The offspring of an acid-laced union between The Matrix and WALL-E, The Ferryman is a sci-fi mindfuck of the first order. A cautionary tale about a future reality that is perhaps only slightly exaggerated, wrapped inside a vastly creative but alarmingly nightmarish world created by Justin Cronin.
Welcome to the island paradise of Prospera, where a small but lucky populace enjoy extended and gratifying lives within a beautifully cultivated and seemingly perfect environment. The best part? As individuals' physical and mental health start to deteriorate, they retire themselves to the nursery, where they are reborn and reinserted to start a brand-new life with no memory of their prior one. Proctor Bennett is in the middle of this circle of life, employed as a ferryman who guides people through their retirement. Lately though, Proctor has been dreaming, which is concerning given that’s not something that is supposed to happen in Prospera. Combined with some strange behaviors he’s witnessed lead Proctor to become paranoid and believing something is drastically wrong, with his subsequent questions and investigation putting him at odds with the powerful leadership of the island. Concurrently, unrest is building within the population of the Annex, a separate island that houses those who provide the working-class labor for Prospera’s wealthy citizens. It all comes to a head in a big clash with massive implications…and the realization that absolutely nothing is as it seems.
The Ferryman will repeatedly mess with your head. At first it seems like normal life events and personal drama. But then it kicks up to another level as strange things happen, kind of like glitches that would happen in a video game rather than real life. And just when you’re trying to wrap your mind around what’s happening…BAM! The weird shit meter pegs all the way to the right and you start to mutter WTF repeatedly as you try to figure out what’s real and what’s not. Oh, but wait there’s more. Because next on the agenda is something so completely wild and unhinged that your frontal cortex becomes scrambled eggs. However, the craziest thing of all isn’t this insane story that Justin Cronin has thrust into your skull. It’s that after completing this novel and pontificating the events that have unfolded, you conclude that it’s actually not as outlandish and improbable as you first thought. Which is the precise moment your brain explodes.
If you’re into Sci-Fi, dystopian worlds and novels that make you question your psychological fitness, then don’t miss The Ferryman. And if you’re just looking for a creative, well-written story to escape the mundane and make you ponder the meaning of life, then this book is also for you. It’s guaranteed to make a strong impression with everyone who reads it.
Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase The Ferryman
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
