The Ferryman
The Brand New Epic from the Visionary Bestseller of The Passage Trilogy
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
'Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying.'
STEPHEN KING
*****
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, attended to by the support staff who live on a cramped neighbouring island, where whispers begin to grow into cries for revolution.
Meanwhile, life for Prosperans is perfection - and when it's not, their bodies are sent to the mysterious third island: a facility named The Nursery, to be rebooted and restart life afresh.
Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman, who shepherds the soon-to-be retired into the unknown. He never questioned his work until the day he is delivered a cryptic message:
"The world is not the world..."
These simple words unravel something that he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams - of the stars and the sea - and the unshakeable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important.
Something greater than anyone could possibly imagine, which could change the fate of humanity itself...
*****
'A mind-bending novel full of big ideas and a rollercoaster's worth of twists and turns - so powerful and thrilling!'
ANDY WEIR, author of The Martian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Nestled in a cluster of islands, the idyllic community of Prospera is as self-contained as it is firmly regulated. When citizens’ physical and mental health drops past a certain threshold, they’re “retired” via a River Styx-style ferry. Author Justin Cronin’s mind-bending thriller focuses on the human element in that dystopian premise—with nods to Logan’s Run and other sci-fi hallmarks—as a ferryman named Proctor is forced to retire his unwilling father. As the strict social order begins to falter and Proctor finds himself swayed by illicit dreams, the would-be paradise reveals an ominous underside. Despite Cronin’s ambitious layering of concepts, the novel’s streamlined prose and thoughtful title character keep us well grounded throughout.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Cronin's first novel since his Passage trilogy is a fantastic extravaganza all its own, with a plot that hinges on unpredictable twists that run far ahead of reader expectations. Proctor Bennett, an elite resident of the socially regimented archipelago world of Prospera, works as a "ferryman," assisting aging fellow Prosperans to transition peacefully to their next "iteration," the reconstitution of their personalities in younger bodies. Proctor discharges his duties with great professionalism—until the ferrying of his own father goes dramatically awry, exposing cracks in Prospera's edenic veneer. Now a dangerous fugitive on the run from his own forced iteration, Proctor enters an unlikely alliance with rebellious subversives inhabiting the Annex, the island that is home to Prospera's disgruntled working class. Having established the foundations for what appears to be a classic dystopian tale, Cronin then pulls the rug out from under his story, audaciously expanding its scope far beyond the hermetic parameters that have shaped Proctor's account up to that point and pushing it into the realm of provocative conceptual science fiction. Cronin's firm command of the plot's sinuous dynamics, and his creation of believable characters shaped by well-wrought strengths and flaws, make this bold gesture work. The result is a sensational speculative tale that is sure to get people talking.
Customer Reviews
Very interesting, emotional story. Thank you!
Certainly not a story I would normally be drawn to but I loved it.
I found the storyline fascinating.
Looking for another of his books.
Great read
It took a little while to get into the story but then I could not put the book down. Great read!
Waw
Amazing & captivating