A definite mind-bender. I love books that make you think you know what's going on only to find out you really have no idea and neither do the characters and you discover what's happening along with them. This books will have you staying up late and continuing to turn pages long after you should have stopped.

This is a very pretty story of grief and loss.

I just wish…well, I wish I loved it.

I liked it.

While I expected the slow build up from Cronin – even relished it – I was expecting to have my mind blown once things were revealed. Mind was not blown. It was a pretty explanation and I realize that I’m likely to be in the minority on this. I wanted more meat to it and was actually kind of disappointed once I found out what was really going on.

Pretty though.

• ARC via Net Galley

This book will make your brain hurt. The outside world is crumbling. Prospera is a safe, protected enclave, filled with rich people and those who serve them. Proctor Bennett is in charge of ferrying people who have fulfilled their lives back to the Nursery so they can become a new iteration. But, Proctor is dreaming when he sleeps, of another world, another life. Which life is he really living? And why is he dreaming? No one on Prospero is supposed to dream. Proctor notices his life monitor is dropping too quickly which means he will be sent to the Nursery soon. He does not want to go. And something is happening in the Annex, where the support staff lives. They are not happy about their lives anymore. So, as Proctor dreams, he becomes something more and no one knows what it is, least of all Proctor. It was a very slow burn until the denouement was reached and the reader discovers the reality of Prospero and Proctor and all the inhabitants. A simply amazing, mind-blowing journey.

Okay, once I started this book, it was really hard to put down! There was just enough off about this perfect world that Proctor was living in that it intrigued me and I loved following him around as he figured out the way to get behind the façade that was Prospera. From blind artists painting faces in the stars, to the unrest of the Support Staff devoted to The Arrival, and the dreams that have been plaguing Proctor, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. When all was revealed, it was very satisfying, though a bit heartbreaking as well. And the ending definitely made me think.

This was an awesome book and I am very glad I got the chance to read this advance copy courtesy of Netgalley! Now on to seeing what other books Justin Cronin has written!

I had a difficult time with this novel, in part because I simply FELL INTO The Passage and the other books in that trilogy. I think it made the emotional remove I felt with this book hit a bit harder than it might have otherwise. This was an intriguing premise, and the twist was twisty, though it didn't seem all that unique, and I can understand why the characters always seemed an arms-length away. But those things were not quite enough to win me over.

I'm apparently not a Justin Cronin enthusiast, and this dystopian novel took a very long time with the setup.

I really struggled with this one. The world building was good, nothing unique but creative and eliciting some curiosity of the reader. But I just skimmed after 50%. There wasn’t a compelling mystery. Outside of the protagonist, no character has any depth. And even the depth of the protagonist isn’t really anything to garner sympathy or empathy. Just blah. I read a lot of pages and wasn’t sure what the point was. Bummer as I was super excited for this one.

I remember when The Passage came out and it was all the rage, everyone asking if you’d read it or not. Id nod and say yes, ( even though i hadn’t) it was wonderful, what a writer !! Well, I was thrilled to get the ARC for The Ferryman and although at times I felt lost, I hung in enough and read and reread parts. I want to be a part of the conversation that is going to occur when Mr. Cronin’s latest is released! Phenomenal!! 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

I was thrilled to be offered this ARC from Net Galley, and I can't even tell why! I have read The Summer Guest and rated it well, but while I have spent a few years collecting The Passage trilogy, I have yet to start it! I have all the more reason now to look forward to it. Like another reviewer said, it calls to mind many other sci-fi greats of the near and distant past. It was twisty, confusing, but at the end of the day understood enough. Trying to keep up with it compared to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, and I think mentioning these two authors in the same review is a compliment. It's hard to come up with a sentence that say too much, but let's try, "What is your life wasn't really your life?"

