A South Asian & The Name of the Wind HUGELY Inspired Fantasy| The First Binding by R.R. Virdi Review

Hi everyone! Today's review is for The First Binding by R.R. Virdi. The review will be spoiler-free. I loved this one, and yes it is HUGELY inspired by The Name of the Wind. It's also an excellent South Asian-inspired high fantasy novel. I've been eyeing this since last year after I saw the cover art and the premise. I think readers who love The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss will either love or hate this. Reader's experience will rely on how much they can accept or tolerate the similarities between the two books. The First Binding is still three months away from publication on August 16th, 2022. But do let me know whether you have this book on your radar or not!
Arts:
-Concept Arts of The First Binding by Felipe de Barros (www.artstation.com/felipedb)
-Brahms by Livia Prima (www.artstation.com/dopaprime)
Music:
Stinson - Reed Mathis
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[@CapturedInWords]

You had me at similar to The Kingkiller Chronicle! Definitely need to add this book to my list

[@PetrikLeo]

Oh Jay, I'm sure you will be able to catch all the similarities. Honestly, it felt like a direct copy in most places. And if you find this novel to your liking, this might be a series for future lore videos! Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book! I think for you who have read The Name of the Wind many times, it will be harder to tolerate the similarities.

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

R R Virdi is a good friend of mine and has worked soooo hard to get his works published ever since i met him in 2015. He literally the hardest working most determined writer in the biz. I hope this book is HUGE for him.

[@PetrikLeo]

That's so wonderful to hear, Brian! I wish him all the success, and I hope this book will be his break! :)

[@zachh6367]

How much work had to really go into this book when you take everything from an already existing story? I don’t understand how this was allowed to be published and will not be surprised to see headlines of lawsuits.

[@zyxel2]

@@zachh6367 I was thinking same thing while i was reading the comment.

[@BadActingWYIM]

@@zachh6367 people remake things all the time. There's 3 fucking spidermans for fuk sakes. Not a big deal

[@sarahgonzalez162]

@@BadActingWYIM Yeah but theyre all called Spiderman. When you ripoff a story and pretend its your own story without acknowledging where you got it from... shady.

[@merphynapier42]

*instantly ads too tbr list* Okay now to watch the video and learn why I must read it

[@PetrikLeo]

Haha! I hope you'll find the book to your liking when you get to it, Merphy. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it! 😄

[@andrewgraham8338]

And Pat was ok just letting Kvothe casually be dropped in here? I dig it.

[@syncswim]

Really interested to see the growth of Asian-inspired fantasy outside of Chinese and Japanese mythos, especially South and Southeast Asia!

[@PetrikLeo]

I know right? As happy as I am to read Chinese and Japanese inspired fantasy, I'm always happy to have more fantasy books inspired by other cultures and myths around the world. The more the merrier for me! :)

[@otterlyawesome8850]

Brilliant review! This exactly what I was hoping to hear! Thank you for sharing this.

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy this! :)

[@afantasybabble6222]

Great review as always. Going to keep an eye out for this one.

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it!

[@jordendarrett1725]

I’m so excited to see something like this finally coming out and getting noticed. KKC is one of my favorite series of all time. This is going to the top of my TBR

[@PetrikLeo]

Same here, Jorden. KKC is one of my favorite series of all time, too! :)

[@fazilareads]

The more I hear about you talking about The First Binding, the more I want to bump it up my TBR! Sounds really good!! Also being a fellow Indian, RR Virdi's Indian inspired story and world sounds even more amazing 🤩!!

[@PetrikLeo]

That's great! I sincerely hope you'll love this one! :)

[@aliturk6692]

Thank you so much Petrik, i have been searching for some South Asian inspired fantasy, i am so hyped now ❤️.

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome, Ali! Then I think you'll love this one! :)

[@brancellbooks]

I’m excited to read this! I might try buying on release! Thanks for the review!

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome! May it be worth the read! :D

[@oXFAct0Ro]

Great review Petrik! Couldn't pre-order quickly enough after listening to it. Thanks for the work you do.

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy it! Haha, always makes me happy to see you using Solaire as your profile picture. Praise the Sun! :D

[@owned008]

Just finished the First Binding. I loved it, so thought I'd say a quick thank you for pointing me in it's direction :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Ah that's so good to hear, Sean! You're welcome! 😄

[@deadpoolm]

You make the book sound awesome , will preorder it! can't wait to read it!

