I would like to thank Penguin Random house for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley.
Prospera is a paradise in an otherwise dying world. Its citizens enjoy great lives, but they have to wear monitors at all times that measure their health as a percentage-akin to a health bar in a video game. When a person’s health drops below 10%, they are sent to an island called the Nursery to retire. This retirement involves, a renewal where their memories are erased and their health is restored.
Proctor Bennett is a ferryman in this society who transports people to the Nursery. When he is assigned to transport his own father, this sets off a series of events that finds Proctor losing his place in society and trying to solve the mystery of how he came to be in this predicament. The novel does a great job at building this world and slowly revealing its many mysteries. The story takes numerous unexpected turns and by the book’s end I found myself having really enjoyed the journey. There are some beautiful moments, particularly towards the end. The book’s finale feels like a well realized, satisfying conclusion that wraps up the story’s main plot points and themes.

The Passage trilogy will go down as one of my favorite stories. It had everything I could have hoped for in a post-apocalyptic thriller. When I saw Justin Cronin had a new story to tell, I was naturally excited and couldn’t wait to start reading “The Ferryman.” As the book won’t be released until next year, I can’t give too much away, but I will say get ready for a wild ride. It’s a fantastic read and has the same hallmarks that drew me in to The Passage. I tend to read before bed and this book kept me up late multiple nights in a row because I couldn’t put it down. It has definitely been my favorite book this year.

Special thanks to Ballantine Books / Random House for gifting me this early advance copy.

This book hooked me from the very start. The writing was engaging--but also the plot! The Island is an eden where everyone has their ideal job, they can switch marriage partners after a few years and have servants to do menial tasks. Children are not born --but made at the nursery and are delivered as older children to their guardians. At the end of a person's life, they are taken by the ferry back to the Nursery to be reintegrated into a younger body. Proctor is the chief Ferryman for the Island. However he is having dreams/echoes of previous lives. His quality of life is starting to go down and strange things start to happen. I couldn't put this one down!

The Ferryman
by Justin Cronin (Goodreads Author)
F 50x66
Rosemary Patterson's review Nov 23, 2022 · edit
it was amazing

I was given what I consider the honor of reading a prepublication edition of this astounding book. It is hard to characterize and/or even describe but I will try. The story is about man's ongoing destruction of our beautiful planet and the carelessness of earths' inhabitants safeguarding its natural resources. Also man's inhumanity to his fellow man. The book is so well written and intriguing. I finished it in three days, which at this time of year is amazing. I really don't want to say more because that would give too much away. And remember, the above are only my thoughts. Not written in stone. Just amazing writing, amazing characterizations. Justin Cronin is a master. Read this book.

This story is set on the island of <s>Utopia</s> Prospera where the rich live an idyllic life of luxury. They live their perfect lives, creating art and beauty, and when they start to get old, they're retired to The Nursery. The Nursery is a peaceful place where they're made young again and get to restart their lives and re-experience all the perfection that is Prospera. That sounds lovely and definitely is not leading anywhere sinister, right??

Our main character, Proctor, is a ferryman - one who helps those who are old (or, rarely, those who are injured) complete the final steps and then connect them with the boat that takes them to The Nursery. He has a tragic backstory because his mother killed herself when he was younger. Now, he's shepherding his father to his regeneration when something happens that causes his world starts to fall apart. He starts to question everything he knows and (shockingly) discovers that Prospera isn't as perfect as it seems.

Our other main character is Thea. She's another Prosperan (Prosperian?) but she recognizes the plight of the working class (since there's a working class forced to support the idyllic lives of the rich who obviously live in squalor and are treated as 3rd class citizens). There are smaller focuses on other characters, but overall, those are the two main narrators.

Thea and Proctor are an interesting juxtaposition. We have 2 people representing those who are in power, but we see one who is waking up to the inequality and one who already is aware. I appreciate how great of a job Justin Cronin does with multiple stories and narrators. Proctor is told in the 1st person but everyone else is 3rd person - it was very successful. The characters were well differentiated so I could keep track. Cronin weaves very vivid worlds which was one of the things that I loved about the Passage.

There was a big reveal and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It reminds me of when I read <i>Stranger in a Strange Land</i> and I was into the story, thought I understood what I was reading, and then suddenly, it's a whole different book. I don't want to give anything away (and it's not the same shift as <i>Stranger</i> had - no sex cults). The twist was really well done, but not my favorite thing.

As other reviews have mentioned, the story is a bit derivative. It's easy to compare it with any number of other stories where you have the paradise that isn't actually paradise plus the other bit that I can't say without giving things away. The whole time, I kept thinking that I had read this before. That's not necessarily a bad thing and the whole book was so well done; but if you want a unique story that isn't like anything you've read before, this isn't it. If you're good with a vivid dystopian world, great characters, and an exciting plot, this is a great read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance copy.

I'm always afraid his plot might become earth's reality! A wonderful twisty and disturbing plot with compelling characters. I could t put this one down. He has outdid himself with this novel!

The Ferryman has so many layers it's a challenge to explain all the ways this book works.

. With his dying breathe, Proctor's dad utters a message that will change the course of Proctor's previously well-established life. Searching for the meaning of the message forces Proctor to re-evaluate his entire trajectory. Haunted by dreams and his mother's death, Proctor finds himself searching for answer as the his world collapses.