I loved the first half of this book. I thought the whole idea of it was brilliant. I got a little lost in the second half. I had a hard time picturing what the author was describing and never felt like I understood it enough.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

The #Ferryman by #Justincronin is an excellent book that I enjoyed from the beginning to the end. It had adventure, love, betrayal and it got very close to home. I will by suggesting this to all my book loving friends and family. Do yourself a favor and go buy it as soon as possible.

The Ferryman is another beautiful and unforgettable novel by Justin Cronin. I was (and still am) obsessed with his previous novels, The Passage trilogy. I can honestly say though this is a standalone novel, it is as epic and mind blowing as the aforementioned trilogy. I had no idea Cronin was putting out another book! I found out when I was offered the chance to read it early and I was excited to say the least.

The setting is an archipelago, the main island is called Prospera where well to do people live easy lives, hidden from the world they helped destroy. They have the chance to live long lives then take a ferry to the Nursery where they're reiterated back into society as teenagers to live another great life. However, not everyone has the same experience. People who live on a separate island called the Annex are tasked with making Prosperan's existences as uncomplicated as possible.

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, tasked with helping people through the process of finalizing their current iteration's affairs and getting them to the ferry on time. He likes his job, thinks it's important. He's married to someone with connections. His life is good. Until things start happening that make him question the way Prospera works and his place in it.

Cronin does a wonderful job of world building and revealing things little by little. The plot is suspenseful and thrilling in equal measure. Without giving anything away, I will say I was so impressed with the ultimate reveal and how it all came together. I read it once quickly then immediately started over and read it again with the final outcome in mind. The Ferryman is that good. It's going to stay with me and be read multiple times just like The Passage trilogy.

Thank you so much Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early.

I had previously read the author's Passage series and loved that. When I had the opportunity to read this, I was excited and wasn't disappointed.

I ended up reading later than I usually do, it's that good. Just when I thought I had almost figured out what was happening, Justin Cronin turns the scenario upside down and inside out.

I would definitely (and have) recommend The Ferryman for any sci-fi, mystery, or thriller readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of The Ferryman.

Wow! As a person who can barely put two coherent words together it's nice to exist on the same plane of reality as certain authors/entertainers/musicians/etc.

Cronin's last book was published in 2016 and if you hadn't noticed...a lot has happened since then. So much in fact, that Justin Cronin was a name that I had not thought of in quite a while. So imagine my excitement when I checked my inbox and was told I had been approved for a book I didn't know existed by an author I love, but had begun to forget.

Reality and memory are the two main themes of The Ferryman and that's all I'm saying as far as plot goes. Just read it!!! It's spectacular!

I really wanted to love this book, the premise sounds so fantastic, it just wasn't executed as well as I'd hoped.

The book starts off slow, introducing you to the world, how it works mechanics wise, and the main character. As we get deeper into the story, we are led to feel for the guy, and his humble life as an upper class person. As the cracks in their well oiled society begin to show the book starts to pick up in pace.

But around the 60% mark, when the big plot twist happens, the author leans on telling to catch the reader up, disguised as catching the main character up and it really pulled me out of the story. I had a hard time getting back into it for the rest of the book, beside the fact that that type of plot twist is rarely done satisfactory. The ending was only so so for me, but mostly because the jig was up, so there was no point in what was happening to the characters for me. The characters that did matter, didn't get the page time they deserved.

If you want the spoiler version, [as soon as we knew that it was all a dream land, I no longer cared what happened in the dream land, I wanted to know more about the settlers, and how they were coming to terms with what happened in the dream land. But instead the book ends in yet another dream land, making fake memories, it was morbid and creepy, and kind of a cop out ending. He didn't sacrifice himself to teach people a lesson. He was just too scared to join the settlers and take responsibility so he opted for a fake reality. Big disappointment. He should have stayed and built the life they all deserved with Thea.]

Overall, if you really enjoyed the show LOST or the movie Inception, you'll probably enjoy this book. I'm not saying I disliked it. It was an interesting take on society, and had some thought provoking points about the human race.

