Title: The Ferryman
Author: Justin Cronin
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3 out of 5

Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.

Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process--and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he's been dreaming--which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.

Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group--known as "Arrivalists"--who may be fomenting revolution.

Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized--and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.

I’m sorry, but this just felt like a chaotic, jumbled mess to me. Parts of it were interesting, parts of it were just chaotic---and most of the characters weren’t that likable. Even after finishing the novel, I’m still not 100% sure what the whole point of it was, so this was clearly not a novel for me.

Justin Cronin is a bestselling author. The Ferryman is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House/Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 5/3).

This book centers around 3 islands cut off from the rest of the world. Prospera is where the wealthy live and government is centered; the Annex is where the blue collar, shop workers, and housing staff live; and the Nursery where the old are sent to “retire”. Proctor Bennett works as a ferryman, meaning he escorts older people to the ferry that goes to the Nursery. Once at the Nursery, they will be reiterated, meaning brought back to life again in a younger form. Sadly, he is called to escort his own father to the ferry. While in the car to the ferry, his father starts saying nonsensical things. Proctor keeps going over the words in his head, and decides they weren’t nonsense after all. In the meantime, his health meter is dipping lower and lower each day. It’s only a matter of time before he will be “retired” too. He has to figure out what his father meant before being sent away. I found this book pulled me in right from the beginning. The pacing did slow down a bit in the middle, but ramps up again with the big twist at the end. I’m still thinking about the ending trying to decide if I liked it, but the world building was amazing, so I would recommend this to other sci-fi readers. Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy.

The Ferryman

The Ferryman contains multitudes: Part dystopian novel, part sci-fi exploration of eternal human themes, part detective story, and part action-packed thrill ride, it is a compelling examination of interpersonal relationships, resilience, and human consciousness. When the story starts, there is no real build-up—the story drops the reader right into this world Cronin has created, which is similar enough to our own that we can relate to its inhabitants even while sensing that something isn’t quite right.

The result is a novel that is labyrinthine but never really confusing. All threads are kept distinct, even as they intertwine through multiple timelines, shifting perspectives, and narration that switches from first to third person and back again.

Proctor Bennett, the ostensible hero, is likable and competent. His actions are understandable and internally consistent with what we know of his character and his experiences in the world he inhabits. As the story develops, it takes on a Truman Show quality where the seemingly perfect world starts to show its seams and the characters all present a facade that masks their true natures and motivations.

Cronin has a real facility for making up worlds and then putting characters into them that act in ways that are perfectly understandable while never being exactly predictable. His creativity is, of course, a strong suit, but he has an uncanny ability to write believable dialogue and descriptive passages with just the right amount of detail and depth.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Ferryman. It touches on many relevant issues, such as the looming threat of climate change, the human tendency to foster and exploit class distinctions, and the struggles associated with personal loss. This was a meaningful meditation on deep themes and a wonderful book. I am grateful to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Random House for the opportunity to read and review The Ferryman.

Such a hard book to review. For the first third of the book I was totally captivated, enjoying the characters and the well paced story. For the next third, I was somewhat lost trying to figure out what was real, what was imagined, and what was madness. The final third of the book became pretty convoluted and I started losing interest in the storyline and didn't really care what happened to any of the characters.. Hard to recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy.

I absolutely devoured The Passage series (I don't really do re-reads and I read the first book, all 800 pages of it, twice) so I was so excited to see Justin Cronin out with something new. This wasn't *quite* as epic but still a very fun read, I loved getting immersed in the world that he built.
*
On the surface, this is about an island where people are able to essentially reboot their bodies and memories once their physical and mental health starts to decline, giving them a chance to start fresh. The island is essentially paradise, but unrest starts to grow in some of the support staff, and talk of revolution starts.
*
But there is so much more to it than that. Everything you think you know about the characters and the plot gets turned on its head multiple times. It does a great job of building a tense atmosphere, dabbling in dystopia, covering environmental and societal issues.
*
It's a long book but with the way it develops, it never feels like it. And for a science fiction book, it's quite light on the actual science, so I had no trouble following it. (Although for actual science buffs, I can't actually comment on the accuracy of the science that was there)
*
I didn't quite hit 5 stars, because the ending left me with some questions, and maybe because I just had too high expectations after The Passage, but I still very much enjoyed it and am glad I got a chance to get an early copy! Thank you @netgallely and @randomhouse !

