New Spring

The Wheel of Time Prequel

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

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)

Much Better than Expected

At first, I was not too thrilled that Robert Jordan had deviated from the main series to write a prequel. I've been engulfing The <i>Wheel of Time</i> Series since discovering it by accident several years ago, yet the last two novels have been major disappointments. That being said, <i>New Spring</i> was like a breath of fresh air. The novel takes us back to the early days of Moiraine Damodred and Siuan Sanche when they were just Accepted, not full Aes Sedai. In addition, we get a better understanding of Lan Mandragoran's past and how he became warder to Moiraine. Take this novel for what it is; that is, a peak at the past of very important charcters and what motivated them to set in motion the return of the Dragon Reborn. As to the narration, as usual Kate Reading is fantastic, Michael Kramer is OK. Overall, this is a great audiobook.

An auspicious start.

Very well done. A wonderful intro to the skies and I especially liked the words of the author at the end.

Very good!

I like the book a lot, I honestly want to know more about them! I would strongly suggest having a background in Wheel of Time before doing this book. You can listen or read it without but I found it very fulfilling with the background I had.

great contribution to the series

I'll start off by saying that my first impression was that I was disappointed because I expected a lot more depth for the story and characters. I was hoping for more historical details of the events constantly mentioned in The Wheel of Time that led up 2 the beginning of the series. however that was not the author's intentions and he was still able to write a great story that answered several questions that you generally have when reading The Wheel of Time.

Love it!

I'm so glad Mr. Jordan decided to write this prequel. I love reading it prior to reading the series, it definitely gets me excited for the things to come.

Something a little off in the male narrator's voice

The story is good. In some respects better than the main series. It is certainly less, misogynistic and/or misanthropic.

But the male reader's inflection and cadence were off. It was too slow, and frequently the accent was on the wrong syllable. It made for a very uneven hearing experience.

Some of the pronunciations by both narrators did not match my expectations. Particularly "aes sedai," "saidar," and "Siuane," which I always heard with a stronger Irish-like pronunciation, but that was my expectation and not necessarily an error. If that is how you are used to hearing them, get used to a rather flat rendering. Sedai especially threw me, as it is an old Gaelic word for the fair folk. In fact it is the root for the word banshee, so a soft s just felt wrong in place of the Shee. But now I am nitpicking.

Interesting...

The prequel to the famous Wheel of Time series is a good listen. I have always enjoyed Michael Kramer and Kate Reading as narrators. This book should be for those who have either read up to Towers of Midnight, book 13, or have not read any books.
This book involves a inter-twinded Aes Sedai plot that unravelled even before book one of the Wheel of Time. A good read for those who are caught up and a good read for those who have not even started.

Great book!

Great book! I have finished all the books and now am starting over again! Great prequel to the series.

Great addition to an Epic series!!!

Loved it!!! This whole series is worth the time to listen. I found it fascinating.

So much Morraine. I love it

The back story of Lan and Morraine, with much love to the former Amyrlyn. Lots understood