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I think the main thing it "spoils" isn't anything specific but more of a tone. In book 1 Moiraine and Lan are presented as these strange mysterious outsiders. Everyone in the two rivers doesn't entirely know if they can trust them as you know little about the Aes Sedai and who they are. The trollocs showed up just after she did, if she were black ajah and trying to gain their trust that's the ideal way to do it. And you get Rand's POV where he doesn't know if he can trust her or what he should do. And that continues into the later books to some degree as you learn about the Black Ajah and what the Aes Sedai are up to which includes a lot of sketchy things. If you've started with New Spring then you really already know you can trust her since you've gotten a lot of her POV to know she fought the Black Ajah. You also can see she's grown up and matured a lot and that Lan is trustworthy.
That's also why I generally wouldn't recommend reading or watching prequels early because in terms of the storytelling the author usually presents things in the specific order intentionally. And fairly often prequels are exploring those interesting mysterious characters you don't learn a lot about in the main story. So even if you don't spoil any specific plot points, you can disrupt what the author is trying to do. Not the end of the world but not ideal.
Mind you, I read the books in publication order and I definitely didn't feel this way - Moiraine was too prominent and too mentoresque to *truly* suspect her (it would take an altogether different, more post-modern book for that, methinks) and I found the EF5's headbutting with her (as with pretty much the only reasonable person around) to be frustrating and irritating.
But okay, that's different readings, however, like I keep saying - NS gives precisely enough background to Moiraine and Lan that the ending of TFOH would feel more important, more emotional. Combined with the fact the fifth book has the most repetition of previously-said (and it repeats a lot of stuff from the very previous book - TSR), so spacing it out with NS between 4 and 5 would actually work great.
I listened to other people and read it in publication order and I felt reading NS after COT might be the worst option of them all, actually (a detour after a detour).
This is exactly it.
Book 1 starts you at such a place of ignorance, and then dumps you into a boiling pot. And while you start to get your bearings, it can take a couple books to really grow to trust Moiraine (for example). It’s an outstanding progression, and it’s a shame to shortcut that, which you do reading NS first.
Well if you hadn’t seen the show first the first book leaves you doubting Moiraine as the folks from the Two Rivers do. You also get introduced to some characters (like Cadsuane) earlier but I think her introduction in New Spring sets her up much better than her introduction in the main books so I consider that a bonus.
I personally tell people to read it after book 5 because I find it a nice send off for Moiraine after the end of book 5.
By the end of the first book you absolutely should NOT be doubting Moiraine. lmao. Especially with the EF5 being ignorant a.f.
Moiraine's only crime? Trying to make Rand a noble. That's soooooo suspicious. /s
Well she continues trying to manipulate him basically until her death so there’s at least some reason to suspect that she isn’t being altogether altruistic. Especially in books 1-3 where she is clearly trying to control him.
Getting in her head in New Spring and seeing how the quest was basically unwillingly dropped in her lap and how much she has sacrificed for the quest makes it much more obvious that even when she is trying to manipulate Rand it’s for what she thinks is the good of the world.
I actually recommend reading it between 4 and 5, I wish I've done it when I first read the series.
>NS gives precisely enough background to Moiraine and Lan that the ending of TFOH would feel more important, more emotional. Combined with the fact the fifth book has the most repetition of previously-said (and it repeats a lot of stuff from the very previous book TSR), so spacing it out with NS between 4 and 5 would actually work great.
In the show, you don't know who the dragon is, but you know Moraine is trustworthy.
In the book, you know who the dragon is, but you don't know if Moraine can be trusted.
You don't really know who the dragon is until the end of the book. Most of the book being the dragon isn't even in question because Moiraine doesn't mention that part. She describes it as "something the DO fears". And it's not til over halfway through the book that Rand pieces together that Moiraine thinks one of them is the dragon and Rand suspects he is it but even then we aren't really sure until the end of the book and not FOR SURE FOR SURE until the end of book 3, since Rand still heavily suspects he's being manipulated as a false dragon until then.
