Review by barb429 -- The Ferryman by Amy Neftzger

[barb429]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ferryman" by Amy Neftzger.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When Karen dropped out of college to take care of her son who suffered from severe asthma she found that her job opportunities were severely limited. In order to help pay the bills, Karen began pursuing an unorthodox side career in grave robbing. Amy Neftzger’s The Ferryman opens during one of Karen’s nighttime excursions. She has recently found a promising old grave that was hidden well enough to be undiscovered by others. Unfortunately for her, when she takes the coins off of the corpse’s eyelids, she unwittingly inherits another unorthodox job; Karen becomes a ferryman of wayward spirits. Fate, in the form of a well-dressed, sophisticated woman, appears to tell her that by taking the fare from the corpse she is now responsible for helping the man’s spirit cross over to the other side. Fate also makes it very clear to Karen that this is not a responsibility she can simply turn down, and her new duties will not be restricted to only this first spirit.

Fate now has a very active role in Karen’s life and controls when she must take on the task of leading additional spirits to the other side. Along the way Karen has the opportunity to talk to the deceased, hear their stories through sometimes humorous interactions, and learn a little something about herself too. She also realizes that some things about the road to the afterlife are not as simple as she had previously thought. While some of the spirits are perfectly pleasant to Karen, she soon discovers that not all are headed for an eternal paradise. This discovery prompts Karen to look for a way out of her responsibilities to Fate.

Karen begins to believe that she may have an ally in her plight when she meets Fortune, Fate’s husband, who she finds very desirable for reasons other than just his utility in her escape. She learns that Fate and Fortune have a very volatile relationship as they constantly fight with one another. Fortune is also prone to seduce those around him, which often puts him at odds with Fate.

I really enjoyed Neftzger’s writing style. Each section was structured as an episode instead of a chapter. I felt as though I was reading a series of fables as Karen learns a different lesson (imparted by the spirit she helps) in each episode, including the very important lesson that Fate can not really be trusted. There was also a really great ghost librarian scene in one of the episodes, which I think most of us who frequent libraries can enjoy. I also appreciated the added flourish of the cemetery photographs at the end of each episode.

With rich characters, an interesting story and great writing, The Ferryman is definitely one that you should check out. I give it 4 out of 4 stars. I think that even those who do not typically read fantasy will be drawn to this book. It offers a great mixture of fantasy, the paranormal and humor. There are also some very intriguing themes throughout this book. The conflict between Fate and Fortune will really make the reader think: Which one controls you?

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The Ferryman
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