Bendy (novel series)
- This article refers to the novel series' continuity. For the main series' continuity, see Bendy (main canonical series).
- For other uses, see Bendy (disambiguation).
The novel series of Bendy is an apocryphal continuity that consists of all the literature written and published for the franchise. All of the books were published by Scholastic Inc and written by their associate writers, mainly Adrienne Kress. Due to its apocryphal status, the novel series is not part of the main canon of the franchise.[1][2][3]
Series
Novels
The young adult horror novels, all written by Adrienne Kress, are stories that act as a non-canon backstory before the game saga. While told like expansions to the games, the novels tell their own standalone story with differences from the canon source.
- Bendy: Dreams Come to Life - Published on September 3, 2019, the novel is set in New York City, Summer 1946, centering around a Jewish teenager Buddy Lewek as he joins Joey Drew Studios and works as an artist. However, as the weeks go on, Buddy slowly uncovers the dark secrets of the studio's head Joey Drew, the Ink Machine experiments, before getting caught up in them himself.
- Bendy: The Illusion of Living - Published on February 2, 2021, the novel serves as the in-universe memoir of Joey Drew, based on the in-game item of the same name. The novel follows different periods of Joey's life, exploring his backstory and primarily his life philosophy, the "Illusion of Living". At the end, the novel also features an animation guide section.
- Bendy: The Lost Ones - Published on September 3, 2021, the novel is set in Atlantic City, Fall 1946 and follows the perspectives of the three main characters Bill Chambers, Constance Gray, and Brant Morris, switching with each chapter. The plot revolves around the Ink Machine being "broken" and its effects on the ones connected to it or unlucky enough to come across it.
- Bendy: Fade to Black - Published on October 3, 2023, the novel is set in New York City, January 1953 and follows a Brooklyn residents Rose Sorenson as she joins Kismet Production Studios as a production assistant before being assigned for The Joey Drew Show. Rose and her little brother Ollie, after testing out Joey's new 3-D glasses technology, end up trapped in the ink realm along with the other test families and try to escape as Joey oversees everything happening within.
Graphic novels
The graphic novels are published under Graphix, the graphic novel imprint of Scholastic Inc. The books include adaptations of existing stories and completely original narratives.
- Bendy: Dreams Come to Life: The Graphic Novel - The graphic novel adaptation of Dreams Come to Life was published on August 6, 2024, following the same storyline with some minor differences. Adapted by Christopher Hastings and illustrated by Alex Arizmendi, it gives a visual depiction to most of the original novel's characters despite omitting a few others.
- Bendy and the Silver Screams - An original graphic novel witten by Dave Scheidt and illustrated by Alex Arizmendi, scheduled to release on March 3, 2026. It will follow Andi, a horror movie enjoyer, as she works at her local theater. During her employment, a batch of new employees disappear along with strange phenomena happening in empty theaters. In the theater's basement, an inky horror is lurking, the type Andi doesn't want to see.
Guidebooks
The guidebooks, written by Cala Spinner, serve as guides for the mainline games of the series, such as Bendy and the Ink Machine and Bendy and the Dark Revival. In addition to gameplay coverage, they also include non-canon tie-ins for various plot points.
- Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook - Published on July 30, 2019, the guidebook was dedicated to Bendy and the Ink Machine, containing gameplay guides, achievements, maps, and Easter eggs. It also introduces new content, including memos and sections about the operation of Joey Drew Studios. The final section features an animation guide for the Bendy characters.
- Joey Drew Studios Updated Employee Handbook - Published on February 6, 2024, this updated edition of the original handbook, adds a new section exclusively covering Bendy and the Dark Revival.
Other books
The comics collection book, written by Vannotes and illustrated by Mady Giuliani and Ciro Cangialosi, serves as an in-universe compilation for the comic strip released by Joey Drew Studios.
- Bendy: Crack-up Comics Collection - Published on September 1, 2020, the book compiles various in-universe Bendy comics released between 1931 and 1946. The collection is divided into three sections based on era, starring the main Bendy cast along with brand-new characters for the comics. In addition to the strips themselves, the main story is about Nathan Arch of Archgate Films acquiring the Bendy IP.
Development
The first book of the novel continuity, Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook, was released on July 30, 2019. However, the first novel that started the series, Bendy: Dreams Come to Life, released on September 3rd of the same year.
According to the author of the novels, Adrienne Kress, the novels were canon to the games, at the time.[4][5] As a result, the books were originally considered part of the official series' canon.
However, four years later on September 13, 2023, theMeatly debunked this belief, stating that he viewed the books and the broader outside content as extra sources and that the games were what decided the "canon".[6] Later, on March 9, 2024, Mike D clarified that the content from the books was not canon, while content originating from the games was.[1] When asked about it, Mike claimed this had always been the direction they went with for the books' canonicity.[Citation needed]
On July 1, 2025, theMeatly further clarified their stance on the matter, stating while there could be similar material, the book and game continuities were standalone stories with their own self-contained narrative without any secondary canon status.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mike D (March 9, 2024). "boy that’s one way to wake up a fanbase haha! yes we said it 6 months ago, but i said it more clearly without any confusion. i’ll post it again here: If you see it, hear it, read it in the games that we make, it is ‘canon’ if you see it or read it in a book, it’s not ‘canon’". X/Twitter (Dead link).
- ↑ Mike D (March 9, 2024). "heh, we already said the books aren’t canon, but they’re all still fun and amazing stories about our universe that we think are great nevertheless. 👍". X/Twitter (Dead link).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 theMeatly (July 1, 2025). "The books are not canon. I kinda feel it is unfair to expect players who only play the games to have to read the books to understand details or climaxes of a story. Likewise, I feel it is unfair for readers who only read the books to have to play the games for the same reason. Obviously, there will be crossover between these two groups, but I think each medium deserves its own clarity to keep their narratives strong. By keeping them separated, I believe it will allow them both to thrive with their own worlds to play with. :) Players and readers alike can choose what they want to intake for themselves. :) There's great stuff on both ends of this!...". X/Twitter.
- ↑ Twitter DM screenshot of Adrienne Kress' statement on July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Adrienne Kress (September 6, 2019). "So happy to hear you enjoyed it! (and yes it is canon ☺️)". X/Twitter.
- ↑ theMeatly (September 13, 2023). "In regards to #Bendy books and content outside of the games, I’ve always viewed them as fun extras for people who want more from the universe. The super talented authors/artists who work on them are given freedom to make things their own. :) To me, the games decide the ‘canon’.". X/Twitter.