Title: New Spring
Subtitle:
Series: Wheel of Time
Series Number: Prequel 1
Author: Robert Jordan
Reviewer: ConfedMarine
Reviewer URL:
Publisher: Orbit
Publisher URL: http://orbitbooks.co.uk
Publication Date: Jan 2004
Review Date: Feb 2004
ISBN:
Price:
Author URL:
Topic: fiction
Topic: fantasy
The first I knew of this book was an update from the Orbit website - being a big fan of the previous 10 books I ordered and copy and was immensely pleased to received a signed tome around a week later.
The context of the book, for any of you familiar with the series, is the time of the Aiel Wars, where the fierce race has fought right in to the 'civilised' lands up to Tar Valon (Aes Sedai stronghold) and Dragonmount where the previous incarnation of the Light's (Creator's) avator - the 'Dragon' - died a couple of thousand years previous.
Prophecy has it that the Dragon would be reborn on the slopes of Dragonmount. The actual time of his birth and the subsequent search for him is what concerns this prequel.
We are also allowed insight in to the early development of some of the most important characters to grace the pages of the series, namely Moraine Damodred and Lan al'Mandragoran (Aes Sedai and Warder respectively). There is also the first appearance of the Black Ajah, a forbidden and highly secretive society that, with the self-explanatory title, is concerned with doing the work of Jordan's version of the Christian 'Satan', namely the 'Dark One'.
"New Spring" first made an appearance as a short story/novella in Bob Silverberg's outstanding anthology 'Legends' in 1998, and since then Jordan has obviously decided to pursue the idea to a fruitful end (commercially and for the wealth of the Wheel of Time Universe). The original short story from 1998 is now the final chapters tacked on to the bulk of the new text.
It has a jumpier, livelier feel than the last couple of additions to the main Wheel of Time series, a freer rein, I think, as Jordan discovers the earlier lives of the characters that manifested themselves to him over the years. Perhaps, in the last while, his desire to wrap the series up in as few more books as possible is showing as, dare I say it, 'boredom'? But then again, even the best posts in the world furnish us with patches of boredom. It will come to a fitting end, i'm sure.
All in all, a rivetting read for a rivetting world. If you haven't read any of the books from the larger series, don't worry - "New Spring" can be lifted and read without needing previous experience of it. Chances are, after this, you will want to.
ConfedMarine | 