Really loved the first three quarters of this novel before confusion set in. By the end it mostly became clear but the premise was very convoluted and not especially satisfying. I do admire the world-building and the lovely descriptions. Some of the characters played dual roles which confused the story. The transition between the majority of the novel to the concluding chapters felt abrupt.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

This one will be a great one for true sci-fi fans as well as readers who like some excitement and a deep story to think about. There is a lot to figure out and keep straight! It is real? Is it a dream?

It starts out with Director Proctor Bennett, who is the Ferryman. It is a sad job because he is taking older people to the Nursery to be “reiterated.” Later, they will come back to the island as young adults to be taken in and parented by a guardian. Proctor is good at his job because he has learned to deal with the different reactions that people have as they get onto the Ferry -- some are not very happy to go.

However, an unsettling incident that happens on the Ferry makes Proctor start to feel unsettled. Thereafter, his life starts to change, and as he begins to try to figure out what is going on -- The Whole Story Changes!!! It is amazing, and you start to feel like you need to go back and reread the beginning so that you can look at it all from a completely different direction!

I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t go on -- but it is Very Unusual and Very Exciting! Justin Cronin does not disappoint in his telling of this unexpected story of love, life, and the future of the world!!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Justin Cronin, and Random House/Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Justin Cronin for the advanced copy of The Ferryman in exchange for my honest review.

I will be 100% transparent and say I did not remotely read the synopsis closely enough before accepting this widget from the publisher. This is definitely not my genre and I gave it a solid 21% before deciding it just wasn't going to be for me. This is absolutely on me and is in no way a reflection of the author or storyline if this genre is in your wheelhouse!

I will only be rating this book on NetGalley as I don't believe it's fair to rate/review books on retail websites that I do not finish.

In the isolated society of Prospera, citizens live long and satisfying lives before "retiring" to a mysterious rejuvenation process that returns them to society as young adults without memories of their previous iteration. There is no childhood and no old age, no suffering, not even any bad weather. Two things make this possible: the Annex, home to a mistreated class of menial laborers, and the Nursery, where the rejuvenations occur. And the person responsible for guiding retirees along their journey to the Nursery is Proctor Bennett, the titular Ferryman.

For its first two-thirds, The Ferryman is a certain kind of novel: a dystopian science fiction about socioeconomic inequality and environmental collapse. It's very well done, but I started wondering around the halfway mark what the author was possibly going to do for another three hundred pages. And then the big twist hits, and thirty astonishing pages later this turns out to be another kind of novel entirely. (To say what kind would be, of course, a spoiler.)

But in its final pages, The Ferryman becomes yet another kind of novel, a literary meditation on journey and arrival, sin and redemption. It is rare to find a novel this long that is both propulsive and thoughtful, but The Ferryman is. It isn't a novel for everyone - it's science fiction, and there is no shortage of violent moments - but if you are thinking you might like to read it, you should.

Just like his previous novels, I can't pigeonhole this novel into a specific genre. It had elements of sci-fi and thriller. I loved the characterizations and the setting of Prospera. Cronin always prompts some serious thinking.

Every so often, I like to try a book from a genre well outside of my comfort zone. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin was one of those reads for me, and I'm so glad I took the chance!

This one is hard to summarize concisely because of the complex plot. And because I am afraid of spoiling anything, I will refer you to the official synopsis and just say that this was totally mind-bending for me. At times, I wasn't sure what to think or if I even entirely understood what was happening, but I was so curious and invested that I wanted to keep reading!

Dystopian, atmospheric, cerebral, sinister, imaginative, intense, I'm still processing what I read. This is very well-written and intricately plotted with some crazy twists! But it is also well-rounded, with vividly written characters and much to say about human nature and society. This was my first Justin Cronin book, but it won't be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballentine for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!

