New Spring

I have read somewhere that this is an introduction book. The two important characters are introduced in this. Well.. that was an heck of an introduction. Lovely to say the least. Loved the Lan character so much...my man is awesome. Looking forward to read the series. I hope it is as good as this book.

Book 0 of the Wheel of Time series. It deals with how Moiraine met Lan (no, it's not a romance). Obviously, if you haven't started reading the series, don't start here (even though it's a prequel of sorts). It is only recommended for readers of the long-running series.

This was published around Book 8 - at a time when the plot lines were going at a snail's pace - so the pacing's a little slow too. It starts off well and interesting, but it drags towards the end, although the end itself was wrapped up pretty quickly.

The plot explores the younger days of Moiraine, Siuan, and Lan. Quite a few Aes Sedai characters from the series make their appearance as well. It features many strong and commanding female characters, and as was Robert Jordan's style, lots of details on mannerisms, thoughts, and repeatedly mentioned flaws/traits.

There are hints of romance, a little of intrigue, and a small bit of action, but overall, very little tension. It's a nice read to find out more about a few characters of the Wheel of Time series, but it's not much more than that.

It's been a while since I have visited Jordan's world. This book I missed in my first reading of the series and it made sense to start with it in my second reading. Having done so, I would recommend skipping this if you are a new reader to WOT. Not because it's a bad book. It's just that it's a very slow start and deals with protagonists who while important are not the Crux of the story. Also too much time here gets spent on the setup of the white tower and it's political intrigue and while it is a good read now it would be a poor way to start. Reading it after the series gives me sense of completeness and the series would be poorer without it but not so much.

I read this after finishing the series up to book 12 of the Wheel of Time series. I really enjoyed it! I'm not sure i would recommend reading it as the first book you read of the series, I think it would make a lot more sense once you have a grip of the world and the characters, and the other characteristics of the series. I'd love a further addition to this book to bridge the further years of Lan and Moiraine. Highly recommended, along with the entire series!