New Spring: The Novel (Wheel of Time)

Like the rest of the Wheel of Time series, this book is a beginning, not THE beginning but a beginning. This book is a prequel to the main series and it is focused on one series of events that helps establish the basis for the series as a whole.

This prequel (there are rumors of two more) starts at the time of the Aiel war and introduces us to two of the most interesting characters in the series: Moiraine and Lan. It is basically the story of how these two people met and started off on their search for the Dragon Reborn. While that is the main focus of the book, there are many other characters and events that are hinted at in the series that are fleshed out and explained in this book.

Surprisingly for Robert Jordan, this is a short book - only 340 pages or so. Also surprisingly, it is a complete story. It does not bounce around to the dozens of other people, nor does it terminate with nothing resolved. It starts by introducing us to Lan as the great warrior that he is; to Moiraine as a goofy and high-spirited Accepted and goes through the events in their lives that introduce them, bind them, and launch them on the search.

Moiraine and Lan are the two most appealing characters to me in the Wheel of Time series and having this prequel fill in some of their earlier lives was a very enjoyable read to me. So, from those points of view, I really applaud this book.

Jordan, being Jordan, however, could not resist the temptation to throw in all kinds of extra baggage. Many of the characters or institutions of the later books come into play here. We are introduced to Cadsuane, Siuan Sanche, the Black Ajah, Darkfriends, Trollocs etc. There are many areas that answer questions like what is the test for raising one from Accepted to full Sister? etc. On the other hand, there are many things that were brought up that were not really germane. For instance, is it really important to know that Siuan and Moiraine were lesbian lovers while being Accepted?

My summary is that you should read this book as the first one and your introduction to the series if you have not started it yet, or if you are already a fan, then use it to add to your bakground knowledge.

In reviewing this book first let me say that I have read the entire Wheel of Time Series to date. I have grown tired of the convoluted and seemingly neverending storyline. At some point in a saga, it's time to have an ending. So, at book 10, I'd already given up on reading any further in this series, my wife purchased Book 11 for me to read, but I digress...
In New Spring, The storytelling is fresh and more like the early part of the WOT series. It was very interesting and enlightening to find out Moraine Sedai's early history and some of the relationships with other sisters who would be central in later volumes. The writing is crisp. I found her journey from accepted to full sister fascinating.Her closeness with Sian Sanche was also enlightening.Her finding and how she ended up bonding with her Warder filled in a lot of blanks.
Overall I'd say this prequel may have gotten me to reread some of the earlier volumes again.
pgciboss

First, I will say that R. Jordan is a talented writer. But it seems to me that he is using his talents to create a franchise that will give him an annuity, at the expense of his fans who desire to see the Wheel of Time story and world evolve. This book, as with the last 3-4 books he has written, seems to follow the same formulaic cookie cutter template. It almost seems that R. Jordan has put his writing on auto-pilot and is traveling the same country side. Regardless of his skills in word crafting, I feel that in this book and the last 4 books, I am basically treading water.
Furthermore, I do not understand R. Jordan's fascination with his characters' womanly angst and the petty minutia of the so called relationships. Please...stop, no more. Every single female character seems to be going through some self realization via some male character. What at first was some enjoyable subplot regarding the foibles of the characters in their relationship has become very tiresome. Every female characer of any note can be summarized by this: 1) she is powerful/infuential and 2) Regardless of being powerful/influential they get all flustered and angst ridden because of some male character.
Overall, I think this book adds some lore to the background of the WoT series...I mean the Jordan Annuity, but I was frustrated by a lack of plot movement and the sense that I had already read this book. Maybe for people new to Jordon's francise...I mean the Jordan Annuity, it is a good read, but for someone familar with his body of work, it isn't a worthwhile buy.

To explain the rating (1 star) , it is necessary to explain what some reviewers seem to have missed , that there are 2 categories of readers of this book .
1)Those who have read the WoT untill the bitter (preliminary) end of the CoT .
2) Those who have not .
I belong to the first category .
Follows that I know already everything about the plot , the characters and the style of the author .
I am not really surprised that the Dragon is reborn - in my world he's already cleaned the Saidin .
I am not really surprised that there is a Black Ajah - in my world they have been hunted for a long time .
Sure there are some minor details that are added to fill up in order to get a short novel .
Those details don't make it a worthy read and surely not worth the money .
It's like you study the history of the Napoleonian period and somebody comes and tells you :"Hey , I can fill you in what was the young Murat like between 1793 and 1794 . Gimme 20 $ and I tell you the story ."
You'd probably send him to hell and rightly so .
Besides I was extremely irritated by what seemed to be an obvious attempt at putting a story in a movie scenario format .
Conclusion : if you are from the first category , you should stay away from this rather useless book . .
Unless of course you are so hooked on Jordan that you don't care about anything as long as it's signed Jordan .
If you are of the second category , it's a short fantasy novel of average quality and it might be rated 2 or perhaps even 3 .
But then why not to go directly to great authors like G.R.R Martin or S.Erikson ?

New Spring is a prequel to the Wheel of Time series. A decade before The Eye of the World, the Lady Moiraine Damodred is a niece of the King of Cairhien, but she is also an Accepted of the White Tower

Together with her closest friend Siuan Sanche, she is on duty in the Amyrlin's sitting room when Gitara Moroso, the Keeper of the Chronicles, has a Foretelling of the Dragon Reborn taking his first breath on the slope of Dragonmount and then drops dead. Tamra Ospenya, the Amyrlin Seat of the Aes Sedai, warns them to tell no one and dismisses them from their watch.

In this novel, the Amyrlin sends out all the Accepted to record the names of the babies born in the vicinity of Dragonmount within the previous few days and, on the first day, Moiraine and Siuan are assigned together to gather such names in one of the camps. However, Siuan arranges for her to stay behind on the second day to rewrite the nearly illegible lists and, of course, Siuan also has to stay behind to help her. Despite Moiraine's advantage in schooling, Siuan is much better at solving puzzles and has realized that they will have a better chance of discovering the identity of the Dragon Reborn from the lists than by taking names in the field.

The Dragon Reborn becomes as obsession with Moiraine; she even has nightmares about the coming war against the Dark One. Siuan shares in her obession and her nightmares, although to a lesser extent. They start exchanging possibilities and keeping records in small books which they keep on their persons while awake. They make secret plans for their search after they pass their trials.

After they become Aes Sedai, however, Moiraine and Siuan find themselves unable to leave the Tower for any extended length of time. They are assigned duties which keep them busy and close to the Tower. They know that others are searching, but they are frustrated in their own attempts. Then they discover evidence that the Black Ajah is also looking.

In this story, Moiraine finds her vocation in searching for the Dragon Unborn. She also meets Lan Mandragoran, who has a problem of his own to solve and distrusts Aes Sedai. Siuan gains access to the Blue Ajah's Eyes and Ears and looks for signs of the Dragon Reborn.

If you have not previously read the Wheel of Time series, start with this one (or whatever is the earliest prequel). It fills in much of the backstory of the Aes Sedai immediately prior to the first volume in the Wheel of Time. While the side story herein provides hints about Lan and the Borderers, the full history of Malkier and Lan's ancestors is worthy of another prequel. Moreover, the story of the Dragon himself is barely mentioned, so that is another possible prequel.

Highly recommended for Jordan fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of high intrique, daring youngsters, and complicated magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

After finally losing all patience with Jordan after that fiasco called book ten, I started New Spring with growing tredpidation and nightmares of nothing happening. It starts off slow and wanders for chapters over copying names onto a list.
However, it does pick up and once it got going i could not put the book down and it reminded me of the very first book in WOT. I absolutely loved this book and I hope that the other Prequels are done in the same way.
I know that a lot of fans are turned off by Jordan these days and i can understand why. However there are a few things that happen in this book, I never read the short story version of this one so it came as a surprise, and I think that in order to write book 11 he had to deal with that first. It definitely makes Rand's position in book 10 a little more tense.

"New Spring" reminds me of why I started loving the Wheel of Time series back when I first made my way through "The Eye of the World." This is a fun, quick read, with plenty of action and a nice, quick plotline. It is, in short, a refreshing change after the glacial progress of the last few Wheel of Time books. While certainly exciting for devoted fans of the series, this prequel still is accessible to newcomers. Its plot is self-contained, and while it certainly gives old fans new insights on characters from the main series, no knowledge is prerequisite to enjoyment or understanding of this book. Don't hate this book without trying it because of Jordan's recent less-than-stellar works: that's ridiculous. Look on this as what it probably is--a fun novel that Jordan has written while he recreates the life and vitality that he will hopefully infuse into the remainder of the Wheel of Time.

Since word came that RJ's next book was going to be a prequel, I have been dreading it. And I bemoaned the book amongst friends, endlessly. I wanted to further the storyline, not go back in time. However as with most things regarding this series I found myself sucked into buying it. I refused to read it for a month or so but when I actually did pick it up I was quickly engrossed -- unlike with the past 3/4 books from this series.
This one reminded me why I liked the series to begin with. The character interactions were crisp again. The dialogue sharp, and in most cases, not unnecessary. I actually found myself grinning while reading. Something I've not done with this series, in awhile. As other people have pointed out, it does provide quite a lot of backstory that we have not seen before.
Now some people are claiming that they have read it all before and that it has been published before but the fact is, the majority of the book has not. And those that are saying it has have not read the book and are simply going off speculation. This one is well worth buying, reading, and adding to the collection. I definitely recommend this book, even if you have been disenchanted and/or unhappy with the last couple of books.

I read this book based on some of the other reviews, and frankly, I am glad I did. Like many fans of the Wheel of Time, I have been bored senseless by the last couple of books. I had no intention of buying the next Robert Jordan book until I had read it from the library. I took a chance on this one simply because it was going back in time. I believe it works as a standalone book, but it is also an enjoyable insight into the history of Robert Jordan's world. It isn't great. It isn't the 'ripping yarns' that the early WoT books are, but it is a fun and easy read. It's main use from my view, is that it gives me some hope that the rest of WoT might start to return to the enjoyment given by the early books.

I think this book shows that, while Robert Jordan is not a particularly talented writer, he does have a vision for the Wheel of Time series. Whether or not this vision came about as a fluke or from brainstorming, I cannot say.
But I will say, that the copy of this story I read in Barnes and Nobles is heads and shoulders better than 'Crossroads of Twilight'.
For some reason, narrowing the list of main characters down to two has the effect of making the story seem tighter. Even though many scenes have a strange, predicatable formula to dialogue and descriptions to them (When Gitara Moroso dies, the Amyrlin acts as if this was merely an annoying instance rather than anything particularly terrible...I'm not asking for the Amyrlin to break down, but the whole 'You can't Heal death.' line has been used too many times in the series and 'Gone...right when I need you most' is so overdone in fantasy in general, the moment lost dramatic tension.
I give this book three stars. I can honestly say that I don't necessarily 'care' about Aes Sedai politics, though in general, their political intrigues are less grating to read about than Elayne's chapters, but I did find myself enjoying the fact that a few Accepted and Aes Sedai in some scenes were probably already Black Ajah.
Perhaps the three heroes and three heroines in the main bulk of the series works against R. Jordan, in that you get bored trying to keep up with these characters during the lulls in their experience.
I no longer believe Robert Jordan has a 'gift' for writing, nor a mastery of political fiction or intrigue. I honestly think he had a great idea for a series, built the story around these great, main principles and somehow got lost with each new detail he introduced.
This reader is curious to see what a stronger writer, such as Guy Gavriel Kay, James Clavell or George R. R. Martin could do with the Wheel of Time source material.
Hopefully, get rid of the Dragon Reborn...ironically, this book made me realize that the Wheel of Time is much more interesting when the Dragon/Rand is not at the forefront of the action killing off Forsaken and whatnot.
Wait until this book is out on paperback, and then buy. I think it was a good read, but honestly, I read it right in the bookstore and was not upset when I placed it back on the shelf and went home.

I am in the group that's grown frustrated with the pace of Jordan's last 5 Wheel of Time books. So, it was with some trepidation that I bought this book. What a pleasant surprise; it was a pleasure read, the characters were well developed, and the plot was defined. I was emotionally involved in the book through the last page.

At 330 pages, it's a short story by Jordan's standards. The plotline was intricate, yet easy to follow. More importantly, it was resolved at the end of the book. Nonetheless, there are plenty of threads that leave room for Jordan to write prequel sequels.

For anybody who's already read Jordan, I reccommend this book - you'll be satisfied. If you're new to the WOT series, start at Volume One and read the first five or six books before you get back to this prequel.

"New Spring: the Novel" was a satisfying book but it didn't move the main sequence stories along - which is fine because there are a lot of questions and situations that many WOT fans have been wondering about and wanting to read about for many, many years. Things like how Suin and Moraine met and their relationship with Eladia. How Lan and Moraine met. What is involved and what the process of becoming a full Aes Sedai is and the trials are associated with that process.

This book is not near as epic as any of the other books, of course, but then again it is only 300+ pages and did not take that long to produce. It was also a shorter story before so all Robert Jordan had to do was expand some sections.

Originally Jordan was going to produce two more prequels alternating release dates with main sequence books but now he said he is going to finish the main sequence before any other books are made. So that is good news as the last battle will not be delayed much longer than it is just between main sequence release dates.

Also, Lan is a bad man. He is so awesome and it's great to finally get some point-of-view chapters from him. He's got such an interesting personality and his actions that conincide with his thoughts are so neat and facinating.

And Foretelling is finally talked about more than just Eladia's foretelling about the White Tower. Some interesting Talents have a little more spotlight in this book than previous ones.

So like I said, this book is a good read, and it IS satisfying, but don't be expecting another "the Great Hunt."

I give this book a four (4.5would be more like it) for the simple reason that it show how Jordan is a writer on top of his game. This book is simply well writen.
I take for example the fight in the yard with Lan facing 6 antagonists. WOW, you simply feel like you are there and see the action. You even feel as surprise as lan when it's all over.
Sure, it wraps up pretty quickly, but as far as fantasy goes, it's well writen.
With a better story, I would have given it a five. But, hey: it's a quick rewrite of a short story.

There are two avenues of thought emerging when it comes to the `Wheel of Time'. The first is that the books are marketed and described to us as a series, and each new book is an opportunity to evaluate the entire series. The second perspective is that each book ought to be evaluated on its own merits, irrespective of how it adds or detracts from the rest of the books or plotline.

I embrace the former viewpoint. In my opinion, if a book is being marketed as a series, then each book should be evaluated on its own merit, but that individual book should also offer contrasts into how the entire series has developed.

The essential problem with `New Spring' is that the prequel has already been released in a more streamlined form. As a result, the reader who is familiar with the original prequel featurette cannot help but compare what has been added to this edition and make value judgments on whether the `new' material has added anything to the theme.

In this reader's opinion, this book functions well as a prequel, but it's execution is lackluster for a single reason (or shall I say multiple reasons?) - the cast. Unfortunately, it is my opinion that the characterization that often falls flat with most of the `Wheel of Time' protagonists and this book belabors the point by highlighting secondary and minor characters to the detriment of the whole story.

With prequels, there tend to be one of three outcomes; the prequel legitimately adds greater understanding of the characters in the current plotlines, the prequel's plot does not affect the major characters but adds to the general understanding of the minor characters or the prequel comes across as a lackluster version of the prelude which should have been included in the first book.

`New Spring' as a novel cannot stand on it's own because the majority of the information is not intended to function as it's own book. The effect is that it is an enjoyable read, but it doesn't really matter to the reader because the information does not add to your understanding.

