While I did enjoy the story, the twists were a bit telegraphed throughout. I thought the ending tied up too quick, even at a nearly 500 page book.

I am a long time Justin Cronin fan. I think that he has done so much for the sci-fi genre and, like Blake Crouch, made it way more accessible for the everyday person. My brain feels full and tired after reading this - the sign of a good read in my opinion.

I wound up DNF'ing this book. It just dragged and dragged and not much was going on. I'm sure for some this will slap, but for me, I needed a bit more of a hook and a bit more going on to keep me interested for THIS long of a book.

I kept putting off "The Ferryman" simply because of the length of the book, despite all of the wonderful reviews I was reading about it. I really enjoyed "The Passage" when I read it several years ago, and I had no doubt that I would enjoy "The Ferryman."

I'll say I probably plowed through the first 300 pages or so of the story. I was absolutely engrossed in the plot and the characters, and the premise of this remote island where people live, and when it's time to retire they are taken to The Nursery where they essentially have their memories erased and bodies renewed to become young again. But all is not what it seems (I promise, no spoilers here.)

I would say the last half of the book was confusing for me, and it's really where the heavy sci-fi plot comes into play. it was still really interesting and I wanted to keep reading, but there were certainly points where I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. The sci-fi aspect of this reminded me of the twist in the Netflix show "1899".

The ending was beautifully done.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and am glad I read it. Cronin is a fantastic writer and storyteller.
{Thank you Random House - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC!}

Going into The Ferryman, as someone who had been drawn into the Justin Cronin Passage hype, I had been eagerly anticipating what kind of worldbuilding and characterization that would be brought to the table this time. After completing The Ferryman, I’m both happy and disappointing with his latest installment.

There’s only so many details that can be given since the plot of the book is intentionally vague, but in a world where mankind has evolved past traditional mortality, people have lifespans that resemble batteries and must be retired/reincarnated once their battery is depleted. However, the world is more than it appears when our protagonists battery begins quickly depleting.

Other than being thrown into an unfamiliar world in the opening, I think the opening and closing had some of the best parts of the book. The pacing is good at start and the closing delivers some satisfying answers to unanswerable problems. But the middle 300 pages were really exhausting to get through.

There were so many perspectives and plotlines that were hard to follow. ESPECIALLY towards the end before things are revealed. It reached a point where I was having to read just to get to the next plot point, but not understanding what was going on.

Overall, I’m glad I read The Ferryman and the temptation to reread it knowing what the plot twists are is real, but I doubt I’ll ever actually pick it back up.

The Ferryman takes place in the future… the world is a very different place than the one in which we live.
I really wanted to love this book, but the premise kept changing and it went on too long to hold my interest. If you’re not a SciFi fan, you can safely skip this one.

I loved Justin’s Passage series and this book did not disappoint. There are many things going on and it will leave you wondering what you just read at times. The setting and feel made me think of the show Lost many times while I was reading. If you have enjoyed books by Blake Crouch you will also enjoy this.

Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE Justin Cronin fan!!! The Passage series has been one of my all time favorites. His ability to make complex characters and stories much like Stephen King can be a blessing and a curse.

This book is about a utopian state that is separate from the rest of the world and the horrors that lie within it. The story follows the struggles of the main character, the ferryman, as he navigates his job, what he’s asked to do and cryptic messages from his father before his death.

There are elements of sci fi and fantasy that should appeal to most of his fans.

I went back and forth with liking this book and then being utterly lost and bored at the same time. There was so much happening at times it was hard to keep it all straight. I didn't find the characters all that likeable and by the end I just felt confused. It may be for others, but this writing style wasn't for me apparently.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬: Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Mystery
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Physical/Audio
#DeepDiveThisBook

QUICK BITS
•Evolving plot
•Slow burn
•Fever dream-like
•Philosophical/psychological

REVIEW
WOWOWOOW. I did not expect this reading experience.

As you will see portrayed in my pace score, the first half of this book is a slow burn. However, much like my experience with Cloud Cuckoo Land (of note: CCL ended up in my top 3 of 2022) by the time you get halfway it is unputdownable.

I will say going into this one, unlike me initially, don't fight the slow burn. All the details and story components are SO worth taking your time with. Because if you don't you will likely be dying to go back and start it over when everything starts to be revealed.

