The First Binding - WORST BOOK I've Ever Read (Spoiler Free Review)

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

This isn't even a complete list of all the parts copied. Someone on my Goodreads pointed out even more. Spoilers below: . . . . The rivalry with the wealthy student (apart from the fact that Kvothe's lute is randomly replaced by a cat) the inn in the city next to the university, the scenes in the library. The friendship with Auri is moved to Ari's youth, and there is an underthing. A court where jewelery is used to summon people and display relationships between them

[@SINW]

As someone who hasn’t read either, I am tempted to read The First Binding and then the Name of Wind. 😂

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Don't do that to yourself!

[@jordendarrett1725]

Do it

[@NonstopRam]

I got the books, so I might try doing that. I did get The First Binding on a discount and what is crazy is that it's my first new hardcover fantasy book I bought. It's a thick book too.

[@fromheaventoearth5779]

I ordered Name of the Wind, and had it shipped here to Jamaica. I've been trying to finish it for about five years. It's pretty bad.

[@sablestar1956]

@@fromheaventoearth5779I agree. I could not get into Name of the Wind. I stopped reading at 360 pages.

[@adamtideman4953]

You need to read and review more bad books like this one. Angry Matt is very entertaining to watch 😁

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

No thank you!

[@luske2]

The Angry KZbin Book Nerd lmao 😂

[@Selitos676]

I think that this got published BECAUSE it’s rewritten name of the wind. Since Rothfuss gave up on finishing the story, people who love kingkiller may enjoy getting a complete story.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Maybe, but just the book itself is nowhere near as good as name of the wind in my opinion.

[@ericar5739]

Honestly, I haven't bothered reading Name of the Wind because I don't think it will be completed but if this series is completed ill just read this one instead. Can't compare the 2 when you only read one. lol

[@johndavis8746]

​@Erica R this is exactly what I'm seeing. Rothfuss has repeatedly done things to string people along and tarnish his reputation as a respected author. If he continues and this guy basically copies the story and gives us the closure we deserve name of the wind will become a pointless book. It's sad to see considering name of the wind was my first adult fantasy but if this ends its legacy by actually giving closure to a similar story I'll probably pick it up and enjoy every minute of it like the apparent degenerate I am

[@danielbritt8176]

FINALLY someone else gets it! Inspiration is one thing - even the Wheel of Time, at least the very beginning, could be accused of being too LotR - but this is too far. I returned this disgraceful knock-off after 100 pages. I can't remember being so disappointed and furious reading a book. You've earned a sub, thank you 👍

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks Daniel. It's honestly shocking that this book got published!

[@podrissimo9814]

Thank you for the honest review dude. Don't ever hold yourself by being afraid of seeming negative. We need more booktubers like you!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@bridgit2541]

Did you catch in ch 74 the DIRECT REFERENCE to Kvothe? "an old and familiar story...it was of a red haired boy, who grew to be a man many thought a demon. partly on account of his odd hair color, but more so for the deeds he came to be known for and by. By the end of it all they say he killed a prince, some say king. wizard. bard. hero. a villain."

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

That is ludicrous!

[@MaxFidler]

As a person who DNF'd Name of the Wind, and has The First Binding on my shelf - I am both excited and scared for this one lol

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah you are going to hate it!

[@MaxFidler]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews EXCITING!

[@raswartz]

"It's like Robert Jordan is concise compared to RR Virdi." Now I have to read it because you know how I love wordy prose.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL!

[@BigBoyStrongBoy]

you are not ruining your reputation matt, this is why i watch your reviews and only a very few others, you are honest! and you always should be. however............................. i was really looking forward to this book lol, i wanted to read it so much!

[@BigBoyStrongBoy]

@@prunelle9068 mind = Blown!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Maybe it will work for you! I definitely know my opinion is not the predominant one.

[@jordendarrett1725]

Damn this was a shocker to listen to 😂 I wouldn’t mind if someone just came out with a fanfic of Doors of Stone though, it would be better than nothing

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah the wait it getting excruciating!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

This video is mostly how I feel about the Poppy War

[@AuthorJohnADouglas]

Oof

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah me too actually!

[@roundaboutpony6653]

The real question is, will this Author actually finish his series.

[@atomicbaby-w4e]

lmao

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Maybe. But it's not good on its own right.

[@roundaboutpony6653]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Did you see the next book is called "The Doors of Midnight" a little on the nose with that one haha.

[@yevgeniyermakov5582]

​@@roundaboutpony6653 lmao. And what will be the next one after that? The Wizard's Fear?

