The Empire of Shadows
A saga that weaves together occult power, legal reforms, and shattered lives. In Rome 2036, a social control system hides behind apparently progressive reforms.
Main Characters
In the heart of the Empire of Shadows move complex figures, each trapped between difficult choices and intertwined destinies. Policemen who discover they are pawns, mothers fighting to protect their children, men of power losing their humanity.
Each character represents a different face of dystopian society: those who resist the system, those who adapt to survive, those who manipulate the rules of the game. Their stories interweave in a mosaic of betrayed loyalties, nursed vengeances, and hidden truths.
Anselmo Pagani
The policeman who observes the movements of power from within the system.
Valerio Romani
Between memories and survival.
Carla Reali
Mother of the twins, engine of the story.
Claudio Romani
Power cannot have a conscience.
Arturo Comidi
The reluctant leader, driven by revenge.
Frodo
Clinical eye, cold blood for a decisive pawn.
The Reforms
Four apparently progressive reforms that hide a system of total control. Behind every "freedom" lurks a mechanism of dependence and submission.
Aphrodite legalizes prostitution, Dionysus drugs, Fortune gambling, Morpheus euthanasia. Each brings tax revenue and social control, transforming vices and weaknesses into instruments of domination.
The Empire of Shadows doesn't prohibit: it seduces, corrupts, creates dependence. The most effective control is that which presents itself as freedom of choice.
Aphrodite
Legalization of prostitution. Fiscal pillar and instrument of social control.
Dionysus
Drug legalization. Revenue and capital laundering, behind the facade of wellbeing.
Fortune
Legalized and widespread gambling. Addiction and revenue guaranteed.
Morpheus
Legal euthanasia. "Freedom to die" embedded in the system.
The Dawn of a Long Night
The first novel of the saga. In Rome, in the very near future, a faceless power directs "popular" reforms that change the way we love, have fun, take risks, die. In the middle, broken families and shattered memories seek a thread to not lose themselves.
Characters
The Dawn of a Long Night takes us into the beating heart of Rome 2036, where each character carries the weight of impossible choices and hidden truths.
Between dreamy rockers and figures from murky pasts, each face tells a story of resistance or surrender to the advancing system. Their lives interweave in a narrative fabric where the personal becomes political and survival requires painful compromises.
They are the faces of dawn: those who resist the long night of the Empire, those who accept it, those who try to survive it. Each with their own reasons, their own secrets, their own guilt.
Chiara
Keyboardist and dreamer, warm light and watchful gaze.
Facconi
Hard figure, carved by the years. A past that returns to present the bill.
Aurelio
Father of the twins and keeper of uncomfortable truths.
Cesare
A criminal with a pedigree, fixed gaze and indecipherable intentions.
Antonino
Evil by proxy, with a goal in mind.
Anna
The hidden face of resistance, between shadows and truth.
In the Jaws of the Night
Rome, 2036. Three writers are drawn into a game they didn't choose. Between modern arenas and the corridors of power, between explicit violence and subtle manipulation, no one is safe when the Empire of Shadows decides to strike.
As the Aphrodite, Dionysus, Fortune and Morpheus reforms transform the city into a labyrinth of addiction and control, those who survive must choose: bend to the system or become the next target.
When the night grows long, in the jaws of power there is no escape.
Characters
In the Jaws of the Night brings new protagonists and familiar faces, as Rome's destiny intertwines ever more closely with the shadows of power.
Writers of the future, ruthless criminals, the emperor's assistants: all in the grip of a city that shows no mercy. Not even publishing houses are safe places.
Marco Ventura
Conspiracy writer, athletic and charming.
Carlo Ulla
Dark finance writer, sharp mind.
Renato "Franz" Turchetti
Urban horror writer, dark secrets.
Antonino Faletti
The emperor's assistant, evil by proxy.
Cesare Bonanno
The criminal with pedigree, fixed gaze and dangerous secrets.
Simona Grandi
A voice from the past that might return to change everything.
Synopsis
Rome, 2036.
Three Roman writers find themselves trapped in a game bigger than them. They thought they only knew power through the pages of their novels. They were wrong.
Between modern arenas where blood is spectacle and publishing houses where words are currency, between explicit violence and subtle manipulation, no place is safe. The Empire of Shadows leaves no spectators: you're either part of the game, or you're the next target.
A choral story of loyalty put to the test, where public order is the currency of exchange and truth survives only in whispers — if it survives at all.
The second novel in the Empire of Shadows saga, direct sequel to The Dawn of a Long Night.