In my opinion, this is similar to introducing C-3PO in `Phantom Menace' as a creation of Anakin Skywalker. It is not necessary at all to inter-relate the minor characters to the plot this way, so it comes across as forced.

In theory, yes, it is interesting to read about the early experiences of Moiraine, Lan and Siuan. However there is something too convenient in how random Aes Sedai seem to be worked into this story. It feels as if they were not added for increased understanding of who they are, but rather, for the express purpose of exposing these characters earlier in the series than they originally appeared.

After finishing this book (as a Holiday gift), I learned that I don't really need to know the names of minor characters to understand the broader plot and while it is certainly interesting to show that Cadsuane knew Moiraine, it is not necessary and doesn't add to either character. In fact, one gets the feeling that Mr. Jordan does not understand that we as readers don't need a detailed description of what happens in the daily life of an inhabitant of Rand Land.

This book gets a 2; although it is a charming read, I cannot in good conscience recommend this since you would be best served buying or downloading the original and shorter featurette.

New Spring is the first novel in a trilogy of prequels to the Wheel of Time series. It is an expansion of the New Spring short story, but starting with the Aiel and foretelling in Tar Valon instead of Kandor. It starts off with one chapter with Lan at the end of the Aiel War, and then continues with Moraine as she goes from Accepted to Aes Sedai.

It is cool to see a traditional Accepted's view of life, but nothing really happens other than the foretelling, buying some clothes, writing down some names, and putting some money in the bank. We also get a quick peek at Elyas Machera, his fellow Warder, and their Green. It kept me interested enough. It would have been great if RJ told Lan's part as he traveled south and got into some trouble in Carhien. The paragraphs of description are mercifully less than in the last few books of the WoT series and that annoying word Daes Dae'mar appears less here.

The story takes off when both are in Kandor, Moraine searching for the Dragon Reborn, and Lan confronting his Caneira about the revival of Malkier as in the short story. This part is definitely better than the short story with one or two new chapters, and filling out of the rest.

If you are a WoT fan, then you want to get this book. Ignore the complaints about how RJ should be writing Knife of Dreams, not focusing on prequels (the other two are supposed to come after the end of the WoT series, but who knows with RJ) because it does not mean anything when it comes to the fact that this is a good prequel. New readers should start at The Eye of the World.

i am not well read in the sci-fi/fantasy genre and i dont really know how to write reviews. i just know that, at one time, i greatly loved the 'wheel of time' series and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning with the 'just-one-more-chapter' mentality while reading first 6 books. my affinity for the books has lessened with each release since then. while i understand the need for the set-up in 'crossroads,' i would be lying if i said i wasnt dissappointed at the end (i found the amount of space given to the andoran<sic> houses and nobility history particularly depressing).

last night, however, i read 'new spring.' i felt as if i was back in college, negotiating with myself and my morning schedule so that i could justify staying up to finish 'just-one-more-chapter.' all the elements about the series that i had originally fell in love with were there for me (including those aes sedai conversations that i love to go back and read; just to pick out the exact wording and implied meaning) and i ended up finishing the book at 6am. i dont know if i am excited because of the story, or because my hope for the rest of the series has returned.

A word of warning: If you haven't started reading the Wheel of Time series, consider not doing so. I was given the same warning before I started, failed to listen, and have often found cause to regret it.
Here's the problem with the series: The first three books are brilliant, stunning, Tolkienesque, some of the best fantasy ever written. The next three books are excellent. Starting around book seven, Jordan starts to be weighed down by the enormity of what he has started. Major plot points start to get further and further apart. By book nine, there only seems to be one resolution while more than a dozen loose ends are added to the increasingly unwieldly plot.
Because each book tends to weigh in at more than 800 pages, by the time you realize this, you're stuck. You've read 5,000 pages and, if you're like me, you're determined to see it through, even if you're not sure whether you're watching the most extensive build-up to a grand finale ever or the literary equivilent of a twenty-car pile-up.
So, with thousands of fans waiting eagerly to find out how the story turns out, praying that Jordan lives long enough to finish it, and doesn't give up, what does he do?
He spends a year writing a prequel.
That being said, it's a pretty good prequel. It's far more terse than anything he's written in a while. He doesn't have a half dozen plot threads to deal with at once or ten times that many that he's fastidiously ignoring. There is very little crossing of arms under breasts (Jordan's most overused mannerism.)
I will also admit that it's good to see some old, familiar faces back. Some of the characters in this book are allegedly dead by book ten. Some of them are still in several major storylines, but you only hear about them for twenty pages out of every thousand or so. I will remain intentionally vague to avoid spoiling early books for anyone working their way through the series now. You have enough frustration ahead of you without that.
Unfortunately, not only the characters are familiar. About sixty pages of this novel were already printed in "Legends," a short story collection that is another one of Jordan's increasingly habitual strayings from finishing the main storyline.

I started reading this series years ago, waiting patiently for the next chapters to begin. But to have it basically stop, left hanging after reading all of those novels feels like a great waste of my time. I read a book expecting a beginning, middle and an ending. This series leaves you wondering what you spent all those years reading and waiting for. I don't want to read how things started, I want to see how the final battle ends, what happens to Rand and the rest of them. Its annoying to be left without a finish.

The worst thing Jordan ever did was create the Dark One. If you think about his story, it is not a series but a serial novel. There are adventures attatched to adventures. No one I know is complaining about how many Xanth books there are or when Anthony will end the series. Or how many Conan stories Robert E Howard wrote. No one wanted the X-files to end.
Why do they want Jordan to end so badly? Because he promised us an ending with the last battle against the dark one. So now we're all waiting for it and have been for sometime.
If you think about all his stories, they are a bunch of adventures that are all tied together. Some are really fun. But now it is at the point were we are all waiting for that promise.
I personally really enjoyed this prequel (I also enjoyed book 10, most of it at least). I thought it was exciting and brought back one of my favorite characters in Moraine. And the ending was great.
I would recomend this book in a heart beat. The promlem with it is that there are no explanations. Which is good for return readers, but basically prevents you from reading this one first other wise you'll be lost.
So, if you don't mind another adventure in a great world, pick it up. If you're upset that the series has not ended, don't. If you haven't read any of the others ... read it at your own risk but know you'll probably be very confused.

This is a thrilling series dealing with human fears of the unknown and with traditions of legends.
Multi-stories of people coming together for the common good.
The power of the mind and its abilities to create conditions to satisfy needs.

First off, I love WoT. I have since I opened the first book. Unfortunately Mr Jordan has decided that the endless bickering of a couple of snot nosed female characters is better reading than the actual storyline.
I dont know how many times I can read about Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve bickering about men and decision making before I just want to start throwing books out the window. And dont get me started on Perrin's "adventure." That character had such awesome potential, and now hes not doing anything but whining about his wife. Matt, well I still like Matt's storyline, but how many pages can 10 miles of travelling really take up? Why not start smacking people, this is MATT were talking about, Im sure he knows how to slap people.
But on to New Spring. I bought the thing just to get a breath af fresh air. No Elayne, no Egwene, no Nynaeve, no Faile, no White Tower time wasting... wait. Yes, in this book there is a WHOLE LOT of White Tower time wasting. But, still at least the story moves in this book. The only drawback to this book is that now we have to wait longer for the next 8 trillion pages of WoT to come out so we can skim through until we find something that actually forwards the plot.
But if youre a WoT fanatic and you actually want to read a book where *gasp* something HAPPENS, go buy this one. Its a little breath of fresh air in the right world with a little action... but not much.

The saddest part is that in an interview that he gave years ago he said that he has had the ending of the series ready since day one. It just seems so pathetic to me that he is dragging this series on seemingly to test those of us who have been reading since the beginning (joyfully through 1997 and painfully since then). I feel like a drug addict in that I know that the book is going to be crap but I read it anyway because I hope that it will be as good as when I first started.
While this is not a bad story and almost seems like he is getting back to his original style it really ticks me off that he came out with a prequel (which I of course bought and now feel like I am just encouraging him to drag this out as long as he can).

This book is truly just light fluff, but very entertaining, fast paced, and made me want to finish it in one sitting. Lan loses some of his mystique, but you respect where Siuan and Moiraine come from. I like them both as characters, so it was nice to see them in their own book. If you don't like these three, you won't enjoy the book. Totally unlike the last two books in the Wheel of Time series. After the debacle that was Crossroads, I was debating whether to ever bother to buy another of his books, but I don't regret this one. And I will probably be a sucker for the next in the WoT series too :-)

The majority of the reviews on this page are reviewing the Wheel of Time as a whole for every book by Jordan on the store. Has everyone forgotten how to review a book, just for the book? This book was definately a prequal. It was written after 10 other books. Do you expect Jordan to be able to go back to how he wrote 15 years ago? If he could, the other books in the wheel of time would not get such bad reviews. In this book, I enjoyed being able to read about how the world reacts to Rand's birth on Dragonmount. I enjoyed getting background on Lan that has never been explored. Same with Moiraine. This was not a book that was supposed to move the Wheel of Time forward, or give anything away. It was meant as a background book. Jordan accomplished that rather well, I think. It was a teaser for the next book in the cycle. It truly is the Cycle of the Ages. Can't wait till the next book comes out, but I will.

First of all, let me say I rather enjoyed this book. Admittedly the series as a whole seems to be dragging on, but the short (comparitively) prequel to this monster epic was actually very well done. My favorite character, Moiraine, becomes the focus of this story. In it Mr Jordan explains things that he would have a hard time writing another 900 page book about.

Also, Robert tries from Book V on to eliminate whole character lines in order to bring the story under 1000 pages. Many people have been angry about this. However, as is seen from this prequel, having two story arcs tends to be easier to handle than 4 or 5. If you are new to the Wheel of Time this was supposed to be one of three books in a prequel trilogy (unfortunately because of fans' anger he has since pushed back writing the other two), so be wary in those regards.

All-in-all, it was a solid book. It just suffers from people being angry with Robert for not finishing what began as a six book series and is 12 books (if you count the prequel) and growing. Here's to hoping an end is in sight.

This is a light, fluffy read concentrating on Moraine and Siuan in their younger years. It was a fun read once, but does not have the depth and complexity of the Wheel of Time series itself. There are no read surprises or difficult decisions made by any characters. My favorite part of the book was its description of a few of the rituals and magic practiced only by blue sisters. Get this at the library or wait for it in paperback because you won't need to read it again or keep it for reference to the other books.

I really enjoyed this book as it does a fine job of painting the backdrop of happenings before "The Eye of the World." Jordan does well here with developing the stories of Lan, Moiraine and the prophecy of the Dragon Reborn. This book is worth your time and not just filler. It is well-written, entertaining throughout and the pace never slackens. Also, it is nice to read something by Jordan that is less than 700 pages. Highly recommended to all WoT fans.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS.

The Wheel has replaced comic books. Comic books never end, their characters rarely grow or change, final resolution never takes place. For those readers out there who enjoy soap operas and comic books equally, then Wheel will satisfy you as nothing else will. You?re not reading these books to find out what ultimately happens?you?re reading it to find out what happened in this issue. You?re reading them only because they?re familiar and safe and they?ll be regularly published for you like clockwork. The only other reason to read these books is if some enterprising publisher published a condensed version of those sections dealing only with Rand. This might be a worthwhile read? assuming that Wheel ever ends, which it shows no signs of doing.

WHY YOU SHOULD PASS. If you?ve ever noticed that the thing is eleven volumes long and still growing with no end in sight then you?ve answered this question already. There are better writers in the fantasy genre. Better works of literature in the realm of speculative fiction, and even if you like certain parts of stuff in Wheel, you?re going to be punished for those likes by the unbearable length of the series as a whole. There is every reason not to get involved with this thing. Like living your own life for one. Like not enriching exploitive publishers for another.

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While many people feel that Robert Jordan has been slipping as one of the top tier fantasy writers this book muffles the critics atleast a little bit. The story is a prequel, while many now view that word and instantly dislike it, the book isn't that bad. What many fans of Robert Jordan and I also like about this book is that fans of the series get to see Moraine and Lan before they became old, wise and powerful. It adds some history and is a easy page turner. Some true fans may cry foul because instead of writing a new book in the series to get it over with Robert Jordan decided to write this prequel and two others while finishing the series. If each of the next two prequels are as quick and good reads as this, it only adds to the ever expanding length of WOT that many fans still love.

This is the first of R.J's books I have ever read, and because of it I am hooked to Sci-Fi (my mother now hates RJ because of it) I wont tell you this is one of those oh-my-gosh-it's-already-three AM books, because it's not. It took me two months to finish this book, and I'm not a slow reader. I first started reading this book, and was clueless as to what was going on, so I stopped reading. Then two months later, I had no books to read. So I opened New Spring again, and I loved it!!

For those of you first time R.J. readers, READ THIS BOOK FIRST. It might be a bit confusing in the beginning, but as it goes on it explains so much. It gives you an insight on some of the characters true personalities. It show's Morien as a fun, loving, young, mischievous women. Instead of a high strung, mysterious, know-it-all. This book explains so much that the first 11 WOT, keeps hidden.

For all you long term R.J. readers, you should read this book then reread the whole WOT series, believe me, it's worth it!

The characters in this book are very well developed and the plot line fresh and unlike most books I've read. But I still have a few bones to pick.

First of all it starts off with a character that you don't see again till the 13 chapter, so your jut wondering what was the point in that. Then after the first you see no real action till chapter 9. I gave the book a 5 star because even with all it faults it was an amazing book, and I have never read a book where there is nothing to fault.

That's exactly how I feel after reading each of the last 4 or so books in this series, it just never goes anywhere! For the first few books I was a great fan, the story was interesting and kept moving. Man, how things change.

I thought I would give this prequel a chance, figuring that maybe Jordan realized his main storyline was bogged down and this was a way to jump start things. I could imagine many ways in which a story involving the origins of some of the characters and situations in the previous books could be compelling. However, Jordan's ability to develop a plot seems to have deteriorated too far. Moiraine does chores. Moiraine takes names. Moiraine has lessons. Moiraine chats with Suian. Moiraine buys clothes (no I'm not kidding). For 300 pages. Seem boring? Well, it is. A biography of my sister at 15 would have similar material, but be far more entertaining. Lan is in there too, and when he's around the story moves a little better, but not much. I can only presume that something was revealed in this book that will be important as the series goes on, but by about half way through, I found myself not caring much any more.

I thought Jordan had gone as low as possible in book 10, when the sum progress made over several hundred pages of inane prose was Mat walks down a road. Why can so few writers of fantasy series finish their stories without getting into this trap. They get people hooked with a fast start, then just assume we'll keep reading out of habit. But then how can I complain, because I obviously have done just that. And I probably will get book 11 at some point, again hoping that someone in the book will do something worth reading about.

I'm a huge Robert Jordan fan and this book was very good. However, the series is long, and has a tendency to drag on. but the end is in sight. Robert Jordan has announced that he will complete the series in 2 more books, making a total of 12, and number 11 is due out in October. Also, the other prequels won't be written until after the main series is completed. Finally, he's heard his fans.

As a stand alone book New Spring is better than many of the books in the main body. But it's not as good of a place to begin if you're unfamiliar with the series, as The Eye of the World. The reason is that the book assumes the reader already knows how the power works, whereas, in the main series, you ease into it.

After years of loyalty to the Wheel of Time series I'm impatiently awaiting its conclusion. But I'm so hooked to the story that, no matter how long it takes, Robert Jordan cannot lose me as a fan. THE SERIES IS THAT GOOD, even if it is a bit long winded.