[@PetrikLeo]

Because it IS great! 😄 I hope you'll enjoy it!

[@gregorykontaxis4885]

Thank you for the review! Another book to pre-order :)

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome, Gregory! I hope you'll enjoy it! :)

[@niebieskie2]

🙌 sounds really good! it's going on the ole TBR

[@PetrikLeo]

Woohoo! 😄

[@safinan8008]

Hi thank you for the review, I’ve preordered this book. Happy reading to you!! 📝📖📚

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome! Happy reading to you, too, Safina!

[@osimhayim]

Thank you for review! Add it to my reading list.

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome, Osim! I hope you'll find it to your liking! :)

[@JoshLambLP]

I cannot wait to read this book! And if Virdi’s daily word count is anything to go by on Twitter, hopefully book 2 will be hot on its heels! Great review, Petrik.

[@PetrikLeo]

I know! He said book 2 is written already and it's in the editing stage. Word count is, at the moment, the same as book 1 at about 350k words, too! xD

[@loren0531]

The Name of the Wind is my favorite book, so this sounds right up my alley! Love the easter egg. So excited to check it out soon. Thanks for the review!!

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome, Loren! The Name of the Wind is one of my favorite books, too! :)

[@ChasingForever]

I pre-ordered the kindle edition today. Can't wait to read it based on your review, and I also loved "The Name of the Wind!"

[@PetrikLeo]

Wonderful! I hope it will be worth the wait for you! :D

[@gokulvijayan5435]

Hurray! An Indian main high fantasy character💓, I can't wait to get my hands on this one. And I'm so pumped after hearing this review, great job as always👍.. Really dig the Three headed Guy! 😀

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Gokul! I'm sure some of the world-building implications went over my head, too. But I do know the three-headed guy, as you know, is Brahm, Vishnu, and Shiva! :)

[@gokulvijayan5435]

3 in 1 Avatar? First time seeing this one..

[@PetrikLeo]

@@gokulvijayan5435 it's fantastical interpretation of Brahm! 😂

[@gokulvijayan5435]

@@PetrikLeo Holy smokes! that's the most badass looking Brahma I've ever seen ❤️

[@rrvirdi1693]

Thanks for this review, Petrik. And for taking/making all the time you do committing to reading/reviewing books year 'round! :D

[@PetrikLeo]

Hey, you're so welcome! Thank YOU for writing a compelling novel for me to read. 😄

[@thepussycat66]

I'm so happy to hear that you liked this novel. I'm very excited about it. 😍👌

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you, Kari! I hope you'll enjoy this one, too, when you get to it!

[@danijelb.3384]

This sounds awesome. Another one on my evergrowing TBR.

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome!! I hope you'll love this one!

[@esmayrosalyne]

Oh look, my TBR just expanded again! 😝 Haha, I loved hearing your thoughts on this book, needless to say you sold me on it!! I am always a sucker for this type of framing device, so this sounds great. Can't wait for it to be released, thanks for the great review 🤩

[@PetrikLeo]

That's great! You're welcome, Esmay! And this is a reminder for me to read Empire of the Vampire because that book uses a framing device, too! :)

[@esmayrosalyne]

@@PetrikLeo Omg yes Petrik! I hadn't even realized you never got around to that one! Honestly, you should make it a priority, I think you'll really love it!! ;)

[@PetrikLeo]

@@esmayrosalyne i'm thinking of reading it on October! Vampires for Halloween month ahhaha 😂

[@esmayrosalyne]

@@PetrikLeo Sounds like a great plan. And it'll be October before you know it, haha, time just keeps flying by!!

[@mandamae4516]

After reading the blurb on Goodreads, I was kind of turned off because of how incredibly similar to Name of the Wind it sounded. (Though Kingkiller is my favorite series ever, so maybe that doesn't make sense.) But.....your review is changing my mind. I'm going to pre-order this & give it a chance! :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Kingkiller Chronicle is one of my favorite series of all time, too. Especially The Name of the Wind! And you will definitely notice a lot of similarities between the two. However, the world-building is Indian inspired, and the prose differs from Rothfuss. So that's something different to enjoy! Plus... if anything, maybe we'll get an ending to this one at least. xD

[@azu7495]

So glad that you loved this one. South asian fantasy is finally getting some recognition ! Also, I enjoyed reading this book as well. I gave it more like 4.25 stars but only because I am not too patient. I wanted to know what happens next and hence found it to be a tad bit long. But the plot, the setting and the writing ? *Chefs Kiss*

[@PetrikLeo]

That's understandable, Azu, I'm glad you loved the plot, setting, and writing! I think it's an excellent South Asian fantasy! Similar to East Asia, South Asia has a LOT of materials that would work amazingly as a fantasy novel. :)

[@azu7495]

@@PetrikLeo Absolutely ! I wish we continue seeing more of such South Asian Fantasies.

