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mhedgescsus's review against another edition
1.0
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0/5 stars. The worst book I have ever read and the most blatant rip-off of another book (Name of the Wind) that I've ever read!
I am legitimately angry at goodreads that they force me to give a minimum of 1 star for this book, as it deserves a big fat 0 stars. Not only is the book extremely poorly written, but it's over the top plagiarism is borderline criminal. Instead of giving a review of this book, I am going to share with you all the things directly stolen from Name of the Wind. Beware spoilers below (however, if you've read Name of the Wind none of these are spoilers, as these books are identical outside of this one being horribly written).
1. The first paragraph talks about "stillness".
2. The poetry of the writing is an attempt at identical style of writing.
3. It starts in an inn
4. The protagonist is young and wise beyond his years
5. The story is about a mythic hero who is telling his life story using a framing narrative
6. The main character has a magical cloak that is made by fayries.
7. The inn is attacked by demons.
8. He is a musician.
9. He is in a theater group.
10. They have someone holding a story/song hostage from them.
11. Their parents are both killed by an evil ancient being who is trying to stop their story from being told via a play in public.
12. There is a love interest who holds secrets who sings.
13. The relationship with this girl is cringey.
14. He has a magic teacher in the first act with a long training montage.
15. The teacher dies immediately after training him.
16. The boy is too clever for the teachers liking.
17. He then goes on for several chapters to have an "Oliver Twist" adventure.
18. He cannot let anyone ever have his blood because of what other magic users can do with it.
19. He finds out that the magic school he wants to attend is way above his station in life.
20. The protagonist claims their story is a major tragedy.
21. He pisses off teachers at this school, and the one who eventually teaches him is offbeat and kookie.
22. The university admissions scene is virtually identical.
23. As he advances through school the characters are given items that denote how far they have advanced.
24. The magic they learn at the beginning is associated with a candle.
25. Their powers are elemental in nature.
26. The magic is about "splitting the mind" in one, and "folding the mind" in the other.
27. There is an addictive drug that turns teeth white.
28. When abilities are pushed too far it can put themselves and others in danger.
29. There is a religion where the ultimate creator is said to have come in the form of a mortal body, with the aid of a moral human mother, and is known as the son himself.
This is plagiarism pure and simple, and R.R. Virdi should be ashamed of himself.
0/5 stars. The worst book I have ever read and the most blatant rip-off of another book (Name of the Wind) that I've ever read!
I am legitimately angry at goodreads that they force me to give a minimum of 1 star for this book, as it deserves a big fat 0 stars. Not only is the book extremely poorly written, but it's over the top plagiarism is borderline criminal. Instead of giving a review of this book, I am going to share with you all the things directly stolen from Name of the Wind. Beware spoilers below (however, if you've read Name of the Wind none of these are spoilers, as these books are identical outside of this one being horribly written).
1. The first paragraph talks about "stillness".
2. The poetry of the writing is an attempt at identical style of writing.
3. It starts in an inn
4. The protagonist is young and wise beyond his years
5. The story is about a mythic hero who is telling his life story using a framing narrative
6. The main character has a magical cloak that is made by fayries.
7. The inn is attacked by demons.
8. He is a musician.
9. He is in a theater group.
10. They have someone holding a story/song hostage from them.
11. Their parents are both killed by an evil ancient being who is trying to stop their story from being told via a play in public.
12. There is a love interest who holds secrets who sings.
13. The relationship with this girl is cringey.
14. He has a magic teacher in the first act with a long training montage.
15. The teacher dies immediately after training him.
16. The boy is too clever for the teachers liking.
17. He then goes on for several chapters to have an "Oliver Twist" adventure.
18. He cannot let anyone ever have his blood because of what other magic users can do with it.
19. He finds out that the magic school he wants to attend is way above his station in life.
20. The protagonist claims their story is a major tragedy.
21. He pisses off teachers at this school, and the one who eventually teaches him is offbeat and kookie.
22. The university admissions scene is virtually identical.
23. As he advances through school the characters are given items that denote how far they have advanced.
24. The magic they learn at the beginning is associated with a candle.
25. Their powers are elemental in nature.
26. The magic is about "splitting the mind" in one, and "folding the mind" in the other.
27. There is an addictive drug that turns teeth white.
28. When abilities are pushed too far it can put themselves and others in danger.
29. There is a religion where the ultimate creator is said to have come in the form of a mortal body, with the aid of a moral human mother, and is known as the son himself.