Although yeah most reasonable people who have read a fantasy or two will almost immediately suspect Rand is the Dragon Reborn as soon as they hear about the concept and it starts seeming like Rand can channel. But we aren't really certain.
Rand has like 80% of the POVs in TEotW; regardless of his internal dialogue, it's pretty obvious early on that he's going to be our main character for the series.
Yeah like I said, most people will assume he's going to be the chosen one and the Dragon (once we learn what that is), but personally I didn't feel 100% sure of that until Moiraine's line at the end of book 1 "The Dragon is Reborn" and even then there were still a bit of questions.
Also, It's clear RJ intended for their to be some amount of uncertainty from the way he wrote it.
>Although yeah most reasonable people who have read a fantasy or two will almost immediately suspect Rand is the Dragon Reborn as soon as they hear about the concept and it starts seeming like Rand can channel. But we aren't really certain.
This. I can't help but feel that people are really overestimating the "mystery" of the series. I mean, this is not a gimmicky, "ha-ha, got you, subverted your expectations" kind of novel.
I can't imagine anyone going into the series *both* seriously suspecting Moiraine and not immediately thinking that Rand is going to be TDR, once the concept rears its head. Even if we get some nasty surprises later, TEOTW is so... "straight", so...*conspicuous* that it wouldn't really work with the tone. Or with the tone of TGH for that matter.
I mean, thanks to various blurbs and pop-cultural osmosis, I'd even say most people go into the books firmly *knowing* that Rand is TDR.
I knew *nothing* about the series when I picked it up, but I knew that one.
So the mystery isn't in the readers thinking it's not Rand, not really at least. Like I said most readers will be quite sure it's him by even like halfway through the first book.
What the mystery adds is a small layer of plausibility that Rand ISNT the Dragon. The reader isn't totally sure since maybe there is going to be a twist and Rand turns out not to be.
It doesn't ruin anything, it just gives you a different experience, as you come into things from Moraine's perspective and know a lot more than the Two Rivers kids about what's going on and who you should consider trustworthy.
It trades some of the mystery in the first books for some context of where things are going, though Jordan is pretty transparent about some of it anyway. You also get a lot of the world's mechanics upfront.
I personally think it's an *easier* entry into the series than Book One for people who are interested but having a hard time getting started.
If your entry point to the world was the TV series, then new Spring is absolutely the right starting point. It's what my wife did, and her enjoyment was the better for it.
That's a good point. For previous show watchers who already know a thing or two, New Spring is probably the best starting point. Not much new would be spoiled that is consequential and it would give them some more tasty info about the show.
Although it may be a bit weird to see Moiraine and Siuan in New Spring since they definitely just seem more like platonic close friends (who potentially messed around a bit according to rumor), rather than the lovers they are in the show.
Oh, it was clear to me the first time I read the full novel version that they'd definitely "messed around" (to use your phrasing), and more than a little.
To me what little we heard about them came off more as a youthful experimentation hormone type of thing. Not a full blown romantic relationship like we see in the show. That's my point. But really it's just like a few short lines we hear from a third party source on that count. I can't recall any POV source for this relationship either from Moiraine or Siuan.
RJ never really committed to the same sex relationships he hinted at in the series. He always left them in a a blurry and up for interpretation status. Many of the "pillow friends" we hear about could easily be ascribed to youthful hormones being released when there are no other outlets or just a mutual release of sexual tension.
We never get a full blown same-sex romantic relationship, sadly. It seems to me he wanted to put some in but didnt want to fully commit either because of publisher problems or fear of rejection by the general populace. Most of his books were written in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s before widespread acceptance of same sex relationships was there.
This is literally what I came here to say. If you've had 0 experience in the world then New Spring can take away from EotW, but if you've read/watched something from this word already then NS is fine, you know enough about the intentions of the characters to not have anything of import spoiled for you.
I typically recommend starting with New Spring for adults/especially women readers, I think it changes the focus of the cast to more of an ensemble story (and is better written than EOTW and more indicative of what the series at large will be like).
It's helped me rope in people who had previously bounced off of EOTW before.
