Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I don't see how anyone familiar with the series can dislike this novel. The only problem with it is the length, and I will assume that Jordan has kept it relatively short in order to keep the prequel series paced.Yes, we may know the general events going into the novel. But that's the point of a prequel, to flesh out what we already know. It's wonderful reading from Moiraine's and Lan's points of view, especially to get a view of what they were like when they were younger. The novel does an excellent job developing the two most familiar, yet unknown characters in the series. Regardless of what anyone else says, this novel does have several revelations (and hints of things to come), and if you miss them, it's only your fault, not the author's.
Rating: 
Summary: Considerably better than Crossroads of Twilight
Review: Those familiar with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series know that a great many readers have something of a love/hate relationship with it. On the one hand, the world in which the story takes place is meticulously constructed, diverse and highly immersive, a true joy to read about. Some of his characters are quite intriguing, and his numerous subplots were always enough to keep readers highly involved. On the other hand, his series has two huge defects. First, almost every single female character is cut from exactly the same mold; Jordan says he wanted to write "strong" women, but what he means is that they behave like arrogant, spoiled teenagers who see men as little more than beasts of burden. I've read a number of strong women in literature, and met a number of them in my life, and none acts the least bit like Jordan's harpies. The second problem is that in the later volumes of the series, "glacial" doesn't even begin to describe the pacing. At least glaciers make progress once in awhile. New Spring, thankfully, rectifies the latter problem. It moves along at a fine pace, keeping the reader interested from beginning to end. It's a measure of the depth of Jordan's story that even those of us who have read through the whole Wheel of Time series numerous times can find plenty of interest in this latest volume. A number of long-standing questions are resolved to greater or lesser extent in this book: - What history does Elaida have with Moiraine and Siuan?
- What is the nature of the test to become full Aes Sedai?
- What happened to the other Malkieri following the fall of their nation?
- Why does Siuan suspect that Cadsuane is Black Ajah?
- What was the "unpleasantness" following the Aiel War that Cadsuane has referred to?
- How did Moiraine meet Lan?
- What was Lan's life like before he met Moiraine?
- How was the Tower involved in the fall of Malkier? As you probably know, New Spring first appeared in short story form quite some time ago, and sometime following its release, Jordan's publishers at Tor convinced him to expand it into a novel, since he had told them that there was a great deal of the story he had to leave out in order to fit it into the space he was given. Keep in mind that I have never read the compressed version of this book, so I cannot compare the two, and tell you what was added or expanded in the novel form. However, the book doesn't read like a very short story that's been lengthened to fit a higher page count, not at all. The other thing of note is that a number of sections in this book are written with Lan as the point-of-view character, which is an interesting experience, since I don't think Jordan has ever used him as such in the standard Wheel of Time books. Lan's character is already much as it will be about eighteen years later, when the opening events of the series proper take place, but the look into his mind is still fun. The other main characters, Moiraine and Siuan, do show a little difference from their older counterparts that we're used to. Moiraine in particular is interesting to read, as she really comes across as a younger version of herself: determined and capable of great focus, but yet to attain the dignity and composure we're used to seeing from her. Siuan is a bit of a different story -- she seems to change rather rapidly after becoming Aes Sedai -- but it's still interesting seeing her as a younger woman. In summary, despite some of the low reviews it's received, this book is well worth the purchase for Wheel of Time fans who miss the much better pacing of the first several books of the series. I wouldn't strongly recommend reading it if you've never read Jordan before, as it's better to have the background information from his full-size novels first, but if you're set on doing so, you should be able to pick up enough to keep from getting lost. An excellent purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh no he did it again !
Review: To explain the rating (1 star) , it is necessary to explain what some reviewers seem to have missed , that there are 2 categories of readers of this book . 1)Those who have read the WoT untill the bitter (preliminary) end of the CoT .
2) Those who have not . I belong to the first category .
Follows that I know already everything about the plot , the characters and the style of the author .
I am not really surprised that the Dragon is reborn - in my world he's already cleaned the Saidin .
I am not really surprised that there is a Black Ajah - in my world they have been hunted for a long time .
Sure there are some minor details that are added to fill up in order to get a short novel .
Those details don't make it a worthy read and surely not worth the money .
It's like you study the history of the Napoleonian period and somebody comes and tells you :"Hey , I can fill you in what was the young Murat like between 1793 and 1794 . Gimme 20 $ and I tell you the story ." You'd probably send him to hell and rightly so .
Besides I was extremely irritated by what seemed to be an obvious attempt at putting a story in a movie scenario format . Conclusion : if you are from the first category , you should stay away from this rather useless book . .
Unless of course you are so hooked on Jordan that you don't care about anything as long as it's signed Jordan . If you are of the second category , it's a short fantasy novel of average quality and it might be rated 2 or perhaps even 3 .
But then why not to go directly to great authors like G.R.R Martin or S.Erikson ?
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat needless prequel is still fairly engaging.
Review: I can undertand fans' frustration that Mr. Jordan doesn't just finish his epic story, but the fact remains that this prequel volume is still pretty readable. In fact, with its scenes of young Moirane and Suian running through the halls of the White Tower trying to unravel its mysteries and intrigues, "New Spring" almost reminded me of a Harry Potter story. Maybe that's intentional; perhaps Mr. Jordan and his editors are trying to instill in the powers-that-be in Hollywood the cinematic possibilities of this epic series. A prequel story probably wasn't needed to do that, but here it is. At least things moved along at a nice pace and a variety of compelling events took place. Perhaps Mr. Jordan's somewhat reinvigorated writing style will bode well for the next volume of the main storyline.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely not Tolkien
Review: I'm late coming into the Robert Jordan craze and thought this might be a good place to start. For what it is, I enjoyed it. I liked the characters of Moiraine and Siuan and it is certainly a refreshing change to read more fully developed female characters in the fantasy genre. The story itself was rather pedestrian but it held my interest through 300 pages. I did find Jordan's narrative style rather clunky, though, and felt it oftentimes came across like it had been translated rather badly from another language. I don't know though whether this is indicative of his writing overall. Not bad, not great. Do I want to read more? Sure, but not for a while.
Rating:
Summary: Somebody please stop him!!!!!
Review: Wheel of Time started off with such promise. I read the first 8 of the series, and it gradually lost its way. After finishing "Path of Daggers", I realized that absolutely nothing had happened over the course of several hundred pages. Oh wait-women adjusted their skirts a few hundred times and talked about how "wool-headed" men are, and Rand had about 500 conversations with his inner, psychotic split personality. We also heard about how when he uses the power it feels "tainted", blah blah blah.
This series would've been great if it had ended after 5-6 books. Now it's just going nowhere as Jordan milks the cash cow for all it's worth. Why do we need a prequel when he hasn't even finished the original story? George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" blows this out of the water.
Rating:
Summary: Good Prequel Novel But...
Review: I thought the short in Legends was adequate. All in all, I don't think this would be a good place to start the WoT series. I enjoyed the first book, and this did not add up. So if your interested in starting this series, start with one not here. The book doesn't pull you in. I didn't feel any more attached to these characters than I did from the previous ten books. The story is for those that are curious about Moraine and Suian and how they started the search for the Dragon Reborn...that is all. Although I don't think this is a good place to start, I definitely enjoyed the story, but not so much as to pay more than a few dollars for it. I got it at the local library, and if I were you, I'd do the same. I'll add it to my collection when I can find it in the bargain bin at my local used book store. It seems that all of Jordans books are ending up this way. The only thing that keeps me in this series are the characters and how well the first six books gave me a connection to them. I love this series no matter what anyone says about it. I will still be there when book 11 comes out. Jordan's ability of characterization is phenomonal. You won't be disapointed in starting this series however long and arduous it seems. Even the so called bad books in the series are worth you time just not your money.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent prequel story
Review: While we wait for the eleventh book in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series to be written and published, we are given the chance to take a look back at some of the events that led up to Moiraine's search for the Dragon Reborn and how she came to have a warder. "New Spring" was originally a short story in the 1998 fantasy collection "Legends" and the story told about the meeting of Lan and Moiraine (two names that should be very familiar to anyone who has read any of the "Wheel of Time" novels. "New Spring: The Novel" takes this story and expands it so that the original story is only the last chapters of the book. "New Spring" begins with Moiraine and Siuan in Tar Valon as Accepted (the rank below being a full Aes Sedai). We witness an event that Moiraine will later allude to in the main series 20 years later: Gitara's foretelling that the Dragon has been reborn. It is the event that the Aes Sedai have been waiting for and dreading. This will become Moiraine's mission in life, to find the boy who will grow up to be the Dragon and to keep him safe until the Last Battle. This novel is filled with details about the White Tower that we never got a chance to see before. The time Moiraine and Siuan spend as Accepted is much different that what we later see with Egwene and Elayne. We are given glimpses of what the White Tower was really like before the Dragon is reborn and before Rand's existence changes everything. We even get to see a little bit of the inner workings of the Blue Ajah. This novel begins Moiraine's quest to find Rand (though she will not know it is Rand for another 15-20 years) before the Dark One can. I know that I did not describe the basic plot of the book very well, but this is the sort of novel that even though it is a prequel and is set years before the events of Book 1, it is really directed at those who have already read the main series. Starting the Wheel of Time with "New Spring" destroys the sense of mystery and questioning that we get in "The Eye of the World" because "New Spring" already opens up the scope of the world while "The Eye of the World" slowly unfolds what we know about Rand, and what we know of Aes Sedai. "New Spring" seems to assume that we already are familiar with the characters and the concepts presented here. I understand there are complaints because Robert Jordan took the time to write a prequel novel rather than continuing on with his main series that we hope he will finish before he dies. That is a valid complaint, but it doesn't address something very important: was "New Spring" a good book and did it entertain? The answer for me is yes. "New Spring" reminds me of part of the reason why I first started to enjoy the Wheel of Time series and also reassures me that the man is capable of writing a novel that is relatively shorter and tightly paced. He can, and he did, and I hope that he does it again. While I am still waiting for book eleven, this was an excellent diversion from the main series and was Jordan's best book in some time.
Rating:
Summary: stop the madness
Review: Reviewers need to stop comparing this novel to the regular series. Your reviews should be about THIS book and only THIS book. Stop complaining about the length of the series. And PLEASE don't give a book 1 star if you haven't even read it, that's just tacky. It's a nice change of pace, excellant read, love getting to know their stories, and worth the price. And as for all the complaints about the length of the series...if you don't like it, then stop reading it. I for one enjoy an author that writes for himself, and not write the "norm". Let him finish the series and you will see, will be freakin' amazing. Just my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Advice for new readers
Review: I thought that many readers new to the series might be browsing the reviews of this prequel novel, and feel compelled to give some hard-learned advice. Below is my summary/recommendation of the series so far: Book 1 - The Eye of the World: Excellent. This book is an absolute must read, displaying the pacing and type of writing that could have made the series a modern classic.
Book 2 - The Great Hunt: Very Good. Not as good as the first, but a very solid entry.
Book 3 - The Dragon Reborn: Good. Not as good as the previous two in my opinion, but still well worth reading.
Books 4 though 10: Average to very poor. Not recommended reading. If you absolutely must, use the library.
Prequel Book 1: Poor. Read the Legends short story instead. Books 1 - 3 are well worth buying and can be proudly displayed on your bookshelf. I felt starting in Book 4 the series started to take a turn for the worse, and Books 5 - 10 simply saw the series go into a nose-dive from which I think it cannot recover. And prequels before the series is over?! I would suggest readers check out the Legends books instead. In those you will also come across a short story from George R.R. Martin. Martin is currently writing an excellent fantasy epic (3 books written out of a proposed 6) that is a must read. Martin's series gives one the sense of what Jordan could have accomplished had he limited his to 6 as well, which makes the current state of the Wheel of Time series all the more disheartening. These are just my opinions concerning the WoT series, but hopefully they will be of some help.
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