[@myribstellmesheslying]

Those quotes sounded so lyrical to me and I love The Name of the Wind. This book will definitely be bought.

[@PetrikLeo]

And there are MANY more lyrical quotes from the book. That's why i highlighted so many! 😂

[@shadowcreature7598]

so excited for this

[@PetrikLeo]

It's superb! 😄

[@Freakgirl1985]

You sold me. You gave it 5 stars AND I also loved The Kingkiller Chronicle so so much, so this will be a must read for me :D

[@PetrikLeo]

Awesome! As a Kingkiller Chronicle fan, I'm curious to hear the fans' thoughts on this book! I think some will definitely feel that it's a ripoff, but I think it's more like how Eye of the World by Robert Jordan felt so similar to Lord of the Rings. :)

[@chillguy9971]

That is a killer cover, wow, immediately drew me in, gives me strong sekiro vibes with the art direction

[@PetrikLeo]

The artist did a great job with the cover art! 😄

[@orion.6]

honestly I trust you so much petrick. every book you've recommended I've loved so now when I see u liked a book I instantly order or preorder it 😅

[@PetrikLeo]

Ahh that's very kind of you. I just hope my recommendation will keep on clicking right with you! 😄

[@thaheeraalthaf1970]

I have been very unfairly pumped up for this book and now I cannot wait for August to arrive. And my goodness, you see, as a medievalist, I LIVE for the throw around references to other stories within a story. I am going to fall in love. Help?

[@PetrikLeo]

Well, I certainly hope you'll fall in love with the novel ahahaha. I LOVE stories within a story. I wish more fantasy books implement them more frequently! :)

[@DyrkAshton]

I'm so glad you liked this, Petrik! I loved it and called it The Name of the Wind meets The Lies of Locke Lamora :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you, Dyrk! I think The Name of the Wind in particular is very spot on. 😆

[@rrvirdi1693]

Thanks again for your support/quote - Dyrk!

[@budgethornet7498]

Hello Petrik! I noticed you reply to every comment left on this review which is extremely polite, particularly since many of them are negative about the book and your opinion on it. Sadly I must admit I greatly dislike The First Binding. I put it down and picked it back up twice! I ended up not being able to finish it because I felt like I had already read a much better version of it. While some may argue the South Asian inspired setting is enough to seperate this from NOTW it is simply different wallpaper in the same house. A poorer wallpaper that thinks good writing is looking synonyms for “silence” and having lots of metaphors and similes relating to cats. Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire takes plenty of elements from Witcher, Elric, Last of us, NOTW, Blood Song. Maybe it takes too much but it is nowhere near what R.R Virdi did with The First Binding. I would be shocked if Virdi didn’t have a heavily dog eared copy of NOTW, with passages underlined and tabs sticking out of pages on his writing desk. Virdi has not only taken Rothfuss’s plot points and characters but his entire thesis statement on fantasy. Like NOTW this a story about stories, how they are told and all that. There was even a hint about Ari spending time with some magical sex fairy. It’s all just a bit more rough that NOTW. Ari’s time with his theatre troupe and homelessness has nothing on Kvothe’s. Changes for the sake of changes. “Oh it’s not Ari’s dad, just his kinda dad. He isn’t homeless, just a twelve year old thief gangster overlord.” The Ashram works exactly like the University. Brahm the wanderer is Tabolin the Great. This is what happens when you copy one of the most famous recent fantasy works, you get compared. The next book is called The Doors of Midnight which doesn’t sound like Ari will be having his own adventures any time soon. Unlike the Eye of the World which had a similar set up to LOTR to only go on and and do its own thing a hundred or so pages in. The First Binding is Name of the Wind again. Turns out instead of writing my own work I should just take my favourite book, Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell, call it James Weird & Mr Nosey, change some names of places and get myself a three book deal from TOR!