I really can't figure out why this book got so many bad reviews. Having just finished book five and being a little bit tired of the same characters over and over again, I decided to read New Spring (having already purchased it previously) while I waited for book six in the mail. It was more refreshing than I could have hoped. Moiraine and Siuan portrayed as Accepted (and mischievous ones) is fun to watch since seeing their reaction to the three young Accepted in the main books of the series.

Also, knowing that Lan and Moiraine have to meet at some point, there's constant guessing as to how they'll meet and how she'll convince him to be bonded as a Warder.

Like I said, I have no idea why so many people dislike this book. I'm excited for the next prequel where we'll get closer to Moiraine finally stumbling into the Two Rivers.

Fantastic (long) series that is right up the with Tolkien's Hobbit/Lord of the Rings.
Complex and imaginative story with well developed characters.
I look forward to passing my books down to my niece and nephew so they can enjoy it as much as I have.

Before starting to write this review, I decided to limit my comments strictly to the contents of this book, and not to the growing frustration many readers surely felt when they found out Jordan would release a prequel novel instead of moving forward in his main series.

I also have read the original novella that this novel was fleshed out from, and the improvement is not hard to miss. Jordan suffers from the concept that all fantasy books, even those with 10+ in the series each need to be 1000 pages long to get the point across. For the first time since maybe book 5 (The Fires of Heaven), when I read the last page of this novel I felt that this story was complete and could stand on its own, and it is only 334 pages in length. Jordan's description and characters are always good, if not great, and the story had a definitive beginning, middle and end. It also resolved all the plot points before the finish. These are the basics to good writing and I hope a little of this book's focus and style will factor into the writing of future volumes.

I enjoyed reading about Moirane's rise to the shawl and how she met Lan. Also, we get a glimpse of the Black Ajah and how the start of the search for the Dragon began. I have read in some places that there will be more prequels, and if so I will read them as well. Hopefully not another until the main series is complete. Fans of the series, pick this one up to read while we wait for the next one!

I was eight pages into this book when suddenly, in an unexpected and surely unwelcome intrusion, a vision of Jordan guffawing and pointing at me with one hand and cramming fistfuls of cash under his muu-muu with the other leapt unbidden into my head. It was enough to put me off my Jordan feed permanently, and luckily I was just standing in the bookstore at the time and hadn't paid for this book (with money, anyway). This book isn't just a retread, it is a retread of a retread. It is the expanded version of a previously published prequel to a series that is projected to end sometime around 2189 when Jordan's great grandchildren finally rediscover dignity. And all you have to pay for it is approximately the amount you could use to innoculate all the children in Gambia against yellow fever. Great!
Do not buy this book. Do not recommend it to your friends. If you do, more and more and more will continue to appear, dooming you to an eternity of open plot lines and 3-paragraph descriptions of Aes Sedai dresses. If you do not, Jordan will be faced with two options: 1) write a good book, or 2) stop 'writing' and go bask in Bimini, secure in the knowledge he has perpetrated one of the greatest acts of authorship fraud ever known to the American people, even surpassing the ghostwriter stable comprising 'Tom Clancy's Op Center'. In either case, we will be better off.

This is a must read for any WoT fan. This prequel recalls the story of how Moiraine and Lan met, as well as the friendship between Moiraine and Suian. The only thing I didn't like about this book was how short it was. Robert Jordan could have doubled its length and I would have been happy. This book was originally published after book 10, so that is when I read it.

I bought this not so much because I wanted it but that I hate having an incomplete series on my bookshelf. I waded through it and found some elements to be worthwhile. But overall I would have been much more satisfied with a conclusion to the whole thing rather than more of a beginning.

It seems of late that many authors are writing to churn out books rather than to entertain. Some still do a good job such as R. A. Salvatore for instance.

A true to form book of the Wheel of Time but not nearly the caliber of the earlier books of the series.

That's exactly how I feel after reading each of the last 4 or so books in this series, it just never goes anywhere! For the first few books I was a great fan, the story was interesting and kept moving. Man, how things change.

I thought I would give this prequel a chance, figuring that maybe Jordan realized his main storyline was bogged down and this was a way to jump start things. I could imagine many ways in which a story involving the origins of some of the characters and situations in the previous books could be compelling. However, Jordan's ability to develop a plot seems to have deteriorated too far. Moiraine does chores. Moiraine takes names. Moiraine has lessons. Moiraine chats with Suian. Moiraine buys clothes (no I'm not kidding). For 300 pages. Seem boring? Well, it is. A biography of my sister at 15 would have similar material, but be far more entertaining. Lan is in there too, and when he's around the story moves a little better, but not much. I can only presume that something was revealed in this book that will be important as the series goes on, but by about half way through, I found myself not caring much any more.

I thought Jordan had gone as low as possible in book 10, when the sum progress made over several hundred pages of inane prose was Mat walks down a road. Why can so few writers of fantasy series finish their stories without getting into this trap. They get people hooked with a fast start, then just assume we'll keep reading out of habit. But then how can I complain, because I obviously have done just that. And I probably will get book 11 at some point, again hoping that someone in the book will do something worth reading about.

I'm a huge Robert Jordan fan and this book was very good. However, the series is long, and has a tendency to drag on. but the end is in sight. Robert Jordan has announced that he will complete the series in 2 more books, making a total of 12, and number 11 is due out in October. Also, the other prequels won't be written until after the main series is completed. Finally, he's heard his fans.

As a stand alone book New Spring is better than many of the books in the main body. But it's not as good of a place to begin if you're unfamiliar with the series, as The Eye of the World. The reason is that the book assumes the reader already knows how the power works, whereas, in the main series, you ease into it.

After years of loyalty to the Wheel of Time series I'm impatiently awaiting its conclusion. But I'm so hooked to the story that, no matter how long it takes, Robert Jordan cannot lose me as a fan. THE SERIES IS THAT GOOD, even if it is a bit long winded.

I really can't figure out why this book got so many bad reviews. Having just finished book five and being a little bit tired of the same characters over and over again, I decided to read New Spring (having already purchased it previously) while I waited for book six in the mail. It was more refreshing than I could have hoped. Moiraine and Siuan portrayed as Accepted (and mischievous ones) is fun to watch since seeing their reaction to the three young Accepted in the main books of the series.

Also, knowing that Lan and Moiraine have to meet at some point, there's constant guessing as to how they'll meet and how she'll convince him to be bonded as a Warder.

Like I said, I have no idea why so many people dislike this book. I'm excited for the next prequel where we'll get closer to Moiraine finally stumbling into the Two Rivers.

Fantastic (long) series that is right up the with Tolkien's Hobbit/Lord of the Rings.
Complex and imaginative story with well developed characters.
I look forward to passing my books down to my niece and nephew so they can enjoy it as much as I have.

Before starting to write this review, I decided to limit my comments strictly to the contents of this book, and not to the growing frustration many readers surely felt when they found out Jordan would release a prequel novel instead of moving forward in his main series.

I also have read the original novella that this novel was fleshed out from, and the improvement is not hard to miss. Jordan suffers from the concept that all fantasy books, even those with 10+ in the series each need to be 1000 pages long to get the point across. For the first time since maybe book 5 (The Fires of Heaven), when I read the last page of this novel I felt that this story was complete and could stand on its own, and it is only 334 pages in length. Jordan's description and characters are always good, if not great, and the story had a definitive beginning, middle and end. It also resolved all the plot points before the finish. These are the basics to good writing and I hope a little of this book's focus and style will factor into the writing of future volumes.

I enjoyed reading about Moirane's rise to the shawl and how she met Lan. Also, we get a glimpse of the Black Ajah and how the start of the search for the Dragon began. I have read in some places that there will be more prequels, and if so I will read them as well. Hopefully not another until the main series is complete. Fans of the series, pick this one up to read while we wait for the next one!

I was eight pages into this book when suddenly, in an unexpected and surely unwelcome intrusion, a vision of Jordan guffawing and pointing at me with one hand and cramming fistfuls of cash under his muu-muu with the other leapt unbidden into my head. It was enough to put me off my Jordan feed permanently, and luckily I was just standing in the bookstore at the time and hadn't paid for this book (with money, anyway). This book isn't just a retread, it is a retread of a retread. It is the expanded version of a previously published prequel to a series that is projected to end sometime around 2189 when Jordan's great grandchildren finally rediscover dignity. And all you have to pay for it is approximately the amount you could use to innoculate all the children in Gambia against yellow fever. Great!
Do not buy this book. Do not recommend it to your friends. If you do, more and more and more will continue to appear, dooming you to an eternity of open plot lines and 3-paragraph descriptions of Aes Sedai dresses. If you do not, Jordan will be faced with two options: 1) write a good book, or 2) stop 'writing' and go bask in Bimini, secure in the knowledge he has perpetrated one of the greatest acts of authorship fraud ever known to the American people, even surpassing the ghostwriter stable comprising 'Tom Clancy's Op Center'. In either case, we will be better off.

This is a must read for any WoT fan. This prequel recalls the story of how Moiraine and Lan met, as well as the friendship between Moiraine and Suian. The only thing I didn't like about this book was how short it was. Robert Jordan could have doubled its length and I would have been happy. This book was originally published after book 10, so that is when I read it.

I bought this not so much because I wanted it but that I hate having an incomplete series on my bookshelf. I waded through it and found some elements to be worthwhile. But overall I would have been much more satisfied with a conclusion to the whole thing rather than more of a beginning.

It seems of late that many authors are writing to churn out books rather than to entertain. Some still do a good job such as R. A. Salvatore for instance.

A true to form book of the Wheel of Time but not nearly the caliber of the earlier books of the series.

I never got the chance to read the novella that was the basis of the prequel story. When reading the novel, though, there are points where you can feel that it was once a shorter version of it. It was a fun read and an interesting way to set up the series. But for the length of it, there was a lot that seemed more like world building filler than information for the plot line. Then again, if we take into account that this was written where Jordan was getting in trenched in his world description in his novels, I think New Spring just happened to be caught in the crossfire.

The best thing about this book was that it gave more insight to characters that play significant roles in the series, but for a while are shrouded in a lot of mystery. Moiraine and Lan seem well established in Eye of the World, and one could say it keeps them from evolving within Eye of the World. With New Spring, you get a reference while they are both young and have much left to learn and grow so when you start Eye of the World they feel richer and you understand them better.

While not a character, the Aes Sedai are better explained here too. Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayane showed us a glimpse of the workings of the Aes Sedai and The White Tower, but events of the series disrupts all of that early on. In New Spring, we are immersed in that life style and we see the development of an Aes Sedai in Moiraine. Since the Aes Sedai are integral to the workings of the world and the events around the Wheel of Time books, it's adds to the importance of reading this book first.

Many prequels can be just an easy way to get one more book out of a series, or a good filler to appease an audience when a book is taking longer to be written then it was slated. But New Spring is a true prequel in that it is just as important to the series as book 1, 5, or 12.

I've been an ever faithful reader of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Friends kept telling me he was stretching his story too long and he was just here for the bucks, and I didn't believe her. I followed him to Crossroads of Twilight and actually *liked* the book.
Which is why I went a bit rabid when I heard he would first do this 'prequel' instead of finishing his first cycle. No way, I thought. That's one of the lowest blow he could score.
But, being a rabid fan and all, I *did* purchase New Spring, out of curiosity. After all, Moiraine and Lan's beginnings should be pretty interesting to follow, right ?
Wrong.
This book is very disappointing - as a Robert Jordan book, and as a fantasy book as a whole. The slow pace we came to know and like is not just merely slow. It's agonizingly snail-likely slow.
Nothing of worth happens in these 400 pages. Absolutely nothing. There's little politics, little interaction, and much sniffing. Keep all the bad things, leave out the good ones.
That about sums it up. Don't buy it. Else you'll have to do what I'll probably do: buy the next one out of habit, instead of buying out of love.

This is a wonderful introduction to the beginning of the WoT series. Jordan does a great job of pulling us into the story. As the story unravels, we also get to discover a few new things, making some future events make more sense! It is a little slow-moving at spots, but I'm impatient. I'd recommend this book to any Robert Jordan fan!

I thought this book great. It was a great way for Robert Jordan to give us more detail of two very important characters. It helps us understand how they began and where the story "The Wheel of Time" started.

I loved it!!!

I am also looking forward, to hopefully, the many more books in "The Wheel of Time" series.

Robert Jordan is an excellent writer. There is no denying his skills. I enjoying reading this book. But this book did very little to enlighten anyone of anything that had transpired before. The beginning should start with the DRAGON REBORN. It didn't addressed the questions that the series alludes to constantly: RAND al' THOR is not TAM al'THOR's son. How did Tam gain custody of Rand? Who was Rand's mother? Was she a runaway member of a high ranking Andoran house? According to discriptions, one of his parents is obviously AIEL. The questions just abound from this storyline. That's the storyline I was looking for throughout the book and it never materialized.
I mean it's all well and good that Moiraine ran across Lan and bonded him. But was it a storyline worthy of special note. Do you go back and write a novel based on that relationship. I don't think so. This was an excellent opportunity to write a nice introduction to this series. Something akin to the HOBBIT in relation to the LORD OF THE RINGS triology. Ok, even with that said: What does Jordan do next? Is his next novel going to address the things I mentioned here. Or does he try to finish the series with us wondering what are RAND's true origins. I don't necessarily like spinning my wheels. but I love reading these books. However there should be some point to them.

As a book, it's typical of Jordan's writing. The same cliches exist, the same problems with his writing style, the lengthy and unnessecary prose, but other than that it's a good book.
It's not the NEXT in the series we are all waiting to finally read the end of, and it's not even the next book before the end, nor does it lay any new groundwork. All it does, is attempt to cash in further on the WOT series and milk more cash from the cow.
Note to Robert Jordan. The cow is almost dry. Your readers are becoming irritated with the story and are turning elsewhere for entertainment, notice declining sales figures and read between the lines. You have alienated your readers, get back on track, and they MAY return.

I read New Spring several years ago, and I remember enjoying it greatly. Same old complaints (and there are some complaints), but if you can get beyond them it really is a remarkable world and an excellent break from the extreme complications in the later books. I think this is why Robert Jordan wrote it; it is so complex, and this novel is a break from all that. It's short, too. If you like Robert Jordan's style, The Wheel of Time universe or anything else about WoT books, you'll love the prequel. I enjoy the fact that it focuses on Aes Sedai, and happy that the main character is Moiraine! Go for it, you won't be sorry. Check your library if you're worried that it will be a waste of money (which it certainly won't be).

First off let me say that I'm one of the many who have been feeling disappointed in Jordan's recent forays into the WoT. However, I can't in good conscience tear this 'novella' apart for the faults of books 9 & 10.

Jordan basically takes his notes and backstory from the WoT and fleshes out his Legends short story. He does a decent job covering the time of Rand's birth and cuts back on his tendency to digress and "over-fashionize" the story. I'm sure many of us are glad he didn't turn this story into another doorstop.

Hopefully this break from the main story will help him get back to his old, more-focused style.

Otherwise A NEW SPRING has everything that a reader like me gos to Robert Jordan for. I look forward to reading more in the "Wheel of Time Prequel" series which I guess we will now be calling WoTP. Moiraine, who I had almost forgotten all about, comes across as very likeable and even shrewd, someone you would want with you in a conflict. And boy oh boy, she has plenty of conflicts handed her way.