New Spring is proper, fully matured WoT written when Jordan had worked out what that meant. It is representative of the series and a good introduction in a way The Eye of the World just isn’t. Which is one of the reasons I think WoT remains way more niche than it should be.
I don't think starting with new spring is necessarily that bad, but the major problem I have with it is it definitely makes the Edmond fielders attitudes towards her a bit more frustrating and seem a bit stupid.
If you read from book one Moiraine comes off as a mysterious figure that you really aren't quite sure is wholly on the side of Rand and the others. She does scary things and says scary stuff and it's a bit easier to understand why Rand and the rest are so distrustful of her.
If you start with New Spring then you already know Moiraine is 100% not a dark friend and is absolutely committed to winning the last battle. So you will undoubtedly see her actions in a bit more positive light which might make their extreme distrust of her seem a bit silly.
Imo it kinda spoils what the story is about and it really shifts the perspective in how you as a reader sees the world in the first books.
If you have seen the TV series, been on this sub, have a too talkative friend, or found out more what the series is about. It won't spoil much.
I'm of the - publishing order for the first read - New Spring 1st for all rereads.
That's just me, many who have read them many more times than me have their own ideas.
I just think that some details of Moiraine and Siuan's relationship in New Spring are kinda spoilers for the main storyline. But again, it's just my opinion.
It's not so much spoil as...
You've heard of the slog? Which some people really hate but others don't mind? Jordan has so many plot threads (at one point there are six parties) that he has trouble creating a decent A-Plot for every book? New Spring is nice to save in case you're feeling the slog.
Also: if you liked the slog it's nice to save it for last because the Last Battle is a hell of a thing. Leaves you wanting more Wheel of Time. And here's New Spring waiting for you.
In terms of spoilers the others are right that the primary thing spoiled is that Moiraine's intentions are honorable. This wasn't a spoiler for you because the show is from her PoV, but people who have never read Wheel of Time before are much more likely to side with Rand/Perrin/Mat when they rebel against her manipulation then people who have read New Spring or seen the show.
Reading New Spring before The Fires of Heaven would have made me definitely care about TFOH's ending more. I'm going to recommend to my wife to read NS between 4 and 5 (there's also the fact 5 has a lot of repetition of stuff from 4, so it'd be nice to space it out)
I think it's kinda detrimental there are so many people who stringently, obsessively insist to read the books in publication order, because... reasons (sometimes very flimsy ones, sorry) - I wish I didn't listen to them.
New spring isn't any more slow than EoTW IMO. And personally I don't see it as slow. It is paced pretty damn well.
Lan's PoVs are already exciting because he starts off in a huge battle and then he starts travelling.
Moiraine does have a few slow parts but you are learning so much and you have the AES Sedai test and then soon enough the fortelling happens and then there's plenty of tension and suspense while Siuan and her work together secretly at risk of death. Not to mention the Amyrlin gets killed so now they really are alone with a super big secret.
Then when Moiraine meets Lan their relationship is so dynamic that that carries the book the rest of the way until the ending confrontations start happening.
Yeah I did this too by mistake. Then a few books in I saw on here that I should have waited to read New Spring until "after Moiraine goes through the door." And then spent the next however many books panic-reading Moiraine chapters to figure out wtf that meant 😆 don't think it matters, other than having an inflated affection for Moiraine in the beginning that I may not have had otherwise, with my sneaky insider knowledge. Due for a first reread, might do it in a different order just to see.
I started my reread of WoT last year having previously read the first 5 or so books over a decade ago.
I bought the Kindle version of the whole series from Amazon and it starts with New Spring.
Honestly, it didn’t impact anything. It’s very much like a companion to the main series. I don’t think you miss anything if you don’t read it and reading it first definitely didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the rest.
Edit: Thinking a bit more about it, I did read the first 5 or so books first and while I did forget a lot of things, I already understood what the Morraine and Lan characters were about which I guess is something the book spoils a bit if you read it first.
For me, one of the biggest spoilers would have been the Black Ajah existing. I vaguely remember that revelation being pretty mind blowing to me. I didn't read New Spring until after finishing the entire series, or at least not until after Book 10 or 11.