[@PetrikLeo]

Hey! No worries. The thing is, I can't actually disagree with many things you said. I actually agree and said The First Binding copied pretty much everything The Name of the Wind did. I've said this many times. And the distinction it has is a few extra scenes and South-Asian world-building. However, this is just personally speaking, of course, I'm the kind of reader who doesn't mind the first book being so similar to whichever book it copied, as long that it is not 100% plagiarism. For example, Priest of Bones by Peter McLean is like 90% a novel version of Peaky Blinders season 1, and I loved the book. But if the second book of the series STILL copies its inspiration or source material, then I will have a problem. So we'll see what happens when the sequel is out. IF the second book is super similar to The Wise Man's Fear, then I will have a BIG issue with it. And I'm already a bit worried about this because the title of the second book is Doors of Midnight (reminiscent of Doors of Stone). Also, you should go ahead and write Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell your version. Pitch it Tor Books. I doubt they care as long that it can sell... xD (P.S, thank you for the healthy discussion and comment!)

[@budgethornet7498]

@@PetrikLeo thanks for the reply. I can understand people have a different tolerance for these sorts of things, I just found this to be incredible egregious on Virdi’s part. The sad thing is I reckon he has talent enough to be a good writer without this shameless copying. The First Binding best review will compare it to NOTW And it’s worst will do the same. Either way it will be in the shadow of NOTW and Virdi is the only one who placed it there. I look forward to you one day reviewing my book Petrik! Just give me another year or two.

[@bookdmb]

I’m definitely going to check this one out.

[@PetrikLeo]

Awesome! I hope you'll enjoy it, James!

[@dinocollins720]

great review

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Dino! :)

[@TheBookCure]

I was already excited about this when you were reading it, but this review has sold me! The only problem is now I have to wait four months to get it 😖😅

[@PetrikLeo]

Urgh, Sarah. I have so many things to discuss with you about this book. I hope you'll read and enjoy it, then we can chat about it! :)

[@thesmuli83]

Hey Petrik. TFB could be interesting. Congratulations from 15k subscribers🎉🎂☕

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Samuli! Celebratory video will be coming next week! :)

[@LimeymanZero]

You were right about The Green Bone Saga, I'll absolutely trust you on this one! Edit: August! Pre-ordered the audiobook and the hardback, I will forget otherwise!

[@PetrikLeo]

The Green Bone Saga is truly a masterpiece, and I'm really happy you loved it! Also, I think there will be a bonus for pre-ordering The First Binding. So keep that receipt! :)

[@sukhvindersingh2579]

It sounds great. I will read when available

[@PetrikLeo]

Hope you enjoy it! :)

[@civoreb]

Never read TNotW but this inspiration book seems like it would be fun

[@PetrikLeo]

That's good! Then I think this book will be more surprising to you! :)

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I’m glad you loved the first binding. My question is as a reader who didn’t enjoy Kingkiller. Do you think it’s to similar or is this different enough….

[@PetrikLeo]

I don't think you will like this if you didn't like KKC. It kinda depends on why you didnt like KKC, too. The writing and worldbuilding are where the two series differ, but the rest are very similar. 😅

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

@@PetrikLeo oh well it happens :) I’m glad you loved it.

[@danielleoliver1734]

I preordered the book and audiobook a couple of months ago, I had a feeling I was going to love it and now I’m even more excited

[@PetrikLeo]

Keep the receipt! I heard the author is planning a bonus to those who preordered! 😄

[@danielleoliver1734]

@@PetrikLeo I doubt I’ll get it in Australia, it’s usually only US and UK

[@PetrikLeo]

@@danielleoliver1734 keep it just in case, you might still get it. It might be an ebook or something! 😄

[@ianthereader]

I didn’t really enjoy The Name of the Wind, but I think that was greatly due to Kvothe. I am going to give this one a try! Great review as always, Petrik!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Ian! I hope you'll find Ari to be more likable than Kvothe! :)

[@aliturk6692]

Finally some South Asian representation 🥰👏heck yeah. Will order it ASAP. I was dying to see some good south Asian book that wasn't midtier 😂

[@PetrikLeo]

It's still rare to get a wonderful South Asian representation. When you get to this, it will be great to hear your thoughts!

[@aliturk6692]

@@PetrikLeo definitely, it's quite sad that even though south Asia has nearly 2 billion people we don't often get good SFF books from here.

[@pradyumnananth4099]

Hey Petrik, I'm just curious about how you got to read the book? Is it like an early review copy or something?