This was the first book I have read by this author and it certainly gave me a lot to think about. Because I don't read much sci-fi, I am always left wondering if I actually understood what I read. This was entertaining to me though and really had a dark, lonely mood to it. There were parts I really enjoyed and questions that I was left with at the end. There were some definite surprises I didn't see coming and even though the book was long, I was interested the whole way through. It worked for me and I was glad I tried it out.

In THE FERRYMAN, by Justin Cronin, Proctor Bennett is a ferryman in the utopia of Prospera, where people all live idyllic lives and when their physical and mental faculties begin to decline, they are ferried to the Nursery by Bennett or another ferryman to have minds erased and their bodies returned to a state of youth, When Bennett has to ferry his father to the Nursery, everything changes. Can Bennett discover the truth behind what changed and perhaps even the hidden truths that seem impossible until Bennett discovers all that is possible and true.
The world of Prospera that Cronin creates is fascinatingly intricate and special care was taken to make exciting, and mysterious all at the same time. Almost immediately Cronin introduces questions that lie under the surface and the reader begins to understand that seemingly everyone has a secret and they never really share everything they know. As Bennett and the reader begin to unravel the truth, there is an almost electric anticipation around the desire to discover the honest answers that lie deep under the surface of Prospera utopia. Cronin mixes sci-fi, mystery and thriller into a passionate story that watches a man yearn to find out the meaning of life and his purpose in it.
Epic, engaging, and exciting, THE FERRYMAN hooked me into it's world from page one and took me on a wild ride that ends with some amazing twists and an exciting finale. A great read!

The archipelago of Prospera is a utopian state separate from the rest of the world and its man-made “horrors”. Hidden from the world by an electromagnetic barrier, Prospera is spread across three islands. The main island, Prospera proper, is home to the Prosperans, humans of high potential (a result of “genetic tinkering”), who live long productive lives, toward the end of which (when their health and well-being percentage, measured by monitors embedded in their arms, falls below 10) they are retired and ferried across to the third island, ”The Nursery” where they are prepared for their new iteration, new bodies and minds to be returned to Prospera as teenagers (“wards”) to be adopted by families on the main island. The second island, the Annex, is home to support staff who live normal lives and constitute the labor force, engaged in the upkeep of the main island. Our protagonist, the “Ferryman” Proctor Bennet, Managing Director of the Department of Social Contracts, is responsible for the smooth transfer of those being retired to the Nursery. On the personal front, he is in the eighth year of his fifteen-year contract (the duration of marriage is governed by contracts) with his wife Elise, a fashion designer.

Despite his almost perfect life, Proctor is struggling. His wife is unwilling to become a parent to a “ward”, his recurring dreams (Prosperans are not supposed to dream) are a cause of anxiety and then his father, with whom he has had a strained relationship since his mother’s suicide twelve years ago, is deemed ready to be retired. On the day of his departure, his father begins behaving strangely and has to be forced onto the ferry, before which he conveys a strange message to his son – words that trigger a series of events that has Proctor questioning everything he knows to be true. Complicating things further is a potential rebellion – “The Arrivalists” a resistance group from the Annex revolting against the social order and the ways of Prospera - members of which have infiltrated the Prosperans, posing as some of their own with the support of a few Prosperans who also support their cause. The narrative follows Proctor as he embarks on a quest to discover the truth behind his father’s cryptic message and what it means for him and Prospera, which won’t be easy as there are forces at play that don’t want him to succeed and will do anything to stop him.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin combines elements of fantasy, science fiction and dystopian drama to create an absorbing story that touches upon a multitude of themes ranging from social distinctions and power struggles, the climate crisis, family and loyalty and grief among others. A running theme in this story is how one perceives life and happiness. Is a perfect life truly a life of contentment? This is a complex, layered story but not too difficult to follow. The writing is powerful and immersive. This is my first Justin Cronin novel and I have to say that the author excels at world-building! I found the narrative that is presented to us through multiple perspectives, with the larger part shared from the first person PoV of Proctor, to be well-structured and consistently paced. At no point did I find myself losing interest as the story progressed. Don’t let the page count intimidate you. I couldn't believe how engrossing this story was. It's been a while since I could read a 550+ pager in so few sittings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Expected Publication Date: May 2, 2023.