[@sarugard9115]

Ive read your goodreads review of this You gave it a 0 cuz of plagiarism But that doesn't mean its a bad book, just a copy of name of the wind Right?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

No, it's also really bad.

[@yevgeniyermakov5582]

Lol, now I'm kinda tempted to check it out. At least I hope that Virdi, unlike Rothfuss, will manage to finish his series. A shitty fanfic version of Doors of Stone is better than nothing.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Honestly nothing might be better! lol.

[@libraryofaviking]

Very interesting review and I appreciate the brutal honesty. Please never stop sharing your honest thoughts. I gave this book 4.5 stars but I haven't read The Name of the Wind (yet!). I have heard many say that there are many similarities between these two books but hearing how similar they are is quite troubling. I definitely need to read The Name of the Wind so I can make up my own mind. Nonetheless, thank you for the review!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks for the comment! I highly encourage you to check out Name of the Wind...if you liked this one you are going to absolutely fall in love with Name of the Wind.

[@kenneth_mata]

I can somewhat agree with all your points, and yes, is a copycat of the name of the wind and the prose is definitely not as good as Patrick Rothfuss, but looking a bit beyond i really enjoyed the indian setting and the main character being less edgy.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Lime_A]

I’m sorry you had terrible time with this book … but this was very entertaining 😂, I love when people state their opinion about a book without sugar coating anything 🤣

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@cactcab]

Sequel came out this week. Can’t wait for the review!

[@zachryder3150]

He knows what he has to do, he just doesn't know if he has the strength to do it.

[@Denis-sz9pg]

Awesome review man. I love the honesty even though it’s probably difficult to trash a book/author like that. Keep up the great work! You provide amazing content.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you, and yeah it's usually hard but for someone stealing I'm okay with it here!

[@outintheuniverse97]

If its worse than the name of the wind then it must be really bad..

[@lucasbacelar7767]

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk muito bom, mano. Me deu mais vontade de ler ainda e achar essas semelhanças. Parabéns pelo vídeo, não deve ser facil ter uma opinião forte sobre um livro e postar na internet.

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

Wow, angry Matt is so entertaining haha! I skipped the spoilers because I haven't read Name of the Wind yet but the rest of the video was so funny!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

You really need to check out NOTW!

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews I definitely will do at some point!

[@nikk345]

I bought this book after hearing a shining review by Mr Durfee, though he does seem to like everything he reads (or just reviews the stuff he likes). Hoping it wasn't a waste of money, but I'll give it a shot at some point.

[@musicgenius1948]

It’s not that durfee likes everything he reads, it’s that if he doesn’t like it then he won’t make a review for it

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I know Durfee is friends with Virdi. Might unintentionally influence him.

[@nikk345]

@@musicgenius1948 Yeah I did infer that might the case, I think I recall him saying as much before but couldn't be sure

[@danbe6280]

Thank you for your review, I wish more reviewers were like you, the vast majority of booktubers I follow have praised this book, it's as if they all forgot about The Name of the Wind and are unable to recognize the "similarities," don't get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if you love this book, more power to you, but opinion and facts aren't the same, and what you stated are 26 facts. I was going to buy this book a few weeks ago, but the review of Sufficiently Advanced Lena (I agree with a lot of her opinions and book tastes) made me reconsider, and now that you've exposed the facts pointing out the "similarities", I've removed it from my cart. This type of video is not only welcome, but also necessary. I wish any booktuber had warned me of Sanderson's redundant writing style, or Jemisin's pretentious and shallow style, but no, almost everyone praises everything they write, so dissenting voices, critical voices who don't fall for what is trending are extremely needed.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much, that's super kind of you!

[@Jetghostwolf]

Matt- I purchased the First 2 books of Rothfuss series but will not read until doors of stone is published. That being said when I saw this book at the bookstore not knowing anything about it I was blown away- at first I thought it was a Spanish version of “in the name of the wind…” like if you’re going to steal a book as your own- maybe don’t steal the cover as well. Regardless your outrage and honesty is appreciated.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The first book is really good on its own right. But I would skip the 2nd until the last comes out for sure.

[@Jetghostwolf]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews the audacity of the author to copy the book and to use the artwork that looks like Rothfuss book cover is shocking

[@TreeBeardBookReviews]

Lol tell us how you really feel Matt😂😂. Man I need to read this now. I’m a sucker for train wrecks. Great review though. Always appreciate the honesty.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

If you love train wrecks this is right up your alley!

[@macs3304]

The Name of the Wind is my favourite book of all time (anyone who hasn’t read it you should - the most stunning writing. Like every single sentence) so I’m so intrigued but don’t know if I can do it to myself

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah don't do it to yourself!