It all begins as Moiraine listens in while a certain prophesy is foretold. A dragon will be born that will destroy the entire universe. Epic journeys are nothing new to Jordan fans, and everyone should enjoy the way the master storyteller counterprograms two of them at once, in opposing directions, so that the two stories criss cross and entangle like braids being pulled on LOL.

So what's the beef? Well, first of all I wanted to know what was going to happen with the main, WoT, story before getting launched into the NEW SPRING WoTP prequel saga. I also fear that although I'll love the next couple books after NEW SPRING, I'll get lost by the time the book after CROSSROADS comes out. What do you all think? Thank you, Mr. Jordan, for another gift from your plume!

Right up front--I would rather be reading the next book in the series instead of a prequel. Any day of the week. And although I love the Wheel of Time, I feel it's time to wrap this story up. Prequels would be a great way to go to give fans more AFTER the series wraps up....
But that aside, New Spring was a good read. I didn't feel like I was reading a throw away book or anything. It did a good job of filling in some of the holes (and lord knows, there are plenty to fill!) and was an enjoyable read. And lacking ANY of the usual "This song was called so and so by the such and such but known as the other thing by these guys" or "He attacked using the Puppy Dog Growling which the other dudes refer to as Angry Cockatiel" it comes in at a reasonable length to provide a few days of fun escape.
Bring on the next book, I say, but this was a nice Jordan fix until then.

I will admit that I saw this prequel as a shameless exercise in milking the cashcow that is WoT. It had already been published as a novella in Legends, and I didn't see the need for expansion. However, when I read it, I regretted my initial cynicism. I found the additional information about Moiraine's time as an Accepted fascinating, and thought the novella worked better for being expanded to full length.

My only gripe was that I wanted more Lan! I felt that the account of his time at the Battle of Shining Walls/Blood Snows was very brief, and could have been a compelling story if Jordan had expanded it further.

Okay, first of all this book was motivated purely by marketing. There is no new story here, no new characters, and nothing explained that couldn't be read in Legends. This book was created to hook new readers who may have been daunted by starting the mammoth 10+ book series from the beginning.
The first 50 pages are nothing more than Jordan rehashing his stock epithets and "-isms", one right after another. I suppose this might help explain the Wheel of Time to the newbie Jordanite, but the writing suffers terribly from this attempt to cram all those cliches into something more digestable to the average reader. Case in point: Gitara's untimely demise evokes no believable (if any) response at all from the 3 women who witness it. The rest of the book is no better, considering that Jordan has already had 10 books to develop the lead characters in this one novelette.
The great thing about short stories and small novels is that they aren't supposed to require a pedantic exposition. They should stand well enough on their own, and unfortunately, this one must hide behind its brand.

I would have given this book a five star rating, but for the fact that the plot leaves you still hanging as to how Moiraine actually found Rand (or am I missing that from one of the other books in WoT?).
As for plot, it really moves right along--no "dead" moments in the read. As Moiraine and Lan are the only two viewpoints in the book, there is a refreshing lack of characters to try to keep track of. Though I know many who would disagree with me, I personally found a prequel to be a nice addition to the series. I loved the extra perspective into Moiraine and Lan's characters, as well as Siuan!, overall would highly recommend this book even to those of you who have given up reading the newer books. Relieve the good 'ol days when RJ really captured the reader with a hard to put down story that you wanted to talk about over and over with your friends.

I have to admit, it's crossed my mind more than once. Can he even manage to wrap up all those floating loose ends in 1 or 2 more books? They've spread far and wide. How can he manage to bring the main characters to a satisfying conclusion if he continues to add more of everything else? New characters, new scenery, new colourful descriptions.

Maybe Jordon is as frustrated with the series as we all are, an he just can't manage to make it work any longer. What happens in a case such as this?
I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt after such a promising beginning. I've tried to understand the pressure an author would be under to create a series of consistantly fabulous best selling novels. The series simply seems to have turned into a runaway train.
I don't think it's as simple anymore as the said author closing the door of his study, and coming out when said novel is completed. WOT has become a gigantic machine, and I get the distinct feeling that Jordon no longer has a grasp of where the story is leading. Maybe it is time for him to consider bringing someone in with him to lend assistance in stopping this train from derailing.
It appears that he is struggling. Going backwards, searching for inspiration. Dragging us along with him...
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience the old flavour of his writing, with simpler events, and less of the empty page babble. I did not read the short story, but this book did bring me back to better times, and reminded me of the writer he used to be. It was disconcerting reading about the past, when what I wanted for my money was to be carried away to the new and exciting, not revisit the old and monotonous. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed seeing the characters early development, but this is not the time to bring out such information, as we readers really want to bring this long journey to a close. Bring out the earlier days after the proper sequence is completed if need be, but just complete one task at a time, not jump all over the place. Jordon needs order, and writing another beginning, going backwards, is not the direction he needs to be going in.
Let's hope Robert Jordon can make the needed changes to finally allow both himself and his series, a well deserved rest.

If you are any kind of Wheel of Time fan, this is a definite buy. Seeing as how Jordan's last few books have been pretty dry, this book takes a turn for the better. Hopefully when these prequel books are finished, Jordan will be ready to get back into the great writing he has shown us in the first several WOT books.
This book has no Rand, Matt, Perrin, Egwene or any of the other great younger characters we all have come to love but there are a great many older characters that are mentioned (ie. Elyas Machera) that I think will give a great background to the regular series and will make it that much better to read yet again. It's also really great to see some of these characters when they are younger and not so emotionally reserved as you would always think. All in all great book, and I will be looking for the next.

I loved this book. Could not put it down. Moiraine was always one of my favorite characters and having this to read after she has been missing from some of the more recent books in the series was wonderful. I do agree that some of the last few books have dragged on and on for pages with absolutely no forward movement in the story itself. I think maybe the characters need to be brought back together so we aren't forced to read a few chapters on Nynaeve here, then over to Egwene there for a chapter or two, then to Rand, and on and on until we don't see anything happening but setting up for the next book that sets up for the next book that sets up... you get the idea. But this book focuses on Moiraine and Lan, so its nice to be able to see the background. And I think someone can read this book as a stand-alone story, whereas the recent books in the series would be confusing to someone who hadn't read from the beginning. Seriously though, this book is good, problems with the series aside, I really enjoyed this book.

If there is one thing this entire series has thought me its that one should never start reading a book series until the last one is published. Too many characters, too long between books and it's simply too easy to lose track. That being said at least this prequel only deals with a handful of his characters and I enjoyed this look back into the their lives. Better then #10, in that it actually advances the story and gives the reader some satifaction in that he may have learned something. Still it's time to move on and soon. Mr. Jordan is simply too talented an author dwell so long on this singular story line.

First of all, Robert Jordan Died September 16, 2007, but the Last Book of WOT is "A Memory of Light" but was unfinished before his death, but he left detailed audio and notes for someone else to do.
This book will finish the WOT Series even if it's 1500 pages or more and was scheduled to be released 2008-2009, but it might be longer.
People are always complaining about More Detail on characters and Robert Jordan sure did this and it was kinda annoying, but in truth, More Vividness for the imagination to see the Pictures in your Mind.
I'm going to read this book, but the other 2 prequels to Eye of the World will not be finished by Robert Jordan(I hope he left notes and stuff)
I Love this Series and most of the books even if they are More Detailed then other series. I want the 12th book "A Memory of Light" when they can get it out. RJ -- You will be Missed by Me as a Great Writer of Fantasy Novels, Thank You for the Wheel of Time.

I believe it was purported that Robert Jordan had the ending already pictured when he started writing the series.
For someone who already has the ending in mind, you would think that a prequel might be something that you may want to consider after FINISHING THE ORIGINAL SERIES?
Or has the author forgotten to mention certain details that we need to know? For someone who has written over 1,700 characters (historical and present -- yes, it's true, COUNT THEM), you would think that he had all his bases covered.
Or maybe the emperor has no clothes.
Get on with it, Mr. Jordan. If you have seen the ending, then write TOWARDS it.

I read the book. Mildly interesting but a completely unnecessary detour.
I wish Jordan had applied the effort in writing this book to FINISHING THE SERIES!!
Now he has passed away and someone else is "finishing" it. I anticipate disappointment. Who can match Jordan?
I will try and forget this series exists.
(heavy sigh)

Well I finally got around to reading this one. No surprises. It didn't explain anything new, answer any questions, or really fill in any gaps. At least not to me. But, that may be because it has been years since I read the first book in this series. If the author is going to write, prequels or sequels, that's fine, but finish the story that was started a decade and a half ago. There are thousands of storylines which can be developed into thousands of books just from the sheer scope of this series. But, after over 15 years and about 8,000 pages later, I'm beginning to wonder if the Wheel is going to turn, ages pass, and the series come to a conclusion before the author dies. I also doubt whether there are going to be any readers left to buy any of those off shoots after being burnt out on waiting ad infinitum for an end to this story.

I have already read this story (in Legends) and while I liked the story (in Legends), why should I pay more money to read it again when I already paid money to read it (in Legends)? I had no problem with the first seven books-I was glad when #7 wrapped up Samael(hopefully it did). The eigth book was a little slow, but the ninth picked up again. The tenth book... I read the jacket cover, then the book, then the jacket cover, and realized that nothing from the jacket cover had been resolved(and you barely see Rand, let alone see him "gamble...with himself at stake"). You finally see potential for him get involved with the Asha'man again, but that's it.
However- I really thought that Jordan was just telling the story at his own pace, that he was popular enough now the editors would let him do so, and that he built the backstory for his own enjoyment as well as the overall betterment of the series.
Then he rewrote a prequel. This material is not new. If fans want to read this, they can go out and buy "Legends: Volume 3" for less money! If Jordan wanted to keep the story going after the Last Battle, he could do so(and a certain foretelling we once saw hints that he plans to do so). If he wanted to write a prequel, he could at least get CLOSE to Tarmon Gai'don first. But this book disappointed me(more because it convinces me he actually has sold out than for a lack of quality. I actually enjoyed New Spring more than CoT).
I will continue buying WoT books because the first ones sucked me in. But I fear that when they pound the nails in Mister Jordan's coffin we will still have no conclusion.

Filled in a lot details and questions brought up in the series especially the relationship regarding moiraine and lan. They brought up the aiel war in the beginning, although they never really got into it, so was a little disappointed in that, since I always wanted to hear about that and maybe even some stuff regarding hawkwing's time, but >_< thats just me... Finished the book in one weekend so I wish it was a little longer since it brought up almost as many more questions than answers.

When I first heard Jordan was working on a novel other than the next in the series, I was angry at having to wait even longer to find out what happens next. However, New Spring is a very satisfying read about the origins of Morraine and Lan, their relationship, and the roots of their search for the Dragon Reborn. It also gives you a little more insight into the politics of the White Tower, and how the current players got to where they are or had been in the regular series.

As in real-life, paths taken in our youth mold us into the persons we become. I found this Novel refreshing and captivating and enjoyed each chapter. The early lives of Lan, Moiraine and Siuan was a nice paced storyline. I found myself searching each chapter for persons I recognized from the WoT series. I was not aware of this book until I received it for my birthday last week. What a wonderful surprise, I look forward to Book 11 and any others Mr. Jordan would like to share at his own speed. This novel was a great filler and answered questions I didn't know I had.

I'd read all the books in the Wheel of Time saga and the short novella in Legends before reading New Spring. I believe this novel, compared to some of his earlier Wheel of Time works, is not as interesting and plot-ridden. I expected more development in Moiraine and Siuan as Aes Sedai, and was let down at its abrupt ending. The book was, contrary to Jordan's writing style, narrow and short in scope as it did not span that long a time period. I also hope any more prequels will further elaborate on the hunt for the Dragon Reborn we were all so anxious to go on, rather than focusing on politics and the meeting of two minor, albeit important, characters.

When you have a series that is going nowhere fast, it's not a good idea to dangle a prequel in front of readers. Formerly a short story in the "Legends" collection, "New Spring" is another dud for Robert Jordan, as he stretches a good novella into a ponderous, boring novel, which moves as fast as a brain-dead snail.

It goes back in time a few decades, to when a very important fortune is told: a baby has been born, and this boy child may be the key to defeating the evil Dark One once and for all. But the Shadow is trying to kill the still-helpless Dragon Reborn, and so the good guys have to rescue him and keep him hidden away until he's old enough to fulfil his destiny.

Moiraine Damodred is becoming a full-fledged Aes Sedai (sort of a female wizard), and Lan Mandragoran (Aragorn, anyone?) is the lost king of a lost kingdom. And together they will try to search for the Dragon Reborn and hide him away -- but their quest is not going to be that easy.

Expanding short stories into novels is always a risky idea. For every "The Gunslinger," you'll get ten novels like "New Spring" -- stretched-out to the breaking point. In its original form, "New Spring" was pleasantly written and well-paced, but Jordan fills it in with... well, filler. So we have too little plot and too much writing -- a lethal combination for any book.

The writing itself would be nice if two-thirds of it were pared away. Unfortunately it's full of weird physical quirks (hair-pulling, straightening clothing) and facial expressions, or details about the rooms/furniture/dishes/random inanimate objects. And the actual content of the book takes place very late in the plot, with an obvious "to be continued" tacked on for more inevitable prequels.

With a plot moving as fast as a glacier, Jordan has plenty of time to expand his characters -- but he doesn't. Moiraine was one of the most interesting characters of the Wheel of Time series, and it's good to see her "early years," although it does take away from her mystique. Lan is good at brooding and doesn't have much more of a personality, and the Aes Sedai sniff and whine and snipe a lot.

While Jordan's "New Spring" in its original form was a pleasant background read, the expanded novel is a bloated, sluglike mass of dull writing. Not recommended except to die-hard fans.

When I first picked up the Eye of the World, I didn't know what to expect. I was captivated by Jordan's smooth writing style that keeps you turning pages. As I progressed into the series into books 6-7 I felt Jordan needed to wrap it up soon, he was getting long winded and the story wasn't going anywhere. So I figured I would just wait until the end of the series to pick it up again. But Jordan wants to milk a cow that is out of milk. From the reviews I have read on the store.com I am not the only one thinking Jordan should finish the series in 1, 2, 3 books at the most. I think the reason it sometimes takes him 2-3 years to write a book is that he is out of ideas. So he writes a short(by his standards) prequel to hold the reader of. He now numbers 2 or 3 prequels but the end is still no where in site. Do yourself a favor, save your money, wait until the entire series is finished, then buy the entire series.

Thank you Robert Jordan, for giving aspiring fantasy writers everywhere the key to financial freedom:
1. Write a handful of good books, using previous succesful writer's formulas and ideas. (Herbert and Tolkien are especially good influences).
2. Build a rabidly loyal fanbase from step one. Cultivate this by filling your early novels with more plot-lines and unanswered questions than a day-time soap opera. Watch the internet bulletin boards light up with speculation and anticipation for your next books.
3. Phone in your next 5 or 6 books. Your fanbase is so loyal, they won't see the drop in quality, and if they do, they're too blinded to admit it! You can take a few months off at this point; let your editor take the year off...your wife can take it from here.
4. Read a wave of negative reviews for your last book. Mention in interviews you don't read reviews. Then go home and have a nice long cry. Feel free to wipe those tears away with a handful of C-notes, big guy.
5. Once your fantasy series becomes too convoluted due to a lack of outline and a desire to keep royalties pouring in, hurriedly write a prequel to your unfinished series. If they haven't quit reading by now, they'll buy *anything*.
6. Finish your fantasy series before you die. And if you do die before it's finished, two words: GHOST WRITER.
fantasy writers never had it so good! YES!