[@PetrikLeo]

Yeah it is. I got an early copy last month. You can try your luck at Netgalley if you have a blog! 😊

[@pradyumnananth4099]

@@PetrikLeo Thanks a lot for letting me know :D. I don't have a blog so it's gonna be the months of wait for me, but I recently started reading the Malazhan series, so I've got something going to make the wait. ;)

[@moev29]

Well this has been preordered now so thanks for that lol

[@PetrikLeo]

You're welcome, Morgan! I hope it's worth the wait! :)

[@CallmeJochem]

This sounds soooooo good. I'm immediately gonna pre-order. Is it standalone?

[@PetrikLeo]

Definitely not. I think it will be a trilogy. 😆

[@CallmeJochem]

@@PetrikLeo ahh damn 😭 will wait until the trilogy is finished then haha

[@PetrikLeo]

@@CallmeJochem hahahah seems like it's on track to be finished in 2024. So won't be too long before you can binge the trilogy. 😆

[@CallmeJochem]

@@PetrikLeo ooohh that's not too far away indeed! I have enough on my shelf to keep me busy until then 😂

[@bradkrick8254]

Read Sun Eater! Great framing narrative and best science fantasy out there right now!

[@PetrikLeo]

Already bought all of them! 😄 Just a matter of time until I read them either this year or the latest next year!

[@michaelcurl9200]

I like your video. New fan.

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Michael! Welcome to the channel! :)

[@fjuran1]

Definitely interested in this one, loved Name of the Wind, and hopefully this series will get finished, LOL. A shame we have to wait 3 1/2 months for it's release.

[@PetrikLeo]

We've waited 11 years for Doors of Stone, 3 months is nothing. 🤣

[@fjuran1]

@@PetrikLeo Yes but Doors of Stone is the final volume, and who knows when it will be released. This is only the first volume and I hope there will be one a year. Fingers crossed.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@fjuran1 I've heard the author has finished writing book 2 and it's definitely scheduled to be released next year. So there's that! :)

[@fjuran1]

@@PetrikLeo That's great news, thanks for the info.

[@AndreShouldBeWriting]

I need this one....

[@PetrikLeo]

It's so good! :)

[@radudumanovschi3387]

It is interesting! I wonder why the school in this book has the same name as the order of the wizards from World of Warcraft?

[@PetrikLeo]

Not sure, but Ashram is a hermitage or a place for Hindu Sage in South Asia! :)

[@radudumanovschi3387]

@@PetrikLeo Well... WoW "borrowed" it from them 😅😁

[@prathikbhawankar9708]

Definitely checking this out. Finally an Indian protagonist lol.

[@PetrikLeo]

It's rare to get an Indian protagonist in the Western market! 😅

[@angelaholmes8888]

I'm not a fan of the name of the wind but if the library ever gets copies of the first binding then I will give it a try

[@PetrikLeo]

It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on this then! :)

[@danijelb.3384]

Man I heard some slander about Dreams of the Dying. So you liked it?

[@PetrikLeo]

I loved it very much. As with any book, there will be someone who love or hate it. 😄

[@s.p.8508]

So I’m about 20% through this book, and…. I have some thoughts. At first I thought the book was amazing; sure it started off like NotW, but it was kinda doing it’s own thing. I’m on chapter 25 right now, and I find myself facepalming constantly. The story, the characters, the magic system, the writing are all beat for beat the same as Name of the Wind. I understand drawing inspiration from a book and doing some similar stuff , but that is way different that the almost blatant copying that Virdi is doing here. I keep thinking Rothfuss is gonna sue him for copyright infringement. There are literally phrases used in The First Binding that are taken WORD FOR WORD from Name of the Wind!!! (“A gentleman is never far from his purse” is the most recent examples of this that I’ve heard). I’m not gonna quit, because I spent a credit on audible on it, but I’m getting very frustrated with this book.

[@PetrikLeo]

Oh, believe me, I know what you mean. The First Binding's similarities with The Name of the Wind are 100% indisputable. I think your experience will revolve around how much you can tolerate it. As I said in my review, EVERYTHING that happened to Kvothe happened to Ari in almost the same exact manner. And it gets even worse in the magic school section, which you haven't reached yet. You're at the Streets of Abhar, right? I think that part is similar to Kvothe's time in Tarbean, but Ari's version is different and longer; this was actually the moment where I thought the book would differ in terms of plotting, but no, when it got to the school, it got even worse. There is a real nod to Kvothe near the end of the book, so clearly Virdi is thinking of Name of the Wind a lot, too, when he wrote this. I think the present timeframe was different enough, though, and the heavily South-Asian-inspired world-building gave the book the small distinction and a strong foundation for the rest of the series to be different. Well, I certainly hope the next books will be more different than The Kingkiller Chronicle. I've read plenty of fantasy series where the first book copied its inspiration too much or almost completely, but ended up diverging completely in the sequels. Honestly speaking, though, the massive similarities with The Name of the Wind are why I also loved The First Binding, whether it's a copycat or not. But it will be inexcusable if the next book, let's say, takes too much out of The Wise Man's Fear, for example. I should also note that it has been 5 years since I read The Name of the Wind. I think if I've read the book more than twice or recently, I would be more bothered by all the similarities.