The Ferryman is an immersive dystopian science fiction novel that never feels long despite its 560 pages. The story takes place on the isolated archipelago of Prospera, where people live long, fulfilling lives until the time comes for them to be reset to a young version of themselves with their memories wiped clean. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, charged with ushering these "retirees" to the Nursery for resetting. When he has to retire his father, he is left with a cryptic message that eventually leads to the collapse of his world. This is a book best left to the reading; do yourself a favor and go into the story without reading too much about it. Enjoy the setting and the gradual unfolding of the mysteries of Prospera. Cronin's pacing is excellent and I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

This book follows a man named Proctor who is a Ferryman and his job is to guide the elderly to retire and wake anew......Very, Very vague but I think it's best to go into this book blind.
I'm still trying to process what I read but I do know that I enjoyed it. This book was full of twists, complex characters and it just left me befuddled.

Whoa.Mind.Blown! I wasn't expecting the complete and utter mind-blowing twists in this novel, and since I rarely read science fiction, I was a bit nervous beginning this 560 page long book. Little did I know, I would read it in just over three days, barely putting it down, and exclaiming out loud more than once!

The novel is multi-layered with the wealthy Prospera, the Annex which is a scene of poverty and unrest, the Nursery where individuals reaching the end of their lives go to be reborn, and has a cast of characters that are both unreliable and endearing at the same time.

If you enjoy the movie, Inception, or similar, The Ferryman will grab hold and not let you go, don't let the length scare you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the digital ARC of The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. The opinions in this review are my own.

I'm such of fan of Cronin's The Passage series that I jumped to get this book. I might have liked this one even more. There are so many layers to this story-the plot keeps peeling back another one when you get used to what is going on.
The story begins in Prospera-a utopian-like archipelago where people seem to live forever. Everyone is healthy and happy. When their internal health monitors show a health of 10%, inhabitants ride the ferry to the Nursery where their memories are wiped clean. They then come back to Prospera as teenagers where they are adopted by new guardian families and they start their lives over again. Proctor is the ferryman-he is in charge of shepherding those whose health has deteriorated to the ferry. Towards the beginning of the story, he has to shepherd his own father to the ferry whom he's been estranged from since his mother's suicide. A commotion ensues in which his father blurts some words that make no sense to him and his life starts to unravel.
At the same time, there is another island -the Annex- where all the support staff live and they are not so happy with this Utopia. There is a rebel faction there called the Arrivalists. To tell anymore of the plot would give up the myriad twists.
I was so happy to receive this ARC in return for my honest review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Random House/Ballantine for the advanced copy of this fantastic novel!

Justin Cronin - WOW! I thought my mind would explode and a few times I was barely hanging on. The depth in which he writes his characters and "explains" science is remarkable.

This book is a LONG one, very long. So happy I was reading on my kindle as I couldn't feel the heft of it and get disappointed because I was only 10% further than the last time I checked.

Without giving anything away... all I'll say is that twist about 3/4 of the way in. WHAT?!?!

Pick up this one up and read it. Do it.

This book is tricky. It is definitely science fiction but the story focuses on relationships so much that you almost forget. Frequently I had thoughts of comparisons to other books but then realized that if I mentioned those other books, it would give away some of the magic of this one. At over 500 pages, this is a long read. And, it is a deep read, not something you can spend a few minutes on over the course of a couple weeks. You need to read it in big gulps of time so that you can anchor yourself to what is going on, especially when things start tilting. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the type of reader you are. The narrative goes from first person, Proctor Bennett, to third person and back again quickly. While the beginning is slow in the set-up, once things start moving, the changes are fast and you need to stay on top of them in order to not get lost in the world of Prospera. Also surprising, the ending was somewhat a just desserts, thoroughly sweet and enjoyable. I probably wouldn't have picked up this book on my own so I'm thankful the publisher reached out to me with the temptation of an ARC.