Review: The Land of Unfinished Dreams by Marco Ventura

Blurb:

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:

I wasn’t expecting to like a middle-grade graphic novel. However, I’ve enjoyed my share of kids’ films that contain within them some of the most profound human emotions and truths. Plus, the artwork reminded me so much of Gravity Falls, one of the best things Disney has ever made, in my opinion. That was one of the main reasons why I decided to give this one a shot.

The story is expectedly simple and straightforward. We start with Ned, an old man who loves to tell his grandkids bedtime stories. However, he’s never able to finish his stories. As we learn more about him, we are made aware of his health conditions. He’s living alone in his house, a situation very much reminiscent of Pixar’s Up. 

Except, he’s not really a loner like Carl. At least, he wasn’t before. Age has made him so, among other things, that are slowly revealed as we make progress. His life is turned upside down when, one unassuming night, Ned is awoken by a portal that transports him to a fantasy land. Despite his age, he must complete his quest so he can return to his normal life.

What I liked:

I genuinely liked Ned as a protagonist. He might be part-curmudgeon, but he’s also part-loving grandpa. He hates change, but pushes himself to accommodate his grandkids. The layers of his personality unfold with the story, putting into perspective why his life has become the way it is. 

I won’t spoil anything, but the reveals and twists are fairly easy to guess. However, the characters that drive this story forward—real and imaginary both—have distinct voices and designs that make them stand out. Apart from Ned, I particularly liked his daughter, Linda, who felt like a real person just looking out for her father’s well-being. In addition to that, the reflection of real life within Ned’s imagination was particularly creative. The way things from his real life get used to push the imaginary story forward was beautifully done.

The climax really moved me more than I expected. Finding out the truth behind why Ned isn’t able to finish his stories, his suppressed emotions and pain, not to mention the fantastical resolution to said problem… all of it beautifully tied up all the loose threads of the story. Again, it’s not really surprising, but knowing the twist didn’t take away from the emotional journey of the climax. In fact, the simplicity of the novel makes this twist and resolution feel a lot more complex and rewarding.

My favorite part of the graphic novel was definitely the artwork. It was so stunning and immersed me completely in the story. Every milestone of the journey was an imaginative set-piece that evoked a sense of grandeur and creativity. If I had read this as a kid, I would have absolutely loved it. Even as an adult, I enjoyed it enough to read it in a single day. 

While the end was a little too good to be true, it was also appropriate for a middle-grade graphic novel. 

What I didn’t like:

I don’t think there was anything in particular I did not like. Some of the humor felt juvenile, but this is a kid’s book after all. 

If I can complain, there were a few instances in the book where the dialogue felt a little clunky.  I couldn’t confirm if the text was originally written in English or translated from Italian. Either way, an extra round of proofing might have improved the overall readability. There weren’t all that many instances. But the few that I noticed did break my reading flow.

Conclusion:

The Land of Unfinished Dreams is a beautifully creative middle-grade fantasy graphic novel. The artwork is stunningly adorable, the story, heartwarming. A perfectly modern bedtime story.

TL;DR:

WHAT I LIKED: Protagonist, Artwork, Creative use of life and imagination, Ending

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Some clunky dialogues that broke my reading flow