Il Dominio di Aster — The book series
I write fantasy for those who love to imagine, but also to think. For those who seek worlds that help them see more clearly.
I believe in imaginary worlds, especially when they tell the truth.
For me, fantasy is the most honest way to ask uncomfortable questions: about power, faith, choices and their consequences. Good and evil are never comfortable or reassuring here. Often, they resemble each other more than we would like.
Il Dominio di Aster is the fictional universe where all of this takes shape, from Il Tramonto della Passione to the forthcoming saga set in the Kingdom of Meronia.
A coherent, layered world built to endure, span different eras and tell stories that speak to one another across centuries. Kingdoms with histories of their own, a defined cosmology, complex systems of power, and magic with rules, limits and a price to pay.
You will find no easy magic.
No simple answers.
And, I promise, no picture-postcard Elves.
In Aster, characters make mistakes. They lie. Betray. Grow.
They are pawns in systems larger than themselves, yet they never stop fighting to discover whether fate is already written, or whether it is still worth trying to change it.
I write complex stories, but always strive for clear language.
I create imaginary worlds to better understand the real one.
I do not write to escape: I write to stay.
If you love fantasy that takes risks, builds worlds and stays with you beyond the final page, you are in the right place.
Welcome to Il Dominio di Aster.
THE WORLD OF ASTER
One Continent. Countless stories.
Beneath the two moons, Alma and Bruma, lies a world of rival kingdoms, mythical creatures and untamed lands.
The Single Continent is the heart of Aster: more than thirty million square kilometres crossed by mighty mountain ranges, jungles, vast deserts and frozen wastes. Beyond the beastlands and independent regions, Asterion civilisation is divided into nine great Kingdoms and Empires, each ruled by a Dominator. These lands differ profoundly in history, culture and tradition, yet share the same language, Ancient Asterian, and one unshakeable faith.
A constellation of islands and archipelagos surrounds the Continent, linked by ancient sea routes and separated by waters infested with monsters and corsairs. The Great Abysses, the Sea of Izhul and the Eternal Mists mark and guard the boundaries of a world still partly unexplored.
From the scorching lands of Kaltea to the Empire of Akara, each novel opens a different door into the same universe, revealing new peoples, places and stories.
Explore the map. Choose where your journey begins.
As new volumes in the saga are released, the map of Aster will continue to grow, gradually revealing new regions of the Single Continent.
Chronicles
from the world of Aster
Il Tramonto della Passione
Il Tramonto
della
Passione
Synopsis
Elodì dreams of a simple life, far from envy and free from the moral dogmas imposed by an authoritarian father and a decadent society.
Her fate becomes entwined with Mendol’s, a creature of the night condemned to seduce and destroy.
He should have killed her.
He saves her.
From that mistake grows a dark passion, a bond that offers no redemption: it corrupts.
But forbidden love comes at a terrible price.
On their trail comes Nacciù, general of the monster hunters, armed with unwavering faith and rigid morality.
Can he escape being devoured by his own unspeakable obsession?
Amid dark rites, ancient creatures and a Kingdom on the brink of damnation, Elodì will lose her innocence.
Mendol will learn what it means to truly desire.
Nacciù will discover that faith bleeds when it breaks.
Il Tramonto della Passione is gothic dark fantasy:
a dark fairy tale, sensual, fierce and intoxicating.
For those who love unforgettable antiheroes, impossible love and stories where desire never asks permission…
but burns until nothing remains.
The land of Il Tramonto della Passione:
Kaltea
Geographical map
Political map
Kaltea is no safe kingdom. It is an equatorial land on the planet Aster, fierce and alive, where the Giano offers no comfort and the shadows promise no rest. Stifling jungles, bloodthirsty savannahs and cities on the brink of ruin: Kaltea is where civilisation was born fighting nature, and has never truly stopped. Here, spirituality is a necessity rather than a comfort. Entropy permeates everything: the rites of shamans, weapons consecrated to the worthy, the sacrifices that keep the world in balance. Sacred and political power intertwine, and no faith is ever innocent. Kaltea also bears the mark of an ancient guilt. The Asterion Curse, the birth of the Kakamon, the horror of Undeath and the rise of Alathay have left scars that time has not healed. Ruins are more than stone: they are memory, warning and threat. White is the colour of evil. Mist carries omens. And the past never stays truly buried. Life on Aster begins in this region. Il Dominio di Aster begins in Kaltea.
