New Spring

The Wheel of Time Prequel

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers and listeners 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 listeners wanting to know more about The Wheel of Time and the forthcoming TV show.

The Wheel of Time New Spring: The Novel

The Eye of the World

The Great Hunt

The Dragon Reborn

The Shadow Rising

The Fires of Heaven

Lord of Chaos

A Crown of Swords

The Path of Daggers

Winter's Heart

Crossroads of Twilight

Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

The Gathering Storm

Towers of Midnight

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

Listen to more books in The Wheel of Time series.

©2004 Robert Jordan (P)2004 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal." (The New York Times)

"Written with all the skill that has made Jordan one of the grand masters of fantasy." (Publishers Weekly

"Both narrators handle complex roles with feeling and confidence, never losing the excitement and tension of the fast-moving story. The performers breathe emotion into their characters with an earnestness that holds listeners close and leaves them wanting more." (AudioFile)

I cried.

I normally don’t write reviews - Mainly because I don’t want to impose my opinion on others - but tonight I heard Robert Jordan’s voice at the very end of this audiobook, and I just... cried.

These books are a treasure. Any synopsis or review written by anybody other than the author himself would do them a disservice. Read them. This book is a prequel in name but there is no other way I’d want to introduce someone to this series. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading do an outstanding performance as always, and in a way I’m a little spoiled in that I’m skeptical of any book read to me by anyone else.

Every return to the series I learn more and more. I doubt I’ll ever catch every nuance and detail behind the characters and societies Jordan’s created. In that way, the series never ends and I never worry about the depression that inevitably follows finishing a good book.

5/5 10/10 5 stars whatever just read it!

Great read!!

Definitely read this book first or as soon as you can in the series. Worth the time for sure!

A great prequel

Adds some much needed context to some of the most interesting characters in the series. Very good for a prequel.

All WOT fans should read!

I thought new spring was the best one out of all of the books! Perhaps because it was exciting to be introduced to characters known in wheel of time to be powerful leaders, as vulnerable and new to their situations. Loved seeing the other side of Moraine and Suan before the became the stronger versions of themselves. Their experiences as accepted and brand new aes Sendai bring it full circle!

So much better than the preview!

This was just as spectacular as any of the main books in the series. The most important thing to note, maybe, is that the actual audio quality is far superior to what you hear in the preview. I almost didn’t buy the book after hearing the preview because it sounded like it was recorded through a tin can in 1950. But the actual audio is every bit as great as every other book in the series. And it was wonderful to get the backstory of…well…I won’t spoil it for you!

Grateful.

I was not ready to leave the world after finishing the series, and this allowed me to stay just a bit longer. Loved seeing how Lan and Moiraine met and formed their bond. So poetic to leave off where Eye of the World picks up.

Awesome Prequel!

I have been watching the TV show but I wanted to know more about the origin of the characters and the story as it can only be told in written form. New Spring did not disappoint ! -m

Loved it

I’m a big fan I loved the book and all the other 14 books I absolutely transported there thank you

Short and sweet

Loved a point of view of Moraine and Lan. I was hesitant to read a preequal at first but was immediately hooked when it turned out be from these twos pov. Ties nicely into first book and was really enjoyable overall.

Well done!

I am a confirmed fan of the Wheel of Time series. It is easy to read, though the plots and subplots are challenging to follow. I read this prequel after finishing Book 7, and really enjoyed it. This "prequel" is really a vehicle to develop the characters of Lan, Moiraine and Siuan. Since the mystery concerning these characters and the reasons for their quest to find the Dragon Reborn helped make the first three or four volumes more interesting, I recommend a new reader read at least the first three volumes before reading this book. Jordan's prose sounds excellent when read. The readers are talented and, as a result, this is one book that might be more entertaining to listen to than to read.