I really enjoyed this story. I was intrigued from the very beginning and the more I read, and the more that was revealed, the more I wanted to keep reading. While this was a slower book, and quite long, once we hit a certain point things really begin to pick up, and the action sort of explodes. I loved the characters, and even in the moments where I found myself a bit confused about what was happening I still wanted to keep going.
I will definitely be reading more by this author!

So I’m not really a sci-fi girl but this book held my attention, really enjoyed the story line and definitely kept me guessing what the next reveal was going to be and what true reality was!!! It’s pretty lengthy for sure and by the end I was ready to be done. I found the writing excellent and very in depth and thought out throughout the whole book. I could not have come up with this one on my own for sure! Would recommend!

Thanks to Random house for the pre approval of the ARC through Netgalley, opinions are my own and honest review.

I always appreciate smart books. This one has a lot going on. It's inventive and philosophical while also being science fiction forward. It has a distinct Westworld vibe to it that I liked. Overall a successful book. I'm glad I preordered a signed copy.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is a sci-fi dystopian that follows Proctor Bennett, a prestigious ferryman in the Utopian world of Prospera in the future. His job includes carrying elderly people to the ferry when their life monitor drops below 10 percent so they can go to the Nursery to go through “reiteration” which basically means have their memories wiped and return to the island young and ready to live a new life. Bennett’snlofe seems perfect until the day he has to be a ferryman to his father and things start to come apart.

I have not read Justin Cronin book before so when this was sent to me by the publisher, I wasn’t too sure it would be something I would enjoy but I decided to try it out. If you loved the vibes of The Giver and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, this is a MUST read. This was a million times better than I thought it would be. So fun and twisty. I never knew where anything was going and when things were revealed, my mind was blown. This book is my favorite kind of sci-fi because we are dealing with things that seem like they could happen and that always adds a terrifying layer to the story.

Clocking in at over 550 pages, this is a chunky book. And I feel like I definitely felt that in some places. Because of the nature of this story, some parts just felt very repetitive and there is a big chunk of just information dumping towards the end. Some readers will probably appreciate this to help them understand everything better but I like putting pieces together myself and the paragraphs of info dumping took me out of the story itself. This is also a story you really have to take your time with. I am a relatively fast reader and I constantly had to slow myself down or I would have missed a lot of the intricacies of the plot.

If you are a sci-fi fan, look into picking this up. People are going to be talking about the twists in here a lot this year and you will want to be included in the conversation.

Huge thank you to the publisher for sending me the eArc to read through netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great story! This is one you have to pay attention to the details because things are not always what they seem. Engaging, interesting, and enthralling, are just a few ways to describe this title. If you enjoy dystopian science fiction this is a book for you!

The premise of the book hits, the idea of ferrying folks to retirement gives me big Charron vibes. But that kept distracting me since I am trying to "ferry" a parent to actually retire. Way my brain works I have to put it down so I don't start accidently saying book things that pop into my mind when helping plan.

The ferryman is a position of great importance as they are tasked with the final act in Prospera to take the aged with failing bodies and minds (their monitor implant reaches less than 10 percent) and see to their final arrangements before escorting them to the ferry that takes them to the nursery for reiteration. During reiteration their memories are wiped and their bodies renewed so they may come back to Prospera young and ready to start again. But what happens when a ferryman thinks something is wrong and won’t go when his monitor implant in his arm falls below 10 percent, well he learns things lots of thing while he is on the run.
This is a book where you will never see what is coming around any corner, it will grab your attention and not let go until you reach the final destination. This trip will be filled with action and suspense, but it is the ending that has the biggest shock.

This is my first book I've ever read from Justin Cronin. I recognized his name from several other books but this is my first experience with him. The book started off very slow for me but I stuck with it. And I'm glad I did. This book was an absolute thrill ride and I loved every minute of it. Justin Cronin is definitely fantastic at world building as this book was a massive exploration from start to finish. I would read this book again just to revisit the world. Definitely worth multiple reads!

