Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: sci-fi, literary fiction
Quick summary: Proctor is a ferryman, accompanying the residents of Prospera on their journeys to "retirement" before they are reborn. But all is not well in Prospera, and Proctor begins to question his place in the system.

This was my first book by Justin Cronin, and I wasn't sure what to expect. But I found myself quickly immersed in the story and the world of Prospera. Proctor was a great "everyman" protagonist, and I enjoyed how Cronin portrayed his journey of discovery. There were plenty of twists I didn't see coming, and I stayed engaged with the story throughout despite it being over 500 pages!

I preferred this one on text over audio because it was easier to keep track of all the plot points in the text. The male narrator's performance also didn't keep me engaged with the story. I think literary fiction and sci-fi fans will enjoy this one a lot!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for my e-ARC and Librofm/PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot going on here 😂.

I spent like the first half of this novel thinking everyone was going to end up being robots, but that’s not the case. It’s like an unreliable narrator, but sci-fi vibes instead of psychological thriller.

As I listened I kept feeling like I’d read something with a similar story, and thought of Wayward Pines? But without the monsters. So if you read that and liked it, I think you’d like this (note, I’ve only watched some of the show not the books.)

There’s a lot of twists and turns, you trust people and then you don’t, the POV bounces around to a couple different people and that’s sometimes a little tough to keep track of.

The epilogue seemed sort of pointless after you learn the twist. But I get why the author included it to have a hopeful ending.

Overall, this was an interesting read. A little long, but mostly thorough. I had some questions I wish I had answered for me in all the narration/storytelling, but I guess if I don’t overthink it I’m good.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved The Passage trilogy so I was really looking forward to reading The Ferryman. Unfortunately, while enjoyable, this tale didn’t capture my attention in the same way. The story opens with the apparent suicide of a woman whose life isn’t proceeding in the way she’d like. She’s off her game, and her friends are starting to notice. Suicide seems like a very drastic choice given her seemingly minor problems. When she cuts her arm open in order to remove her tracking chip, the book took a depressing turn for me, and didn’t recover. I don’t want to give too much away, but humans are terrible. We are making our planet unlivable with our insistence on convenience and ‘beauty’ and competition. Naturally we are looking to outer space to provide our salvation, but will human nature evolve enough to keep us from ruining that as well? There is a lot happening here, and it was hard to follow at several points. I recommend reading it slowly, and maybe taking notes. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an advance copy in exchange for a candid review.

Book Summary:

The world is crumbling. Thankfully, places such as Prospera, an isolated archipelago, help protect humanity from the horrors of the world. Well, mostly. In this world, everyone has their health (physical and mental) monitored. Should they drop below ten perfect, they must retire.

That's where Proctor Bennett comes into play. He's a Ferrymen – one of the people who help (or force) others to retire. The proximity to the process allows Bennett realize that things are not as they seem and that his world is built on lies.

My Review:

Do you remember that 2005 film, The Island? That's what The Ferryman immediately made me think of. And that feeling kept cropping up, even as I was in the depth of this book. So if you're looking for a modern rendition, The Ferryman is the book for you.

Interestingly, The Ferryman combines many different elements and genres together. It isn't wholly science fiction, nor is it wholly fantasy. And it certainly has more than a dash of thriller and dystopian elements. It felt like the right balance between these parts, keeping the tension rising as we go along.

The Ferryman is admittedly a larger book – clocking in at over 500 pages. That said, it's worth the read! The pacing makes it so that you don't feel the page count, and it is easy to stay invested when there's always some new twist peeking around the corner.

Highlights:
Dystopian World
Thriller
“The Island” vibes

Set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic society of Prospera, the Ferryman follows protagonist Proctor Bennet as he begins to question the society and its way of life. This is different from the Passage books by Justin Cronin, but engaging--reminded me a bit of a darker version of the Truman Show with some elements of Blake Crouch.

I am a huge fan of The Passage series and was really looking forward to the release of this book. The Ferryman revolves around a utopian society set on an island called Prospera. On Prospera you get to live an enviable life free of all the encumbrances of most societies. You live this fabulous life until your government installed health monitor shows your health has dropped below 10% and then you are greeted by a Ferryman who shuffles you off to a boat which brings you to "retirement:. Seems like an alright process, no? Well, NO. Proctor Bennett is one of these Ferryman and he has a secret. He dreams which is not supposed to be able to happen. His health monitor is dropping like nobody's business and he doesn't know why and when he is called to shepherd his own father into retirement it does not go down well and he is left with more questions than answers. I don't want to give away too much but as most other reviewers have said the first half of the book is tres magnifique while the second half falters a bit. Of course this book is full of what is happening is not what is REALLY happening and there are some pretty gnarly twists. I liked this one but didn't love as much as his previous books. It is definitely one of those that leave you mentally unpacking it for quite awhile after you put it down.