[@tonithroughmyveins]

Subscribed due to honesty, thanks!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Toni!

[@abdullahelnaas4473]

If you want me to recommend you a palate cleanser than the webserial Pale by Wildbow, or Fever Dream by G.R.R.M. is a good place to start. I'll also recommend some herbal tea and a good 8 hours of interrupted sleep too

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Lol thank you!

[@robmccoy5207]

So it's like Sword of Shanarra ripping off LotR? You should do a side-by-side comparison of them, like Book of Mormon compared to Book of Isaiah.

[@NotraGaming]

Finally, someone with a platform said it. Followed!

[@swayzic8743]

Oh noo I bought this book late last year and have been looking forward to reading it.. debating if I should even watch this video now or wait until after I read it but my curiosity is peaked..

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Maybe you will love it!

[@TunezCottage]

Also some advice, if you get into one of these slumps, short stories are a great cure. Some Desperado by Joe Abercrombie is a big recommendation from me, it got me out of my last and did so with a bang.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks for the advice!

[@ammalyrical5646]

I was on the fence about getting this book since I'd heard about the similarities between The First Binding and The Name of the Wind. Not the specific ones, but I heard maybe a couple months ago that there were people who said that it was a copy of The Name of the Wind. This made the book go from: I want to read this soon to a maybe (it still is btw, but just even lower on the priority list. The fact that it's lower on that list than a prequel to my 2-star read of The Priory of the Orange Tree is telling. I'm just really interested in that specific world and I have a very strong feeling the writing will be better in the prequel). Anyway, I'm kinda curious what similarities I could find, but I'm an insanely slow reader so I'm gonna check an ebook preview to know if the writing works for me. Pat's does because it's poetic but doesn't really relie on Thesaurus, if you get my drift. It's not flowery, it's truly poetic and feels a ripple moving through water. I don't think many if any people could emulate it in a satisfactory way. I for sure couldn't and I don't even want to try. I'd rather develop something of my own. This was enjoyable to watch btw. Not by far as ranty as some other ones I've seen and still respectful to the author's person. I think it's hilarious you want figuratively burn this person's author side though. I wish I'll never get that over me if or when I decide to publish a book.

[@ammalyrical5646]

I would like to recommend some self pub fantasy that I really enjoyed (they're not perfect, but what is?): 1. The Misadventurers - an Almost Epic Tale by Steven Partridge. A comedic fantasy heavily inspired by tabletop RPG. And with heavily I mean to the point that dice were rolled to make decisions for characters at times. I don't play those games but I loved how it was integrated into the story and also that it's not entirely serious. It was just a fun time. 2. Only Human by J. D. Estrada. I think book 2 is great too, but it's a bit hard to recommend that to a random person. I think the thing with this one is that it's pretty clear the author found his own writing voice in the middle of the first book (so Only Human) and that makes it kinda split up in two halves if you just look at the writing style. It's urban fantasy where the lead is completely over life and basically and anti chosen one. It's literally said in the book they could've picked any random person and if he doesn't want it he should just go. He was basically at a convenient spot at the right time. I'm almost getting hesitant to recommend books because I feel like your opinion could go two ways. Although the general reviews are very positive and the 1 stars have to me understandable reasons for disliking it, even if I don't agree at all.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank so much for the recommendations, I'll add them to my TBR!

[@ammalyrical5646]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews I hope you like them :D

[@YourBrainonBooks]

Did you not DNF it so you could make this video? I do not understand reading something you are not enjoying

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I knew the review would be a bit controversial so I thought it would be more fair if I actually finished it.

[@YourBrainonBooks]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews makes sense. Coming across as insincere would not be ideal

[@SamHarrison2099]

Maybe this guy will be able to finish two more books

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL

[@joerosa9017]

This video is bold and refreshing

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank Joe!

[@jefferyheileson7188]

The Fantology Podcast had an entire episode regarding the similarities between TFB and NotW.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I'll have to check it out!

[@chaz9808]

glad you gave your honest opinion too many book reviewers just give everything a good score as to not offend which kind of makes the whole review thing pointless

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Chaz!

[@uthydowuthydow7987]

I read The Name of the Wind years ago, one of my first fantasy books and at the time I enjoyed it so much! I never re-read it, but found thru reviews about this one and gave it a try and dnfed it. Its been years since I read The name of the wind and still I thought it so similar, really like a fan fiction from the original. And don't get me wrong, I read fanfiction, but it is labeled as such. I don't want to read a book that's a fanfiction from another book. Yeah. No.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah, it's like he is not even trying to be different.