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time."

Robert Jordan's epic "Wheel of Time" series brings you into world of swords and magic, legends and prophecies come to life. This book is a neccesity to learn the full story of the Wheel of Time, and the series is perfect for any fantasy book reader. But if one were to start reading from the first "Wheel of Time" book, they would be tossed into this world without an ounce of knowledge of the situation. Thats where New Spring: the Novel comes in.
New Spring is the prequal to the "Wheel of Time" series. It tells the story of two young women and their path to the rank of an Aes Sedai, female weilders of a powerful magic called saidar. Durring this training they end up being tied into a prophecy brought to life, the birth of a boy child- the Dragon reborn- that is fated to save the world from a powerful evil, yet end up in insanity. Moraine and Siuan, the two women, end up in a search for this child, to find and raise him for his fate as the savior of the world. But many obstacles stand in the way of their search, others known as Darkfiends and the Black Ajah. The uncrowned king of a kingdom long destroyed, Lan, and his companions aid Moraine in her search (though ignorant of their cause). Most of the book carries on spectacularly borring, with brief points of excitement that come from small moments of action.
The main focus of this book is to explain the events that occur after the child is reborn and the discovery of evil inside the White Tower of the Aes Sedai, leading to the outbreak of the Black Ajah. Up until the end of the book it's just flat out dull. Unless you plan to read the "Wheel of Time" series, this book would be a complete waste of time to read. If you do plan to read on, this book might be worth the time to learn the situation taking place in the series.
---
This is the first book i've read relating to the WoT series, I've just started reading Eye of the World, so I'm speaking without knowledge of the full series, and intend this review for new readers like me!

It started strong, but got really very boring. Far too many details about irrelevant things. Hate to say it, but this is the first book that I don't want to finish (dropped it at 60% through). Disappointed as I was looking forward to a long epic.

This is a fascinating glimpse into the world that sets up the WOT series. A battle is raging on the slopes of Dragonmount, and an Aes Sedai seer foretells the birth of the Dragon. But this is twenty years before the first book in the series and we meet Moraine, Suian and Lan before the complex web of relationships is established. We also see the opening moves of the Forsaken and the Black Ajah.
For anyone who has been reading the series since the start, this is a book welll worth the time.

He breathed a deep sigh, and began tugging at his long locks of hair. She placed her arms under her breasts and in unison they both yelled:
"Enough already finish this damn story!"
Jordan has sold out and this is nothing but a cheap attempt to get more money. When he first started this series I was there with Jordan. reading and loving every word. Then after the first three or four books, the story began to drift. The next three books were good, but not great, the last few books have been pretty damn dreadful, When I heard that Jordan was releasing a new book I thought, At last. He'll bring closure to this tale... nope he's now releasing a prequel which only half of the text is new material WTF?
Never again! I will not buy another Jordan book and I am abandoning this series. Jordan will never finish it he's simply milking it for money.
If you like fantasy then avoid this drivel and instead pick up the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. A supeior tale and a superior series.

After finishing the book (and hardly being able to put it down), I hopped on the store to see what other fans had thought of the book. I was appalled to discover that Jordan's "fans" have chosen this nice little book to vent their dissatisfaction with his writing style. Those writing one-star reviews complaining about a prequel should either stop reading the series or just wait for him to finish while reading other great fantasy novels!
Now that that is said, let me review Jordan's newest novel. At a little more than a third of the usual length, this book is a brisk and focused read. It is quite refreshing that he has returned to some of the tactics which I feel made his first four or five books so eminently readable. Character switching is judicious and insightful. The plot moves along nicely, with both great events and tragedies contributing to (maybe not as) many late-night reads. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel--much more than a few, though I have enjoyed them all.
For those unable to find the value in this wonderful little book, stop complaining, stop buying his books, and read other authors instead. But don't contaminate the public's impression about a book that is very much worth reading for any fantasy fan!

This is a great glimpse into the backstory of Moirane, Lan, Siuan, and the Tower. I'd definitely recommend NOT starting with this book. It was released in the middle of the series, and without knowledge of the characters and the Tower, I think it would be confusing. Delve into it once you're already hooked on WoT!

Robert Jordan has shown us he loves to drag a series out until his loyal fans are pulling their hair out in fustration, as we ask ourselves when will it ever end?

As we are all waiting for the end, Robert Jordan does a Prequel...I spotted a phrase in the "Editor Review from Publishers Weekly", It states:

"Jordan's eagerly awated prequel to the Wheel of Time, the first of a projected three,"

God no! Robert Jordan is doing times 3 prequels before he finishes the main Wheel of Time series. So there is still 2 more prequels or another 4 years, before Robert Jordan starts to thinks about how he will finish? or 12 Plus of the Wheel of Time series....LMAO as I cry in fustration.

Waiting 2 plus years for every new book is bad enough, but now instead of continuing the series he writes a prequel novel. Its bad enough trying to remember what happend 2 years prior when you read the last book. I can remember getting into the Wheel of Time series. It was book 4 of a expected 6 book series. Now there are 10 with no end in site. Jordan incredible skills for telling a story are now being wasted. The last couple of books have held alot of fluff and you find yourself on the edge of the seat saying "get on with already". If the prequel was released after he completed the main series I would have been piping a different toon. But for now I don't expect to spend my money or time on a prequel.

New Spring? How about last book. I, like many others was hooked on RJ and the Wheel of Time up until book six. At book seven I was dissapointed, at book eight I was worried, at nine I vowed to not read any of RJ's other books and at ten I just plain gave up on the entire series.

RJ, what happened to the magic of the series, whats with the new characters in every book, the endless dialog, the never ending story? Heck, why can't you stick to the main characters and just give us a decent ending.

Now he is writing prequels to a series he apparently cannot finish, and a three book prequel at that. For my two-cents if RJ ever finishes this series I will buy that book, if only to have closure. However, I am certainly will not be purchasing any of his other books. Oh, and for you publishers out there, if you wonder why many of us will not buy a book until the last book in the series is written, RJ should be your case study.

RJ if you are listenting, why don't you rewrite book 7, with the quality you showed in book 1-6, and end the series there. If you had done that in the first place, I would still be shouting to the world on how I thought you were the best writer ever, and I would not care if you wrote 50 prequels, but now, thats all gone and I just tell everyone how anoyning the neverending series is.

Sincerely

A lost fan

I don't see how anyone familiar with the series can dislike this novel. The only problem with it is the length, and I will assume that Jordan has kept it relatively short in order to keep the prequel series paced.
Yes, we may know the general events going into the novel. But that's the point of a prequel, to flesh out what we already know.
It's wonderful reading from Moiraine's and Lan's points of view, especially to get a view of what they were like when they were younger. The novel does an excellent job developing the two most familiar, yet unknown characters in the series.
Regardless of what anyone else says, this novel does have several revelations (and hints of things to come), and if you miss them, it's only your fault, not the author's.

I love his books - even the slower ones - because they advanced the characters - even if it was with a lot of slowwww detail (that many others dont like). That being said, I was happy when a RJ book came out, thinking that it was the next installation - when I got to the bookstore, boy was I mad - I want the continuation of the main story, not a prequel. But the read of the prequel is enjoyable. I started this series when I was like 20 - you do the math - I want the story to go on, and I want some of the characters that he has left hanging to go on - Please RJ go on with the characters - we're hanging.

I must say, I think this book is a relief to Mr. Jordan. After so many novels with amazingly complex plotlines, he was beginning to drag, but with this book, it feels like he's taking a break from the Wheel while actually filling in backstory.
Let me clarify: the book has only two plotlines. Yup, two. And here he weaves them together very well, and the pace is excellent! I in all seriousness could not put the book down. Jordan is such an excellent author, one of the best I've ever read.
I would give this book about 4 1/2 stars, since it is just not as ambitious as the longer main novels, and also since the first half of Moiraine's thread is heavily influenced by a certain other popular character in a school trianing in the use of magic.
The story is simplistic, but (as with all of Jordan's work) SUPERBLY written, and this keeps it interesting in scenes that other authors wouldn't be able to write.
Very much recommended.

Once again, Mr. Jordan has shown that he has run out of gas, out of ideas, and wants to *recycle* from a series which is already TOO LONG, even UNENDING. Yes, you poor suffering readers who have been hanging in there, thinking there would soon be an end ... even a CONCLUSION to all of this ... but no! He will travel back in time and have a book BEFORE #1, using recycled material! This could go on for 30 more years! Next, we could have a pre-prequel and then a pre-pre-prequel. This idea may have worked OK with the Star Wars movies, but it doesn't here (and they are quitting with #6, so I've heard).
This book should have been titled "The Search for New Money," or just "New Money," because they want some more of yours! Avoid it! Mr. Jordan, you do have talent ... so, take a few years off, and come up with a completely new series (or retire and go climbing on your large pile of money). Sorry, I'm not trying to be mean, but I just don't like being suckered in .... every time I think we are nearing an end in the WOT series, I discover that the same piece of taffy has just been stretched farther and thinner. Some authors should know when to hang up their laurels and give it a rest. Sorry, Mr. Jordan, but it's just the truth. I enjoyed perhaps the first 5 or 6 books, but then it just became like the infamous "Chinese Water Torture." When will the next drop fall?

I'm glad I get to read about the past, because little is known about Moiraine and Lan.

It has all the elements that the previous books had and I really enjoyed it. I saw connections that told me some things about the future. The only problem is, this doesn't really get the story anywhere, and want to know the future as well, so that's why this has 4 stars.

To the people who voted one star, they really shouldn't be complaining. If you're sick and tired, how did you even like him in the first place? Jordan writes this way, and I'm fine with it. Prepare yourselves, because it's going to be a long wait.

I suggest TOR changes the title of the series from "Wheel of Time" into "Waste of Time". I accept that in verry long series such as this, the people do not change much in their behaviour (My father still plucks his beard and I have a photograph from when I was 15 years old where I sit and chew my finger just as I do now at age 48) but that doesn't mean RJ has to descibe it all in boring detail.
A consise version of the series including this book would be bulky enough but verry usefull.
New Spring does add something; but not for me. It only adds to the revenues.
I stopped buying the books after book 8. If I jump from there to the last book (when will that be???) I doubt I missed much except a lot of straightening dresses etc etc.

No, I suspect RJ had this lying around and hoped to placate the reader and turn the library-reader into a buyer.
I am not placated and will not buy.

Being a fan of the Wheel of Time series, I bought this prequel almost as soon as it came out. While some people argue that Jordan is dragging out the series to make money, this book has all the action of the first books - and more. The scene is fresh, and while there are many familiar characters, most of them have changed quite a lot. New Spring had enough subplots and intrigue to make it interesting, and tied off with a solid conclusion. the only loose threads were ones that needed to continue for the sake of the series. I give this 5 stars, Jordan's best book so far.

New Spring reminded me why I started reading the Wheel of Time series in the first place. It's nice to be reminded how well Jordan can delvelop characters when he's only dealing with a few, rather than the 624 he's been dealing with in the last couple of books. Although this is an extension of the novella Jordan wrote for Legends, I found it refreshing and I hope he can head back towards this style with the next Wheel of Time book.

Well, first I have to say that this is my first venture into the Wheel of Time (and my first venture into reviewing at the store.com). I am an avid reader of fantasy (especially epic) and have read many great fantasy books, children's, young adult, and adult. I have long since heard of the Wheel of Time and did not pick it up for its infamy of going on and on, and that its last few books have been just plain bad (or so I've heard). But now, my reading list for fantasy is a bit depleted and I decided to give the Wheel a try and see which way it will weave and will. I decided to start with the prequel, since I'm thinking that some characters in the prequel will probably be in the actual series and so if I read the prequel first, the characters' actions won't be so predictable.

Now, I'm wondering if I should have read "The Eye of the World" first.

Why? For the first 100 pages I was terribly confused by some stuff. I wasn't really sure exactly what were the Aes Sedai, and the "weave" part of their magic made it all the more complicated. Also, the history of Jordan's fantasy universe seems to have a terrible amount of Wars from the past. There is the War of the Shadow, the Trolloc War, War of the Second Dragon (which makes me think there might be a War of the First Dragon), Hawkwing's siege...And there was that nagging question: what kingdom is Tar Valon in? On the map, Tar Valon seems to be the only city that is not in a kingdom (Ex-Carthien, Andor, Taer, etc.)

Aes Sedai's magic seems an awful lot like Sandry's magic from "Magic Steps" by Tamora Pierce. However, the elements for the magic: Earth, Spirit, Water, Air, and Fire were very well chosen, though Spirit seems to be the odd one out.

I found Moraine and Suaine (sp?) to be really cute as best friends. In lots of epic fantasies, there usually aren't a pair as close as them...the Novice-Accepted-Sister stage is pretty creative as are all the Tower rules and customs.

I though a lot of the Chapter Titles were to the point, direct, and fitting but some were just plain unimaginative, especially the back-to-back "It Begins" and "It Finishes". Speaking about those two chapters I thought the Test was interesting but it seems Moraine passed too easily on the test, when in practice (which was supposedly easier) she'd passed only twice out of dozens of times. Especially with Elaida.

I think most off the characters were well-developed, but Elaida was too bipolar. On one part she seemed to secretly like the two (Moraine and Suania) and on the other hand she seemed to be trying to disgrace them. I also think there should be more info on the different Ajahs (some I just knew by name) and how does Moraine and Suaine know what their eventual strength in the Power is going to be? This is mentioned the numerous times they try to evaluate another sister's power.

Another few flaws and nitpicks: The Dragon Reborn isn't really a boy-child, and even if he was, `boy' would suffice, I think. I though Lan's POV was lacking too much in the beginning and some of the middle of the book. He took up the whole first chapter, but after that he didn't appear until the end of chapter 12 where his section was about 1 page long, before disappearing again.

The Dark One seems a little too Tolkienish and cliché. And he is hardly in the book in character. I also think more mention should have been in the beginning of the book of Malkiens (sp?).

A note on the battle scene where Lan takes down six people outside that one inn: The part where Lan is thinking that only in stories (which are supposedly unrealistic in his opinion) does one take down six. However, he does take down six. That makes the whole thing sound unrealistic. Also, his moves (Pebbles on Snow, Rain that Falls, etc.) sounded Samurai and reminiscent of "Cloud of Sparrows".

The beginning was well-paced, the middle a bit slow, or at least until chapter 16-18 when the plot becomes much more complex, though it introduces more characters to the already huge number of characters. There are lots of characters that are mentioned only once or twice (like some of the sisters, novices, and Accepted) and these confuse some other, more important characters.

The ending was grasping and a bit abrupt.. It was the end of the book but not the storyline. I take it there is either a series of prequels, the actual series takes place directly or almost directly after the prequel or Jordan doesn't know good endings to a separate novel when he sees one.

It was also abrupt because there were too many revelations and some very unrealistic. If Merean (sp?) is A Black Ajah, how come she seemed so nice (Ex-it is mentioned that many novices came too cry on Merean's shoulder because of her kindness, thoughtfulness, and understanding.)? And if Ryne was a Darkfriend, how come he didn't kill Moriaine on their travel to Chacin, knowing she was an Aes Sedai, and not possibly knowing that they would meet again?

I'll stop prattling on, now, but there is one last thing I wanted to mention-this didn't strike me as epic fantasy the way Wheel of Time is supposedly epic fantasy. What I think epic fantasy is-something like Tolkien or Martin. It doesn't always have to be long, but it usually is, to make room for complex plots and characters.

"New Spring" was decent for an opener to a big series like Wheel of Time and great for a separate novel.