Much like a Blake Crouch novel, the book you think you are reading is not the book you realize you are reading by the end-- aka mind blowing.

One of those books I quite literally can't tell you anything more about...you just have to pick it up and experience it for yourself.

If you are apprehensive about longer slow burns (up until 50%), then I HIGHLY recommend the audio! I read this in both ebook and audio and BOTH are great.

So...are your ready to sail away and start questioning what you consider to be reality? The ferryman is knocking at the door, will you answer it?

RATINGS
10 Characters
8 Atmosphere
9 Writing Style
10 Plot
6 Pace
8 Intrigue
8 Enjoyment
5 SOS Bonus
4 Impact Bonus
TOTAL= 59+9= 68/14= 4.89

5.00/5.00 SOS Rating
--Truly I had not foreseen where this book was going... by the time you get to the 50% mark everything just starts to be revealed and it's hundreds of pages of internal screaming and crying

4.00/5.00 Impact Rating
--Love when I get to use my impact rating on fiction, this book goes places emotionally I was not prepared for...I will feel the reverberations of this book for the years to come

5.00/5.00 Rounded Rating

This book was a ride, for sure (no pun intended). If the movies “In Time”, “Passengers” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” had a threesome, you’d get something close to this book.

Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman living in Prospera, an isolated community who escaped the horrors that climate change has caused to the planet. In Prospera, people can live basically forever; everyone there has a monitor implanted in their forearm that measures their mental and physical health. When a person’s monitor falls below 10%, it’s time for them to retire to The Nursery, where they will be reborn (iterated?) not as babies, but as children/teens, and assigned new wardens (parents). Thus, the circle of life becomes many.

Proctor’s job means he is one of the trusted people who take “retirees” to the ferry, so they can be reiterated at The Nursery. One day, the person who needs transport is his father - after some kind of mental fugue, his father’s last words are confusing and haunting. What does “Oranios” mean? Why is anyone who heard him say that word being taken to The Nursery? What will happen to Proctor?

That’s about all that can be said without spoiling anything or making this sound cheesy, as is too easy to do when explaining a science-fiction story. There is a sort of opposition group living in “The Annex”, and they call themselves Arrivalists. What arrival are they waiting for? Why do they choose to not live in Prospera? If war breaks out, which side would win?

This book was beautifully written, with a few great characters who help keep the reader invested. I thought the premise was relatively fresh, and executed well; the ending did seem cluttered, due to a lot of what I’ll call, for lack of better words, alternate timelines. This is a slow book to savor while enjoying the writing, and I did enjoy it…3.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Ballantine Books, Justin Cronin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

It took a while to pull me in because it's a confusing world, to begin with. It's familiar but something feels off, which later turns out to be brilliant writing because things are definitely off in the land of Prospera.
We first meet Proctor Bennett as he's having a bit of an existential crisis that feels a lot like a mid-life crisis. He's a ferryman, one of the people that help those ready to end their current life get to the ferry that will take them to The Nursery for a new beginning. He's restless and bothered by something he can't put his finger on, but he has no time to dwell on that because he gets a notice that his father is his latest charge. Things don't go well, and Proctor's restlessness turns into a series of tough decisions and unreal events that lead him to question everything about Prospera and how it operates.
There are conspiracies, intrigue, secrets, danger, and so much more in this book that starts out one way and continually twists to keep surprising readers. I kept getting surprised by the new elements that Cronin threw at me. It's not often a book can keep me so in the dark about where it's going and I'm recommending it in large part because of that.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the thought-provoking read!

I had no clue what I was getting into with this book, and honestly I'm still a little lost.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes! I kept listening because I wanted to figure out what was happening. Did I understand what was going on in this book? HELL NO.

If you are looking for an first time book to ease into sci-fi, don't pick this up solely because at about the 75% mark, things start getting way more confusing and honestly lost me for a second. If you're a seasoned sci-fi veteran, then I think you will be absolutely fine with this book.

I really liked Proctor and all the other characters, but with things changing around so much, I got confused on my perceptions of them and if I actually did like them or not.

Overall... yes read if you have enough time in your life and are looking for a little confusion. No if you want to stick to something a little easier. 3.5/5 but rounded down to 3.