ASTER BEYOND BORDERS
A new language. The same passion.
Il Tramonto della Passione prepares to meet new readers.
How do you bring a story into another language without losing its voice?
This question marks the beginning of the translation journey for Il Tramonto della Passione. The search is underway for the translator who will be entrusted with Kaltea’s atmosphere, its characters’ voices, and everything between the lines that seduces and unsettles.
A step towards readers in other countries, so that they too can discover Aster and lose themselves in its stories.
The selection process is underway. I will share the next steps with you.
La Città delle Opportunità — Second edition
La Città delle Opportunità is the first novel set in Il Dominio di Aster and opens the Meronia saga.
Originally published in 2023, the book was later withdrawn from sale to be rewritten in full.
In the years following the first edition, I undertook an in-depth study of narratology and storytelling, rethinking structure, pacing and characters.
The result will be a completely reworked second edition, revised sentence by sentence, with stronger internal coherence, more developed characters and far less exposition.
The new version of La Città delle Opportunità is a rebirth of the novel, intended to become one of the cornerstones of Il Dominio di Aster.
The synopsis of the original edition is available on Google Books.
Meronia — The Kingdom of Contradictions
Meronia is a land where reason and superstition, prosperity and poverty, loyalty and corruption coexist beneath the same banner, without ever reaching a lasting balance.
Ruled by Dominator Mero V, Meronia presents itself as an orderly industrial power, shaped by technological progress and a vast bureaucracy. Yet deep tensions stir beneath its surface: power struggles, heresies, bloody revolutions and the most dangerous doubt of all — that fate may be written by no one.
This new map of Meronia, partly reimagined since the first edition, is a storytelling tool as well as a visual guide.
It shows real distances, political balances and territorial vulnerabilities. It foreshadows journeys, conflicts, sieges and alliances. It is designed to accompany the story.
And its capital, Scarbior-Est, is a place where opportunities truly exist.
But they almost always come at a price.
COMING IN DECEMBER
L’Impero degli Angeli
Il Dominio di Aster prepares to open the gates of Akara.
Beyond Kaltea, other lands are waiting for their stories to be told.
The journey continues in the Empire of Akara, the setting of L’Impero degli Angeli, the new volume of Il Dominio di Aster.
The novel is currently being revised: its pages still hold their secrets, but the anticipation begins here.
I will reveal the cover and synopsis soon.
This December, you will enter the Empire.
The Asterian Calendar
To ease readers into the world of Aster, Il Tramonto della Passione uses familiar calendar terminology. From L’Impero degli Angeli onwards, the novels will use the Asterian Calendar and its official terms.
Calendar of Akara
Calendar of Meronia
About the author
My name is Valerio Franculacci, and I write fantasy for adults.
I create complex worlds and stories where power, choices and their consequences truly matter.
I teach at primary school and study Primary Education: I believe storytelling is also a way to understand people, their vulnerabilities and their capacity for change.
Il Dominio di Aster is the literary project to which I am dedicating my life: a universe built to endure, where imagination also means questioning yourself.
Readers' voices
Four excerpts from reviews of Il Tramonto della Passione on Amazon and Goodreads. Translated from Italian.
“The style is evocative yet controlled, with descriptions that reinforce the gothic atmosphere without slowing the pace excessively.”
Michele De Somma
“An intoxicating, powerful fairy tale from another age, filled with complex emotions and unforgettable antiheroes.”
Laura
“If you love carefully crafted fantasy, rich in detail and with characters who grow alongside the story, this book is for you!”
Giuseppe Rinaldi
“It does not soften things. It offers no easy redemption. Everything is pushed towards excess: emotion, desire, violence, transformation.”
Le Luci Del Pensiero
Come and read my reviews!
On Goodreads I share my reading and reviews: fantasy, classics and stories to discuss together. Join me on the other side of the page — as a reader.
Contact
AUTHOR EMAIL: dominiodiaster@gmail.com
ILLUSTRATOR EMAIL: sonia.massimino@outlook.it
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