[@s.p.8508]

@@PetrikLeo Name of the Wind is one of my favorite books all time, so when you compared TFB to it I had to give it a try, so I guess I may catch more similarities based on the amount of times I’ve read it😂 but I hope you aren’t serious when you say it gets WORSE! I just don’t understand how an author can do blatantly copy a story and pass it off as an original story. As I said, I need to finish it or I waste a credit, but I’m not sure if I’d even read book 2 based on how this is going. (I just got to the part where the 2 “demons” come into the three-tales tavern (remind you of anything😉🤫😉😤😤😤). I’ll need to watch your review for 2 to see if it gets better. I think I may take a break from this and go back to Malazan.

[@s.p.8508]

@@PetrikLeo oh btw, have you read Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn? I was thinking of reading it, and I saw you didn’t have a review on it on your KZbin page. If you read it, what would you compare it to?

[@PetrikLeo]

​@@s.p.8508 That's very fair tbh! For me, The Name of the Wind is one of my favorite books of all time, but I've read it only twice. And my last read of the book was five years ago! As I said, though, the similarities are why I loved The First Binding. I mean, it is very similar to one of my favorite books of all time after all, even if it morally not right to copy so many things like this... Also, unfortunately, it gets MORE similar once Ari reached the magic school section. There are some twists that made it different but the bones of the story are exactly the same. There is even a scene where Ari is pushed off the roof for god sake. I personally CAN tolerate the first book being super similar to its inspiration, but I don't think I can tolerate it if it does it again in the sequel. That would be too insane.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@s.p.8508 Oh, forgot to say, yes I will make a review on book 2 when the time comes, then I'll let readers know whether it has become its own thing or still copy too much from Kingkiller Chronicle. Also, I just want to say thank you for making a civil opinion and discussion on this book. I almost want to delete this review seeing some of the heated comments. It stressed me out. xD As for Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I haven't read it! It was one of my priority series last year but I failed to get to it. This will be redeemed next year, though. I will read the first book, The Dragonbone Chair, in January. And I will make a read-along for it, too, with another booktuber. There will be an announcement for it, we're still in the planning stage. Feel free to join in if you want! :)

[@diegorocabadosoliz4896]

It has "R. R." in the name, it must be good.

[@PetrikLeo]

Good theory. 😂

[@LetsArion]

Honestly I am sooo annoyed that I have to wait until august to read the book Its been on my tbr for a while now

[@PetrikLeo]

Yeahh I know! It's still 3 months away from its publication. I hope it will be worth the wait for you! :)

[@Walpurgis117]

It's great seeing your enthusiasm, but I'm not a fan of KKC so I'll probably give this a miss

[@PetrikLeo]

Yeah, might be a good idea. I don't think readers who dislike KKC will enjoy this. 😅

[@LimeymanZero]

I finished The First Binding today and have to say I was thoroughly disappointed! I thought it was going to be NotW inspired, not completely derivative of! The thing is really close to plagiarism, it's almost impossible to describe more than half of it without spoiling something in King Killer! Even the bits that were original were really shallow and uninteresting. It reads like a bad fanfic not an homage, I honestly would not be surprised to hear it get recalled, how did this make it to print? Did they not read the scene on the roof of the mad house, the student trying to prove himself to the teacher to get his secrets and the teacher unwilling to see a student get hurt by running before he could walk, and the fall? Which book am I describing there? There is no way to tell them apart except for how they end! If it had just been this I could forgive it, pass it off as a nod to King Killer, but it's the same for so many things. Reading it all I could do was keep expecting the next thing that was directly lifted out of King Killer, it was maddening! Then for no reason he also started stealing from Tolkien too? The kitten, "Keep him secret, keep him safe"! Why not just start quoting Star Wars too while we're at it! 5 stars you say? This was 2 at best, even plagiarism aside the writing was very basic and choked to death on exposition. I won't be bothering with the next book and I might even try and return this Broken Binding edition, already refunded the audiobook even though Vikas Adam did a really good job narrating.

