Enough of the 1 star reviews!

Most of the 1 star reviews appear to be written by people who haven't read the book. This is not simply a reprint of the original short story.

The first 202 pages (of a 334 page book) are brand new, and the rest has been rewritten, in some places just a tweak here and there, and in others a more significant rewrite.

Even though this does not advance the main story forward, it is a much more interesting read than Crossroads of Twilight (the last full-length novel), and it provides a nice chunk of information about an important aspect of the Wheel of Time narrative--just how and why did Moiraine begin hunting for the Dragon Reborn.

It's important to note that the rewrite of New Spring truly does add to the original short story, and gives us additional insight not available in the original story.

The story isn¿t moving forward, we my as well look back!

I found myself in two minds while reading New Spring. After waiting so long to reach the end of the series, it was annoying to find RJ has been working on a prequel instead!! At the same time, I liked reading about Moiraine and Siuan as Accepted and the testing for the shawl. Of course the final third of the book describing how Lan becomes Moiraine's warder is largely unchanged from the short story in Legends so that adds nothing new. There are flashes aplenty of the RJ we saw in the first 5 WOT books and I do wish he had spent more time on the Aiel war (yes, I know, the story has to start somewhere after all!) and perhaps some discussion between the Accepted on their preferred Ajah. I look forward to reading in the next two prequels of Siuan's ascent to the Amyrlin Seat and how the search for the Dragon shifts to the Two Rivers. Since the story clearly isn't moving forward very much, we may as well look back!!!

Otherwise, my WOT cribs still apply. The clichéd mannerisms appear in full force and the same pathetic excuse for a map appears again, leaving the reader trying hard to precisely locate the action (the position of the Hook? East of the Erinin and Tar Valon of course, but beyond that, keep guessing). But that is OK. Since RJ is on his own trip and unconcerned about his readers, I now read his books through the County Library and decline to buy them. He has every right to write the way he likes, and I have the choice to buy, or not.

I was shocked

I have stuck with Jordan for year after year after year. I have collected all of the WOT series in hardback. Like many of you I have grown very bored and disillusioned by the direction the series has taken. Needless to say I was dumbfounded as to why when we are all hoping for a dot on the horizon to show us that the end is near, here comes a _prequel_???? Unbelievable. See you in 2 years.