I don't really understand the people who hate this book. First, if you have read none of the other WoT books you probably wouldn't hate this book, though I would recommend reading the main plot books first and saving this for when you go crazy trying to beat your way through books 8-10 (most people seem to include 7 in this also, but I liked it as well as the others. Of course I liked Crossroads too, but I can definitely see why people would have problems with it.) For those who have read the other books, there is a good bit of totally new material beyond the original short story--contrary to popular opinion of reviewers here--and that material is very enlightening in aspects of Aes Sedai not previously dealt with (especially the testing for the shawl.) Overall the pacing is better. Reason: RJ was burned out from writing the same thing for twenty years. Assuming your still interested in more than the Last Battle being lost to make certain no one is having a tea party to talk about, you won't be overly dissapointed in the actual story content, and all that description gets a little more dilute fewer main characters. I'm not certain that concludes, but I think it shows my assessment of the book, though my own wordiness may leave some questions in your mind.

I think this book is a great addition to the WOT library...

The way I see it this series is only as good as the first three books, after that 4 and 5 begin to drag terribly, and if your going to attempt any of the other books in the series you may as well brew a pot of coffee and get the diet coke ready cuz your gonna need it.

Anything Jordan can add to the original trilogy of this dwindling series is a great benefit to the reader...in my opinion reading New Spring then the first three can be a wonderful fantasy read. The others merely pervert what the author was attempting to create.

I'm waiting for the final book, which I will read...the rest, 4,5,6,7,8, and 9 forget it...I refuse to waiste time on any RJ book in the future...Unless it's a prequel to the fabulous first 3.

My opinion is that RJ has caught on that people who originally began this series have realized that he has lost his ability to write his created world into it's future. I have no clue why he doesn't just stop if he can't complete it properly, and give himself some time to really do the series justice.

If you like Robert Jordans "Wheel of Tiime" series, you'l probably like the book. It tells the tale of how Lan and Moiraine met.
I have this in hardback and after the death of Jordan (James Rigney), I wanted to add it to my paperback collection.

While it was refreshing to avoid the deluge of new characters and sub-sub plotlines, the book forcibly reminded me that Jordan is still firmly in "stretch-mode," milking this cash-cow for all it's worth.
If you were hoping for something out of the Age of Legends or the Two Rivers characters... sorry. Jordan does throw in a couple of tidbits about al'Lan, but his part remains relatively small. However, if you like the women putting each other on pedestals and shopping... that remains a core element of this book, and you will be well satisfied.

Although Short, New Spring provides the conclusion that you expected. Unlike the last 2 books this time you feel like the story moved ahead. This book brings back reminence of the first 2 books and gets you excited for the next book. You have to read this one if you have read the others.

Like many others here, I waited a long time to read this book because of my great disappointment with Book #10.

This one perhaps isn't quite of the quality of the first five, but it's certainly better than most fantasy literature out there. The pace is quick. Interesting things happen to characters who do more than talk. And it takes place in a world that most readers are still engrossed with, despite recent apathy towards the later releases.

It's a good, easy read.

This is the last straw. Another book filled with landscapes and women's dresses. I am very disappointed with Jordan's efforts in his last few books. The series started out strong with wonderful characters and an interesting world and is now directionless. I can't believe there are good reviews of this book! If you have read the series it revealed very little that wasn't already in the previous books and really didn't give you an insight into Lan and Moiraine. The way that Lan becomes Moiraine's warder would have been very interesting but I thought that it was not developed well and was very weak. I could care less about the intricacies and intrigue of getting a dress made. What did that whole section add to the story?
A prequel in a 10 book unfinished series? Ridiculous.

This was a little disappointing and not really necessary. It was written after many of the other books in the series and then was written as a prequel, but it seemed to lack the depth of his other books in the series.

I will never think that Robert Jordan is a skilled writer; his use of cliché is horrifying, the redundancy of his characters is annoying and the way he constantly makes comments like: "in the stories, heros never..." drives me crazy. His prose is terrible, but his ability draw you into the details of the story is amazing. This book is a perfect example; not much happens, but what does happen is fascinating, especially if you have read the other books. Moraine and Siuan become human, which is a nice change from the typically annoying Aes Sedi pride. There is a lot of history, and much less clutching of skirts (and absolutely no pulling of anyone's braid!). It was a fun quick read with a lot of details that readers of the WoT series will appreciate. My one complaint is that now, instead of waiting for one new book in a series, I will be waiting for two.

Ok, I have the legends anthology and would give that new spring version 8/10. Here its much worse. I cannot understand why any author worth his salt would just add 100 pages of fluff and detail to just make another book. The story is the same, it just serves to bore the reader. (as if the wheel of time hasnt been boring enough in the last 5 years)Lan and Morainne meet each other and there is the first inkling of sisters of the dark...Then they join forces to seek for the dragon reborn.... there i just saved you 5 hours... Go read the short verion of the story in legends if you want to read it...that is worth reading and you get Stephen King, George r.r. Martin and Terry Prachet too....but under no circumstances pay this man for a story he put out in 1998.

Skip this book and watch paint dry... its more interesting...

Jordan was really onto something with this series, but its all over. I will keep reading used copies of his new books and keep giving one star as long as he coninues to put out crap. Hopefully we can all forego having to read "The Eye of the World" extended version that will undoubtably be forthcoming... but on the other hand maybe 200 pages about women's clothing could replace sleeping pills...

There's a war going on but, according to seer Gitara, something much more important has happened. The long-awaited, long-feared The Dragon is reborn and the world has entered its end-times. The Aes Sedai mobilize to find the newborn baby--the first man in centuries destined to be able to use magic without destroying himself because prophesies state that he is essential if good is to have a hope (not a certainty) of survival. But even Aes Sedai secrecy cannot keep suspicion from getting out to the evil as well--and they will do anything necessary to keep the Dragon from surviving until that battle.
Moiraine Damodred and her friend Siuan are only Accepted--trainees in Aes Sedai magic, but they have the fortune (or misfortune) to hear the seer's last prophesy. They resolve to seek out the Dragon themselves once raised to Aes Sedai status--which the crisis soon requires. But their quest is not easy--thousands of babies were born during the critical period and the Aes Sedai records are incomplete. To succeed, they'll have to break all the rules and put themselves in danger. And when they do, they discover a more terrible secret. Even the near-holy Aes Sedai are corrupt, riddled by a secret order who are sabotaging everything the Aes Sedai stand for. Two brand new inductees don't stand much of a chance against the accumulated power of evil, but doing nothing isn't an option.
Author Robert Jordan has become one of the top names in modern fantasy by delivering a solid tale that combines adventure, fascinating world-building, and character development. NEW SPRING delivers on all of these elements and makes a highly entertaining read. Unlike many of Jordan's books, SPRING is relatively short and self-contained. It is billed as a prequel to his huge-selling WHEEL OF TIME series and can be read by readers new to Jordan or unwilling to undertake the multi-thousand page investment in the full opus. If you read fantasy, you'll want to add NEW SPRING to your list.

Most of the 1 star reviews appear to be written by people who haven't read the book. This is not simply a reprint of the original short story.
The first 202 pages (of a 334 page book) are brand new, and the rest has been rewritten, in some places just a tweak here and there, and in others a more significant rewrite.
Even though this does not advance the main story forward, it is a much more interesting read than Crossroads of Twilight (the last full-length novel), and it provides a nice chunk of information about an important aspect of the Wheel of Time narrative--just how and why did Moiraine begin hunting for the Dragon Reborn.
It's important to note that the rewrite of New Spring truly does add to the original short story, and gives us additional insight not available in the original story.

At first I was upset that a prequel would most likely push back the release date of #11, but I'm glad I bought it. Jordan's writing seemed fresh again, something that has seemed draining in the last few books of the series. The same old continuations of the adventures of Rand, Mat & Perrin have gotten stale, with not much happening over hundreds of pages. It was nice to go to something new and stories that weren't overdone and dragged out. I can't wait for Book 11 or the next prequel!!

I was eagerly awaiting any new book in this series, prequel or the continuation, and when I got this one I read it in a day. I was hoping for completely new material but what I found was that Jordan had enough backstory written during the other books that he compiled the already revealed story and some notes into something else to publish. I got the impression that he was throwing us crumbs to keep us from complaining that the next book is taking so long to release.

The WOT books have been stretched so thin, they only have one side. Former readers and fans slammed the prior three books so hard, that it registered an earthquake in Cali. Fact is, fans left the series due to the fact Jordan became so disillusioned and the publishers tried to squeeze to much money from the fan base.
So what do they do? They "TRY" to bring back fans and win back new ones with a prequel book. Fact is, it did not work.
The series have been so long and very drawn out, that readers lost interest many books ago. In fact, my copies can be found in some library collecting dust in the boxes they were given in. Jordan lost the fan base, and I don't imagine him ever getting them back.
Avoid him and his books at all costs. Invest your money in another author or series and you will be that much richer.

No Prob, a writer who gets quickly to the point is always a refreshing change of pace...
1. Yes, Authority...you're right of course. Robert Jordan has the AUTHORITY to end his series at his own leisure...and in his own way. No argument about that. The problem, dear friend is another...
Why should I stick around?
I mean, yes, Robert Jordan reserves the right to himself to write WOT the way he does...but hey, i'dont like that way. And i`am you know, the chief reason he CAN write this series is because i pay the bills.
Crossroads was dreadful. And this Prequel is just another means to stretch the series...you know, Book eleven will not be due for another three years...and that's simply annoying.
2. But you're right on another point: We, who don't like the series anymore, should stop whining all the time. We should get our butts off here, and start reading other stuff. So, that's the last i have to say about that...i wish you much enjoyment on WOT, but i'am outta here...

I bought this book to keep me company while waiting for the 12th book. Well I read it in one day. I was surprised how well the story moved. Plus Moiraine had been one of my favorite characters, and I can't wait for her reapperance in the next book. But that is a discussion for another time.

I liked the cameos, by other characters that we learn more about in other books. I also enjoyed learning more about Lan.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. But I am dying for the series to end! Hello, I started reading it in 1994!

I don't have any fresh material to add to this commentary, but fully agree with every person I know who used to be a RJ fan: his ego's gotten too big, as has his desire to commercialize his series. Come on - he's got to wrap the series up before putting out various combinations of the encyclopedia-like installments of his series. I'm convinced he's lost his thread, and after ten books and New Spring, my towel has been thrown in.
Allow me to end with this: for those of you who have read George RR Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire,' which is EXCELLENT, and want something else along the same vein, if you read Steven Erikson's 'Malazan Book of the Fallen,' you will once again be reminded that life is too short to put up with Robert Jordan when other great fantasy series eclipse anything that he's done.

I feel bad for suggesting Robert Jordan to my friends. Luckily I've redeemed myself by getting them into George R.R. Martin.
There's not much more to say that hasn't already been written here. This series was at one time my favorite. It has fallen so low that I don't even think about it much anymore. I'm guessing that Mr. Jordan never comes to sites like this to see what his fans are saying. That's too bad because I'm sure he has lost quite a few with how the more recent books have been. Add to that the prequels and now I'm about ready to give up on him.

Mr Robert Jordan has passed away, so please forgive him for dragging his feet! he suffered from cancer, so it is understandable how he had slipped into taking his own sweet time in writing his last few books. furthermore, his wife (who had been his editor for years) has taken on the job of piecing together RJ's notes and will be writing the final book in the series. I hope that this helps........

If you are not already a Jordan fan, DO NOT become one. At least not until he finishes the bloody thing. If you have already been sucked in, do yourself a favor and buy it on sale, because you know you are going to buy it. I'm still not sure it was worth the $12 I paid for it. But then, books 7-10 havent been either. If you have read the short story as it was published in the Legends book, then you have already read this. Oh a little tidbit here and there, but nothing of use or substance. Its an ok book if you have a couple days to kill and nothing else to read. But if you read it and are disappointed, you have been forewarned. And if you read it and think its the greatest thing since sliced bread, well, I'm sure that its best I not say what I'm thinking. Until the next book....

There's a war going on but, according to seer Gitara, something much more important has happened. The long-awaited, long-feared The Dragon is reborn and the world has entered its end-times. The Aes Sedai mobilize to find the newborn baby--the first man in centuries destined to be able to use magic without destroying himself because prophesies state that he is essential if good is to have a hope (not a certainty) of survival. But even Aes Sedai secrecy cannot keep suspicion from getting out to the evil as well--and they will do anything necessary to keep the Dragon from surviving until that battle.
Moiraine Damodred and her friend Siuan are only Accepted--trainees in Aes Sedai magic, but they have the fortune (or misfortune) to hear the seer's last prophesy. They resolve to seek out the Dragon themselves once raised to Aes Sedai status--which the crisis soon requires. But their quest is not easy--thousands of babies were born during the critical period and the Aes Sedai records are incomplete. To succeed, they'll have to break all the rules and put themselves in danger. And when they do, they discover a more terrible secret. Even the near-holy Aes Sedai are corrupt, riddled by a secret order who are sabotaging everything the Aes Sedai stand for. Two brand new inductees don't stand much of a chance against the accumulated power of evil, but doing nothing isn't an option.
Author Robert Jordan has become one of the top names in modern fantasy by delivering a solid tale that combines adventure, fascinating world-building, and character development. NEW SPRING delivers on all of these elements and makes a highly entertaining read. Unlike many of Jordan's books, SPRING is relatively short and self-contained. It is billed as a prequel to his huge-selling WHEEL OF TIME series and can be read by readers new to Jordan or unwilling to undertake the multi-thousand page investment in the full opus. If you read fantasy, you'll want to add NEW SPRING to your list.

At first I was upset that a prequel would most likely push back the release date of #11, but I'm glad I bought it. Jordan's writing seemed fresh again, something that has seemed draining in the last few books of the series. The same old continuations of the adventures of Rand, Mat & Perrin have gotten stale, with not much happening over hundreds of pages. It was nice to go to something new and stories that weren't overdone and dragged out. I can't wait for Book 11 or the next prequel!!

I was eagerly awaiting any new book in this series, prequel or the continuation, and when I got this one I read it in a day. I was hoping for completely new material but what I found was that Jordan had enough backstory written during the other books that he compiled the already revealed story and some notes into something else to publish. I got the impression that he was throwing us crumbs to keep us from complaining that the next book is taking so long to release.

The WOT books have been stretched so thin, they only have one side. Former readers and fans slammed the prior three books so hard, that it registered an earthquake in Cali. Fact is, fans left the series due to the fact Jordan became so disillusioned and the publishers tried to squeeze to much money from the fan base.
So what do they do? They "TRY" to bring back fans and win back new ones with a prequel book. Fact is, it did not work.
The series have been so long and very drawn out, that readers lost interest many books ago. In fact, my copies can be found in some library collecting dust in the boxes they were given in. Jordan lost the fan base, and I don't imagine him ever getting them back.
Avoid him and his books at all costs. Invest your money in another author or series and you will be that much richer.

No Prob, a writer who gets quickly to the point is always a refreshing change of pace...
1. Yes, Authority...you're right of course. Robert Jordan has the AUTHORITY to end his series at his own leisure...and in his own way. No argument about that. The problem, dear friend is another...
Why should I stick around?
I mean, yes, Robert Jordan reserves the right to himself to write WOT the way he does...but hey, i'dont like that way. And i`am you know, the chief reason he CAN write this series is because i pay the bills.
Crossroads was dreadful. And this Prequel is just another means to stretch the series...you know, Book eleven will not be due for another three years...and that's simply annoying.
2. But you're right on another point: We, who don't like the series anymore, should stop whining all the time. We should get our butts off here, and start reading other stuff. So, that's the last i have to say about that...i wish you much enjoyment on WOT, but i'am outta here...

