Leonardo Patrignani Explores Infinite Realities and Human Truths Through Speculative Fiction
PHOTO: Author Leonardo Patrignani during a recent interview with Novelist Post, reflecting on his literary journey from music to multiverses.
Multiverse Theories, Memory, And The Power Of Storytelling
Leonardo Patrignani discusses the emotional roots of his Multiversum saga, the challenges of writing across genres, and how speculative fiction allows him to explore profound philosophical and human questions.
Leonardo Patrignani has a rare gift—the ability to craft stories that challenge the boundaries of imagination while remaining rooted in the deepest questions of human existence. With over 200,000 copies of his Multiversum trilogy sold across 24 countries, Patrignani has earned a global readership captivated by his signature blend of speculative science fiction and emotional depth. His narratives are as expansive as the multiverse itself, yet always intimately personal, drawing from lived experience, philosophical inquiry, and a fearless curiosity about what lies beyond the seen.
His recent work marks an exciting evolution in his career. La Cattedrale di Sabbia (The Sand Cathedral), his first adult thriller, is a masterclass in psychological tension, exploring memory and trust in a near-future that feels both speculative and alarmingly real. Whether writing for young readers or adults, Patrignani never underestimates his audience. He builds richly imagined worlds where quantum entanglement, memory manipulation, and metaphysical inquiry are not just plot devices, but vessels for exploring grief, identity, and the resilience of the human spirit.
In this exclusive conversation with Novelist Post, Patrignani reflects on the inspiration behind his most beloved works, the influence of his music career on his storytelling, and the universal themes that thread through his writing. His passion for speculative fiction is palpable—as is his belief in stories as powerful tools to decode the mysteries of life and death. We’re honored to share his insights with our readers.
Leonardo Patrignani is a visionary author whose imaginative storytelling and emotional depth redefine the boundaries of science fiction and thriller literature.
What inspired you to explore the concept of the multiverse in your Multiversum Saga?
When I lost my father in 2008, I asked myself many questions about how our life might have turned out if we had made different choices. The concept of infinite parallel worlds was the answer. The plot was born from there. I tried to use a concept of quantum physics related to subatomic particles – the multiverse – to develop the story of a girl and a boy, who obviously belong to a different dimension of matter but whose stories are structured following principles such as entanglement.
How did your background as a heavy metal singer and dubber influence your storytelling style?
The records of my band (Beholder) were concept albums, where each track was a chapter of a story. I really liked that each record was a kind of novel in music. This helped me to enter a narrative dimension from a young age, to train myself to build worlds and make characters move within them.
“The concept of infinite parallel worlds was the answer.” — Leonardo Patrignani
La Cattedrale di Sabbia touches on memory and trust—what drew you to these themes for your first adult thriller?
Memory is my favourite theme, I like to explore it from various angles. In this case it was a sci-fi thriller, and this allowed me to develop the theme of memory manipulation in a futuristic setting but close in time, therefore plausible. The question at the heart of the story is this: can we trust our memories? It is a question that I wanted to develop in a near future where technology will be able to decode them and transform them into immersive experiences.
Can you share a particularly challenging moment you faced while writing There and how you overcame it?
The theme of the novel is near-death experiences, and this led me to study the documentation on this subject in depth. Perhaps a difficult aspect was not to burden the reader with the amount of study, and to manage to also make the research a narrative element within the story.
How do you balance writing for different age groups, from young adult fantasy to adult thrillers?
I believe that underlying each of these works is a great respect for the central theme of the story. Whether you develop it for an audience of any age or adapt it for younger readers, that thematic core is perhaps the most important aspect to take into account. The one that will ensure that the novel will be remembered over time.
“Seeing one’s stories travel is truly spectacular.” — Leonardo Patrignani
What was it like to see your work translated and received by international audiences, especially in countries like Poland and Argentina?
At first it was a real surprise. With the Multiversum series I travelled around the world, and discovered extraordinary readers especially in Latin America and Turkey, where the novels have become bestsellers. Seeing one’s stories travel is truly spectacular, and being able to engage with readers from other countries is a gift I don’t take for granted.
When working on a project like Time Deal, did you collaborate directly with the composer for the soundtrack, or was it a separate creative process?
Yes, I worked together with Giuseppe Centonze, also because one of the tracks on the album inspired by Time Deal is his rearrangement of a theme of mine entitled ‘Dealing with time’. His project is really fantastic, he has written and produced several novel soundtracks and I find it a unique idea, which perhaps deserves more attention.
In your opinion, what makes speculative fiction such a powerful tool for exploring real-world issues?
This genre allows us to project our present anxieties into the future. When I think about the development of technology, for example, it is interesting to set limits and then see how far we can afford to go beyond them, and how much our actions can lead to destruction instead of our healthy evolution as a human race. The novels that have most affected me as a reader are precisely those that have rewritten my way of thinking, that have made me see the world with new eyes. I am referring to authors such as Huxley, Orwell, Daniel F. Galouye, Philip K. Dick… The same thing happens to me when I watch a film by Christopher Nolan, whom I consider the most interesting and daring director of this generation. In short, I love stories that make my neurons work hard!
“I love stories that make my neurons work hard!” — Leonardo Patrignani
Which of your characters do you feel most connected to personally, and why?
Perhaps the protagonist of There, Veronica, is the character who most resembles me. Atheist but open to spiritual discoveries, marked by the loss of a parent crucial to her life, her mother (as was the case with my father in my personal experience), but at the same time curious to cross the unfathomable limits of life, to go beyond, to peel back the veil that covers reality to discover a further, perhaps metaphysical dimension. She is a 19-year-old girl, I a 45-year-old man, but we have much in common. Of course, the protagonist of The Cathedral of Sand, Stefano Valeri, is very similar to me in terms of human profile. Maybe I wouldn’t get myself into trouble like the one that ruins his life, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers…
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to build diverse creative careers like yours?
I have several pieces of advice for aspiring authors. First of all the basics: read a lot, and read especially different genres, from non-fiction to fiction, from classics to more particular and niche genres. This helps us a lot when we need to build our own original voice. Then I wholeheartedly recommend learning to respect the professionals in the publishing industry. This allows us to think like professionals even when we are beginners. And I conclude by saying that we must get used to receiving a lot of “no” in our journey, and we must not consider them as failures. We must consider them part of the process, because we have no idea what will happen when one of these answers is a “yes”, and we finally have the opportunity to make our stories travel beyond the walls of our homes.