This is my first ever read by this author. I recognized the name but wasn’t sure what genre he wrote in. Going in blind (how I usually read my books). I was pleasantly surprised. I was a bit confused at first, but the storyline intrigued me and captured my attention. Although for most of it I felt I didn’t know what I was reading. Hahaha. I enjoyed The Ferryman and highly recommend it if you like Sci-fi.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for the eARC.

This is an absolutely amazing book. My head is still humming. Even though it is 560 pages I read it in two days, I was completely entranced...and in a trance is how I still feel.

The world building was exceptional, I was reminded of a Logan's Run type world, but it was so much more intricate than that.

There are two distinct classes among the citizens of this isolated island chain world. Those who live on the Prospera island. These are the 'elite' class citizens. They wear a monitor that tracks their quality of life. Once they reach an age when the monitor drops, they board a Ferry taking them to The Nursery island, to be reiterated. They will return to begin life, at roughly 16 years old and living to be over 100.

Those living on the Annex island, the working class 'serving class' don't get unending iterations, they are born and live a normal life span. Unrest is brewing and most Prosperans haven't noticed yet.

Proctor Bennett is the Ferryman, his job is to usher Prosperans to the ferry as gently as possible. It is a stressful time and many times their minds have become unstable. After a particularly rough escort, Proctor becomes aware that there is something more going on, beneath the surface of his isolated island world.

I don't want to say more, and give away anything for first time readers. I thought I had figured out what was happening, but was completely off course.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Netgalley for the opportunity to experience this epic e-Arc

This was a shock of a read! A post-apocalyptic world, really just an archipelago, and 2 very different people with very different lifestyles. This situation between these people is a powder keg with a lit candle sitting on it.... you know it's gonna blow, just not the exact damage it will create.

I loved this sci-fi world. There are constantly new and surprising elements that drop in and keep things exciting. Definitely twists and turns that I did not expect. I really feel like I relished every page.

Out May 2, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I was given the eARC of this book by the publisher/NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

This is not the usual type of book I read. However, I enjoyed it a lot. There were a few bumps I felt unnecessary towards the end of the book. All in all, it was extremely enjoyable. It was also quite easy read. Definitely adding the author to be list!

I received this from Netgalley.com.

I don't read a lot of Sci Fy and at 560 pages, I found this book a bit of a challenge. But I have liked other books by this author and endeavored to read on.

With the story jumping back and forth between Proctor's lifetime, I found myself reading passages over and over to be sure I didn't lose the thread of the story and that made me weary. Overall, an okay read but it could be a couple hundred pages shorter without losing continuity of the story.

2.5☆

This was a DNF for me as I just could not vibe with the writing style. A bit too "cerebral, wanting to be existential" for my preference.

I really enjoyed The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. It was pretty epic world building and I was constantly searching for answers to all the mysteries of the world called Prospera.

I was reading at a good clip, the first half of the book. I felt really invested in Proctor and still had no clue what was going on. I knew all was not as it seemed.

The second half of the book went a bit slower and I felt a little lost with all the technical jargon and such.

The last few chapters made me stop and think. Obviously, this is a tale that we can all relate to, at least a little. Are we slowly but surely destroying our planet? We are separating ourselves onto Haves and Have-Nots. There’s lots of destruction in this book, but also hope.

Justin Cronin does not disappoint! The whole book has the feeling of a dream world (with a hint of a spoiler, this is apt) but what's masterful about Cronin's writing is that each abrupt change in setting, character perspective, timeline, etc. feels so real. Cronin ramps up the tension throughout the narrative, and I was worried that I'd feel disappointed by the inevitable plot reveal. Not so. Cronin wraps it up beautifully---a satisfying conclusion but also a thoughtful one. Would highly recommend.

This is my “and yet…” review. Confused? Keep reading…

I fell madly in love with Justin Cronin’s storytelling skills when I obsessively read his hugely popular dystopia/horror novel, The Passage. It scared the bejesus out of me, and yet…I couldn’t stop reading it.