I bought this book to keep me company while waiting for the 12th book. Well I read it in one day. I was surprised how well the story moved. Plus Moiraine had been one of my favorite characters, and I can't wait for her reapperance in the next book. But that is a discussion for another time.

I liked the cameos, by other characters that we learn more about in other books. I also enjoyed learning more about Lan.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. But I am dying for the series to end! Hello, I started reading it in 1994!

I don't have any fresh material to add to this commentary, but fully agree with every person I know who used to be a RJ fan: his ego's gotten too big, as has his desire to commercialize his series. Come on - he's got to wrap the series up before putting out various combinations of the encyclopedia-like installments of his series. I'm convinced he's lost his thread, and after ten books and New Spring, my towel has been thrown in.
Allow me to end with this: for those of you who have read George RR Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire,' which is EXCELLENT, and want something else along the same vein, if you read Steven Erikson's 'Malazan Book of the Fallen,' you will once again be reminded that life is too short to put up with Robert Jordan when other great fantasy series eclipse anything that he's done.

I feel bad for suggesting Robert Jordan to my friends. Luckily I've redeemed myself by getting them into George R.R. Martin.
There's not much more to say that hasn't already been written here. This series was at one time my favorite. It has fallen so low that I don't even think about it much anymore. I'm guessing that Mr. Jordan never comes to sites like this to see what his fans are saying. That's too bad because I'm sure he has lost quite a few with how the more recent books have been. Add to that the prequels and now I'm about ready to give up on him.

Mr Robert Jordan has passed away, so please forgive him for dragging his feet! he suffered from cancer, so it is understandable how he had slipped into taking his own sweet time in writing his last few books. furthermore, his wife (who had been his editor for years) has taken on the job of piecing together RJ's notes and will be writing the final book in the series. I hope that this helps........

If you are not already a Jordan fan, DO NOT become one. At least not until he finishes the bloody thing. If you have already been sucked in, do yourself a favor and buy it on sale, because you know you are going to buy it. I'm still not sure it was worth the $12 I paid for it. But then, books 7-10 havent been either. If you have read the short story as it was published in the Legends book, then you have already read this. Oh a little tidbit here and there, but nothing of use or substance. Its an ok book if you have a couple days to kill and nothing else to read. But if you read it and are disappointed, you have been forewarned. And if you read it and think its the greatest thing since sliced bread, well, I'm sure that its best I not say what I'm thinking. Until the next book....

I really enjoyed this book. It gave a closer look inside the processes we were not privy to in the regular books, i.e. the Aes Sedai testing. I was annoyed while reading it that he has not finished the regualr series. Although, my annoyance faded because the last two books have sucked majorly, and the change of subject was welcome. Well written and all that. Worth reading, in my opinion.

Excellent book with wonderful insights to Moraine and Lan while they were still 'Young'. I'm really disappointed that the main series isn't finished yet but i look foward to the continuation of the prequel series too. However, i dislike having two sides to the same story going on at the same time. Great Book though WELL worth the buy.Would recommend Modesitt or George Martin to keep you satisfied why Jordan gets to business!!

I know that this book isn't what everyone was hoping for (finally a conclusion to this series, and a book where something actually HAPPENS), but at least it's better than book 10. I hadn't read Legends, so it was new to me, and I enjoyed this little book. I agree that RJ clearly has terrible writer's block, but maybe this will help put him back on track to finish the series. I certainly hope so, because I'm pretty sick of forking over my money to him.

I thought this book was great for anyone into the WOT. The story moves well and it fills in a lot of small gaps and tells a lot of background previously undisclosed. I check the reviews out of curiosity and so many people are crying, "When will it end - too long!" Yeah, its a long and detailed story - suck it up and enjoy the intricacy! Not a series for those without the will to read a LONG story.
I would not recommend this unless you are into the WOT and if you by some odd chance are just getting going I'd wait until I was done to hit this.

I have been glued to his books with the first one and been wishing for the end. It just keeps going and now he starts another thread with this one. I really liked this book. It is one of his better ones considering the last few in this series. I just wish it would end. Finish the story.

A novel idea. A prequel to a series that has not been finished yet. Wow. All i can think is that Mr. Jordan only has eyes on his check book and filling it faster. Or perhaps he wants to turn WoT into the new Mack Boland series with hundreds of sequels and a never resolved plot.

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous reviever Chuckyb.
I so enjoyed this series for years. So much so that I went back and bought them all in hardcover and re-read them several times.
That was until a couple of agonizing chapter-novels ago when I realized this would never end. What's with reborn-ing all the killed off Chosen? Who's who now? I bought the last one a year ago and never read it, the dissapointment would crush me. By the way if you had read them all Chuck... you would know Rand is a son of a runaway Andoran Queen and an Aiel buck.

I did not read the original short story - but this is obviously 300+ pages of a short story. the last few pages are edge of your seat reading. The preceding pages are like watching paint dry. The same Hackneyed phrases and the same repetition of bogus descriptors really makes this read a slog through the mud instead of a walk in the park.
My recommendation - USE YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY. Do not pay for any more of this drivel!!

From the battle that raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon ... To the uttered Foretelling of the future in the city, Jordan's fantasy pulls you in. New Spring is one book you don't want to miss. I also highly recommend, Dragon Man The Adventures Of Luke Starr ... Fantasy at is very best!!!
...

This is a very interesting book to read. I would suggest that you read this book after reading the first 7 books in the WOT series. At that point in the WOT there is questions of what happened after the Aiel War in the dark and hidden secrets of the white tower and the Black Ajah. Some of these questions need to be answered to help the overall WOT series to move forward. Dependent on direction of the next prequel books these question maybe answered whick will allow the WOT series to continue to its conclusion. So take the time and enjoy the WOT series and the prequels. We will have to wait and see.

In the his more recent books Jordan has lost some of the fire that made his books so great. It seemed to me that he was getting too bogged down fully developing each of the storylines to the point where the overall story ened up suffering. I felt that Crossroads of Twilight was the best of the most recent titles and New Spring is even better. If Mr. Jordan can remember that an overly complex story can make a reader feel lost and that it is okay to make it simple from time to time the seris will soon be back on track.
P.S For all the one star reviews, read it before you knock it.

Tolkien once wrote that the only criticism of the Rings he found mertorious was that it was too short and it was.

Robert Jordan obviously was aware of this and took it too literally. Loved the first 5 or 6, but the plot and quality is degenerating rapidly.

If one believes the Biblical prophets and is watching the news there is a strong possiblity that this world will descend into chaos before Jordan redeems his world.

Come on Jordan, finish it up with one more book of the quality of the first few. Promise I'll try your next series if you do.

Who would read all these reviews, and then actually buy this book? This book is an unfair attempt at pandering to the doddling whims of a major portion of our population...the suckers...of which I am obviously one, because I did read the stupid book! It took me almost a year to get through it - one half paragraph at a time before I would fall asleep each night. If it wasn't for Jordan, I'd have a hard time going to sleep at all. It doesn't even deserve 1 star.

Well I think that RJ has not lost his magic and that people just don't like delayed gratification. There is a lot more going on than people seem to see. The calm before the storm as it were. Anyhow this book was fine read, it was interesting to find out more background on Siuan, Moiraine, and Lan. We got to see mroe inside their heads, to understand where they are coming from which I think was somewhat lacking in those characters in the WoT. You get a better understanding of the why and how they became the way they are in present WoT.

The war against the Aiel has been devastating, but it goes on as the forces led by warriors like the uncrowned king of a land that is dust Lan Mandragoran repel the dark clad enemy. The latest battle is currently just outside of Tar Valon. However, the key is not the bloody skirmish turning the snow red, but what is happening inside the city. An Aes Sedai channel of the One Power nears death prophesizes that a dragon is born, which means either the savior or the destroyer of the world has arrived.
Lan accompanied by an Accepted future Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred travel to Dragonmount to keep this child alive. The birth of the dragon also means that the Dark One is free once more. Only the dragon can confront the evil as destiny has predicted will occur in the ultimate Last Battle that is if the newborn can be kept alive to meet fate head on. Lan and Moiraine know that followers of the Dark One will try to kill the fledgling.
Though well written and quite exciting, on an epic scale and while adding depth to the Wheel of Time mythos, this reviewer is not sure why this prequel was written now. The story line is typical of the sub-genre with plenty of exhilarating action and adventure starring heroic individuals, malevolent beings, and a support cast of thousands, mostly fodder. Fans of the series will enjoy this tale that patches up some issues and opens up new questions, but still feels out of sequential time with I think ten "wheels" already published and two or three spins to go.
Harriet Klausner

I've only been reading the wheel of time for a year, so I've only gotten to the Lord of Chaos. So New Spring was the fist title that I actually had to wait patienly for, but It was well worth the wait. It provides a deep insight to the White Tower, and Lan Mandragoran. I myself have almost fallen in love with the character Moiraine Damodred, and was extremely thrilled that Robert Jorden had resurrected her for New Spring...lets hope its not the last time. Robert Jordan, You 'da Man!

When my wife told me that another book was just released I was in suspense and eager to get my hands on it.
For those of you who've read the last couple of books in the series, this will seem like an entire year wasted on a book that could have been written after the series was finished.
The male source is finally clean. And while we're salivating for the final battle to commence, he writes a story about Novices going on an adventure.
Thoroughly disgusted, I cannot bear to read any more of his books until he gets his act together and stops writing about snotty Novices, Accepted and power junkie Aes Sedai scheming and whining about how every single nit picking detail is or should be done in, around or for the White Tower.

The majority of other reviews I have read are dissatisfied in the extreme. With these, I have no choice but to disagree. Robert Jordan's skill with the English language held me from the beginning to the end, to the point where I would stop and laugh over the clever descriptions and techniques Mr. Jordan puts to use. "New Spring" is a brilliantly written tale, brimming characters bound to honor and the blade, the decieving charm of evil, and tensions waiting to break.

Robert Jordan has finally proven beyond a doubt that he has no shame. I truly pity the poor fools that have paid money for this reprinted crap. There is nothing here that hasn't already been printed years ago in Legends! Bob, do us all a favor and please go away, you lost the ability to write long ago and you aren't fooling anyone. Fanboys, it is over, it ended with book 5 and it will never be like it was. There are a ton of authors out there that still care, RJ just isn't one of them.

Well what can I say about his book but fantasy perfection. It's a great book for new readers and veterans like myself.The book has all the ingrediants, suspence, intrigue, horror, and plenty of twists and and character develpment. I read this book in one sitting and cannot wait for book2# and book3# were we really get to know the whys and wherefore's of there search for the DRAGON REBORN.

Trust me this is a fantastic read and books 1 to 11 of the wheel of time just get better the more you read them. Just total escapisum from the real world, where your imagination can really let go. Paul (Belfast/UK)

I swore that I was giving up on the WOT series after Crown of Swords and probably should have quit before that. I simply got tired of reading 500 pages where absolutely nothing happened. Two weekends ago I found hard covers of Winter's Heart and Crossroads of Twilight and an 11 CD audiobook of New Spring, The Novel in a discount store's cut rate discount bin. None was more than $5.95.

That alone should tell you everything you need to know about where RJ belongs. All I can say is, "What a disappointment." Unless you find these in a discount bin like I did, save your money. I am convinced that if his characters were real the wise women would take RJ out behind the shed and beat him silly.

Very little entertainment value here.

I have had the typical Robert Jordan experience.
Read the first few books and absolutely loved them, read the next few and they were ok, kept on reading hoping something was going to happen but it's just dragged on slower and slower.
I was holding off on buying New Spring for ages not wanted to get sucked in again, but finally relented a few weeks ago... and it was good.
I should clarify that by saying given my low expectations after the last 4 or so books I was pleasantly suprised to see some action.
So if you've read the rest but been holding off from New Spring then it's worth reading and will remind you of why you started reading the series in the first place.

I have stuck with Jordan for year after year after year. I have collected all of the WOT series in hardback. Like many of you I have grown very bored and disillusioned by the direction the series has taken. Needless to say I was dumbfounded as to why when we are all hoping for a dot on the horizon to show us that the end is near, here comes a _prequel_???? Unbelievable. See you in 2 years.

it would have been more exciting if it had been longer, therefore, i give 4 stars not because it is poorly developed but because it is short. however, i recommend anyone who wishes to start reading the series for the first time to start with this pre-sequel

I have been a huge Robert Jordan fan over the past ten years. The first three books are the best fantasy novels that are out there. However, over the course of the last three to four books, Jordan has stopped the movement of the story and keeps getting more and more wrapped up in trivial encounters and minutia. His latest creation; New Spring was almost unreadable because it was so slow and boring. I recommend saving your money and rereading his first couple of books instead.

This book is a geat background of some of my favorite characters in the main series. It fleshes out the history of Lan, Moraine, Leane and Siuan. Also, most interestingly, although minor to the story, is the new information about the lost kingdom Malkier. Although the book/publisher says that it can be read as a stand alone novel without reading the series first, I would not recommend that. It contains spoilers that would greatly reduce the enjoyment of at least the first book, although it could probably be read right after the eye of the world without spoilers.

i admit i havent read the book. the number one reason i havent is that ive been reading the reviews and im starting to agree that i think jordan should finish the series before going off the track and starting the prequels. whats he waiting for? does anyone know? im a big fan but this is crazy. he should already be done with #11 - finish the series then start on the prequels. maybe we should boycott the prequels until he comes out with #11. well, at least i will. thanks for listening.

Reviewers need to stop comparing this novel to the regular series. Your reviews should be about THIS book and only THIS book. Stop complaining about the length of the series. And PLEASE don't give a book 1 star if you haven't even read it, that's just tacky. It's a nice change of pace, excellant read, love getting to know their stories, and worth the price.
And as for all the complaints about the length of the series...if you don't like it, then stop reading it. I for one enjoy an author that writes for himself, and not write the "norm". Let him finish the series and you will see, will be freakin' amazing. Just my opinion.

Jordan is a genius. 15 years ago he enthralled us all in with a strong opening to the only decent fantasty since Tolkien. Since then he has led us on the search for El Dorado, with us all hoping to find the city of gold, the fantasy story of epic proportions, as he wraps up the series. There were the early ones to discover the truth, but for many more of us it took until now to truly understand. Jordan has lost his way, and now the laborious journey of his latest books is far more costly than any reward to be found at the series end.

This book is just more of the same pointless filler I have come to expect from RJ.
It really is sad. I was a HUGE fan of the WoT after the first 6-7 books, but Jordan just lost it. I had a great deal of hope for this new book, but unfortunatly it didn't deliver.
You could read 4 chapters from this book and come away with all the interesting and entertaining plot information.
Dont waste your time or money.

I am still anticipating the next book to this series. Even though it's taking forever, you can't deny that you want to find out how it ends. Until that day comes, I will continue to read Jordan's novels. If you are a true Jordan fan, you will stick to it till the end. I know that the long wait will be worth it.

I couldn't wait to read this book. I read the whole Wheel of Time series and loved it. I always wondered how Moraine and Lan got together. I think it ended too early. We now need to know what happened between Lan become a warder and all those years searching for Rand which starts the original series.