When the night grows long, in the jaws of power there is no escape.
Shadow Store
Official merchandise from the dystopian universe. Theaters, casinos, sleep clinics: the showcase side of the Empire.
My Name Is Vengeance
Antemare, June 2026. Carla Reali is shattered by grief. But it's not over.
A past that doesn't forget. A vendetta that won't stop. And while someone returns to settle accounts, someone else has just begun.
Three women. Three vendettas. One truth.
Characters
Antemare, June 2026. Six lives intertwine in a story of vengeance, justice, and redemption.
From the inspector chasing ghosts to the writer seeking love, from the woman who found her tiger to the one who doesn't forgive. Each with their own weight, each with their own truth.
Three women. Three vendettas. One truth.
Carla Reali
Two names, one truth. A woman who chose to stop waiting for justice.
Alessio Berti
Writer by night, survivor by day. Seeking love in a city that hides too much.
Ivano Cinti
Still in bed, yet the freest of all. He knows how to listen to those who can't speak.
Carlo Luciani
The inspector chasing ghosts. He knows truth exists, but it doesn't always let itself be found.
Rebecca Tartini
She waited years. She found her tiger. She won't turn back.
Greta Neumann
She doesn't forgive. She doesn't forget. She doesn't stop.
Synopsis
Antemare, June 2026.
Carla Reali is shattered by grief. But it's not over.
A past that doesn't forget. A vendetta that won't stop. And while someone returns to settle accounts, someone else has just begun.
Three women. Three vendettas. One truth.
The third novel in the Empire of Shadows saga is a prequel that explains how we arrived at what will become The Dawn of a Long Night and In the Jaws of the Night.
June 2026.
Press
Press materials, reviews and media kit for journalists, bookstagrammers and industry professionals ...and readers, naturally!
Synopsis
In Rome, in the very near future, a faceless power directs "popular" reforms that change the way we love, have fun, take risks, die.
In the middle, broken families and shattered memories seek a thread to not lose themselves.
A choral story of loyalty and deception, where public order is the currency of exchange and truth survives only in whispers.
This novel is just the beginning: the events and destinies narrated here will interweave in sequels, prequels and spin-offs, expanding the Empire of Shadows saga and revealing new faces, secrets and plot twists.
Articles
RomaIT
"The Dawn of a Long Night": when dystopia is no longer a hypothesis
A dystopian fresco that reinterprets imperial Rome and projects it into the very near future: reforms, social control and family bonds breaking.
Read the full article →L'Epoca Culturale
Alex Mai signs "The Empire of Shadows"
Interview/insight into the saga's debut: tense and contemporary tone, interplay between memory and power. Focus on the Aphrodite, Dionysus, Fortune and Morpheus reforms.
Read the full interview →Media Kit & Resources
📚 English Release Coming Soon
The English translation of "The Dawn of a Long Night" and complete English press materials will be available in the coming months. Stay tuned for updates on the international release.
For now, Italian press materials are available below.
Available Press Kits
Character Guide
Complete profiles of the saga's main protagonists, family relationships and narrative arcs.
Download PDF →World Guide - Rome 2036
In-depth look at world-building: the four reforms, dystopian society and future setting.
Download PDF →Interview Kit
Suggested questions, author bio, discussion topics and interview guidelines.
Download PDF →Additional Resources
Commercial Hooks
Catchy phrases and compelling descriptions for promotions and marketing.
Download PDF →Complete Press Kit
Extended synopsis, author biography, publication data and high-resolution photographic material.
Download PDF →Press Contacts
Email: info@alexmai.it
Social: @alexmaibooks
Response within 24h • Available for interviews
Reviews
@mel.leggendo (Bookstagrammer)
The Dawn of a Long Night - Complete Review"A story that manages to be intimate and spectacular at the same time. Alex Mai builds characters you don't easily forget. There are no flat or stereotypical figures: every character has a voice, a story, an inner tension."
Francysopinions
The Dawn of a Long Night - Complete Review"A work that doesn't just tell: it drags you inside and somehow challenges and transforms you."
Reader Reviews
"Alessandro Maiucchi's narration is always pleasant and professional, he has the right knowledge of timing and methods to intrigue the reader. The story unfolds in a dystopian dimension..."  Simona
"A skillful interweaving between past and future, where nothing is left to chance. The narration is fluid and intriguing and the reader is projected into a dystopian dimension..."  Ilaria
"Truly a beautiful book, one of those you start reading and don't stop until you reach the end. Set in a future Rome, dystopian, ruthless and hyper-technological..."  Roberto