[@PetrikLeo]

I did mention in my review here that everything that happened to Kvothe happened to Ari. And I understand your disappointment. I seriously did not mean to mislead you or something. But I really think the South Asian inspired worldbuilding and present timeframe give the book enough charm for it stand on its own. That being said, I do agree the flashbacks have so much similarities with NotW. I am not disputing that at all. Heck, I even talk to my friends that almost every scene in the flashback was emulated one way or another. But I also loved the book very much, one of the main reason being its similarities with NotW, derivative or not. Now, Eye of the World felt so derivative of LotR, too, and it was intentional. I am hoping the second book and beyond, just like WoT, will be super different than its inspiration. If not, well, it would be inexcusable. 😅 As for writing, let's agree to disagree. The writing is far from being basic, imo.

[@numapompiilius]

Empire of the Vampire is another 5/5 fantasy with a framing narrative.

[@PetrikLeo]

Yup. That's what I heard. Empire of the Vampire is on my October TBR for Halloween. 😄

[@lorenharrison8580]

This so much like The King Killer Chronicles I loved it! I just hope he can finish the story not like Rothfus!

[@PetrikLeo]

It's REALLY a lot like Kingkiller Chronicle. You might end up loving or disliking it because it's too similar. But one thing for sure, the series should be finished sooner than Kingkiller Chronicle. 🤣

[@blueberrycomics]

forgive my lack of cultural skills, but by south asian you mean indian or more to the south-east like Thai/Malaysian?

[@PetrikLeo]

Indian inspired for sure! 😄

[@blueberrycomics]

@@PetrikLeo thanks for letting me know :-)

[@blueberrycomics]

@@PetrikLeo another quick question, do you think it's fine to firstly read this and then kingkiller, because I don't want to read the kingkiller chronicle until a release date for the doors of stone, but at the same time I wish to support small authors, what do you think, is the story too similar to the point of spoiling the chronicle?

[@PetrikLeo]

@@blueberrycomics I don't think so. Plus, knowing how long Doors of Stone takes, by the time you read The Kingkiller Chronicle you'll probably forget about all the details already. 😂

[@blueberrycomics]

@@PetrikLeo haha you're right!

[@musicgenius1948]

This sounds super similar to name of the wind. I’m a little worried that it will feel like the greatest hits of the name of the wind or a rip off name of the wind

[@PetrikLeo]

I won't lie. People's reaction will be different. I'm sure some will think of it as a ripoff. 😅

[@cmmosher8035]

It has an interesting cover but I am not a fan of Rothfuss. Personally i think kingkiller doesn't do enough with its premise and just not a fan of magic schools.

[@PetrikLeo]

Understandable. Magic school is prevalent in the second half of this, so not sure whether you will like this one or not haha.

[@bob0saur]

Petrik, you need to sell the dandelion dynasty by broken binding to me.thanks, k byeeeee

[@PetrikLeo]

No can do, Michael. 😂

[@bob0saur]

@@PetrikLeo I blame you for introducing and forcing me to sign up to the broken binding sub. Now all I can think about is why I didn't sign up earlier to get the Dandelion Dynasty 😭

[@Wyklow]

Hopefully it isn't decades between sequels....

[@PetrikLeo]

Book 2 90% confirmed to be coming next year. The author is in editing stage already. 😄

[@Wyklow]

@@PetrikLeo Nice!

[@buddhabillybob]

I loved _Name of the Wind_, but I'm afraid he's going to pull a Martin. The second book was inferior to the first in every way, and the series may never be finished! Maybe Virdi will go the distance? I hope so.

[@PetrikLeo]

It's either Rothfuss pulling a Martin or Martin pulling a Rothfuss. 😅I still enjoy Wise Man's Fear but I agree it is inferior to Name of the Wind. Virdi seems confident he'll be able to finish the series on a high note. I asked him and book 2 is already in editing stage! 😄

[@buddhabillybob]

@@PetrikLeo Good point! I do so hope Virdi can finish strong! The South Asian world building intrigues me!

[@jordanbatschi5828]

"strikingly similar" = Complete ripoff of the name of the wind. The entire premise, main points of the characters and even a poor attempt to mimic the dialogue. Almost blatant plagerism. If you liked the NotW this will leave a sour taste in your palate.

