This was my first Justin Cronin novel, and I can tell you it will not be my last. The storytelling, world building and mystery was spot on and helped to suck me in right away. I was completely fascinated with Prospera and its citizens that retire to the island of "The Nursery" when their embedded monitors indicate less than 10%. Our lead character, Proctor has the job of "ferryman", who helps people with their journey to retirement, where their memories are wiped, bodies restored, and they are brought back to Prospera for a new life.

I really had no idea what might lie beyond the "veil" of Prospera and where Cronin could possibly take this story. The suspense crafted throughout the novel was spot on to keep me wanting to know more and know the secrets of this island. The world building was absolutely incredible, and had to be my favorite part of the whole novel. I really enjoyed the overall story and appreciated the details to get from start to finish. I had some trouble with some of the details, at times there was a lot going on and made certain jumps difficult for me to grasp. By the end of the novel, everything made more sense to me, however I think things could have been condensed a bit more to make for a more concise and understandable story. Despite these few issues, I really enjoyed this book and it will definitely leave a lasting impression on me.

What a journey. Everything about this novel was great. The characters were complicated, messy, and had layers upon layers. The writing was enticing and compelling, and the way it changed perspectives kept the pace exciting and kept the reader interested in the various threads of the plot. The structure, the way it revealed its secrets, was really well done. Anyone that reads speculative sci-fi can probably guess some of the twists and turns ahead of time, I did, but that didn’t take away from the joy of experiencing it at all. While it starts as a pretty straight forward narrative style, as more chaos erupts into the lives of our protagonist there is almost a fever dream quality to the story, keeping the story exciting and a little unmoored, but if also felt wonderfully purposeful, never confusing or misleading just for the sake of it. The story itself takes a couple of different ideas and tropes we are used to and combines them together in a fun way, making a sum worth more than the value of its parts. A remarkable, cinematic journey that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I want to thank the author, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to the author, Justin Cronin, publisher Ballentine Books, and as always, Net Galley for an advance digital copy of THE FERRYMAN.

I didn't read Justin Cronin's PASSAGE series, but I really wanted to try his books, which are acclaimed and well received. I was happy when NetGalley and Ballentine granted me a wishlist copy of this one.

Unfortunately, THE FERRYMAN was not for me. I did finish the book, but from the beginning, I just wasn't sure about what I was reading. I found it all a touch inaccessible. I couldn't connect with INCEPTION (2010 film) either and that's what it reminds me of. If you liked that, you will probably like this!

Rating: 2.5 😴😴😴 / 5 dreams
Recommend? Yes, but it's a hard read
Finished: January 21 2023
Read this book if you like:
⌛️ INCEPTION (2010 film)
🙇‍♀️ Difficult reads

Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this interesting book. I don't read a lot of speculative fiction (though maybe I should read more!), so I'd forgotten how entertaining it can be to immerse yourself in a new, unique dystopia, especially one with complex, well-thought-out world-building. The only thing I didn't quite get (speaking as someone who is in favor of using multiple types of POV in a book) is why the whole book wasn't just in 3rd person, alternating between the POV characters. Every time we switched back into the title character's first-person narration, it took me out of the story for a while. But, that's a minor quibble--overall, I thought this was an imaginative and interesting book.

It may only be January, but I'm already calling that The Ferryman is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. A tightly wound mystery set in an unsettlingly world that's utopian for the privileged and dystopian for the others forced to serve them. Cronin does such a fantastic job putting the reader in the head of the heartbreakingly haunted Proctor, who guides us through this mysterious world searching for the truth at its core. Though there are some tropes towards the end that are among my least favorite, Cronin executes them so well I didn't even mind.

I really didn't know what to expect going into The Ferryman, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I find that I really enjoy reading science fiction/thrillers and this one was suspensful and kept me entertained. Although I did get a bit bored in the middle, but I pushed through. Really enjoyed this one.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

3.5 stars

Having never read Justin Cronin I had no idea what I was in for. This is an intense science fiction with lots of reveals along the way. I can't say too much as it would reveal too much. This is a story about love, life, family, and human existence. If you like science fiction and Blake Crouch, I think you will really love this one.

