The Ferryman

”Arrival come.”

This was my first Justin Cronin book, and I went into it blind without anything but the summary to go by. I'm pretty sure I liked it? I'm pretty sure I liked it a whole lot, actually? But I also have problems with it? I don't know, my feelings are very mixed, but I don't have the heart to give it a 3 star rating because there's just so much good here.

So, just as a vague, incomplete, surface-level summary, Prospera is a utopian society created to shield its residents from the world collapsing outside. Within Prospera as a Prosperan, life is what you make of it. You can spend your time doing whatever it is that fulfills you, in the manner you see fit. Your life is forever ticking down though, and when the meter in your arm falls below a certain point, you're sent off to the Nursery. Your memories are wiped clean, your body is renewed and refreshed, and you start again in a new life with a new purpose. Life is calm, perfect, and grand. Prospera requires its fair share of custodians however, and these people make up the population of the Annex, your housekeepers, nannies, groundskeepers, and a whole host of residents who keep the island running. Life isn't as grand and perfect as it is for the Prosperans, and tension rises between them constantly as a result.

The story is told from two points of view – first person from the point of view of Proctor, a “ferryman” whose job involves picking up the Prosperans whose meters fall below acceptable levels and dropping them off at the Nursery, and third person from the point of view of Thea, a resident of the Annex and part-time seditionist working with a group in the Annex. In addition to the conventional rising tensions between the Prosperans (“Prossies”) and the Annex, there's quite a bit of sci-fi mystery overtones. What does Proctor's dad's final words about “Ouranios” mean? Who is Caeli? What is this “arrival come” religion that has taken hold in the Annex? Why does Proctor dream at night but nobody else does?

There's a lot going on with this book. I was deeply, heavily, intensely invested in the answers to all the sci-fi weirdness that kept cropping up, so much so that I was willing to overlook how slow the start is. There's quite a bit of worldbuilding and stakes to set up at the beginning, and it isn't until after the first third of the book is up or so that the actual rollercoaster ride starts. Things get incredibly wild, and even though I thought I had things more or less figured out, it turns out I really didn't. I like that unexpectedness, honestly.

I'm going to put what I didn't like in spoilers, because a lot is contingent on plot. Suffice it to say that the answers have flaws if you think about it too much. Intense ending spoilers here: What I didn't like was how messy the answers end up being. There's a lot of stuff to wrap up, and I was surprised to see most of it addressed at around the 60% mark. If you're like me, once you have the answers, the book starts to lose its shine a bit because nothing's mysterious anymore. I also didn't like that Proctor essentially avoided the judgment of the colonists by dropping them all off, turning the ship around, and throwing himself back into the simulation while he headed back to Earth, presumably to....see what happened? It felt like a cop-out on Proctor's part and rather than face all the outrage at what had been done to them within the simulation, he ran away. Also also, Proctor was the one who set up the police state to begin with? What the hell? I dunno, it didn't seem like something Proctor would do, but then again, we only really got to know simulation-Proctor and not Director Proctor.

BUT... there's a ton to like here, and overall I really enjoyed the wild ride. I've even been compelled to seek out Cronin's other series, The Passage, to see what that's all about. Just a really unique experience all around that I'm glad I took the time to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was layers upon layers—and I loved every bit of it. Truly everything one could want from SF/dystopian fiction, and so much to take in. There are some deeply triggering topics, but that shouldn't come as a surprise in this genre. I need someone to scream about this book with, so if you read it and are on my friends list, please talk to me about it!

Much appreciation to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for giving me a chance to read this early.

There's always hesitation when reading a new author. In most cases, you're learning their pacing techniques and their prose as a whole, so it might take some time to dive their writing initially. Having not read a Justin Cronin book before, I was interested to jump in without a second thought. After having heard zip about The Ferryman, besides the synopsis on Goodreads, which I started with zero reviews, I knew I'd rarely get a chance to read something with such a blind perspective. I'm glad I did too.

