When Amazon first announced the Kindle, there were plenty of people filled with doom and gloom. We were told this would be the end of books. They said we’d never read in the same way again.

As it stands, that’s not really been the case.

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If anything, the Amazon Kindle and all the other e-reader platforms have done nothing more than provide an evolution in the way we read. Even then, that evolution has been in very incremental steps.

However, the first big step into the evolution of literature as we know it thanks to the Amazon Kindle has just arrived. Kindle in Motion represents a bit of a change from what has come before. Instead of simply reading our books, we’ll be treated to animated illustrations and occasionally sound effects as we read.

Kindle in Motion has been around for a little while, but this week it got a big boost because of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. The Kindle in Motion version of the book is the same as the illustrated version released in October 2015. However, this time, artist Jim Kay’s illustrations have been animated. For example, Quidditch players will zoom across your screen as you read and owls will flap their wings next to your page. It’s all a bunch of minor cosmetic details, but for younger readers who are just getting to grips with long-form literature, this might be exactly what they need to get them reading.

On the downside, Kindle in Motion books are locked into portrait mode and can’t be read in landscape. Then again, that’s how you’d naturally read a book anyway, so it’s not the end of the world. On the other hand, you can also turn off the animation too and read it in portrait if that’s a deal-breaker for you.

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A video showcasing the Kindle in Motion version of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was showcased by Pottermore:

However, for those who’ve polished off Potter for the umpteenth time, there’s plenty more Kindle in Motion titles to choose from. So far the books on the service are:

  • Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling
  • Ripper: The Secret Life Of Walter Sickert by Patricia Cornwell
  • Mermaid by Jodi Picoult
  • The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed by Scott Parazynski and Susy Flory
  • The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken
  • The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken
  • Tracks of Her Tears by Melinda Leigh
  • Dead in Her Tracks by Kendra Elliot
  • Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer and Liz Pulido
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Hannah Christenson
  • Graveyard of Memories by Barry Eisler
  • Good Behavior by Blake Crouch
  • Darkness There: Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe and M.S. Corley
  • Royal Design by Sariah Wilson
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne and Kilian Eng
  • The Devil’s Country by Harry Hunsicker
  • Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Jose Emroca Flores
  • Children of the Salt Road by Lydia Fazio Theys
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Evan Palmer
  • Speed Girl: Janet Guthrie and the Race That Changed Sports Forever by Stephan Talty
  • A Filthy Business by William Lashner
  • The Protectors by Alison Stine

Unfortunately, the majority don’t have such sumptuous designs as Harry Potter. Many of the titles are just accompanied by what amounts to gifs illustrating the characters’ actions. However, there are a few other nice-looking ones. The Edgar Allen Poe collection Darkness There, seems like it will be particularly pretty! With the exception of Harry Potter all the other Kindle in Motion titles are free to those with Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.

Kindle in Motion is compatible with the following devices:

Free Kindle Reading Apps:

  • Android
  • Android Tablets
  • iPhone
  • iPod Touch
  • iPad

Kindle Fire Tablets including: Fire, Fire HD 8, Fire HD 10, Fire HDX 8.9 Tablet, Fire HD 7 Tablet, Fire HD 6 Tablet, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”, Kindle Fire HDX, Kindle Fire (2nd Generation).

Of course, Kindle in Motion isn’t the first time exploration of interactive literature but it might be the most prominent. It goes without saying that this will almost certainly be an area to keep an eye on. If creators do a good job, this could probably change reading forever.

In summary, you should probably feel tentative excitement about this new book format, if you’re into such things!