The First Binding

by R.R. Virdi

Overview

“Epic fantasy at its finest—an homage to storytelling and legend, richly told and endlessly engaging.”—Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

Don’t miss the first novel in this stunning Silk Road-inspired epic fantasy series from R.R. Virdi—a saga of legends, lies, and the secretive storyteller who’s spun them all.

All legends are born of truths. And just as much lies. These are mine. Judge me for what you will. But you will hear my story first.

I buried the village of Ampur under a mountain of ice and snow. Then I killed their god. I've stolen old magics and been cursed for it. I started a war with those that walked before mankind and lost the princess I loved, and wanted to save. I've called lightning and bound fire. I am legend. And I am a monster.

My name is Ari.

And this is the story of how I let loose the first evil.

“Rich world-building, plenty of action, and devious twists abound. Very highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Kagen the Damned

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250796172
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Series:	Tales of Tremaine , #1
Pages:	832
Sales rank:	259,276
Product dimensions:	2.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 2.60(d)

About the Author

R.R. VIRDI is a two-time Dragon Award finalist and a Nebula Award finalist. He is the author of the urban fantasy series The Grave Report and The Books of Winter. One of his short stories is part of a collection of artists’ works to go to the moon aboard the Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander in 2022. His love of classic cars drove him to work in the automotive industry for many years before he realized he’d do a better job of maintaining his passion if he stayed away from customers.

He was born and raised in Northern Virginia and is a first generation Indian-American with all the baggage that comes with. He's offended a long list of incalculable ancestors by choosing to drop out of college and not pursue one of three pre-destined careers: a lawyer, doctor, engineer. Instead, he decided to chase his dream of being an author. His family is still coping with this decision a decade later.

He expects them to come around in another fifteen to twenty years.

Should the writing gig not work out, he aims to follow his backup plan and become a dancing shark for a Katy Perry music video.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2022

In Dean's big, intriguingly premised debut, Devon is part of a venerable clan belonging to The Book Eaters—instead of food, they munch thrillers, romance, and, when they misbehave, dusty dictionaries—and she's terrified to learn that her son is born hungering not for paper, printing, and binding but human minds (150,000-copy first printing). In The Women Could Fly, a dystopian work from Rumpus features editor Giddings, the mother of a young Black woman named Josephine is long vanished—was she a witch? Was she murdered?—and if Josephine doesn't marry soon, she will be forced to enroll in a registry that will effectively blot out her freedom (75,000-copy first printing). In Harris's The Serpent in Heaven, a sequel to The Russian Cage, Felicia is set upon by her estranged family of Mexican wizards and discovers that she is the most powerful witch of her generation (75,000-copy first printing). In Don't Fear the Reaper, Jones's follow-up to the LJ best-booked My Heart Is a Chainsaw, an exonerated Jade Daniels returns home from prison just as convicted serial killer Dark Mill South arrives to avenge 38 Dakota men hanged in 1862 (100,000-copy first printing). In this latest from the multi-award-nominated Kuang, a Chinese boy orphaned in 1828 Canton (now Guangzhou) is brought to London and eventually enters Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation—called Babel—which doubles as a center for magic and compels him to work in support of Britain's imperial ambitions in China (125,000-copy first printing). Modesitt continues his newly launched "Grand Illusion" series with Steffan Dekkard joining the Council of Sixty-Six as Councilor—the first to be an Isolate, which makes him impervious to emotional manipulation but could lead to his assassination (100,000-copy first printing). Author of the Slate best-booked Quick, Owens has Kate planning to hold her wedding at a church called Small Angels in the town where she once found shelter with the Gonne sisters, little realizing that they've been tasked with keeping a marauding ghost from invading the village—and they're falling down on the job. Winner of a BCALA Self-Publishing EBook Award for Song of Blood and Stone, one ofTime's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, Penelope returns with The Monsters We Defy, whose heroine pays off a debt to the Empress ruling the spirit world by agreeing to steal a wealthy woman's ring in 1925 Washington, DC (25,000-copy first printing). From Valdes, author of the LJ best-booked Chilling Effects, Fault Tolerance brings back Capt. Eva Innocente and the raucous crew of La Sirena Negra to counter an anonymous threat that could lead to the death of billions (50,000-copy first printing). Dragon/Nebula finalist Virdi launches a new series with The First Binding, featuring an Immortal disguised as a storyteller—and he's here to relate how he unleashed the First Evil on the world (175,000-copy first printing). The MMU Novella Award-winning West goes full length with Face, set in a genetically engineered society where the perfect profile buys fame, wealth, and power but not happiness for Schuyler and Madeleine Burroughs (60,000-copy first printing).

