What happens when the storyteller becomes the hero of his own adventure – The Land of Unfinished Dreams! Award-winning independent publisher of graphic novels Top Shelf Productions is set to release The Land of Unfinished Dreams on August 5, 2025, the North American graphic novel debut from Italian creators, writer Marco Daeron Ventura and illustrator Marco Ferraris. This charming collaboration is the tale of grandpa Ned, a storyteller who finds himself on a magical adventure from his own imagination – a hilarious reminder it’s never too late to chase your dreams! The Land of Unfinished Dreams is the perfect bedtime story for all ages!
“Hi, I’m Marco Daeron Ventura, the author of The Land of Unfinished Dreams!
This story holds a special place in my heart because it’s inspired by my grandparents, who were such a big part of my childhood. They are all in here, often in different forms and shapes. Writing this book was my way of keeping their memory alive because they meant the world to me, and also a chance to shine a spotlight on grandparents everywhere. They have so many incredible stories to tell, and I genuinely believe there’s a unique kind of magic about them that we often overlook when we’re young.
I was deeply moved while writing Ned and Rose’s great adventure, and I truly hope, from the bottom of my heart, to pass some of these emotions on to everyone who reads it.”
“Hi, from Marco Ferraris, the illustrator of The Land of Unfinished Dreams!
This project was truly a challenge for me—my first time working on something so rich and complex. My goal was to capture the sweetness that flows through the entire story, stylizing my illustrations to reflect memories from my own childhood. Drawing these pages transported me back to when I was seven years old, building cardboard forts in my grandparent’s garden with my friends and embarking on epic adventures. Back then, a strange-looking tree could easily transform into a fierce Silver Dragon, one you could defeat only by expertly throwing a Talking Pear.
What’s a Talking Pear, you ask? By reading this book, you’ll soon find out—and discover just how fearsome they can be!”
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.
Take a look at new preview pages from the book below:
The Land of Unfinished Dreams will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color hard cover graphic novel as well as a digital edition, on August 5, 2025. For more information please visit the Top Shelf web site.