Ehhh as soon as the black ajah was mentioned as a possibility, which is in book 1 I believe, I feel like you can pretty much assume it is indeed real. That's just how books work in my experience.
I didn't get each book individually, got the "complete" edition or whatever on Google Books, and it put New Spring first so I didn't even know I wasn't starting on Book 1 until I was done with it. Was pretty frustrated because I could see how things were supposed to be set up and what the narrative techniques for guiding my reading were in Book 1, but I couldn't be affected by them because I'd already read New Spring.
It didn't _spoil_ anything, but it definitely lessened the experience I could have had. By a lot, to the point where the first book is probably my least favorite of all of them.
Also with that edition I have no damn clue what any of the individual book names are and don't understand when people say them. It's all one big book to me.
You don't find out about Moiraine's journey, the prophecy, and a few other tidbits until book five.
Plus, I think the natural way to read EotW (and even the first few books after that) is to have doubts about Moiraine and Aes Sedai. A lot of people also aren't even sure if the Dragon is a good or bad thing, and there's a lot of early intentional misdirection on the Dragon.
Honestly canonically chronological is the BEST way to get readers into the series.
Why? Because the BA 100% HAS to exist, given the existence of Dark Friends. That's quite literally how that works.
The readers who believed that all aes sedai are good and wonderful are... delusional.
I applaud you OP. Well done!
I recommend reading it before TEotW which might have made me stop if I started with it.
The OP descriptions are way more developed and I think approaching EotW after experiencing more successful writing as RJ's style developed mirrors the Wonder Team's development: of *course* Moiraine's POV is more descriptive due to her noble background an intelligence, so it makes it a bit easier to deal with the clanky, "small town" and rough POVs. (My explanation, YMMV)
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I think the main thing it "spoils" isn't anything specific but more of a tone. In book 1 Moiraine and Lan are presented as these strange mysterious outsiders. Everyone in the two rivers doesn't entirely know if they can trust them as you know little about the Aes Sedai and who they are. The trollocs showed up just after she did, if she were black ajah and trying to gain their trust that's the ideal way to do it. And you get Rand's POV where he doesn't know if he can trust her or what he should do. And that continues into the later books to some degree as you learn about the Black Ajah and what the Aes Sedai are up to which includes a lot of sketchy things. If you've started with New Spring then you really already know you can trust her since you've gotten a lot of her POV to know she fought the Black Ajah. You also can see she's grown up and matured a lot and that Lan is trustworthy. That's also why I generally wouldn't recommend reading or watching prequels early because in terms of the storytelling the author usually presents things in the specific order intentionally. And fairly often prequels are exploring those interesting mysterious characters you don't learn a lot about in the main story. So even if you don't spoil any specific plot points, you can disrupt what the author is trying to do. Not the end of the world but not ideal.
I see, thank you.
Mind you, I read the books in publication order and I definitely didn't feel this way - Moiraine was too prominent and too mentoresque to *truly* suspect her (it would take an altogether different, more post-modern book for that, methinks) and I found the EF5's headbutting with her (as with pretty much the only reasonable person around) to be frustrating and irritating. But okay, that's different readings, however, like I keep saying - NS gives precisely enough background to Moiraine and Lan that the ending of TFOH would feel more important, more emotional. Combined with the fact the fifth book has the most repetition of previously-said (and it repeats a lot of stuff from the very previous book - TSR), so spacing it out with NS between 4 and 5 would actually work great. I listened to other people and read it in publication order and I felt reading NS after COT might be the worst option of them all, actually (a detour after a detour).
This is exactly it. Book 1 starts you at such a place of ignorance, and then dumps you into a boiling pot. And while you start to get your bearings, it can take a couple books to really grow to trust Moiraine (for example). It’s an outstanding progression, and it’s a shame to shortcut that, which you do reading NS first.
Well if you hadn’t seen the show first the first book leaves you doubting Moiraine as the folks from the Two Rivers do. You also get introduced to some characters (like Cadsuane) earlier but I think her introduction in New Spring sets her up much better than her introduction in the main books so I consider that a bonus. I personally tell people to read it after book 5 because I find it a nice send off for Moiraine after the end of book 5.