[@ahoythere4]

My normal strategy for finding a new book to read is going to the bookstore/library and just picking books off the shelves at random and reading the backs until I find one that seems interesting. Doing this, I have overwhelmingly found books I loved, a couple books that I found to be 'meh' here and there, but never one I truly disliked until I picked THIS one. I've never read Name of the Wind, so I can't speak on that front, but it has been such a slog to get through. Like, at one point the narrator tells a story, and part of that story is him telling a story, so I'm 3 layers deep in storyception. I've powered through some books I wasn't that enthusiastic about before, but this might be the first one I give up on.

[@shinigami2502]

Your angry reaction is the exact same feeling i've felt after reading Assassin's Quest! That bitterness and rage after finishing the book, ugh. I hate it

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL. Yeah Assassin's Quest was tough. But I will say that after finishing the series it made Assassin's Quest quite a bit better. Did you keep reading? Liveship Traders trilogy is about 10x better.

[@shinigami2502]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews i decided not to continue the entire series. I know a lot of people say Liveship Trader is good but after experiencing how Robin Hobb writes character, i want none of it anymore

[@benja6902]

Just the title and the thumbnail made me laugh! You're my favorite booktuber! Your honesty is the best - definitely not a shill.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much, you are too nice!

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Watching the is review was a cathartic experience. Love the brutal honesty, and thanks for the shout out in here too. Whatever you do, don’t read Skullsworn by Brian Staveley to get you out of the slump!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks for warning me about this one. I'll be sure to heed your advice next time!

[@Heathennation1976]

I have to say Matt skullsworn is an awesome book everyone's opinion on books are different it's all about what you like and what you don't

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

@@Heathennation1976 very true!

[@Heathennation1976]

@@BooksWithBenghisKahn you have you a new subscriber now I have new videos to watch when I'm not reading

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

@@Heathennation1976 oh thanks!

[@TunezCottage]

Good on you for stating your opinion and making the argument as opposed to just keeping quiet, we need more of this on booktube.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@BooksRebound]

Really? I actually quite liked it. The way I see it is Virdi is a KKC fan who is sick of Rothfuss's bullshit and decided "if he's not gonna finish the series then I'll do it myself. But I'll have to rewrite the first two books beforehand." And this is the result. I thought the book was good but my issue was with the narrative device not being as clearly delineated as in KKC with the chronicler. This book just kinda jumped back and forth randomly. But overall I really liked the story and I don't really mind that it's a copy. Like one of my favorite books The Traitor Baru Cormorant is fucking incredible and I love it. However then a few years later this SciFi book called A Memory Called Empire comes out and wins a Hugo award despite being sooo sooo similar to Baru Cormorant. The story setup, concept, plot points are the same mostly, the biggest difference in the change from fantasy to SciFi but the narratives are still extremely similar to the point of maybe being plagiarism??? Idk. However they are both really incredible books that are thematically different at least. I have zero faith Pat will ever finish KKC so I'm cool with this book existing to fill its place.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I'm glad you really liked this one, and I took have zero faith in Pat to finish.

[@BooksRebound]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews considering he's never going to finish the series, I'm just considering this as a replacement that is basically the same product but in a different flavor. I like the Indian flair to the worldbuilding a lot and I'm excited to see where it goes in the following books. If you give this a reread someday in the future while thinking about it as a KKC replacement, you might end up really enjoying it. Also, I HIGHLY recommend you check out The Traitor/Monster/Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickenson. The books are so so so incredible. I'm a Malazan fanatic who has read the series ten times now. My next fav books after Malazan are the Baru Cormorant books, Broken Earth trilogy, Vita Nostra, Adrian Tchaikovsky (mostly Children of Time (insanely unique)), Gnomon by Nick Harkaway and everything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Thematically those works are all absolutely incredible and if you like Malazan and trust my taste I think those are some books you should put at the top of your TBR to find something that provides similar enjoyment to Malazan. Seth Dickenson really is a genius and his books are the best antihero story I've ever read-leagues above Joe Abercrombie. Then after that go read A Memory Called Empire and you'll see they are quite similar thematically and narratively but both have their own place. I do however just think it's kinda unfair Memory won a Hugo but Baru didn't. Happy reading! Hope to see you reviewing some of these books soon.

[@k2u364]

Thanks for the informative and entertaining review Matt ! I was fully on board the hype train last summer and ordered it as hardcover ( I was luckily able to cancel) and as a ebook that I started and DNFed 300 pages in.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah good call bailing out!

[@moostermcmoosterpants817]

Love this vid 😂 maybe they published this book cause the author promised to actually finish the series? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I wouldn’t blame them

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL maybe! But on it's own merits it's just not that good in my opinion.

