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Justin Cronin on the books, films and TV that inspired The Ferryman

From Lost to The Tempest, the author of The Ferryman reveals the cultural influences behind his new science fiction novel - the first pick for New Scientist's book club

By Justin Cronin

25 May 2023

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Justin Cronin, author of The Ferryman

Tim Llewellyn

The Ferryman

Justin Cronin

Orion (UK); Ballantine Books (US)

The Ferryman was born on a starry autumn night.

I was taking a walk before bed when, all of a sudden, two things dropped into my head. The first was a word: “Oranios”. The second was a scene: an old man on a pier experiencing some kind of breakdown, and a second man, somebody official, trying to talk him back from the ledge. I had no idea what these two things had to do with one …

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