and honest; relationships are multifaceted and engaging.

The inventive plot takes several unexpected twists that send the story in different directions. As the unfolding narrative reveals the cracks in Prospera, intriguing new possibilities reveal themselves. When it appears that nothing is as it seems, readers will find themselves in a place that is both new and familiar.

What is reality for Prospera? For its citizens? For readers, this is a riveting, can’t-put-it-down tale of life, of love, of hopes and dreams, of disappointments. Readers who enjoy science fiction will find much to appreciate here, much to consider long after they’ve turned the final page.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley
#TheFerryman #NetGalley

The Ferryman
A Novel
by Justin Cronin
Thanks to Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this arc.
I wanted to love this book. I did try to like it, but... I was so confused and lost in this one. It was not my type of reading. It became difficult as well as too much to finish. Maybe it was way over my head. So sorry. This was my mistake, I am a mystery buff and believed it to be.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Proctor lives in a realm that is idyllic until he starts questioning things. One he does he opens up a pandera box. He is not sure what is true, but he will use everything in his arsenal to figure it out.

August 28, 2022
Thank you to Net Galley for providing this ARC. Justin Cronin never ceases to impress me. Having read nearly all of his works, he continues to defy reader expectations. His narrative skill soars in whatever genre he engages.
At first, I was quick to shelve "The Ferryman" alongside Children of Men, We, and more recently, Never Let Me Go. Hints of Logan's Run and Gattaca even emerge.
However, Cronin exceeds the dystopian cliches, depicting class struggle with greater complexity, the reveal of Proctor Bennett's awakening through dreams and "echoes", and layering realities so artfully from beginning to end.
Of particular note are the strong female characters Cronin brings to the ensemble.
I view Cronin's work as literary fiction which happens to thread science fiction aspects. Like "The Passage", so beautifully written and compelling- my sole disappointment is that it ended! I want more.

The Ferryman is another amazing hit by Justin Cronin. The setting is Prospera, a bucolic island paradise, where art and creativity flourish, the weather is perfect and people can enjoy their time without fear of illness or ill-will. They can live their lives, usually past one-hundred, until they are required to report to the ferry where they will be taken to a floating edifice known as the nursery where their memories will be erased and a new body will be issued only the return to Prospera as a teenage child of residents seeking children, Here we have the “haves.”

Across a causeway lies the Annex where the worker bees of Prospera live in poverty. Consider garbage collectors, maids, etc. Additionally, they do not get a do over, They have babies who grow up, age, get sick and eventually die. It appears that all is not copacetic with the “have-nots''.

The story revolves around Director Proctor Bennett, The Ferryman and narrator. Proctor is married, childless, motherless as a teen and estranged from father. As a child he suffered from strange dreams, As a ferryman his job is to ensure those going to the Nursery arrive on time. When Proctor had to deliver his father to the ferry, his father broke away and told Proctor some things which left him bewildered. He begins to see the world differently, especially after he learns of the Arrivalists in the Annex,

We are taken on a journey of brilliance. There are so many twists that once you think you have a handle on something you need to rethink everything,

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for giving me an opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my honest opinion.