Library Journal

2022-06-03
An ode to storytelling, complete with a rich mythology, turbulent adventures, and a flawed hero you'll root for.

Ari has been given many names. There is some truth to the legends about him, but as stories are told, little by little, they can become transformed over time. In his travels to Etaynia, a place far west of his home in the Mutri Empire, in search of an old and nearly forgotten tale, he is recognized as the most famous storyteller along the Golden Road. His arrival at a quiet and humble tavern was intended to be an opportunity to perform and earn his keep while on his journey, but as often happens to Ari, his plans are quickly interrupted. He meets a mysterious songstress with plans of her own. Since she's reluctant to share details about her life, he gives her the name Eloine, but they each soon realize that the other is much more than who and what they seem. Together, Ari and Eloine find that parts of their pasts have not been left behind, and neither have their enemies. To understand their present circumstances, Ari delves into his history, recalling the many lives he's lived and the origins of his many names beyond "Storyteller." In an ambitious and passionate narrative, through the past and present, truth and fictions of Ari’s life, Virdi captures readers in a lyrical web, grounded in the landscapes and cultures of South Asia. Readers journey with Ari through the challenges he faces as a young boy of the lowest caste in the streets of the Mutri Empire to his dedication to uncovering the hidden wonders of binding magic. Throughout, Ari grows ever more steadfast in his pursuit of knowledge and in the kindness he provides again and again to friends, strangers, and an animal companion. And in some deeply profound moments, the storyteller's words burn just as true in the world off the page.

Approached with patience, this epic fantasy will satisfy any fan of the genre.

Kirkus Reviews

"Crafted with patience, passion, and most importantly, tremendous love. Read R.R. Virdi!"—Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files

“Rich world-building, plenty of action, and devious twists abound. Very highly recommended!”—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Kagen the Damned

"An epic like no other—grand, sweeping, dramatic, a love letter to fantasy burning with the dust and heat and mythos of South Asia. It reads like magic and tastes like saffron."—Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, Washington Post bestselling author of the Salvage Crew and the Commonwealth Empire

"Epic fantasy at its finest—an homage to storytelling and legend, richly told and endlessly engaging."—Andrea Stewart, author of Bone Shard Daughter

“Engrossing and beautiful, joyous and painful—always entertaining, sometimes profound. This book makes me remember why I love epic fantasy.”—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Dune: House Atreides

“Lyrical and enchanting. A new star has risen in the firmament of epic fantasy.”—D.J. Butler, Dragon Award-winning author of Witchy Eye

“Filled with astute nods to South Asian lore, The First Binding is a classic in every way: layered, nuanced, and luxurious. A story that forces you to examine reality and truth, and the power of legends themselves.”—Kritika H. Rao, author of The Surviving Sky

"This is your next reading addiction."— Dyrk Ashton, author of The Paternus Trilogy

“A work of extraordinary depth; readers will be unpicking the secrets of Tremaine for years to come.”—Richard Swan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Justice of Kings

"A new magnificent and ambitious high fantasy series to obsess over."—Novel Notions

“You'll want to sit down with this Storyteller again.”—SFX

From the Publisher