Item: The Ferryman
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Justin Cronin

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying.”—STEPHEN KING

From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia—where the truth isn’t what it seems.

A POLYGON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean, in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity—or whatever remains of it.

Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives. They are attended to by support staff who live on a cramped neighboring island, where whispers of revolt are brewing—but for the Prosperans, life is perfection. And when the end of life approaches, they’re sent to a mysterious third island, where their bodies are refreshed, their memories are wiped away, and they return to start life anew.

Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, whose job it is to enforce the retirement process when necessary. He never questions his work, until the day he receives a cryptic message:

“The world is not the world.”

These simple words unlock something he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams of the stars and the sea. They give him the unshakable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important.

Something no one could possibly imagine, something that could change the fate of humanity itself.

Book Summary:

The world is crumbling. Thankfully, places such as Prospera, an isolated archipelago, help protect humanity from the horrors of the world. Well, mostly. In this world, everyone has their health (physical and mental) monitored. Should they drop below ten perfect, they must retire.

That's where Proctor Bennett comes into play. He's a Ferrymen – one of the people who help (or force) others to retire. The proximity to the process allows Bennett realize that things are not as they seem and that his world is built on lies.

My Review:

Do you remember that 2005 film, The Island? That's what The Ferryman immediately made me think of. And that feeling kept cropping up, even as I was in the depth of this book. So if you're looking for a modern rendition, The Ferryman is the book for you.

Interestingly, The Ferryman combines many different elements and genres together. It isn't wholly science fiction, nor is it wholly fantasy. And it certainly has more than a dash of thriller and dystopian elements. It felt like the right balance between these parts, keeping the tension rising as we go along.

The Ferryman is admittedly a larger book – clocking in at over 500 pages. That said, it's worth the read! The pacing makes it so that you don't feel the page count, and it is easy to stay invested when there's always some new twist peeking around the corner.

Highlights:
Dystopian World
Thriller
“The Island” vibes

Thanks to Ballantine Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Ferryman

by Justin Cronin

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Jul 3, 2023

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