[@BeardofDarkness]

Dude, I have watched this one like five times. I actually hit this Author up for this book and if hed send it to me. Lets say I changed my mind and decided not to review it. You have my trust and I respect how humble you are. Knowing what I know about you, I cannot read this. It's against my moral foundation. You are an influence and I hope you realise how awesome that is! My wife and I couldn't stop watching this one!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

lol, thanks!

[@ShelfCentered]

Great review, I'd heard some of these complaints but you did it so well. And your honesty is what people appreciate so I think you've only helped your credibility. Always appreciated even if we disagree.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you! And congrats on the channel growth!

[@ShelfCentered]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Thanks man, it's really cool to see! I actually had a local friend's kid find me by watching your video where you presented all those booktubers' favorite books. It was crazy and a little worrying cause the mixture of real life with my virtual one is just weird right now.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

@@ShelfCentered lol that's awesome! I've never had that happen to me.

[@Sammy00_]

No matter how it might tickle some people the wrong way, this is the only approach all reviewers need to have; to give their honest opinion on the product. Especially with books I hear way too much how commenters, vloggers, reviewers give points to average or even bad books just 'for support'. The reasons vary from their positivie view on the author, the thing the book or the author stands for or the image they themselves try to convey by giving their support for certain pieces. It is a bit like a positive vibe -angle to the matter how many seem to decide the type of person the author is based on the meanest character they've written.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you, I agree - I think everyone needs to just give their unvarnished thoughts without worrying about how it will be perceived.

[@Edog1337]

5/5 review. I support critical reviews.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks Eric!

[@pappywinky4749]

Matt, this is literally what reviews are for 😄 Booktube can sometimes be too positive, almost to the point of toxicity. People attacking reviewers for doing what they are supposed to is so ridiculous. If a book is bad, lets say it. Critics are there for a reason. You're harsh, but I don't think it's a bad thing. If it needs to be said, then it probably should. I don't think you were mean, just direct. You're telling your honest opinion without attacking the author personally, that's entirely fair. I've seen newspaper and magazine reviewers who were downright cruel. You don't approach that by even a mile.

[@armbaria]

You'd be ruining your reputation if you lied about liking a bad book imo (like many Book reviewers do sadly), keep doing what you're doing the viewers know a genuine opinion when they see one.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@moev29]

I’m not sure that I’ve DNFed this one just yet, but I definitely only made it 100 pages and put it down. Ugh. I love Name of the Wind. Even willing to give him a pass for it reading like plagiarism. But holy hell it’s going nowhere. It’s as if no one bothered to edit it. What I’ve read thus far could’ve been half as long! Painful. At one point I just yelled SHUT UP at a page.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it was just so badly done on its own rights.

[@LCTwil]

Thanks, Matt! It's great video :D I didn't enjoy The Name of the Wind much and thought a different take on the same story could be interesting, BUT after this, I guess there are plenty of other books I'll read instead. I'm super curious about your next book now! :D I hope you'll enjoy it!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Martin!

[@sashajackson1887]

I’m 200 pages in, I don’t like walking away, there’s always that Hope it will pick up but nope. I haven’t read Name of the wing but if it’s like this then I won’t be doing. I am patient, I’ve finished large series but I hate repetitive drawn out, going in circles writing. The plot is barely moving, the characters are likeable but I’m struggling to connect enough to care. Anyway, thanks for the review, it’s going back on the shelf.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Honestly you may very well LOVE name of the wind. Most fantasy readers do.

[@harshgarg7542]

I especially hate this book , for being marketed as south asian fantasy where there is nothing south asian about it except surface refrence. RR Verdi used his ethnicity to market his book but contributed very little to fwds that ethnicity's world view and mythologies in new package to western audience. I have not read name of the wind, and if you are right about name of the wind comparison then he is just presenting an old same in a fancier bottle, and while there is nothing wrong about borrowing elements from other authors, but straight up plagarising is just pathetic. If you want to experience South Asian Fantasy watch Bahubali (Part 1 & 2 ) south Asian mythologies inspired fantasy movies , or the recent RRR movie also have themes of South Asian culture weaved into its narrative. (not recommending books, becoz the way of storytelling is not accessible for a first time western readers)

[@kevins1005]

Yup. , I agree. It was pathetic when Robert Jordan ripped off Tolkien in book 1 of the Wheel of Tine. I bet your ok with that one though.