I was given a copy of this from NetGalley and the Publisher to review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Justin Cronin's the Passage Series which is what piqued my interest with his new novel. I really enjoyed the Passage series and this one was even better!
The plot is fantastic and the reading this book makes your really get invested in the main character Proctor Bennett. This book reminded me a lot of how Blake Crouch and if you enjoy his work this one is not to be missed. Also if you are a sci-fi fan this one is not to be missed. Excellent book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

So, if Inception took place in an apocalyptic world where climate change was destroying everything and a group of people were desperately trying to find a way to survive, you would mostly have the Ferryman. In this case it’s Prospera, a little hunky dory island separate from the real world, but still one with ’haves’ and ‘have-nots’. The people of Prospera have everything they need and easy lives, and the drudge work is done by the people of the Annex. When the people of Prospera start aging too much they’re taken to the Nursery to start over. This happens with protagonist Proctor’s father, but when it happens things seem to start glitching. Proctor struggles with what his reality is, experiencing dreams and what appear to be flashbacks to previous lifetimes. This makes things confusing enough. Then a revolution of sorts is also going on in the Annex, as the people there are getting rather tired of being servants to the better off on Prospera. Then the layers get even deeper and it was harder for me to keep straight just where exactly Proctor really existed, because events kept jumping place to place. I eventually was able to get into Cronin’s intended flow for the storyline, which is clever, but by that point I kind of had a headache from the misdirection I’d experienced. I almost think this is one of those books where it is better reading it a second time around, knowing what happens and seeing how it gets built out. I just can’t say that I enjoyed it enough by the end that I’d want to go back and read it again. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A couple of years ago, I started reading Justin Cronin’s *The Passage* (shout-out to Mark Paul Gosselar). For about 100ish pages, I loved it. Then it lost me and I was unable/unwilling to persevere. *The Ferryman may have convinced me to give *The passage* a second chance.

The prologue and first couple of chapters in *The Ferryman* wrecked me and hooked me. However, it did start to meander a bit in the middle, but I decided to persist and Cronin rewarded me greatly for that decision. This book is great. It’s like *1984* if Orwell could make you give crap about Winston Smith. It is sort of like *Ready Player One* but not really. It is like *The Matrix*…I think. I’ve never seen *The Matrix* and no one is deciding between gang pills, so maybe it’s not like *The Matrix*. It is dystopian and post-apocalyptic and sci-fi and metaphysical and psychological and pretty close to awesome except when the story gets super complex/bordering on convoluted. But all-in-all, this is a novel that makes you think and feel. Well worth the time to give it a go.

ARC provided.

Utopian or dystopian? You decide.

This was the first Justin Cronin book I’ve come across. The description and setting had me from the start. The novel takes place in an isolated utopian paradise where everyone lives blissfully healthy, happy lives until their monitors--devices embedded in their arms--fall below 10%. At that point, they take the ferry to The Nursery, where they are revitalized, restored, and returned to the island with fresh bodies and minds to begin life again.

Our protagonist, Proctor Bennet, holds a position of high esteem within the Department of Social Contracts. He is a Ferryman tasked with shepherding those whose time has come to The Nursery. But not all go peacefully. Increasing acts of rebellion from the “lowly” workers who keep the island running smoothly, coupled with a disturbing message Proctor receives from his own father, stirs up questions no one can answer. As the plot thickens and layers are peeled back, Proctor discovers that life in Prospera is not at all what it seems.

Reminiscent of Blake Crouch’s and Stephen King’s superb storytelling, this masterful piece of sci-fi genius will leave you scratching your head, mind blown.

You want dystopian? This book has it. Environmental disaster? Got that, too. Science fiction? Yup. With all of that, why not a car chase? Yes! The Ferryman has an exciting car chase! Crowd scenes, riots, some passionate love making, and a honkin' big spaceship. But wait! There's more!

Okay, I'm not going to list absolutely everything that happens because that would be a book unto itself. Mr. Cronin manages to get about everything that could possibly happen in. Hey, this is a big screen event even if it's in a book. Okay, if you want more, here's more. Mistaken identity. Bad guys can be good guys and vice versa. An ingratiating robot named Bernardo. Somehow, all this stuff comes together and makes sense.

I have to admit, sometimes I got a little confused. A lot of the characters are confused at one time or another, so it's not just me. As I said, it all comes together in the end.

Did I mention a big explosion? This novel is begging to be a movie.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read and review, and pretend I'm frozen in space with The Ferryman.

This book really was a ride. The bulk of it was a bit of a slow-ish rickety train ride through the (dystopian) countryside with a bit of conflict and then at about 70%, we hit a rock on the tracks and the whole thing starts violently shaking and nearly derails and suddenly settles but now we’re going down a (sci-fi) hill at rocket speed. I COULD NOT digest the last 25% of this book fast enough.