What a wild ride this was! I loved the brain tingling feeling my brain got reading this, the suspense was perfect, the atmosphere felt real, the futuristic elements were spot on. I really enjoyed this book and think it would make for a great book club.

I enjoyed the plot line, it was interesting. But the ending ruined the book for me. What a letdown. Kind of reminded me of a couple of major blockbuster movies. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. It started off well and I was engrossed in the story. But then it started to unravel. The twist and the ending was confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Justin Cronin for a copy of "The Ferryman" in exchange of an honest review.

This book was absolutely incredible, it was the type of book that you just can't stop turning the pages to see what happens. I liked the science fiction concept of the story, but what really drew me in was the characterization. I've read this author's previous works and this is my favorite one!

What a RIDE!!! This book was so awesome!!! I am not into Sci-fi/fantasy reads but this author is changing it for me. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but from start to finish it keeps your hooked, you think you know what’s going on, and there are so many twists and turns that you are left in shock. This is not a book to skim through this is one to sit and enjoy whole heartedly….. and it was so damn heartwarming. Love love love!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a post apocalyptic future, three islands are home to what’s left of humanity. Prospera is home to the elite and the novel’s title character. Segregated on another island, the Annex, are the workers. Finally, a third mysterious island, the Nursery, where the Ferryman, Proctor, brings the elderly Prosperans to be recycled and begin a new life.

Proctor begins to suspect his world is not quite so idyllic after he is selected to escort his adoptive father to the nursery.

Justin Cronin builds a complex world only to tear down every assumption the reader makes as he leads you on a suspenseful journey across islands and afar.

The world building was enjoyable, the plot twist didn't land in terms of credibility for me but others may still like it. 3.5-4/5 stars.

What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

4-4.5 stars

This was such an interesting story and the synopsis immediately drew me in. A group of survivors are living on an island paradise in the archipelago of Prospera where they enjoy long, fulfilling lives. However, they have to wear a monitor in their arms that keeps track of their health and mental well-being. If it falls below 10%, they must retire themselves and travel on a ferry to the Nursery where their bodies are renewed and memories are wiped clean before they are released back to Prospera.

Proctor is one of the ferrymen who transports these people, but he hasn’t quite been himself lately. He has been dreaming, an impossibility in Prospera, and his monitor percentage has dropped drastically as of late. The day he is scheduled yo retire his own father, everything changes. Unrest has been building amongst the citizens and there are rooms of revolution on the horizon. Proctor soon finds himself ensnared in a much larger cause that will lead him to question everything he’s ever known.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a really unique, BUT it was also really confusing as the story progressed. I kept having to go back and reread sections to see if I missed important details, and once I assumed I had an idea of what was going on, something else would happen to confuse me even further. While I liked the style of writing and the creativity of the story, I caught myself asking “what the heck did I just read?” one too many times. I definitely recommend and hope others come away having a better understanding of how it all pans out.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Science Fiction is not in my usual wheelhouse, but I have been wanting to expand my reading horizons. The concept of the book sounded super interesting, futuristic, and dystopian. People living a futuristic lifestyle on an island paradise, but their life clock is limited and tracked by a monitor implanted in their forearms. As the book description says, “the truth isn’t what it seems.” Considering this book is over 500 pages, it takes you on a long wild ride. I did not find any lulls in the story, it moves along at a decent pace. I did have to reread a few sections, just to make sure I understood what was happening. While Proctor Bennett is the main protagonist, there are many characters and a lot of detail in the story (I would suggest jotting a few notes down as you read along). I am trying not to give away too much of the story, there is a pretty big plot twist about 3/4 into the book. I was not expecting this surprise, but my head was already spinning by the time I reached 75%. I would recommend this book to readers that like science fiction, a detailed story, and are ok with plot twists. For fans of Logan’s Run and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Scythe + The Memory Police + The Giver. Characterization is weak, everyone around Proctor Bennett is mindlessly fulfilling their rote tasks in an uninspiring utopia. The second half turns more interesting and complex as Proctor digs deeper into this shallow world, but I don't know if it is justified. A very familiar sci-fi story that doesn't offer enough to cut above the rest of it's sources of inspiration.