[@harshgarg7542]

@@kevins1005 If you read my comment I clearly specified that the conclusion is based on the observation of Matt's reading who is intimately familiar with both works. Though, I stand by the opinion that straight up plagarism is just pathetic, if you are just going to copy the thing wholesale (without your spin onto the concept, be it setting, ideas and themes) why bother writing in the first place ??? From my experience I was primarly pissed about the mkting of the book as South Asian fantasy. If you loved this book good for you. I am just putting fwd my POV as a South Asian. If you want to experience South Asian Fantasy watch Bahubali (Part 1 & 2 ) south Asian mythologies inspired fantasy movies , or the recent RRR movie also have themes of South Asian culture weaved into its narrative.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Extremely well said. I actually didn't even notice it was inspired by that part of the world until I was told it was. It really just felt like it was because of the names only.

[@danielwatts796]

I'd forgotten a lot of name of the wind, but holy moly as you were mentioning it things started coming back. It is basically name of the wind with an indian coat of paint. I don't why i stuck through with it, another thing to mention though is how flat the characters were. The best memoir stories often have a tension between the current day protagonist, and his younger self. Kvothe seems tired and broken in the inn, but the ultimate young wizard at the start of the story. Hadrian from sun eater, is jaded and somewhat reactionary as an old man, but his younger self has all the idealism of youth. Empire of the vampire does this well also. What i enjoy common to all these stories, is seeing the gap between the old narrator and the young protagonist in terms of character begin to close over time. In regards to The First binding, Ari is basically the same guy as a young man, as he is in the inn in the present day. Current Ari just seems better with women, and hornier. It was a dissapointment for me, i did enjoy the retelling of the myths though, i thought they were written well.

[@venomgaming2077]

Loved seeing you angry🤣🤣 Jokes aside...after months of procrastinating I've finally started reading Malazan. Bless me with patience bc that's what I'll need to complete this series🥲

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL - you got this!

[@wstewste]

Happy I'm not the only one that saw this XD I also read this book because of the premise and very good reviews on good reads and I think It's time to admit something that have been staring us at the face for years now - most reviewers on good reads (most reviewers in general) are hacks or have no literary taste at all. On the other hand I am surprised that someone as well read in fantasy as you are (love your channel btw.!) haven't noticed something that have been bothering me for some time now; Something is rotten in the state of Fantasy: There are soooo many overhyped, mediocre at best books, being hyped by reviewers and pushed by publishers that are, well... mediocre at best. In my opinion 99% of them are done in the same way - YA (or YA-ish) + "original" (not European inspired setting /now that's at least a good thing/) + very progressive politics (I don't care for politics, just how they are handled by the author and mostly It's very heavy handed and childish) = success! I mean, seriously, If I'm gonna read another "Magical School" Book where main "poor but very talented character is oppressed by a rich, privileged bully for no real reason whatsoever" I'm gonna kill my self XD And then there's the the most overhyped fantasy author of the last decade, N.K. Jemisin, the new Terry Goodkind but on the other side of political stupid. Thousand Kingdoms is even worst then First Binding, prove me wrong! #endofrant

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I definitely haven noticed the trend you are pointing out, I just can't quite figure out WHY it's happening. I get the sense that there is some trickle-down effect from big reviewers that will hype up something, and then the smaller reviewers will jump on board as well, already predisposed to like it. I try so hard to judge a book without getting influenced by outside sources. But it's definitely hard sometimes.

[@wstewste]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews When it comes to reviewers I think It's probably the old story: Fantasy has become, in a way, a victim of it's coming into the mainstream and it's own success. Probably nothing to do about it apart from paying attention to reviewers like yourself. What saddens me more is that influences that at one point where something that gave a breath of fresh air to the genre - like coming out of "European" settings and better inclusion of LGBT characters are quickly becoming overplayed. to on the nose and boring, especially in YA, which are some worst books around, in most cases really crap and unimaginative. Would it be possible for you to make a video about fantasy books/series with settings inspired relatively unexplored cultures like African and south American? I feel like there are some quite interesting books there like the series that starts with Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Cheers!

[@quintonbrown3784]

I was so disappointed with this book. The cover is awesome and that’s about the only positive thing about it!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I really love the cover, but sadly it's the best part of the book.

[@clairesayers7727]

It was a Dnf for me and after listening to your review I'm glad I did as it obviously didn't get any better. I hated everything about it. I love Name Of The Wind and couldn't get over how much Virdi blatantly plagiarised Rothfuss, not just story arcs but whole scenes !

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it really was shocking, wasn't it? I thought the similarities were obvious, but then literal scenes would be replicated and I would just about spit out my coffee.

