Reviews

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Only show reviews with written explanations

thecurseofchris's review against another edition

5.0

**UPDATE 2: okay, I've ignored my own thoughts on this for far too long. I think about this book regularly and always highly recommend it to people, so screw the "minor pacing issues" I mentioned: this book is a 5/5. It's like when you order a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A with no pickle, but they accidentally include it anyway. So you take the pickle off, and when you eat it, you can still taste it a little bit but the rest of the sandwich is so good that it doesn't matter. That's how this book is. So well done, Justin Cronin. You wrote something that's managed to not escape my head.

*UPDATE: after thinking on this for a bit, I think this is a solid 4.5/5 for me. But I can't give it a 5-star round up, because of some of the minor pacing issues. Still, it was a fantastic read!

This book absolutely blew my mind and I have no idea what I should rate it*. I think I will let it settle in my mind and read other opinions on it before I come to a final rating.

At first, the writing really threw me off in the opening chapters. It's very descriptive and detailed, almost too much at times. But eventually, I got used to it once I was more familiar with the main characters.

The story was pretty compelling throughout (despite a few, brief slow parts), so I always found myself wanting to continue. But then you get to about the 75% mark which is when the story takes a massive turn and you figure out just what exactly is going on in Prospera. I'll admit, I didn't see it coming.

This is also the point where you REALLY have to start paying attention, because things get a little more complex so to fully enjoy the story, I think you need to focus in (which I'll admit, I wasn't always doing). Still, I had an absolute blast reading this book, and I definitely recommend it!

lynguy1's review

Go to review page

3.0

Justin Cronin brings readers a powerful premise and excellent world-building in The Ferryman. This post-apocalyptic science fiction novel features a world founded by The Designer and consisting of three islands. Prospera is where the administrators, enforcement personnel, and wealthy live. The Annex is where support staff live and the third is the Nursery. Prospera’s citizens live long lives in luxury until the monitor embedded in their forearm falls below 10 percent indicating that their physical and/or mental health has deteriorated significantly. They are then retired and take a ferry ride to the Nursery where their bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped, and they restart life.

The main character, Proctor Bennett, is the managing director for District Six of the Department of Social Contracts, Enforcement Division. He’s a ferryman, who helps people through their retirement process and onto the ferry, using enforcement when necessary. But Proctor finds he has problems. He’s a tortured, but capable protagonist. Then, one day he is summoned to retire his father, who gives him a cryptic and confusing message before being forced on the ferry. Meanwhile the support staff are questioning their place in the social hierarchy and rumors of a resistance group spread.

The author brilliantly portrayed the islands, the people, and their very different lifestyles. The story has a complex and deeply involved plot. While I was transported to this archipelago of three islands, at times I felt the pacing was somewhat slow in the first half of the book. I was also confused at times in trying to understand what was really happening. However, the last half of the novel picked up the pace and had plenty of action. Readers should pay close attention to the details of what is and what isn’t being said to get clues. There’s plenty of twists and turns to keep readers engaged and guessing. Trying to understand the fallout from things lets multiple characters’ personalities shine or become tarnished. What an ending! Will it catch you by surprise?

Overall, this book is emotionally-charged, unique, intense, challenging, and thought-provoking, with fantastic world-building and great characterization. It’s creative and is captivating with its unpredictable plot. Themes include children, health, social status, fighting for justice, empathy, political maneuvering, and much more. This is the first book I have read by this author and I’m looking forward to seeing what he writes next. I believe this could have a fascinating sequel.

Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and Justin Cronin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 02, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
---------------------------------------
My 3.49 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.