This book started as a good story and had an interesting description. Imagine a world in the future consisting of three areas, one where most of the people lived in luxury, one where the “workers” lived, and a third where people went to die and be reborn. The story starts out in the luxury area following a husband and wife. You get to know the people, etc. and follow their lives.
<spoilers> Then one day something odd happens; the father is ready to die and the son has to take him. From that point on, the son’s lifestyle breaks down and It turns out that everyone is on a spaceship in suspended animation. The life he is living is really only a dream or actually a nightmare being generated for everyone by his wife who went insane after their daughter died a few days before the spaceship was to leave earth.
The story reads like a nightmare from that point forward (about a third way through the book). It is impossible to follow the plot and the characters are difficult to follow, jumping from one “nightmare” to another. We never really find out what is going on in the other areas of the community, and I guess since it is only a “nightmare” and they don’t really exist, we don’t need to.
Overall, not a good read and no awards from me!

This was an interesting dystopian novel. I found Proctor to be relatable but not loveable. The ending was good. I would read more in this universe from Cronin, and I think this was a good follow up to the Passage series.

I received a copy of the Ferryman through NetGalley for my honest review.

I have a deep love for The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin and recommend his series to everyone I met. So seeing that he wrote a new novel I was instantly intrigued!

The Ferryman did start off on the slower side but it didn't take long to build into something that I couldn't put down. I loved that you never knew exactly what was happening there were so many twists and turns.

I dont want include any spoilers but I loved the ending of this book! I do wish the ending had a longer story line, there was alot of untouched territory.

I would definitely recommend this book to family, friends and anyone in need of good page turner

THIS BOOK!!! Hands down, without a doubt, will be one of my top reads of the year!!! I am in awe of the grip this book had on me. From the start, The Ferryman took hold of my heart, mind, and soul, and held tight until the very last page. This book has the perfect balance of action-packed thriller and mind-bending science fiction that will leave you speechless. For fans of Blake Crouch’s sci-fi thrillers, Justin Cronin’s writing has a very similar feel in that it builds upon scientific ideas and goes places you can’t even believe. Throughout, I was mesmerized by the world building and felt like I was transported instantly. There were gasping, jaw-dropping moments where pieces finally came together that left me shook. It’s so unbelievably clever that it had my brain hurting in the absolute best way possible. While a couple unanswered questions, in no way did they take away from the enjoyment of the book.

Picture this: The island of Prospera, hidden from the rest of the world. No one comes, no one goes, they simply remain. Leaving is forbidden. What’s beyond? No one knows. Our main character, Proctor Bennett, has a very special job as the ferryman. The ferryman’s duty is to escort emotional elderly, or those that are failing in health, to the ferry where they will be sent back to Nursery to be reborn into a new, fulfilling life.

As if Proctor’s job isn’t emotional enough, he’s assigned the challenging task of guiding his own estranged father to the ferry for his “retirement”. While at the pier, his father has a seemingly delusional episode, yelling things like “the world is not the world…you are not you…it’s all Oranios.” Proctor is extremely shaken by this interaction, leaving him puzzled and questioning. Simultaneously, the incident at the pier attracts much unwanted attention by others, sending the story in a tale-spin of events.

As to not spoil the many surprises and twists along the way, I’m going to leave it at that. Divided into eight parts, each part is so unique and bold that I never got bored for a moment. Each part builds on each other in one connected story, but I also never knew what new excitement was in store for me. If you love nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat action and suspense combined with questioning EVERYTHING, then please read this!!

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books, Justin Cronin, and NetGalley for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

You know how every now and then a book comes along that reminds you why you love reading? The kind of book that you can immerse yourself in completely, the room you’re in simply melting away as you become absorbed in another world? This was one of those books for me.
The Ferryman is a dystopian fever dream with so much depth and imagination I am in awe. It is SO GOOD, incredibly layered with mystery upon mystery and a steady crescendo of tension that keeps you glued to the page.
The story is rife with double-meaning and I loved the connections that fell into place as the tangled web of plot unraveled and everything becomes clear. I finished this in a day and will be thinking about it for a long time. Obvious five stars.

Love Justin Cronin's writing and this was not a disappointment in the slightest. Good storyline that kept me hooked from the beginning. Glad I gave this one a try because I really liked it.

This book was so bizarre. It reminded me of Blake Crouch's books in the way that you are left wondering what goes on in this guy's brain? I don't even know how to review this book without giving anything away. All I can say is you need to read it for yourself and go on one heck of a wild ride. 4.5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.