La fiamma azzurra (The Azure Flame) is a 2019 Italian fantasy novel by Daniele Viaroli.
Teenage student Giacomo aka Jake lives a rather boring existence until one night he finds himself helping two decidedly bizarre strangers: a the warrior bard Skald and his magical azure fox Ombra. Jake learns that not only Skald is in danger, but the whole Multiverse is. The boy is soon thrown into a vortex of bizarre worlds and characters, all converging to Crocevia ("Crossroads"), the fulcrum of the whole Multiverse which has been targeted by dimension-traveling criminal Everett Craddock.
The story is known for offering a modern approach to fantasy that balances comical and introspective moments, with fast-paced action scenes and ironic takes on many narrative tropes.
The book is the first part of a now-complete trilogy. It was followed by Il vortice nero (The Black Vortex) in 2021, and La folgore scarlatta (The Scarlet Lightning) in 2022.
This book contains examples of:
- Another Dimension: The story moves from Earth to many other planes, each one with its own rules and characteristics.
- Axis Mundi: The Tower of the Strixos in Crocevia is the seat from which the Physical God holds together the whole reality.
- Cosmic Keystone: Crocevia is the central plane that regulates travel towards other dimensions.
- Dimensional Traveler: Several characters manages to be this, either through magic or technology, or a combination of both.
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Kind of a given with dimensional travel. Just in this book we have vampires, ghosts, sentient robots, Norse warrior mages, shapeshifters and much more.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Jake is a rather average student in a rather average school.
- White-and-Grey Morality: While some characters are undoubtedly dark, none is a true monster. If someone resorts to violence, expect them to have a tragic backstory. Even Craddock is moved by a twisted ideal of improving humanity.