This book gave me a different view of characters that I had engrained in my mind. Moiraine and Siuan seemed so strong and confident, and this story seems to make them even more personable. It DOES seem a bit odd to come back to them at this point in time in the story seeing as how both of them have become much less important in the main plot by book 10 (don't want to spoil it for people who don't know). The one thing that truly excited me about this book is the number of doors that are being opened. I see other series about Artur Hawkwing's times and other "historical" series. This book is well-written as always and helps to add to the suspense of the FINALE that will come. I am impatient to see how the series will end, but that is the joy of a book.

After I read New Spring, I took a deep breath of renewed hope. Robert Jordan had won my loyalty once again. After treading through the declining pace of his previous novels, I had begun to think that Robert Jordan had lost the richly complex but simple tone to his books. I was becoming weary of his "filler" paragraphs describing events that just aren't interesting. New Spring has proven to me that Robert Jordan is still the best of the best. This book gets momentum rolling that I dearly missed from this series. I recommend this to everyone.

This is an excellent example of Mr. Jordan's writing talent. I loved the plot where Lan, an out of work ball-player, is forced to help Moraine, a nun, transport a monkey across the country. I don't want to spoil the ending but let me tell you... When Lan had to dress like an excotic dancer to avoid the biker gang, wow!
I especially loved the scenes with Rand the monkey. If I could get a monkey that smart in real life...
I hope in the next book that Mr. Jordan can find a way to keep the fun going.

Robert Jorden has written in way too many inconsistentcies into his series. I truly don't believe he remembers everything he's written himself, and he has begun to betray his own characterizations. It's all very distracting, and makes for an ultimately unsatisfactory read.

I thought that this was interesting for helping the reader get the whole story of Moiraine/Suian/Lan that has been hinted at in bits and pieces.
Some of the stuff was a bit repetitious/unoriginal but it was a good read and a nice addition to the series.

This book is not a (shudder) disaster like Crossroads of Twilight, but I wonder, why right a prequel to a series that has not been completed. i will buy knife of dreams or whore myself so someone will bu it for my because Jordan has turned me into a WOT crack whore.

I have read all of Robert Jordan's books and I have noticed a steady decline in plot since "Path of Daggers", the 10th book was especially bad considering that it was near 700 pages and the only real event that occurs is with Egwene at the very last chapter, and that event is very far fetched. However, this prequel was not bad. It wasn't his best book, but it is near the quality of his first few books.

I think Wheel of Time still has the possibility of staging a comeback. "New Spring" prooves that Robert Jordan can still write. I hope that when he makes book 11 it is as good of quality as this prequel.

After reading book 10 I can only assume 3 things. Robert Jordan is tired of the plot, Robert Jordan has a very keen intrest in womens clothes and gets a kick out of making characters that are supposed to be the most serene into the cowering children that jump at any sudden sound, and that he gets paid by the word.

I hope Robert Jordan does write book 11, but I also hope that he sits down and proofreads it before publishing and maybe goes over a customer review or two. "New Spring" shows that he still has the potential to be the best fantasy writer since Tolkien. (I wouldn't mind seeing the first few books made into movies myself)

You can see why New Spring was not a popular addition to the Wheel of Time series. Robert Jordan's previous book was the crappy Crossroads of Twilight where the plot of the series hardly moved at all, and instead of Jordan just getting on with it and finishing the series, he takes time out to write a prequel. At least New Spring has the virtue of being much shorter than your average Wheel of Time book. Unfortunately the story largely centers around Aes Sedai...I know right?- ugh. The good news is that the main character is Moraine, easily Jordan's best female character, and perhaps the best character of the series (after Mat of course). The first part of the book takes place in Tar Valon and it is quite a slog. Any time you have more than one Aes Sedai in a scene, you know you are in for some painful reading. After Moraine leaves on her own (to search for the Dragon Reborn) the story picks up. It picks up another notch when she meets up with Lan.
In the end I would not recommend it for casual WoT fans, it doesn't really add much to the series as a whole other than some esoteric info on Aes Sedai. I sure do miss Moraine though...

Hmm, a "prequel" even before he finished his current series. I hope the people reading this don't buy this book. I'm under the impression he doesn't know how to end his series. What a bunch of baloney!

Robert Jorden has provided with more Proof the he has sold out. My advice to all the other Jordan readers out there is to stop reading now. He will never finish this story and it will probably never go anywhere further plot wise. Go read the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R.R. Martin, they seem to actually be going somewhere and get better with each new book.

This goes out to all of those one-stars out there. First of all, yes, RJ's writing did become a little sluggish in the last few, however, look at this time in between Crossroads and Book 11 as time for him to re-refine his style and deliver 11 with a punch so hard we will all be on our rear ends. Also, as the original short story was not 334 pages, this cannot be the story all over again. Normally, more pages means more story. Hmmmm... Please, if you are going to criticize an artist's (and noone can disagree that Robert Jordan is an artist) work, give good criticism as opposed to something like "NO MORE RJ until he finishes what he started

So, having ACTUALLY read the book, unlike the 98.7% others which rated it 1 star, I have something to say on the matter.
All those who gave it a 1 star rating having said it is boring and that nothing is happening in the book, that it is slow, have not READ IT AT ALL and I give my word for each and every one of them. Because if they had, they WOULD know it is a fast paced book with no encumberance of the immense plot encompassing the main books (which is btw the reason they are so slow) that stands as a very good, almost excellent book on it's own.
Just because of your apparent hatred for the author you want to "dispense justice" of your own by boycotting his books and giving everyone else who have not read them an illusion that the WoT series is bad reading. That kind of attitude is just pathetic, clearly all of you lack character. The world does not move to your whim and your standards, maybe you'll realise that in the future.
About the book, it's a great read, both the completely new 200 pages and the last 100 from the Legends. It is NOT just the old Legends story only with much more detail but a book worthy of the WoT saga. That coming from someone who READ the book.

It always seemed Rand's story should have started before "Eye of the World". I appreciate Jordan writing it and filling in some of the blank spots. I love how fast this book moves, you can hardly put it down. I love it so much that I can't wait for the next two prequels.

Although a surprise, New Spring is a fabulous addition to the Wheel of Time series. I couldn't put it down. Jordan is the very best storyteller in this genre today. I can't wait for the next book. When he decides to move on in the series, I hope he brings Moiraine and Lanfear back, possibly the two best characters in the series.

If he writes another prequel, I hope it's as good as the first one.

I gave up on Crossroads and swore not to buy another Jordan snorer until Nynaeve yanks her braid for the last time. I didn't buy this; see how much agony I saved? If you'll just boycott like I am, he'll finish this puppy fast. If only we could balefire our way back to book 6 or 7 and forget about the last 3000 pages of nothing.
JB

Another fantastic entry in the Wheel of Time Series. Probably not the best starting point for anyone looking to begin the series, it is difficult to understand much of the goings-on without at least some background. However, the Wheel of Time is the best fantasy series ever written in my humble opinion, and I could not possibly tell anyone not to buy this book.

I will not read it on a train.

Crossroads of Twilight was pure lame.

I will not read it in bed at night.

Winter's Heart did so bite.

I will not read it, on a boat.

Path of Daggers lodged in my throat.

I will not read it Mr. Jordan.

I am done with Wheel of Time boredom.

I was addicted, early on.

The first few books were great fun.

The Eye of the World was mighty fine!

The Great Hunt was sublime.

The Dragon Reborn, A Shadow Rising

Both enjoyable and suprising.

But after that the books get worse

Until now I am forced to write this verse.

(As bad is my verse, your books are worse).

You have lost it Mr. Jordan.

And so I type this here warning.

So that others can be learning

that your books are not for reading

but for bonfires and for sleeping.

I admit that a couple of the books in the middle were weak, but I'm totally hooked again. I love it! New Spring even inspired me to go back and read the first book again while I wait for book 11 to come out. I've been following the series for 10 years and I love it!

I've purchased the entire series over the past few years for my wife who loved the first few books then read the rest for some strange reason while complaining the whole time about the anticlimactic plot. I've invested a small fortune in the series and refuse to waste another penny on this author. Just read the other reviews - I get a real kick out of them - everyone says in plain english that RJ is a complete waste! If you want to be a sucker - then go ahead!

I enjoyed reading this book. I dont really understand why so many people did'nt like Cross Roads of Twilight. I found that to be a good read also. These books are'nt meant to be profound. Their just entertainment and pretty good at that. This book is worth reading if you have enjoyed the series or are looking for a place to start.

It doesn't matter how well written this book is. There is no justifiable reason that he moved back to writing prequels when the main story is FAR FAR FAR from finished. He leaves his tangled mass of storylines of "present" day WOT to begin making a mess of the past.
I will never buy this book or any other because I don't care anymore. I will only read the last few chapters of the last book to find out how it ends...until then...I shall endeavor to keep people from spending money on his books.
Jordan has blatantly abused the public trust of his fans.

This is a good read. Unlike some reviewers I have read the book and it was niece to see Moraine in a different setting from the other books. I would reccommend any longtime wheel of time fan the read this book. A fine way to see how the search for Rand came about.

this book is awesome. i couldnt put it down once i started reading it. as a long time WoT reader i was surprised at how quickly Jordan introduced the Black Ajah but other than that i was amazed. this prequil just reinforced the idea that book 11 or maybe 12 is going to be killer. Jordan is burning away the chaff of his readers and building a lot of suspense. i would recommend this book to anyone.

Been a die-hard Robert Jordan fan since Wheel of Time first was published. Read every one of the books at least once, some more. To all the naysayers I say this: New Spring is fantastic. I enjoyed every word.

I have been a faithful reader of this series over these many years, but I have reached my limit. Robert Jordan would have created a fantastic series if he had completed the series in 9 or 10 books, but he has made it clear this story either won't end or can't end. Time to trade his books in and make room on the shelf for another author.

This book had the potential to be great, but the ending was kind of flat. I was hoping to see Siuan's rise to power and maybe some of her and Moiraine's exploits in finding the dragon reborn. Ah well.

I'm really tired of reading reviews about how Robert Jordan should end the WOT series already, and it's all the same, blah blah blah. If you don't like it, stop reading it already. It's a long story with more than just battles and magic. If you want that, go read some Dungeons and Dragons novel.
As for this book, good stuff. Shows us some more background. If you love WOT then I have no doubt that you will love this.

Jordan's latest in a series that seems destined simply to be rather than entertain has forced me to take a hiatus from him. I got this for Christmas but instead went with a newcomer, Brian S. Pratt who wrote an engrossing book called The Unsuspecting Mage.

How can a new writer instill more intense feeling of excitement in me than a veteran such as Jordan? Maybe Mr. Jordan can take the time to remember what it means to be a reader instead of a writer and once again, write to entertain!!!

this book is awesome. i couldnt put it down once i started reading it. as a long time WoT reader i was surprised at how quickly Jordan introduced the Black Ajah but other than that i was amazed. this prequil just reinforced the idea that book 11 or maybe 12 is going to be killer. Jordan is burning away the chaff of his readers and building a lot of suspense. i would recommend this book to anyone.

Been a die-hard Robert Jordan fan since Wheel of Time first was published. Read every one of the books at least once, some more. To all the naysayers I say this: New Spring is fantastic. I enjoyed every word.

I have been a faithful reader of this series over these many years, but I have reached my limit. Robert Jordan would have created a fantastic series if he had completed the series in 9 or 10 books, but he has made it clear this story either won't end or can't end. Time to trade his books in and make room on the shelf for another author.

I'm really tired of reading reviews about how Robert Jordan should end the WOT series already, and it's all the same, blah blah blah. If you don't like it, stop reading it already. It's a long story with more than just battles and magic. If you want that, go read some Dungeons and Dragons novel.
As for this book, good stuff. Shows us some more background. If you love WOT then I have no doubt that you will love this.

Let me qualify my review with the fact that I did not, and will not read the book. I will explain. For years I have been reading this series, and for many of those years the series was good. Then Jordan started milking the story and dragging it on. There is now no end in site. He has shown that he can write a whole book that takes place in the last 5 minutes of the previous book. Ladies and Gentlemen Robert Jordan has sold out. To cash in even more on the story that people have to read to see how it all would end (the man is still a talented writer afterall), he has released a prequel. Jordan should have put this time and effort into finishing the series at hand. I think Jordan has lost a great many readers in the past few years, and I think this book will encourage more migration. Read Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series instead.

I broke my New Year's resolution! I bought ANOTHER book by Robert Jordan, and have paid the price. Another piece of utterly worthless drivel, dredged up from the most putrid nauseating cesspools of "literary" achievement.

I just finished the book and it's wonderful. If you are a WOT fan, I would suggest reading this book. It fills in a lot of details that are only hinted at in the other books.
If you are a Wheel of Time fan you should read this book.

This book is garbage unless you like chapters of descriptions of room decorations and fashions. Wheres the story? Theres barely a couple of paragraphs mentioning what is the whole reason for the book, and the rest is all about what the women are wearing, or what the decorations are in each room they are in, in horrible monotonous detail. In between we are treated to the interpersonal relationships of the women in even more boring detail. Its a soap opera. I put the book down after reading half. I am disappointed that I even spent money on it. Unfortunatly the Wheel of Time series has turned into the Ladies Home Journal for the feminist dominatrix interior decorator fashion lover.

This was a terrific story for those who enjoyed the Wheel of Time series. I read it quickly because it was such and engaging story. If you haven't read any of the Wheel of Time books, read this one first.

We've come to only expect the best by RJ, and this prequel is no exception. I love all the books in this series, CoT was awesome even though some readers missunderstood it. Can't wait for the next one. A must buy

In case nobody knows, writing books takes time. After all, it took Stephen King over 30 years to write "The Dark Tower", and WOT is certainly much longer and infinetely more complex than TDT. At around 2 years per book, Jordan is writing very fast IMO. If you are all so sick of waiting, then quit reading book series' until they are finished. As for me, I'm happy just as long as Jordan doesn't die before the end.

My theory is that Robert Jordan is an obsessive compulsive who stopped taking his meds about 10 years ago and needs to start again. Or perhaps it has just gotten out of control and he needs to go in for treatment. Mr. Jordan, get help. You were once a great story teller.

the first chapter was awesome... lan gearing up for a battle, there's suspense, there's a promise of action, i was excited to read more. i'm halfway through the book now and it's been nothing since but morraine and siuan chapters... what is robert jordan's problem? why spoil a great fantasy series with chapter after chapter of catty females, i don't understand why i still read this author.

Mr. Jordan, please stop writing the Wheel of Time! Its about time you rest and let us rest. Your novels are getting more and more boring, repetitive, totally absurd and without any interest. You have milked every drop of what was a wonderful series for the first three books. After that.....well, one has to be a masoquist to keep reading you.

This book was just wonderful. The fact that it was SOMETHING that had to do with the world that I've grown to know and love made this book fantastic. I wish this story would go on forever. I don't want it to end. I always want there to be more waiting for me to read. I hesitate to even start other books because I long for more of Robert Jordan's genius and the characters I know and love so much. If I had to give one critisism, it is that the book wasn't long enough. If I could have it my way, each book would be five thousand pages long and there would be fifty books in the series. It is so precious to me. I am in agony waiting for the next book to be published.

You know I agree with a previous reviewer - we're not really reviewers - we are merely folks who used to be happy passengers on the Wheel of Time train. Now though it becomes clear that Jordan's Wheel merely refers to this money factory that this series has become. He has no intention of finishing it but will keep grinding along until he drops. Want to know why Tolkein was such a genius? Because he FINISHED HIS STORY. For crying out loud even Donaldson finished in 6 books! This guy is ridiculous, this series is now ridiculous and I am out of here. Who's with me??