This is plagiarism pure and simple, and R.R. Virdi should be ashamed of himself.
dignifiedisaster's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
mxsallybend's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. A well-written book that sucked me in, weaving its layers of nested tales about me, but the characters were a bit cold, nothing much really happened, and the ending came too long after what would have been a suitable climax. Still, I'm up for a sequel.
thijs_geluiden's review
2.0
2.5 stars. And this took some consideration.
First off, something that a lot of people have said already and is heavily discussed online, so I won't go into it, but this book is so incredibly close to The Name of the Wind that it feels derivative and in other places even a blatant ripoff. I'll try to judge the book on its own merits and in isolation but it does affect my rating pretty badly.
I picked this book up because the blurb reminded me of The Name of the Wind. And I liked the Name of the Wind. A previously heroic character retelling their own story sounds really good to me.
However, aside from being wholly similar to The Name of the Wind, the book is also just sort of... flat. Its a whopping 800 pages long, but completely lacks the depth of interaction between friends and family that make a self-told, introspective story worth the read. The prose is quite good, but becomes repetitive after a while to the point where everything sort of sounds the same.
Which is a shame, because I think this writer is capable of so much. There are parts of the story which are beautifully written, the worldbuilding and magic system are very interesting, and the writer generally shows a great capacity for writing. The setting is beautifully crafted and its South Asian inspiration feels new and fresh. It is, however, completely wasted on this book, which kind of drags along at times.
I won't go into the whole Kingkiller discussion, but lets say if you've read The Name of the Wind, this book has no new story for you.
First off, something that a lot of people have said already and is heavily discussed online, so I won't go into it, but this book is so incredibly close to The Name of the Wind that it feels derivative and in other places even a blatant ripoff. I'll try to judge the book on its own merits and in isolation but it does affect my rating pretty badly.
I picked this book up because the blurb reminded me of The Name of the Wind. And I liked the Name of the Wind. A previously heroic character retelling their own story sounds really good to me.
However, aside from being wholly similar to The Name of the Wind, the book is also just sort of... flat. Its a whopping 800 pages long, but completely lacks the depth of interaction between friends and family that make a self-told, introspective story worth the read. The prose is quite good, but becomes repetitive after a while to the point where everything sort of sounds the same.
Which is a shame, because I think this writer is capable of so much. There are parts of the story which are beautifully written, the worldbuilding and magic system are very interesting, and the writer generally shows a great capacity for writing. The setting is beautifully crafted and its South Asian inspiration feels new and fresh. It is, however, completely wasted on this book, which kind of drags along at times.
I won't go into the whole Kingkiller discussion, but lets say if you've read The Name of the Wind, this book has no new story for you.
jmaxcam's review
3.0
The First Binding is very much a Name of the Wind 2.0. Now I actually prefer this to the Name of the Wind, however it has the same pitfalls. It is overly long and meandering and by the end, there is so sense of resolution. Even if a book is part one of a series, the book shouldn't just end.
One of the biggest issues I had was the prose. There were moments I absolutely loved how it was written, and other parts where the rhyme scheme was all wrong and pulling me out of the story. I was more focused on what the rhythm was instead if what was actually being told.
I almost put the book down at the beginning as I did not enjoy how Eloine was presented. We don't learn much about her, however there are a couple of chapters from her persepective that made me appreciate her a bit more. For the most part I felt that she was only there so Ari could tell his story and be infatuated with someone.
One of the biggest issues I had was the prose. There were moments I absolutely loved how it was written, and other parts where the rhyme scheme was all wrong and pulling me out of the story. I was more focused on what the rhythm was instead if what was actually being told.
I almost put the book down at the beginning as I did not enjoy how Eloine was presented. We don't learn much about her, however there are a couple of chapters from her persepective that made me appreciate her a bit more. For the most part I felt that she was only there so Ari could tell his story and be infatuated with someone.
hagbard_celine's review
3.0
If the author finishes the series, he'll have achieved something Rothfuss can't.
aymesxo's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
parke20j's review
4.0
Really interesting novel. Has a similar feel to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
claras_bookshelf's review
4.0
Gorgeous prose, rich South Asian mythology, and stories nested within stories
I received an ARC of this from NetGalley, but this had been one of my most-anticipated titles for 2022.
