Each phase of Ari’s life is distinct and pulls on some favorite tropes – during one section, for instance, we spend time with a family of street thieves. In some ways, the sections of Ari’s past feels like three books bound into this one tome. THE FIRST BINDING covers roughly three phases in Ari’s early life, and from the bits and pieces teased out through various interactions in present day, we’ve only barely scratched the surface of Ari’s history. The book goes back and forth between “present day,” where Ari and songstress Eloine are having conversations and furthering their various agendas, and the story of Ari’s past.

So when a mysterious songstress convinces him to share his story, a tale of grand proportions. He’s forgotten more about magic than most people could hope to even hear about. When we meet Ari, he’s already led quite the life. THE FIRST BINDING is an enchanting entry in a new saga, albeit one that can feel a little too familiar at times. But what is the true story behind all those mythical events, and why is such an esteemed figure in a small town as rumors of war and upheaval have begun to stir? If there’s one thing the Storyteller likes to do, it’s to tell a story – particularly his own. He is the hero and villain of dozens of tales.

But when the Storyteller crosses paths with a mysterious songstress, he finds someone who knows the truth: that he is Ari, a magic binder of great power, a man who started a war, killed monsters, destroyed villages. The fabled Storyteller will be the first to tell you that all great stories begin with a lie.

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi