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    New Spring: The Novel
    New Spring: The Novel
    New Spring: The Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    New Spring: The Novel

    Written by Robert Jordan

    Narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

    Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

    The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

    For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a Foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, is born an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before the forces of the Shadow have an opportunity to kill him.

    Moiraine Damodred, a young Accepted soon to be raised to Aes Sedai, and Lan Mandragoran, a soldier fighting in the battle, are set on paths that will bind their lives together. But those paths are filled with complications and dangers, for Moiraine, of the Royal House of Cairhien, whose king has just died, and Lan, considered the uncrowned king of a nation long dead, find their lives threatened by the plots of those seeking power.

    New Spring begins Moiraine and Lan's quest to find the Dragon Reborn that will lead to the events of The Eye of the World...and their fateful meeting with Rand al'Thor. New Spring is a perfect jumping-on point for fantasy readers wanting to know more about The Wheel of Time.

    The Wheel of Time®
    New Spring: The Novel
    #1 The Eye of the World
    #2 The Great Hunt
    #3 The Dragon Reborn
    #4 The Shadow Rising
    #5 The Fires of Heaven
    #6 Lord of Chaos
    #7 A Crown of Swords
    #8 The Path of Daggers
    #9 Winter's Heart
    #10 Crossroads of Twilight
    #11 Knife of Dreams

    By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
    #12 The Gathering Storm
    #13 Towers of Midnight
    #14 A Memory of Light

    By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
    The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

    By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
    The Wheel of Time Companion

    By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
    Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJan 6, 2004
    ISBN9781593973780
    New Spring: The Novel
    Author

    Robert Jordan

    ROBERT JORDAN (1948-2007) is best known for his internationally bestselling epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time®, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and is currently being adapted for the screen. A native of Charleston, Jordan graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and received multiple decorations for his service.

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    Reviews for New Spring

    4/5

    1,313 ratings42 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved it, the reading was done in a unique way capturing the different characters
    • 5/5
      Excellent! I recommend it after the first 3 volumes of the Wheel of Time. Easier to understand the characters in this one and it makes it easier to understand how things came into motion and what drives the characters in Wheel of Time.
    • 3/5
      If I remember correctly I wasn't particularly fond of Moraine in the first two books of the Wheel of Time series, but she eventually grew on me. However this book brought me right back to the not liking part. She's very arrogant and down-right mean sometimes in this book. I don't know why Lan agrees to be her Warder in the end. I didn't like her at all. The plot was relevant to the series but this piece of time before the series’ events didn't hold my attention as much as I'd hoped it would. Not enough plot and too much detail. I like detail but I liked it balanced with a really good plot. It's better than some of the later books in the series but I really had a hard time finishing it, and mainly because of Moraine. If I had liked her more, it could have been smoother. But I didn't like her. Recommended for hard core fans of the WoT series, but if not, go ahead and move right along. :)
    • 5/5
      Great book. Great narration. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it.
    • 3/5
      An interesting book. I started The Wheel of Time series mostly out of curiosity. I've heard so many polarized reviews from friends and online, I had to come to a conclusion myself. So, I started at the chronological beginning with New Spring.

      Moiraine and Siuan play an interesting pair. Where Siuan is clever, Moiraine is decisive. Where Moiraine is playful, Siuan is serious. You read of their friendship as Accepted, and testing for Aes Sedai. You learn of Lan, and his meeting with Moiraine.

      But more importantly, the plot rests around the Dragon Reborn, a male born into the world to fight the Dark One. The Aes Sedai focus on finding this child, so it can be properly trained in the White Tower. So goes the story of Moiraine, Siuan, and Lan.

      Then, about 3/4 of the way through the book, the mention of the Dark Ajah emerges, and their plot to kill anyone standing in their way in finding the Dragon Reborn. While the Dark Ajah are interesting, I felt it was too little, too late.

      The world building was good, and character development was solid, but the plot seemed anticlimatic. I would have liked to see more Dark Ajah earlier in the story, and I would have liked to see more conflict between the Dark Ajah and the other characters. But, I guess they'll be discussed more frequently as the series moves on.
    • 4/5
      There is a lot of information stored in just one small book. New Spring: The Novel is a prequel that takes you through the beginning of the entire series of The Wheel of Time. Written by Robert Jordan, it explains what the mysterious Aes Sedai are and some of the mysteries that are found inside the White Tower. The book also explains some of the myths and legends found throughout the entire book and the future storyline.I started the entire series with this book. I came into it with no prior knowledge of the universe it is set in and didn't know the style it was written in. Upon reading the first couple pages, I knew that it will be quite a good book and that I will most definitely have to buy the rest.The book is filled with witty banter and funny scenes that will connect with everyone's childish side. Also, it really makes you remember times when you where in school and your teachers would be quite strict with you, no matter what you ended up doing. Jordan really transports you to the world of the book with his captivating descriptions and wonderful dialogue. Throughout the story, he introduces new characters with a personality of their own, and makes you love and hate them at the same time.However, I did find myself lost in all the new information some of the times. A lot of things going by very quickly in the book and you my find yourself not knowing what the characters are talking about when the reference a myth or an item here that is very briefly mentioned at early stages of the book. Some of the things aren't very clearly explained though they are clearly important part of the entire book. It seems that he had wrote it where by reading through some of the main books of the series, you would already know some of the things mentioned in the prequel.Overall, the book is a good way to enter yourself into the world that Jordan has woven in the other books he has written. It provides you with some insight into some of the more mysterious and less talked about parts of the entire series. However, there are some things that aren't explained completely clearly in the book, and you may have to read it over again once. New Spring: The Novel caught my attention at a local bookstore and it hooked me onto the entire series. Most likely, it will hook you on as well.
    • 4/5
      There is a lot of information stored in just one small book. New Spring: The Novel is a prequel that takes you through the beginning of the entire series of The Wheel of Time. Written by Robert Jordan, it explains what the mysterious Aes Sedai are and some of the mysteries that are found inside the White Tower. The book also explains some of the myths and legends found throughout the entire book and the future storyline.I started the entire series with this book. I came into it with no prior knowledge of the universe it is set in and didn't know the style it was written in. Upon reading the first couple pages, I knew that it will be quite a good book and that I will most definitely have to buy the rest.The book is filled with witty banter and funny scenes that will connect with everyone's childish side. Also, it really makes you remember times when you where in school and your teachers would be quite strict with you, no matter what you ended up doing. Jordan really transports you to the world of the book with his captivating descriptions and wonderful dialogue. Throughout the story, he introduces new characters with a personality of their own, and makes you love and hate them at the same time.However, I did find myself lost in all the new information some of the times. A lot of things going by very quickly in the book and you my find yourself not knowing what the characters are talking about when the reference a myth or an item here that is very briefly mentioned at early stages of the book. Some of the things aren't very clearly explained though they are clearly important part of the entire book. It seems that he had wrote it where by reading through some of the main books of the series, you would already know some of the things mentioned in the prequel.Overall, the book is a good way to enter yourself into the world that Jordan has woven in the other books he has written. It provides you with some insight into some of the more mysterious and less talked about parts of the entire series. However, there are some things that aren't explained completely clearly in the book, and you may have to read it over again once. New Spring: The Novel caught my attention at a local bookstore and it hooked me onto the entire series. Most likely, it will hook you on as well.
    • 3/5
      A bit too wierd towards the end
    • 3/5
      After reading the 14 books of the Wheel of Time series, you'd think I wouldn't be interested in reading a prequel to the series. And I wasn't. But I saw it as an audio book and decided to give it a try. It was written in 2004, when Jordan was having real problems moving the Wheel of Time series forward. It's not his best work, but if you've read the rest, you might as well read this. The end suggests to me that Jordan planned to write a sequel to it.
    • 4/5
      So it turns out Jordan COULD write a short book. As a consequence I enjoyed this more, although his pacing issues remain.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio recording of this, and the readers were again superb. I don't know how well this book would be as a stand alone - I received a lot of value from filling in details of characters and events in the main Wheel of Time story-line.

      The direction of the book feels a bit unwieldy, which is why I suggest it wouldn't do well as a stand-alone, or even as the beginning book to read of the series - I think it fit well to read it after book two (The Great Hunt).

    • 1/5
      What the hell did I just listen to? I've been reading fantasy for 40+ years, so it's not like I don't understand fantasy, but I was lost for most of this book. I felt like I had started in the middle of a book and then once I started to get settled, it jumped to another time/place with other characters. On top of this nothing really exciting happened and none of the characters stuck out as interesting, besides maybe al'Lan. The magic was decent, but not amazing. I promised myself that even if this sucked I would try the first book of the series, but at this point I'm pretty sure how that's gonna turn out.One other bad thing. I always wondered by Tolkien had 2 main characters with names that were almost the same (Saruman and Sauron). Well Jordan did the same thing with Moiraine and Merean. It made a confusing ending even more confusing.
    • 4/5
      I remember reading this a long time ago. In this story we learn about Moiraine and Siuan and how they got started in searching for the Dragon Reborn. We also get the backstory of how Moiraine met Lan. Overall it's a great short story and gives some more detail into the Wheel of Time series.
    • 5/5
      My first review for 2020 and I'm happy for it to be the prequel to the Wheel of Time series, which is the series I intend to focus on this year. Of course, there will be other books read as well.In the early 1990s, I read the first two or three books in the series (I can't remember). To be honest, all I can remember was the name 'Rand' and the fact that I enjoyed them immensely.New Spring was published long afterwards. Rand doesn't make an appearance. However, as soon as I read two other names of characters I recognised straight away, I felt connected to the storyline. The more I read, the more that came back to me.I was reminded that I enjoyed one of the books so much that I kept going back to it and reading sections that spoke to me. It will be interesting to see if I recognise those scenes.The beginning of the prequel is a war scene, and I hate scenes filled with fighting. A whole chapter was not enjoyable. I had a vague knowledge of what to expect, so I kept reading. Unfortunately, some people might give up there, which would be a shame. The second chapter moved away from the war, and that's where the story truly started for me. At that point, I was hooked. The book would have been better if it started with chapter two (and chapter one didn't exist). But that's just my opinion.Besides the first chapter, the rest of the book was great. Moiraine and Lan are the two main characters. They are the two names I recognised. I enjoyed finding out where they began and how they came together. I won't go into the storyline. Let us just say that I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the whole series.
    • 4/5
      I wavered between 3.5 and 4 stars but in the end, it deserves the higher rating. I started this audiobook yesterday; after a few hours of listening, I planned on doing some other stuff but each time the sleep timer turned the book off, I would want to find out what was going to happen next and turn it back on again. The fact that Jordan's books do that to me tells me that, despite all the things that irritate me, they are indeed better than just good. I found that young Moiraine reminded me a lot of Nynaeve without the braid pulling. My annoyance didn't really start until Moiraine meets Lan - as had happened many times in the series with Rand, the way people are oblivious to the circumstances surrounding other people and their assumptions that they read both the person and events correctly irritate me. However, that irritation is more a reflection on me than Jordan as this facet of human nature is undoubtedly one that exists (particularly in adolescents and young adults!).
    • 4/5
      This book is quite interesting, but I think that the storyline of the whole series works best if you read the book after book two or three, at the earliest. Otherwise, some perfectly good mysteries are revealed before their time, IMO.
    • 4/5
      I read this book 2nd after a friend had loaned me the first book of the series. Since it took me a bit to collect the entire series... I read this then reread the first. I really liked this book since it helped to set up some the characters as well as prepare you for the entire story. I felt that it gave me a more vested interest in the story as a whole.
    • 4/5
      Lovely short story by Robert Jordan. Ba dum tsss
    • 4/5
      My brother has been after me to read this series for a while now. So I finally decided to start. I really enjoyed getting to know this story!
    • 4/5
      Although written after the tenth book in the series, this is a prequal, detailing the beginning of the search for the Dragon Reborn. It is written with the same florid language and complex world as the series. If you've read the series, you'll want to read this. Some advised me to not read this before I read the tenth book, as it would spoil the story. However, I actually thought it helped and gave the character of Moiraine depth that increased my enjoyment of the series. If you are a fan of the series, read this. If you are just starting, you could read this first or after the tenth, depending on your beginning knowledge of the story.
    • 4/5
      In the prequel to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, with battles erupting near Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat calls Moraine and Siuan Sanche, who at the time were recently made Accepted Aes Sedai, and the Keeper foretells of the Dragon Reborn. Moraine and Siuan are tasked to go to Emond’s Field to find out about the Dragon Reborn. Moraine and Siuan are portrayed much differently in this prequel than they are later in the series when they are older. This gives them a little more humanity than how they are later depicted.Reading this novel reminds me of why I started reading this series to begin with. It was fast-paced, intriguing, and fun, not the horribly ponderous, difficult to read, snooze fests that the novels later become (currently I’m on the ninth in the series and wondering if I should continue). I enjoyed the revealing of the background of things that aren’t well explained in the series. There is good action, characterization, and a sound plot. Somewhere along the way, Robert Jordan lost his way, but this prequel is a must read, especially if you have read any other novels in the series.Carl Alves – author of Two For Eternity
    • 4/5
      My one note on Goodreads on this book was "Not nearly as much spanking in this as in the main series" - and that's a bit sad, considering there was still more spanking than I would consider normal in a non-erotic-type novel. (That's one thing I'll say for Jordan, is the spanking is never erotic. I think that's a plus. I think.)

      This is a prequel to the WoT series, expanded from a short story or novella telling how Lan Mandragoran and Moiraine Demandred met and wound up bonded as Aes Sedai and Warder. I think I raised a scornful eyebrow when I first heard of it, simply because of the extended wait time between books - really, sir, what are you doing exploring the past when the present and immediate future of your world desperately need to be dealt with? But it is a good story. I don't believe I ever read the novella (short story?) but in the novel the tale of How Lan Was Bonded is tied up with the birth of the Dragon Reborn, and the youth of Moiraine and Siuan Sanche, and also with White Tower politics, and - most fun for me, I think, and smartest, what exactly brought Moiraine and Lan into the Two Rivers that day.

      The depiction of the White Tower from the inside, from the points of view of two very different young women living and learning there, was wonderful. There was a lot of good stuff in here. I hadn't ever realized how short-changed we as readers were by the fact that Our Heroines never spent that much time in the Tower; it was startling to learn just how uninformed I was about the step between Accepted and Aes Sedai. We were never shown much of the training, and never anything at all about the later phases.

      I always liked Moiraine, and it was good to see some of the formation of the personality I met in WoT. And to find out just how she dodged the bullet that was the crown of crown of Cairhien – I had wondered. As for Siuan Sanche … I never liked her all that much (early on, little more than "hard as nails" and outbursts about fish guts, later on nearly as angry all the time as Nynaeve and still more fish guts), but this was enlightening. I'm not sure how I feel about her and Moiraine being "pillow friends", or not; this is the one time I wish Jordan was less Victorian about sex in his books and would just say one way or another what the nature of their friendship was. Coyness does not become a grown man – what it does become is irritating. (Not, mind, that I have any – ANY – interest in the boys' sex lives in WoT (A-N-Y), but for Pete's sake just come right out and say it instead of putting on a fan dance.)

      The story took a couple of unexpected turns, and ended up being something quite different from what I did expect. I approve – and I appreciate the story. And, sadly, it makes me wish Jordan had had the chance to explore a few other areas of the canon which might have tantalizingly received little or no attention. I'd love more set before the Breaking. Who knows? Maybe there's stuff still to be released in his papers…
    • 4/5
      A great prequel to the Wheel Of Time series. I wish that Brandon Sanderson could write more of these now that Robert Jordan is gone. There are so many characters that deserve their own back story novel.
    • 5/5
      The prequeal to the series and in my view the most interesting story and introduction to many of the main characters.
    • 4/5
      Though this book has been out a while, I'd not read it. At first, it was because I'd put the series aside for a while. When I started up again, Robert Jordan had died, and the series was being finished by another author, with the able help of Team Jordan. I decided to save New Spring to read until I'd completed the final book, so that I could end my Wheel of Time with Robert Jordan's actual writing. I did love the filling in of details to the beginning of the Wheel of Time story, especially since it involved some of my favorite characters. (Note: the first time I put the series aside, it was when Moiraine disappeared and Lan went off.)And I loved stumbling into some of RJ's catch phrases. So much fun, especially since I know the end of the story and who really is Black Ajah/darkfriends. :)Ah, Jim, I miss you. As a friend, as an author, as the creator of a world that has brought so many people into my life through love of your writing. You are loved and missed.
    • 4/5
      This prequel to Wheel of Time only reminded me why I liked this series and persuaded me not only to continue reading it but to also re-read the parts I already read. I stooped reading after book 6 when Robert Jordan died, but now when I know that Brandon Sanderson (my favorite writer) is working hard on finishing it, I know that all hope is not lost. :)

      When should you read this book? Although it is labeled as a prequel, I am not sure it is smart reading it before other books, because then some things that Jordan carefully and gradually explains through multiple parts/books will not be surprise to us. So I would recommend reading it later, but it is your choice.