Now, his latest novel since finishing up the trilogy that began with The Passage:

Story concept: yeah, not sure. But in a nutshell, lead character Proctor Bennett escorts people to the ferry when they ‘retire,’ and head off to their next ‘iteration.’ Trouble ensues when he escorts his previous guardian. Are you confused? Yep, so was I and yet…

I kept reading. I hit 38% and still wasn’t sure what I was reading but was so intrigued. I considered DNFing, and yet…I was just plain curious.

I hit 60% and pieces began to fall into place, slooooooowly and yet…I was still confused and unsure what the heck was going on.

I hit 80% and my mind was BLOWN. And yet…what else was there to happen? Could it keep me going for the final 20%? YES YES and YES.

For me, this book is the classic definition of “Patience, my child, it will come.” I cannot stop thinking about this wild look into our future, how prescient it feels as I read current news articles about AI, climate change, scientific worries, etc. Was it too long? Yes. Was it worth it? So much yes.

As a huge fan of the Passage trilogy I was so looking forward to Justin's next book. I have to say it would have been impossible to live up to all my hopes. This book is not what I expected. The story itself was hard for me to follow at times. The final 10% was really jammed packed with a lot of things being wrapped up. It will be a huge success because of this author’s following, but it wouldn’t surprise me if many readers are disappointed as it is so different from the passage series. Not just different in subject and scope, but I didn’t have the same investment in the characters. I didn’t feel the same connection between the characters. It was just very different.

It is hard to talk about this novel without massively spoiling it, but I'll try. The main story here is about a dystopian society that resembles the one in Brave New World: a privileged upper class supported by a working class that is largely ignored, with no privileges. We get to know a large cast of characters in both classes, but there are intimations of unrest. It all comes to a head in Section VI (of VIII, plus a brief Epilogue), 70% of the way into the story.

There is a revelation that completely changes everything we thought we knew. It was big enough to make me question the time spent on the earlier part of the novel. Fortunately, Cronin was able to resolve the story in an effective way in the time remaining, although things are a bit open-ended. Not exactly a satisfying ending, but close enough.

Thanks to Net Galley for the Advance Readers Copy.

<b><U>NETGALLEY / Ballantine&Random House ARC</b></U>

<b>Plot:</b> 4
<b>Characters:</b> 4
<b>Writing Style: </b> 5
<b>Cover:</b> 5
<b>Enjoyment:</b> 5
<b>Buyable/Re-readable?:</b> Very much so.

<b>I.</b> The book is divided into eight parts, plus an epilogue and prologue
<b>II.</b> The Prologue is third person POV, Proctor's portions are first person, and the rest are in third.
<b>III.</b> Contains: Reincarnation in 16 year-old bodies for elite and regular life for those lesser off, <i>"my monitor. Every Prosperan has one: a small port embedded in our forearms, halfway between the inner elbow and the wrist. This is connected by a network of wires, one-tenth the width of a human hair and running along the bones, to a sensor array at the base of the cerebral cortex. It is our frontline tool for monitoring the constant ebb and flow of life— not merely our physical health but also the richer, more elaborate matrix that constitutes overall well -being"</i>, android-type things, rebellion, things I can't mention without spoilers. I think it's a nice look at grief.
<b>IV.</b> Trigger Warnings include: suicide, self mutilation with legit purpose, child abandonment
<b>V.</b> Setting - Three islands set in the future on dystopian Earth.
<b>VI.</b> Properans don't dream much, if at all, but our main character does which is significant.
<b>VII.</b> I'll admit one issue I took with the story, though, is that there are times based off the writing where it feels like the author is living vicariously through Proctor. If you know, you know.
<b>VIII.</b> I'm surprised by how many typos there were in my copy, and they only seemed to increase towards the end.
<b>IX. </b>I most definitely need to/want to read again, equipped as I am with the book's outcome.

<b>X.</b> Top 2023 candidate for sure, despite it being done before. I can also agree with a friend's review that it "also just refuses to end", as I kept wondering how/when it would as well. xD