“Who the fuck is R.R. Virdi?” you might be asking yourself, having stumbled upon this website at 2:00AM while doom-scrolling social media (it’s cool, we’ve all been there). I’m glad you are here asking that very question. Because if you’re not asking, well, it’s probably that you’ve already read his stuff!
WHY YOU SHOULD READ HIM
I came across R.R. Virdi sideways — I met him at a convention a few years before his first novel from Tor, “The First Binding,” was released in 2022. I knew about the book deal he had but not the contents of the book. Many of my author friends knew the author, and recommended his stuff. So when the novel came out, I picked up a copy and discovered one of the more interesting and eloquent storytellers I’d read in a while.
This epic fantasy novel drew a lot of praise, some comparisons to other fantasy novels, and a fanbase that was eager for the sequel. Which the author delivered in 2024 with “The Doors of Midnight.” And fans of the series rejoiced.
Well, I know I rejoiced. I have no idea what the other fans were doing… I was too busy reading.
The Tales of Tremaine is one of those series that you, as a reader, need to give time to breathe as you work your way through the novels. If you rush through, you will miss plot points and parts of the story that you will want to remember later. It’s also densely packed with stories within stories. It also feels like a little bit of an unreliable narrator, which is fun because not everything happens the way you’re told by the main initially. “A certain point of view” is played throughout in a fun, entertaining manner.
The author also draws unfair comparisons to Patrick Rothfuss, which I think is incorrect. Virdi has a younger “voice” in his style, reminding me more of Gene Wolfe than Rothfuss, and for me is more engaging of a narrative in the story. He also is more productive, with two rather massive tomes coming out within two years of one another. That’s pretty impressive, all things considered. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series
SO WHERE DO I GET HIS BOOKS?
The nice thing about R.R. Virdi is that his books can be found everywhere. If you have a bookstore, they either should have it on the shelf (side note: it’s easier to find his books in bookstores than mine) or can get it easily. However, if you’re like me and must have it now, Amazon has it in stock and ready to ship today.
Jason Córdova 