I think New Spring works better after you’ve already spent a lot of time with The Wheel of Time.
You don’t need it to understand The Eye of the World, and I actually think part of the fun is already knowing who Moiraine, Siuan, and Lan eventually become. You get to see them before they’re the versions of themselves everybody else knows.
Moiraine and Siuan were probably my favorite part. Their friendship feels younger and more relaxed than what we see later, but they’re still obviously ambitious and capable. Knowing where both of them eventually end up makes those early scenes mean more.
I also liked getting more of Moiraine before she became the mysterious Aes Sedai who shows up in the Two Rivers and seems to know everything while explaining almost nothing. Here, she’s still figuring things out herself.
Lan was interesting for the same reason. He’s already Lan, but getting more of his history and seeing where some of that quiet, stubborn sense of duty comes from made me appreciate him more in the main series.
That’s really what New Spring did for me. It didn’t completely change how I understood the story. It just gave more depth to people I already cared about.
The smaller scale was also a nice change after spending so much time in a series that eventually has a ridiculous number of characters and storylines. There’s still plenty of White Tower politics and Aes Sedai business because Robert Jordan apparently wasn’t going to let us escape that completely, but the book feels much more focused.
I know New Spring can technically be read earlier, and it was published after Crossroads of Twilight, but I’m glad I waited. I liked already knowing these characters and then getting to go backward and see how some of those relationships started.
Honestly, I think I enjoyed it more because I already knew where they were going.
Who I’d recommend it to: Anyone who already likes Moiraine, Lan, or the Aes Sedai side of The Wheel of Time and wants more of their history.
Caution: There’s quite a bit of White Tower procedure and Aes Sedai politics, so if that’s not your favorite part of the series, just know what you’re getting into.
Discussion question: When do you think New Spring is best read—early in the series, after Crossroads of Twilight, or after finishing the whole thing?
— Cory Lane