The story combined my two favorite genres (yes, I consider dystopian to be a whole genre. Much to my annoyance at the book store) and rolled in a whole bunch of social and familial commentary that added so much depth.

I went into this expecting only dystopian. But we got a blend of three of my most favorite books: The Giver, Scythe, and a third that I won’t say because I saw it in other reviews and it sort of felt like a spoiler for me.

Near the end, the main character is experiencing a special moment and he identifies it as a memory as it is happening. He describes it as “a joy so intense that it can feel like sadness” and I’ve felt this before. Multiple times. This is such a beautiful way to express that feeling.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of Justin Cronin’s “The Ferryman”.
I have been a fan of Mr Cronin since reading “.Mary and O’Neill”.
“The Ferryman” started out great but the story just lost me about half way through. I’ll read his work again but this one just wasn’t for me.

This was a DNF for me. First of all, I'm not big into science fiction. So it's not the authors fault. I'm sure some people may enjoy this book. For me, it was slow and just not something I could get into.

This is a very different book from the author's "The Passage" series, but undoubtedly his writing style. Meaning, there is lots of action, a complex plot, much to unravel, and characters with heart and depth.

This is a science fiction story about a sort-of utopian society called Prospera, but then it shifts and frankly gets somewhat confusing. Then it shifts again, and the action is nonstop. There is a definite feeling of "what just happened here?", but it is very well done, and makes the whole book into something very unexpected.

I don't want to summarize or give away more than that, but would highly recommend this book. This is another great story from a great author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I am not a fan of sci-fi books but the description of this book really had me interested so I gave it a try.
The story plot and the characters were great. I was drawn in at the beginning of the story and could not read fast enough to find out about Prospera and the Nursery. But as the book continued on, my interest waned as the story began to drag. I lost interest and struggled to finish the book. The author took too many pages to tell a great story and lost me in the process.

If I were asked to recommend a good sci-fi book, this would definitely be the one that I would choose. Justin Cronin's The Ferryman includes great character development, world-building, and plenty of action. At 560 pages, it was a little slow going at times, but also very difficult to put down. I became very invested in Proctor Bennett and the rest of Prospera. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Justin Cronin has been one of my favorite authors since his debut, Mary and O'Neil. I loved The Passage series and recommend it widely. So I was very excited to read his latest book. However, I came away from it with a distinctly "just-okay" feeling. The first half of the book is a real treat and Cronin's prose is as strong as ever, but after the big reveal mid-book I felt that it devolved into nothing but exposition and action scenes (well written and yet with no tension). I suppose it felt rushed to me in the second half. Could this story have been sustained and bettered by becoming a multi-volume series? I'm not sure, but I don't think it works at this length and level.

Book: The Ferryman

Author: Justin Cronin

Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars



I would like to thank the publisher, Doubleday, for providing me with an arc. I think that this is a case of the book just not being for me. This author is well loved, and his books are highly rated. There were parts that I did like, but there were many things about this book that made it not for me.



In this one, we follow a group of people who live on this island. This island is the perfect place to be. The people here are in top health, they have perfect lives, and the everyday human petty things don’t seem to bother them. They were monitors that keep track of all of this. Once they slip below ten percent, they are sent away. Their memories of this island are wiped away and they have the chance to start a new life back in the normal world. Proctor, though, starts to wonder if there is more to the situation than what meets the eyes. As his own monitor starts to drop, he finds himself wondering about this even more.



Whenever I first started reading this one, it gave me The Giver vibes. I thought that this was going to be a very similar read. In ways, it is. I did find the world and the plot to be pretty interesting. We have this so-called perfect society that appears to be amazing on the outside. It’s the kind of place that people long to live in. However, the more time you spend in this world and come to see the cracks, you realize just how corrupt things are. You see how much the world has actually kept hidden. When people from the outside start to arrive, it only opens your eyes more.



I do feel like the writing lost a lot of this. We have this great plot and set-up, but so much of it is lost in the writing. The author does love attention to detail, which is fine. However, I found that the way this detail was presented made the story get lost in the mist of it. I think that had we been given the information in a different way; it would have made a big difference. I don’t know how else to put it, but it felt like the story sort of slacked off. We have this great sequence, then it would be lost. This cycle repeats throughout most of the book. Had there been a sense of balance, I do think that I would have enjoyed the story a lot more.



Overall, this is not a bad book by any means. It just wasn’t for me.

This book comes out on May 2, 2023.