[@janeb9698]

This is hilarious. I almost want to hate read it but fortunately for me, I’m busy with Gardens of the Moon. And I haven’t read Name of the Wind yet, so I probably wouldn’t fully appreciate the badness. Anyway, great video! I’m not going to pray for you since I’m an atheist, but I do hope you recover from the bad experience of reading what sounds like an awful book!!! It would be interesting to hear your reviews of The Sword of Shannara and The Eye of the World, both of which are LOTR derivatives. I actually think it’s okay to borrow a basic plot framework (to some degree anyway) as long as you do something original with it, as long as it doesn’t just come off as plagiarism or a cheap imitation or like you said, bad fanfic. Clearly this guy did not do anything original, nor did he write well. On the bright side, you’re done with it. The next book you read will seem like a huge relief. ❤️

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I agree a ton of books are similar, this one just too it was too far!

[@marcow.4846]

Really liked the review - so funny... I actually had this book on my radar - thanks for saving me from reading it 😀

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I got your back! 😊

[@andrewhanson405]

Great review! Hard pass for me. Based on your description of how dependent it is on Rothfuss, it seems like Virdi won't ever be finishing this series.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Lol yeah that probably correct!

[@sheldon2252]

Glad someone finally is giving this book a honest review

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I honestly don't understand some of these other reviews!

[@nityadambiec8726]

Personally I consider Mary Shelley as a terrible writer, with the added annoyance that people think she is great and the lack of funny ‘badness’.

[@LimeymanZero]

I was all in for this series, got a copy for taking notes in, got a copy from The Broken Binding and got the audiobook, I was ready to be this book's loudest and most annoying fanboy! What a fucking letdown, what a travesty of a book! I didn't even return my copies to the sellers for fear they might be sold on to someone else, I couldn't sleep knowing someone read this crap just so I could get my money back!

[@MrDperigo]

Wow. Thank you for this review, you saved me a lot of time that I would’ve wasted by reading this myself. I didn’t even like Name of the Wind that much so I definitely wouldn’t have liked the cheap knockoff 😂

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah you would HATE it.

[@joldomort5515]

This has just made me want to read Name of The Wind so much more 😂 haha great to hear your honest thoughts

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

If you haven't read it yet, you definitely need to. It's a great book!

[@themearkat]

Finishing a bad book is like weight training your will power.

[@cryptomomentz]

"At no point in your rambling, incoherent book were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." -Matt talking about The First Binding

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL exactly.

[@ChillCollins616]

That's funny, because I could literally say the EXACT same thing about the review!

[@Iza56]

I have sample of it and I've never read name of the wind so we'll see😐

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Do yourself a favor and read Name of the Wind!

[@bxp_bass]

Oh, how I love good old rants, not that always hyper-positive reviews on everything. Thanks for that! Tbh, it's hard to find balanced ones. Usually in our Russian booktube there's almost no fantasy, rants after rants, and it seems, negativity is treated as a good taste. In English speaking booktube it's other way around - only positive and people afraid of saying literally anything that possibly (and impossibly) to cause any backlash. And your channel is golden in this aspect.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much! I didn't know that about Russian booktube, very interesting!

[@bxp_bass]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews at least most popular of them. Some are just cute, but people like spice :)

[@apebblemaster4570]

I actually just picked this book up after seeing your review and I put it right back down after 35 pages! You are 100% correct! What a complete Name of the Wind RIPOFF! Sometimes I thought the writing was rather lovely, but at other times it was so incomprehensible that I had to reread sentences more than once, and I still couldn't understand it! This book is so pretentious and made me SO MAD! Never has 35 pages of a book elicited so many strong feelings from me.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Hear, hear!

[@sesaydeen]

Thank you for this. I have a feeling other youtubers gave positive reviews and pretend like Virdi was not copying Patrick's work because they were paid or gifted early reviews by the R.R.Virdi.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it's certainly possible!

[@Heathennation1976]

Hey man you want to start something that's kind of short but super good check out something called The War of the 12, The Broken Heart of Arelium by Alex Robins I think these books will get you out of your slump

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks, I'll have to check it out!

[@MichaelRSchultheiss]

What are you looking for in your next read? I'm hoping I can recommend something to cleanse the proverbial bad taste from your palate, particularly since I've had a lot of luck with regard to my reading choices in the past year+

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I actually already started Babel by RF Kuang. I'm enjoying it so far!

[@MichaelRSchultheiss]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews glad you're onto something you enjoy!

[@xxmcmxx]

Wait even worthe then the fifth season (broken earth) ? I wanted to read this because it sounded intriguing.