[@PetrikLeo]

I'm not denying that. I said that, too, in the review. But I think the result will be 50-50. I know some people who love NotW that loved this one, too. The massive similarities is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed it. But there's no denying that the premise, progression of the story, and the key points are the same. As for writing style, I dunno, I think Rothfuss still has a better prose but Virdi's is great, too, and also different than Rothfuss.

[@StephenDeagle]

"Similar" and "inspired" is a stretch at best.... it's the exact same story, but more poorly written. The first paragraph literally opens with an examination of a "stillness" and its nuances... Just... wow.

[@PetrikLeo]

I'll reply with the same reply I gave to other comment. "Believe me, I know what you mean. The First Binding's similarities with The Name of the Wind are 100% indisputable. I think your experience will revolve around how much you can tolerate it. As I said in my review, EVERYTHING that happened to Kvothe happened to Ari in almost the same exact manner. And it gets even worse in the magic school section, which you haven't reached yet. The part in Tarbar is similar to Kvothe's time in Tarbean, but Ari's version is different and longer; this was actually the moment where I thought the book would differ in terms of plotting, but no, when it got to the school, it got even worse. There is a real nod to Kvothe near the end of the book, so clearly Virdi is thinking of Name of the Wind a lot, too, when he wrote this. I think the present timeframe was different enough, though, and the heavily South-Asian-inspired world-building gave the book the small distinction and a strong foundation for the rest of the series to be different. Well, I certainly hope the next books will be more different than The Kingkiller Chronicle. I've read plenty of fantasy series where the first book copied its inspiration too much or almost completely, but ended up diverging completely in the sequels. Honestly speaking, though, the massive similarities with The Name of the Wind are why I also loved The First Binding, whether it's a copycat or not. But it will be inexcusable if the next book, let's say, takes too much out of The Wise Man's Fear, for example. I should also note that it has been 5 years since I read The Name of the Wind. I think if I've read the book more than twice or recently, I would be more bothered by all the similarities."

[@Sleepgarden]

its like Name of the wind? so means it'll be overrated and never be finished? I kid I kid ^_^

[@PetrikLeo]

Ouch. Brutal. let's think positively. Maybe we won't get to read Doors of Stone, but we'll get to read the end of this one!? xD

[@cabrademora1]

:D

[@PetrikLeo]

:D

[@GandalfsHorse84]

All of the similarities you are pointing out with TNotW… how is this not plagiarism? (Hint: it is absolutely plagiarism!)

[@PetrikLeo]

The only way it's not plagiarism is the present time frame is different. I never disregard all the crazy similarities, though.

[@tgwtom]

Awful…wasted my time to 65% after giving a second chance… tedious as heck, poor repetitious writing and worst of all flawed logic writ large, chases, pursuits for main character inexplicably end despite everybody and their mother knowing his exact residence, how can you forgive that kind of lack of respect for the reader?

[@PetrikLeo]

No need to force it if it's not clicking with you. I disagree with you almost completely. But it doesn't discredit what you think of the book. We all have different experience and thought on a book/series. I hope your next read will be better! 😊

[@sarahgonzalez162]

I got to unfollow because of this review. It was a distasteful rip off of Name Of The Wind which would have been ok if he acknowledged it or got permission from Rothfuss but as far as I know he hasnt? I dont think it was just inspired by it I think it was the same story. In the same way comedians steal jokes, thats what this felt likes. Maybe your review was lighter because you did an interview with him?

[@PetrikLeo]

Not really. I did the review before I talked with the author. And as I said, the book was super similar to The Name of the Wind. But the South Asian world-building gives the book a slightly different flavor and potential for the next books to be different. He did mention it was highly inspired by The Name of the Wind. But IF the next book is another super similar book, then I will have a big problem with it. I've read plenty of first book similar to how First Binding copied The Name of the Wind but the rest of the series turned to something different. I'm not defending him. I liked it because it was so similar to The Name of the Wind, one of my favorite books. Even if it's totally not right to plagiarise. Anyway, thank you for your support all these time. I will not ask or force you to follow me if you feel angered by my opinion. Have a good day, Sarah! 😊

[@sarahgonzalez162]

@@PetrikLeo Yeah I think thats fair. You're right about the second book, if its "highly inspired" by Wise Mans Fear than i think he shouldn't really be given credit for copying another authors work. (Even if said author refuses to finish the story 😵‍💫)