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



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

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

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

My name is Ari.

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

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

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.



Praise for this book

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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






About the Author

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

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

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

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


Title: The First Binding
Author(s): R.R. Virdi
Volume: 1
ISBN: 9781250799340
Copyright 2022
Release Date: August 16, 2022
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: mobi,ePub | Learn More about our supported formats
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