The Land of Unfinished Dreams - by Marco Ventura (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Once upon a time, there was a brave hero named...Grandpa?! What's he doing in this story?

Ned is a retired literature teacher without much excitement in his life, but when his grandkids come to visit, he loves to tell them bedtime stories. Every evening, the clumsy knight tries to save the princess in new and different ways, but they never reach the end of the story. On one fateful night, Ned is shocked to wake up inside his fantasy world--full of the characters from his stories, plus many more new friends and foes. And when a terrifying darkness rises, Ned will have to look within himself to confront a threat beyond his imagination.

Bursting with color and creativity, the first collaboration between Italian creators Marco Daeron Ventura and Marco Ferraris is a thrilling and poignant graphic novel about storytelling, family, growing old, and staying young.

Review Quotes

"Ventura's superb, wry storytelling is well matched by Ferraris' equally magnificent illustrations... This intergenerational story is a strong pick for family read-alouds, with elements for both kids and adults to enjoy." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Beautifully creative... The artwork is stunningly adorable; the story, heartwarming. A perfectly modern bedtime story." -- SFF Insiders

About the Author

A professional in the publishing world for more than 12 years, Marco Daeron Ventura has co-founded an independent publishing house in Italy, written numerous children's books and graphic novels (including the highly acclaimed adventures of Norby, a series for adults and children), and lettered more than 8,000 pages of comics. He lives and works in Turin, Italy, together with his personal editor, a black cat named Kobe.

As a child, Marco Ferraris always loved to draw, and his passion for comics was ignited by early encounters with characters like Mickey Mouse, Lucky Luke, and Asterix. His professional ventures began in 2020, collaborating with authors such as Mattia Surroz and gaming companies like Unfold Games. In 2021, he began a fruitful collaboration with Marco Ventura, resulting in The Land of Unfinished Dreams. He is currently employed by a French publishing house, Drakoo Éditions, working on his first solo project.