THE FERRYMAN TRILOGY
If you could choose any form for a guide in which will lead you through a mysterious and unfamiliar realm, who or what would you follow without question? A beloved figure from your past? A lover? One of your parents? Maybe even something mythical such as Santa Claus?
And how long will it take you to realize that it is in fact, not the person you supposed it was? It isn’t until it’s too late and you’ve already traveled too far into the wastelands to turn back from your inevitable death.
In Greek mythology, Charon is the Ferryman who transports recently deceased souls through the underworld’s river of Acheron. Soul’s in which were captured by the river below attempts to capture those who reside in the boat that Charon carries, as it is his duty to protect those who reside in his care. In the thrilling young adult trilogy authorized by Claire Mcfall, the mythical story of Charon is romanticized in an alternate version of what a Ferryman is.
Sixteen year old Dylan finds herself in a predicament when coming into contact with her biological father after years of no contact due to her parent’s divorce. After much planning and scheming, she convinces her mother into letting her travel outside of Scotland and visit her awaiting father. Traveling by train, she starts off her trip with high spirits, until all lights go out and a jarring pain hits her stomach. Upon waking up, she is in the ruins of a train wreckage, stumbling her way out of the tunnel in an attempt to find help. Weirdly enough, there seems to be no other corpses, no police, no medical staff, and no people at the core of the disaster. The only form of life that Dylan manages to find is on a random hillside next to the train tracks; a teenage boy in which she is instantly drawn to and finds herself gravitated towards. It is only when the night falls did she truely question where she was, and as to why she was following this complete stranger. After being attacked and dragged by a demonic creature when night falls, and the teenage boy named Tristan defends and saves her, she is granted with the truth of the situation. Dylan had passed away in the train crash, and Tristan was her Ferryman guiding her soul through the wasteland to get to the afterlife.
A TASTE INTO THE TRILOGY
In the mythical trail of the wastelands, the reader gets to watch the love story between Tristan and Dylan flourish in an organic and authentic way. Claire Mcfall creates an intimate bond between both characters that transcends through the afterlife, and eventually makes it through for two sequential novels.
Trespassers and Outcasts sequentially follow the events of Ferryman, and answer the question of what are the consequences of cheating death. With the addition of new characters, Dylan and Tristan’s relationship and bond becomes more dire. The next two books could be considered a thriller of how impactful the duality of perspectives come into play. Whilst the action scenes are slowly built up, Claire Mcfall keeps readers engaged with banter and love with the characters.
The Ferryman Trilogy is a solid recommendation for those who are fascinated with mythology and modern retellings.
QUESTIONNAIRE
- What form would your Ferryman have taken form for you to have followed them?
- In what ways does the Ferryman Trilogy relate to the mythology associated with Charon? How does it associate with traditional forms of how people view the afterlife?
- What alternative ending would you have given the end of the trilogy? Do you feel it’s original ending is authentic to how the book implied it would be going?