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

On Prospera, its residents are sheltered from the outside world, living peacefully all the while being monitored. When their monitored percentage falls below 10 percent, they are retired to an Island called The Nursery. There their memories are wiped, their bodies refreshed, their souls reborn.

Proctor Bennett has made a lifelong career as a ferryman, his job to help such individuals move on to retirement, whether they are ready or not. But lately Proctor hasn’t been feeling like himself. It all started with his dreams, something that doesn’t happen to people living in Prospera. Then his own health seems to deteriorate, right around the same time he has to help his estranged father retire. It’s all of this, coupled with other questionable encounters with other individuals, that cause Proctor to question everything he’s blindly believed as true for so long.

The Ferryman is a hefty read, its audio weighing in at the 20 hr mark. While the narration was gripping, I felt the story was bloated. In the beginning I almost bailed before finally getting a grip on the story. Then, around the halfway mark, I became disoriented again as the story flip flops multiple times between what’s real and what’s imagined. This happens so much I started to zone out. Honestly, I’m actually still not sure what happened, so if you read this me can clarify, that would be great.

While author Justin Cronin is truly a gifted writer with an extraordinary attention to detail, I argue that less can sometimes be more. Had the story been trimmed significantly I think I would have enjoyed it more and maybe, even understood

For this one, just go in knowing as little as possible. In my opinion. There is so much that I honestly just don't want to give anything away.

The Ferryman is a smart, mind-bending, twisty story of humanity and all our layers. As well as the problems we create. It is science fiction with an emotional core that beats through the entire world.

Cronin is a fantastic world builders (which I knew from The Passage) but The Ferryman felt transporting. I was on Prospera. In the Nursery.

This is definitely a story to slow day and savor. I will absolutely read it again in the future as I am sure there are little pieces I missed in the haste to figure out WTF was going on the first time around.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this one early!

In hindsight, I have no idea why I requested this book. As I re-read the synopsis, it's not anything remotely like what I would normally read. Dystopian/fantasy is not really my thing. But wow, what an intriguing and thought-provoking story! It skirts around a lot of current "hot" topics without shoving them down your throat - climate change, social inequities, government over-reach - but they're included in a way that the reader is allowed to form his or her own opinion, which I greatly appreciated. This is a sole-character storyline, which I think is difficult to pull off, particularly with a book of this length. There are supporting characters, but Proctor carries the weight of the book. It's hard to explain my draw to Proctor's character; he wasn't particularly relatable, but as the story progressed, I found myself feeling sympathetic toward his struggles and his situation. I thought he was misunderstood, and I started rooting for him to win whatever battle he was waging. On the negative side, it felt a bit long for me; I did reach a point where I needed it to wrap up and come to a conclusion.

Bravo to Justin Cronin for taking a genre I don't normally read and turning into a captivating and provocative book that held my interest and made me realize that stepping outside my comfort zone can be a good thing.

I think I liked this book but think I need some more think on it with all that happened in this book. This story follows society in an unknown place and time where once you get under 10 percent of life left you retire yourself and are reincarnated into the nursery to start a whole new life. In this society though there is a clear class struggle as their are extremely rich and the servants who live in the annex. The servants start a rebellion known as the arrival and try to gain back some power. This is all going on while our main character Procter a ferryman (a person who helps those who are ready to retire) has to retire his father while doing this his father starts talking about mysterious things that made no sense. That is until security agents start following and people at the dock that day start to go missing Proctor begins to suspect something more is going on he teams up with a young women he meets named Tessa together they start to investigate what exactly leadership is up to. I will say this book is far from boring and had me hooked. I will say the hardest part was keeping the vast amount of characters straight and towards the last quarter their were a few places I found myself a little lost. I will say this is a whole unique book and think if you enjoy complex sci-fi this book will be right up your alley. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

As the story unfolds, the reader is slowly introduced to the world building. A couple of crazy/interesting things happen right away that have you question what’s happening but it’s more about creating interest and peaking your curiosity thank causing any confusion.

As the story continues, the world building continues and is easily understandable.

Part sci-fi, part fantasy, I was really intrigued by this story.

However, the secondary POV felt completely unnecessary to me. That caused me a few confusing moments and didn’t add anything of value to the story excerpt to make it unnecessarily long.

As well, the middle to end of the story was just way too drawn out for me. Really interesting concept that didn’t need all the extras. The secondary POV and the lack of getting to the point in the last half really detracted from the overall enjoyment for me.

So a good story, but you’ll need some patience or a ton of down time to read those extra pages.