[@xxmcmxx]

Okay... wow all this similarities?! WTF

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah much worse than Fifth Season in my opinion!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Wow! When I saw that it was a Name of the Wind ripoff, I didn't put it on the TBR. Sorry you endured it - I would've DNF'd!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I really should have, but since I knew I was going to rip into it so hard with my plagiarism claims I felt it only fair to finish it out.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Totally valid. I still would've DNF'd lol

[@cappy2282]

...I applaud your honesty 👍

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@kars7181]

Yes! I remember reading the prologue and thinking…. what the hell? I kept reading and got more and more frustrated until I put it down a chapter in, I couldn’t stand this book.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah you dropped out at the best time!

[@andrewf7732]

I was going to listen to my audiobook but saw this video on my feed and had to watch immediately. I haven't read The Name of The Wind, but I hated the book for all of the other reasons you stated. I DNF'd the book early. You put it perfectly when you said the writing was like an off-tune song. People should not publish poetic writing unless it's near perfect otherwise it's just painful to read. And this book was extremely painful.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah the audio can't fix the problems this book has!

[@BadActingWYIM]

I'll just say, rrvirdi is a friend of mine and he loves writing, he's passionate, but he's also a good guy. He's always encouraging others dreams and motivational. I promise he isn't an ahole. If he did copy this book, that's disappointing. He's been in talks with some networks to make a show. But people do adaptations all the time. There's fukin 3 Spidermans for some reason. Anyways.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I hear you on the adaptations thing, the big difference for me is that those adaptations are created by the owners of the IP, and in this case - I'm about 99.99% that this was done without the consent of Rothfuss - nor was it acknowledged by Virdi to be an adaptation.

[@ChillCollins616]

Plenty of people actually like the book, so there's that.

[@cactcab]

I bought this on a 99 cent kindle deal. I guess I can keep it low on the priority list.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

You may very well love it, who knows!

[@zachryder3150]

Thanks for doing the timestamps. I don't want Name of the Wind spoilers. Also this novel didn't even have the decency to have a decent font, I am outraged!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Lol fully agreed! And go read NOTW!

[@PinkStar14]

surprised you didn't DNF it. I wanted to read this but with you and a couple of other booktubers I follow saying how much they hate it makes me want to never read it now haha.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Honestly a lot of people like it. Maybe read it and just quit if it's not working early on.

[@Christian-ut2sp]

I love me some rant vids

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Glad I could entertain then!

[@angelaholmes8888]

I'm definitely will not be reading this book thanks to hearing some reviews on how bad it is plus I absolutely hate the name of the wind 😬🙅‍♀️

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Oh yeah if you hate NOTW this book would be a trainwreck to you.

[@Paul_McSeol]

Wow. That sounds like a tough read. Sorry you went through that. Hoping you find something easy and fun to wash the taste out. Take care!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I'm enjoying my current read right now. Thank you!

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

I liked it. And pimped it out on my own channel. Hope i didn't steer you wrong

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

No you didn't, I was always going to read it. I just personally couldn't get over how much it borrowed from Kingkiller Chronicle. Felt like it was scene for scene identical in an extremely large amount of instances.

[@alexhughes2754]

Glad to see this review because this book annoyed me, for very similar reasons. I still can't get over how little it's been addressed, and how the author has kinda just been rewarded for their plagiarism. Anyway as a gift, I'd like to quote one of the more incomprehensible lines from this book as an example (Spoiler free if you care) of the dodge prose: 'The cold seeped past a place I didn't know it could go - far beyond the depths of me, now coming for myself'.

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

LOL this book should be marked spoilers for The Name of the Wind

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL yeah 100%

[@andrewwinkelmeyer6503]

It sucks you read such a bad book but it was very entertaining to see you with this type of review.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Glad I could entertain!

[@OkieAllDay]

Bring on the "hate reviews" I may enjoy them more than the glowing ones, honestly

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah but then I have to read horrible book! lol

[@OkieAllDay]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews haha. good point

[@YashPatel-ez4um]

I definitely agree that it is a Name of the wind ripoff, but hey at least this series will actually be finished so I don't mind. Pat dug his own grave so hopefully this will give me the closure I need.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah the problem is it's no good on its own right, even if it was original.

[@YashPatel-ez4um]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Definitely no where near name of the wind quality but it does provide the closure I need so I'm fine with it. I do find it funny your the only one on booktube or anywhere who has talked about this though lol. I thought it blow up as soon as it got published. I'm guessing people generally wanted to stay away from controversial topics like this. Definitely respect you for not shying away from this though.

[@hoidtakesopioids]

I didn't even know it was possible for a book to get rated 0/5 stars haha

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I do what I want! Lol

[@MakoTheFrog]

If it is so similar can Patrick Rothfuss take RR Virdi to court? im confused. I was looking for something to scratch the KKC itch since Doors is most likely never coming out so i'm glad i found this video about first binding first. i wouldn't even pirate it after hearing this.