Writing is really good. Author has a good sense for very real human characters. It is slow burn at times but even the slow parts still remain interesting. I feel like parts of it could be tightened up a bit? Honestly though it was really enjoyable to read and often times had me at the edge of my seat.

The key with this book is to be patient, because as I said, it feels slow at times but it's worth it in the end.

I'm definitely looking towards more from this author.

The Ferryman is a dystopian sci-fi fantasy set in the utopian world of Prospera, which is as prosperous and beautiful as the name suggests. The ferryman, Proctor Bennett, leads elders whose monitors have expired on a ferry ride to Nursery Isle where memories are erased and people are reborn. When Proctor is assigned to ferry his estranged Guardian father across, his father engages in seemingly dementia driven commentary and states none of it is real. Proctor behind to question his life and searches for the meaning in his father’s words.

The Ferryman is a long read, but one that flows seamlessly, never drags, and ends before you’re ready. Very well done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 rounded to 5

Book Dynamics✨
8 parts
Multiple POV
Lots of layers



I loved how easy it was to imagine Prospera and the world within this book. The book was paced nicely. Kept me invested and didn’t feel too drawn out. For being almost 600 pages I flew through it!

It is veeeeerrryyyy layered. You have to remember who is who and pay attention to what is happening. It gets a little muddy at times due to switching perspectives. I would have to pause and realize I was reading as a new person. But not to the point that I was entirely confused so imma let it slide.

About 70% in we took a hard left turn and I was smacking myself for not realizing where the story was going. Chefs kiss! I was getting a little bored and thinking “is this really happening, this is it?!” And I was very very wrong in my assumptions.

The end felt more drawn out than the rest of the book. A lot was happening but it wasn’t happening fast enough? But also it was happening too fast? I have mixed feeling about the pacing of the end clearly!

The book is emotional but I didn’t feel any emotion. I think it is due to the nature of the book. The way the characters are written I didn’t feel truly connected to them. I always felt like there was another layer I didn’t know and once I knew more it was too late to feel that connection. This isn’t a negative because I liked that the mystery was “who the fuck are these people and what is going on?!” 😂

Okay last thing! I’m not taking away stars due to this since this is an early ARC but the further into the book I got the more spelling and grammar mistakes there were. Assuming these will be fixed before pub date though!

Overall: grab if you love a multi layered story with vivid writing

Favorite Character: Quinn

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! This will not be my last book by this author!

I had high hopes for The Ferryman, Justin Cronin’s followup to the Passage trilogy, and boy, my hopes were more than exceeded.

Prospero is an island, hidden from the rest of the world’s calamities by the Veil. In Prospero, people live out their lives, whose quality is monitored by devices implanted in the forearm. When a low level is reached, the are ferried to the Nursery, where their memories are wiped and a new life begins.

Proctor is one of the ferrymen, who takes those to be renewed to the ferry that transports them to the Nursery. He unfortunately has to transport his father to the ferry, and it’s there that his father decompensates, and utters words that will change Proctor’s life.

What then transpires is an astounding tale that riveted me to the page. Mr. Cronin melds many different science fiction tropes into a unique story. The plotting, the narrative and the world building were just excellently done. The characters were incredibly well developed. There were so many surprises in this book but they were always in the context of the plot and were believable. This may be a long book but the pages just flew.

My gratitude goes out to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this wonderful novel.

Welcome to Prospera. An archipelago hidden from the world. Designed by the mysterious Designer this magical place is so different from the rest of the outside world. No death, or want. These citizens enjoy more than one lifetime. While this seems perfect, you know it isn’t going to be.

Our focus is Proctor Bennett. Once fresh from the nursery and contracted to be with a couple. He is now a Director and has just had an unsettling request to accompany a retiring man. His own father.

He begins to question everything and things get very SciFi! Obviously, this is the future and it isn’t hard to imagine a scenario such as this.

The ending was worth the read!

NetGalley/RHPG May 2, 2023