In what order did you read New Spring?

[Basel Gill]

Ever since I joined DM, I've seen a lot of discussion in assorted threads about when is the best time in the series to expose yourself to the prequel novel. But I can't recall anyone ever asking when people really did read it, and can't find anything in a search. It's been something that I'd been curious about for a while. In my case, I read NS before any of the other WoT books. I was new to the series and didn't know any better. At the time, I didn't feel like I had much choice. I was on vacation visiting relatives, and finished the one book I'd brought with me. So I walked a few blocks away to an independent bookstore, and found their SF&F section not too well-stocked. All the books were either ones I had read, some of which I owned, ones I had no interest in at all, and books from a series I was reading or planned to read, but several installments further along than I was. Then there was one copy of NS. I'd never known other RJ fans, so didn't know TEoTW was commonly considered the proper starting point. But NS gave me no trouble understanding what was going on; RJ seemed to have accounted for new fans starting with NS. All the same, when I get to that point in publication order, I intend to give it a reread.

[Goldstar]

I thought New Spring was the first book, so I started with that. Then I got yelled at by my friend for not reading EoTW first. >.< The lack of a glossary made it kind of confusing, but I had some friends who explained what "Aes Sedai" were, and whatnot. Did create some good backstory for EoTW.

[Songstress]

After The Gathering Storm, while trying to decide whether or not to buy a new hardback of ToM.

 

The first 11 books in the series I actually picked up used through an online book swapping club... started reading in October of last year, and had devoured everything up to CoT by the time I left town for Christmas vacation. I ordered my copy of KoD right before I left, and was too impatient to wait for a used copy of TGS by the time I got home and purchased a new paperback.

 

It's first in my stack for re-reads. I'm a fan of chronological order, I guess. :)

[Sid]

I read the novella just before WH came out. Read the novel just before TGS came out.

 

Truthfully it would have been nice to be introduced to Cadsuane in NS rather than ACoS.

[Stitch]

Bought in order of publication, but still unread

[sandoz12]

I thought New Spring was the first book, so I started with that. Then I got yelled at by my friend for not reading EoTW first. >.< The lack of a glossary made it kind of confusing, but I had some friends who explained what "Aes Sedai" were, and whatnot. Did create some good backstory for EoTW.

Sounds like my experience. My brother recommended Wheel of Time to me, I went to local library thought New Spring was first and got that. I am actually glad I read it that way - it meant reading Eye of The World straight away made sense to me ie. knowing why Moiraine was in the Two Rivers and who Rand was.

[Shimmer]

I read EotW through to KoD, then read The World of RJ's the WoT and then read New Spring.

[Demon_AS]

I read at after I'd read Winter's Heart. I don't remember when it was published, but I'm pretty sure it was around when I was reading WH when I came across it.

[Basel Gill]

I read at after I'd read Winter's Heart. I don't remember when it was published, but I'm pretty sure it was around when I was reading WH when I came across it.

 

It was published in Jan. 2004, in between CoT (Jan. 2003) and KoD (Oct. 2005). The paperback edition I own has a preview of KoD at the end, which I didn't bother reading with the rest of NS. I didn't read the preview until I was in the middle of TSR.

[Nightangel486]

I read it in publication order. I'd just been introduced to the series on 2004, so while waiting for KoD to come out I needed a WoT fix and picked it up since I think at the time NS had just been published.

 

I may have to go digging through my basement for it so I can re-read it, since the ebook doesn't come out for another month

[jwood01]

I read it following KoD.

 

I remember being very disapointed when NS came out because I was waiting for KoD to be published, so I refused to buy it. I ended up reading it 4-5 years later.

[Talmanes]

I read it about half way through the series.

 

Honestly, I think it isn't as good to start with, because, although it becomes fairly obvious, I think going through the whole Rand figuring out he is the Dragon Reborn, and everyone figuring it out, is better than already knowing.

[Feral]

Read it afte KoD I believe.

[UGAShadow]

I read it when it was published. So after Winter's Heart, right?

[Basel Gill]

I read it when it was published. So after Winter's Heart, right?

 

No, scroll up in the thread. After Crossroads of Twilight.

[Kadere]

I hadn't read CoT yet, so over Christmas break of '04 I read through the entire series and then after finishing CoT I read NS, so in publication order. After reading it that first time, I've read it first ever sense.

[Mr Ares]

I read the version in Legends first, before the main series, but didn't get around to the novel version until after KoD.

[Algai 'd' aman]

Haven't read it yet. I plan to read it when the whole series is completed.

[coolpool]

i read it sometime after my first read through of the books up to ToM..so around this january..

I'm glad i read it then.. cos morraine has just come back in Tom and you really get to grasp how passionate she felt about her mission... and by this time you are used to all the charaters that are both in NS and the main WoT series.. and it is better cos i could read NS and was like..omg shes a dark friend, she seemed so nice ... haha.. she gets captured by the seachan.. arrogent causwane will be put in her place by a certain male aes sedi.. etc ..

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

i read them all in the order they came out, as they came out.

 

i recall that new spring ticked me off more than any other RJ book, except maybe the conan (which ticked me off too much for me to read, and i flipping love conan, and have for a lot longer that i've loved RJ), because this series was looking to never end at this point, and it followed the most disappointing book in the main series for me, and after waiting for something, anything, to happen to make this story at least pretend to be going somewhere, out pops a prequel. a ding-dang prequel.*----------965333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 (THIS LAST WAS TYPED BY MY CAT, WHO JUMPED UP ON THE KEYBOARD CAUSE SHE SAW HOW UPSET I WAS. ahem, and she hit the caplock, sorry.)

 

it annoyed me so much that i never re-read it again until i relistened to it last month. it was ok, and would have been a great addition to the story after it had been finished.

[Jay Aldridge]

I read NS while I was waiting for TGS to come out. I liked that I already knew the characters then got to read sum of their back stories.

[brolie]

I just finished ToM and to assuage my need for aMoL, I will finally get around to reading NS. So I'm probably starting it tonight or tomorrow.

[Haggis]

Well after KoD. Somehow I overlooked it when I was buying the rest of the books and got lucky and found it on a sale shelf.

[WoTgirl111]

I read it after Fires of Heaven

[yoniy0]

I believe I read the novella after ACoS, and the novel before KoD, but I can't be completely sure of it. I'm certain I've read the novella before that bit where Egwene said Siuan thinks Cads might be BA, though, wherever that might be.

 

Unlike Sid, I liked being introduced to Cads in the main series, and then having her pop out from a (somewhat) different perspective in the novella.