Don't let the length of this book scare you. Not only does Cronin weave in complex societal questions, he creates tangled relationships and intricate characters that kept me hooked for over 500 pages. The reader learns about the world along with Proctor, which makes the suspense and confusion worth it.

ARC provided via NetGalley.

Spoiler free review…….

When I heard that this book was coming out I was scared. I loved “The Passage” and I was afraid that this book would be too different and that I would not enjoy it. I was right, this book is not “The Passage”, but something else entirely. I mean this in the best way. This book is not at all what I was expecting but I grew to love the characters and their world. Justin Cronin can write an epic story and surprise you at every turn, and I was very pleased that this book delivered in every way. If you are afraid that you you will not be reading a story like The Passage trilogy, I can assure you that while this is a different type of story, it is still very much worth your time. That you to NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to read and review this book. I loved it and I think you will as well. I cannot wait to purchase the physical copy to display in my collection and read again.

This was so completely different than what I usually read, making it somewhat hard to write a review. This author is an incredible writer. The story he created from beginning to end is such a tangled, complex web that I couldn't fathom being able to write this, let alone come up with such an idea. I absolutely loved the first half and each character pulled you into their story so completely. The last half at times felt discombobulated, having a dreamlike quality where you have to go back and make sure you didn't miss something. That is no insult because it was clearly the author's intention and he more than succeeded in that. I can easily see this as a movie and a phenomenal one at that. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was my first Justin Cronin book, and I enjoyed it so much I am going to check out his other novels. This is a sci-fi book that will have your head spinning. It is should a great mystery, with surprises and so much going on, it was such a great read.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an opportunity with this title. I was thrilled to have an opportunity at a Cronin novel before release and I was not disappointed. I imagine this will be a bestseller next year, with good reason. Solidly strange and compelling in equal measure, the twists were thematic and engaging.

What a fun and exciting book to read! I wasn't really sure what to expect based on the summary of the book -- and to be completely honest, I wasn't sure I would even like this book. But I decided to give it a try, and boy am I glad that I did. If you like science-fiction books with an awesome twist, you need to stop reading this review and READ THIS BOOK! I will certainly recommend that my library purchase a copy as soon as this book is published.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a copy to review!

Thank you Random House for the early review copy of The Ferryman. I have actually not read The Passage so this was my first work from this author, though I know his work has many fans. What a fascinating, engrossing story this was, I love themes about identity, memory, dreams and that unsettling feeling that you don't know things that you should/must know to really know who you are and who you could be.

This is the kind of immersive read that is hard to do justice in a review, I like my reviews to be spoiler free, but I suspect fans will not be disappointed with this read and new fans like me, readers who love epic journeys that remind us that so much is not what it seems and stir that rebellious inner truth seeker, will enjoy the world and character building in this novel.

This was something like Brave New World meets Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series. There are other things I could compare it to but not without giving away some key plot points.

A traumatic event causes Proctor Bennet, a citizen of the idyllic Prospera, to notice more about the society he's in and he has questions. His serene and mostly blissful life is careens out of control as he tries to figure out what's going on.

This book took a couple of wild turns, requiring me to take a step back and consider what was happening. The story was compelling and the premise was fascinating, but four rather than five stars because I found it hard to really care about any of the characters and get invested in their choices. I was invested in finding out what was going on in Prospera but not in what happened to the people.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine!

Another fabulous read by this author. Have yet to read anything he has written that I haven’t loved. This one keeps you guessing and intrigued (and confused) until the very end. Beautifully written, great story and fascinating characters. Some people have incredible imaginations. I couldn’t even think up something like this. Well done.

The Ferryman was provided to me as an advanced copy and I I enjoyed this book a great deal. Indeed, I put two other books aside once I started reading it. Cronin did a great job in creating a dystopian sort of world which constantly raised questions for the reader. I knew something was up, but had no ideas what it was. He did that extremely well. The book will keep readers engaged and I suspect this will be a top read for summer 2023.

Very solid 4 or 4.5 star read. Every time I felt like I had a handle on the plot there would be a new curveball which mostly worked very well, although the last 10% was weaker than the rest and left me feeling somewhat confused on what happened.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is a sweeping tale of epic proportion. Although outside my usual genre, I found myself thoroughly engaged in this adventure. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, a well-placed twist spun my thinking around. Very imaginative and enthralling. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wow! I really enjoyed The Ferryman, it was such a great read. The story is unique and the characters are so well-written that you really become invested. I thought Proctor Bennett was such a strong character, I really felt for him and the things that he was going through. This one is hard to describe without giving anything important away. Basically, it is about Proctor's life in Prospera and his job as a ferryman. The ferrymen are people who shepherd people through the retirement process and enforce it if necessary. A rough job made even tougher when he has to deal with his own father. There is also a resistance group called the Arrivalists, who are pretty mysterious at first. The whole thing was an awesome drama-filled mystery thriller sci-fi that was impossible to put down. I was blown away by the reveal and loved the ending. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I could not stop reading this novel. Every time I started to think I knew where it was going, I was wrong. When it was finally revealed what was going on, it kept going. Totally unexpected and well written. Highly recommended.