Although I'm uncertain if it's because I read an uncorrected proof of the novel or not, there was an editor preface describing the story as a mix between The Stand and The Road. That is one hell of an expectation for me because both those stories are absolutely game changers—The Stand being one of my all time favorite stories—and I might have made the mistake of reaching for that comparison reading this story. Although I completely understand why this statement is made, for there are elements you'll find in both those stories in The Ferryman, the story didn't give me the same effect as those novels, which really shouldn't be surprising. It can be difficult to make comparisons without be subjective, since we all love books in many different amazing ways. For me, it's always the characters and their development across their arcs that pull me in. I've seen others dislike the boring discussions between two characters that I absolutely love. The Ferryman does have wonderful character arcs and interesting interactions along the way. For me, I'd say the story reminded me of the Wayward Pines series.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but I unfortunately lost interest during the last half. I don't think the story was failing at this moment, but I do think it was losing some of the mystery. Without spoiling anything, The Ferryman has different layers throughout the story that unfolds into segments that almost changes genre, which might be a little disorienting for some. At some point I started to find myself astray from the characters, which is what brought me into it from the start.

Despite all that, The Ferryman does tell an interesting story that so many others can easily enjoy.

On the island of Prospera, everyone is safe. The outside world is in chaos.

On Prospera, people live long and healthy lives and are monitored by an implant in the arm. Once the health level falls below 10 percent, it is time to retire. Memories are wiped out, new body, new life.

Proctor is a Ferryman. He assists the retirees when it's time to go. Proctor has begun to have doubts about the system.
Meanwhile, there's an uprising brewing in the poorer community.
Things are not as perfect as they seem.

I enjoyed the beginning of this, but the twist towards the end did not work for me. I did not like the end at all.
I didn't like the characters either. I liked Thea, but that's it. I don't think this will be very memorable for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I spent a good part of this book scratching my head. First I'm not sure where the story is going, then when I think I'm following it all goes wonky and stays that way for quite some time before making any sense again. But well worth the read.

I found several common themes; 1 to a recent movie and several to The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clarke. The audio had a male and female narrator as the perspective switched, which helped reduce confusion due to the change, the story did move along [even when confusing], and many kickstarts to a new twist just when you thought the book was about to end, which was nice.

It's been awhile since I read a good hard-science sci-fi.

Cronin's prose is top tier among writers of any genre and the first 60% of this book was wonderful to me. But I quickly became very confused and when I get confused I get bored and when I get bored I zone out and have read several pages and can't remember a word I just read. I had to read spoiler reviews just understand the ending. Honestly I didn't miss much because it wasn't that interesting of ending when you take into consideration how great the build up was.

I just finished The Ferryman by Justin Cronin and here is my review.

When your monitor falls below 10%, the Ferryman is called to bring you to the nursery, a place where your body is renewed, your memory wiped clean and you get a clean slate.

Proctor Bennett is a Ferrymay for the department of Social contracts, a career he enjoys until one day, he is called to ferry his father to the nursery. This on top of having dreams, something he shouldn't be experiencing during sleep. His father drops a cryptic message as he is wrestled onto the ferry. A message that sends Proctor on a new path, one directly into a resistance group.. A group who knows the truth and will do anything to bring it all to light.

As someone who enjoyed The passage series, I had seriously high expectations for this book. The synopsis, so tantalizingly delicious I had to set the time to devour it in one sitting and it did not disappoint!! The pace was a bit slower than I normally like but it worked out really well in this one.

The plot was exceptionally brilliant! Cleverly executed and well thought out. Really felt the genius in the writing. The character development was well balanced and I felt each person I was introduced to had something special to add to the storyline and I enjoyed the depths and layers with the clever twists that gently unraveled all the way through. The storyline was a little complex but that just added to its beauty.

What didn't I like.... I hated Proctor's decision at the end of the book. I understood it, I wish he had made a different one. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I won't explain that but it left me with a little empty hole, cheated out of a HEA a little.

Sci-fi isn't normally my go to genre but Cronin always manages to blend his books so delicately that you won't feel overwhelmed if sci-fi isn't your go to either. I really feel if you haven't read anything by this author before, you should definitely pick this one up!

5 stars... all the stars! You won't regret this book. Not even a little.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy