Tracy answers “Should this be the first I read out of the...”

Annie asked this question about New Spring (The Wheel of Time, #0):

Should this be the first I read out of the wheel of time series? I see there is a book #1 and this is book #0 and was written after. I would like thoughts from people who read this series. Thanks.

Tracy Not that you haven't already read what you will read, but should others wonder the same, I'd emphatically state that no, you should not.

One of the mai…moreNot that you haven't already read what you will read, but should others wonder the same, I'd emphatically state that no, you should not.

One of the main charms of The Wheel of Time is the mystery, unknowns and half-truths and questions. If you have read this story, you no longer have the ambiguity of feeling towards a few of the main characters. Your doubts are silenced. You read with frustration rather than fear and anxiety, and begin the books not as a confused youth following others into danger, but as a wise looker-on. Where is the fun?

Additionally, this book has about 1/5 the pace of the first couple WoT novels. The initial pacing is intoxicating and pulls you through many duller volumes. This book is not a headlong flight into confusion, but more a detailed snapshot of a small moment that you only come to care deeply about once invested in the characters. Furthermore, the structure of the book is weak. One character is introduced and then disappears for half of the book, before all of the characters are finally united.

I enjoyed it, but only because I had read the others before it.(less)

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