The story follows a mysterious storyteller called Ari, who has the ability to perform magical bindings of old. It reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of The Wind in how the story was framed, with the current day setting bleeding into the past with each retelling that Ari performs to a songstress he meets early on in the book.
The first 20% of the book felt harder to get into because there were too many instances of overexplaining, although I understand that this might be because of the tradition of storytelling that R.R. Virdi has done research on. That said, because storytelling in the past was done orally, this might be why it doesn't quite translate as well in text at times.
Despite my issues with the initial pacing, it definitely picked up more afterwards, so don't let the first part of the book put you off!! The rest of the book is worth the wait!
I really loved learning about Ari's past and how it shaped his experiences and who he became. I'm not sure yet that I understand his current self, but the lead-up feels natural and I look forward to reading more in the next installment! I would also really love to learn more about Eloine, his love interest, just because she seems to have such an interesting backstory but so far too much of the story is just focused on how beautiful she is and how she has an effect on men, which can feel a bit tired at times. She clearly has so much more to offer and I wanted to see more into her past as well.
Overall, a great start to an epic fantasy with intricate worldbuilding and a complex magic system.
Can't wait to read more!
I received an ARC of this from NetGalley, but this had been one of my most-anticipated titles for 2022.
The story follows a mysterious storyteller called Ari, who has the ability to perform magical bindings of old. It reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of The Wind in how the story was framed, with the current day setting bleeding into the past with each retelling that Ari performs to a songstress he meets early on in the book.
The first 20% of the book felt harder to get into because there were too many instances of overexplaining, although I understand that this might be because of the tradition of storytelling that R.R. Virdi has done research on. That said, because storytelling in the past was done orally, this might be why it doesn't quite translate as well in text at times.
Despite my issues with the initial pacing, it definitely picked up more afterwards, so don't let the first part of the book put you off!! The rest of the book is worth the wait!
I really loved learning about Ari's past and how it shaped his experiences and who he became. I'm not sure yet that I understand his current self, but the lead-up feels natural and I look forward to reading more in the next installment! I would also really love to learn more about Eloine, his love interest, just because she seems to have such an interesting backstory but so far too much of the story is just focused on how beautiful she is and how she has an effect on men, which can feel a bit tired at times. She clearly has so much more to offer and I wanted to see more into her past as well.
Overall, a great start to an epic fantasy with intricate worldbuilding and a complex magic system.
Can't wait to read more!
madswritess's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Storytelling at its heart. Reading this book feels like sitting by a warm fire, listening to someone give you a story as the outside world falls quiet around you.
The First Binding shapes an immersive, creative narrative through its poetic prose and deft worldbuilding. While some might find the pace slow, I would have to disagree—mostly. This story definitely takes its time, but it pulls you into Ari's life, bringing you along every step of the way. It's mesmerizing while retaining its more action-packed moments. Seriously, I could gush about the storytelling for days on end. This book's narrative structure is so captivating; it fluctuates with its techniques, moving from the "intermissions" to the larger sections recounting Ari's life, then to the smaller, more contained stories interspersed throughout. It frequently jumps from the past to the present, which I absolutely adored. My favorite parts were definitely the recountings of Ari's past. I found myself wishing for more in the present sections—more of a direct plot and a better connection and depth to Eloine's character.
This book might not be for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a long, patient story filled with twisting legends and tales, then I would recommend giving this one a try.
(NOTE: I've never read "The Name of the Wind," but I've heard it's really similar to that book.)
The First Binding shapes an immersive, creative narrative through its poetic prose and deft worldbuilding. While some might find the pace slow, I would have to disagree—mostly. This story definitely takes its time, but it pulls you into Ari's life, bringing you along every step of the way. It's mesmerizing while retaining its more action-packed moments. Seriously, I could gush about the storytelling for days on end. This book's narrative structure is so captivating; it fluctuates with its techniques, moving from the "intermissions" to the larger sections recounting Ari's life, then to the smaller, more contained stories interspersed throughout. It frequently jumps from the past to the present, which I absolutely adored. My favorite parts were definitely the recountings of Ari's past. I found myself wishing for more in the present sections—more of a direct plot and a better connection and depth to Eloine's character.
This book might not be for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a long, patient story filled with twisting legends and tales, then I would recommend giving this one a try.
(NOTE: I've never read "The Name of the Wind," but I've heard it's really similar to that book.)