      What is this book about? Simply explained, about Moiraine and Lan. How they met and how he became her warder.
    • 4/5
      Overall, the story flowed along nicely. It was almost like I had just discovered Jordan's work again. I actually stayed up late and kept reading until I was done; something I haven't done since book 3 or 4. The next chapter, Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time, Book 11), had the same effect on me. If you haven't read any of the Jordan series before I suggest you be careful before you do. Obviously (since we are waiting on book 12, not counting New Spring), the series is LONG. Not only that but each book is LONG. So reading the series is a commitment. Personally, I think it is a worthwhile commitment - but it is a commitment nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      The Wheel of Time prequel, New Spring, is a very good addition to the series written by Robert Jordan. I read New Spring after Booke 5, The Fires of Heaven, based off the recommendation of several WoT fans instead of after Crossroads of Twilight (Book 10) when the prequel was published. Considering that Moiraine and Lan are the main POV characters throught the book and that after the events of The Fires of Heaven, reading the prequel when I did made New Spring both enjoyable and bittersweet.Obviously New Spring helps explain the motivations of both Moiraine and Lan when we first meet them in The Eye of the World, but it also gives us a view of the "normal" workings of Aes Sedai and the White Tower before the unusual happenings already seen in the series. Politics of the world are fully in view with Lan finding himself in the midst of the "biggest" political storm. If I were to find a bad thing about New Spring is that some of the material that Jordan wrote to expand New Spring from a short story to a full novel(la) seems to be just filler making the story bog down a tad.Overall, New Spring is a good quality introduction to some of the "older" characters of the early Wheel of Time books and I fully recommend reading it, especially after Book 5, The Fires of Heaven.
    • 4/5
      The Wheel of Time is a series that I really love, so I knew I would love New Spring even before I started it. New Spring is a prequel to the main Wheel of Time series, featuring the Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred and Siuan Sanche as young women who have not yet been raised to the rank of full Aes Sedai. It also follows the story of al’Lan Mandragoran, the last King of Malkier, who we know in The Wheel of Time as Moiraine’s Warder, and how he ended up bonded to Moiraine.The book assumes that you’re familiar with The Wheel of Time, the various organisations, countries, etc. aren’t really given that much of an explanation.We meet some familiar faces, primarily in the Aes Sedai – Verin, Elaida, Cadsuane, Sheriam and Leane, among others. It’s kind of hard for me to figure out what information was new to us in the book because I read the Wheel of Time wiki so much.It’s definitely interesting to see Moiraine and Siuan, both so inscrutable and awe-inspiring in the main series, as young and immature women still finding their way in the world. Their friendship is really affectionate and well-portrayed. Lan is pretty much unchanged, he’s still honourable, sensible, dutiful and proud. We get to find out a lot of backstory, for instance why Moiraine was searching for the Dragon Reborn, how Lan and Moiraine ended up trusting each other so much, what the Black Ajah had been up to, the decline of the White Tower starting to show.Basically, read it if you love The Wheel of Time. If you haven’t read The Wheel of Time, read at least the first few books in the series before reading this. Skip it if you don’t love The Wheel of Time.Originally posted on my blog.
    • 3/5
      I do enjoy The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The books are not without their flaws: the characters are somewhat flat, especially the women who all seem bad-tempered, passionate and dangerous. What I find compelling is Jordan’s world building. This is a complex world, with various societies, a long, detailed history and plenty of action from both heroes and villains. And I am fascinated by the continuity of these books: in ten volumes I have not found a single plot conflict, even after re-reading the works.In the latest book, Jordan looks back to the beginning of the Dragon Reborn, following the early years of Moiriane Damodred as she becomes an Aes Sedai, and the path of Lan Mandragoran as he fights the invasion of Aiel. To those who have read any of The Wheel of Time series, these names will be familiar: to those who have not, these are pivotal characters in that series. You need not have read any of the series to understand New Spring: being a prequel, it does not rely on the other works to enjoy this one. Moiriane maybe a noble in the Cairhien court, but this counts for little in the White Tower of the Aes Sedai, where all the Accepted are treated the same regardless of their background. She receives the same training and discipline as her best friend, Siuan, who is a fisherman’s daughter. Both of these women are determined to become full Aes Sedai and much of the book is their struggles to gain that position. The Aes Sedai are women with the One Power, a magical force that gives them huge influence, both politically and socially. This comes with large responsibilities and as Moiriane learns, becoming a sister does not give her complete freedom. Only a few Aes Sedai know of the birth of a baby boy who is prophesied to save the world by breaking it: among these are Moiriane and Siuan, who want to find and protect this child, but must first deal with Tower politics and rivalry. When an evil force appears within the Aes Sedai, they choices become more constrained and urgent.As the same time, we follow Lan, a warrior facing the now retreating hoards of Aiel. As the war winds down, Lan finds he is in the middle of political intrigues, as a former lover has raised the flag of Malkier, a kingdom that was wiped out twenty-five years before, but for which Lan is the last heir. During his travels to prevent this dangerous cause, he meets up with Moiriane and the two begin a intermittent and contrary relationship. Both the soldier and the Aes Sedai need each other to face the dark forces that are threatening them.Because of a long trip, I listened to the audio version of this work. The entire text is under 350 pages, a small work for this series, but the CDs were a total of thirteen hours. While not as fast as reading the book, the audio version was a very pleasant experience, as Audio Renaissance choose the readers carefully and Kate Reading and Michael Kramer did an excellent job. Not only did they have fine speaking voices, but they conveyed the story with the right level of feeling and intrigue. Listening to a book has a different feel than reading it, and while I did not sink into the plot the same way, it was still a good experience AND I now know how to pronounce Tuatha’an. Whether you read or listen to this work, it is a interesting story. Jordan’s characters are still a bit flat, but the further explanation of this world makes it worth the read. As a introduction to The Wheel of Time or as further reading, New Spring is a good book.