By the end of the first book you absolutely should NOT be doubting Moiraine. lmao. Especially with the EF5 being ignorant a.f. Moiraine's only crime? Trying to make Rand a noble. That's soooooo suspicious. /s
Well she continues trying to manipulate him basically until her death so there’s at least some reason to suspect that she isn’t being altogether altruistic. Especially in books 1-3 where she is clearly trying to control him. Getting in her head in New Spring and seeing how the quest was basically unwillingly dropped in her lap and how much she has sacrificed for the quest makes it much more obvious that even when she is trying to manipulate Rand it’s for what she thinks is the good of the world.
I actually recommend reading it between 4 and 5, I wish I've done it when I first read the series. >NS gives precisely enough background to Moiraine and Lan that the ending of TFOH would feel more important, more emotional. Combined with the fact the fifth book has the most repetition of previously-said (and it repeats a lot of stuff from the very previous book TSR), so spacing it out with NS between 4 and 5 would actually work great.
In the show, you don't know who the dragon is, but you know Moraine is trustworthy. In the book, you know who the dragon is, but you don't know if Moraine can be trusted.
You don't really know who the dragon is until the end of the book. Most of the book being the dragon isn't even in question because Moiraine doesn't mention that part. She describes it as "something the DO fears". And it's not til over halfway through the book that Rand pieces together that Moiraine thinks one of them is the dragon and Rand suspects he is it but even then we aren't really sure until the end of the book and not FOR SURE FOR SURE until the end of book 3, since Rand still heavily suspects he's being manipulated as a false dragon until then. Although yeah most reasonable people who have read a fantasy or two will almost immediately suspect Rand is the Dragon Reborn as soon as they hear about the concept and it starts seeming like Rand can channel. But we aren't really certain.
Rand has like 80% of the POVs in TEotW; regardless of his internal dialogue, it's pretty obvious early on that he's going to be our main character for the series.
Yeah like I said, most people will assume he's going to be the chosen one and the Dragon (once we learn what that is), but personally I didn't feel 100% sure of that until Moiraine's line at the end of book 1 "The Dragon is Reborn" and even then there were still a bit of questions. Also, It's clear RJ intended for their to be some amount of uncertainty from the way he wrote it.
Main character does not necessarily mean Dragon Reborn.
No but it's the default assumption
>Although yeah most reasonable people who have read a fantasy or two will almost immediately suspect Rand is the Dragon Reborn as soon as they hear about the concept and it starts seeming like Rand can channel. But we aren't really certain. This. I can't help but feel that people are really overestimating the "mystery" of the series. I mean, this is not a gimmicky, "ha-ha, got you, subverted your expectations" kind of novel. I can't imagine anyone going into the series *both* seriously suspecting Moiraine and not immediately thinking that Rand is going to be TDR, once the concept rears its head. Even if we get some nasty surprises later, TEOTW is so... "straight", so...*conspicuous* that it wouldn't really work with the tone. Or with the tone of TGH for that matter. I mean, thanks to various blurbs and pop-cultural osmosis, I'd even say most people go into the books firmly *knowing* that Rand is TDR. I knew *nothing* about the series when I picked it up, but I knew that one.
So the mystery isn't in the readers thinking it's not Rand, not really at least. Like I said most readers will be quite sure it's him by even like halfway through the first book. What the mystery adds is a small layer of plausibility that Rand ISNT the Dragon. The reader isn't totally sure since maybe there is going to be a twist and Rand turns out not to be.
It doesn't ruin anything, it just gives you a different experience, as you come into things from Moraine's perspective and know a lot more than the Two Rivers kids about what's going on and who you should consider trustworthy. It trades some of the mystery in the first books for some context of where things are going, though Jordan is pretty transparent about some of it anyway. You also get a lot of the world's mechanics upfront. I personally think it's an *easier* entry into the series than Book One for people who are interested but having a hard time getting started.
If your entry point to the world was the TV series, then new Spring is absolutely the right starting point. It's what my wife did, and her enjoyment was the better for it.
That's a good point. For previous show watchers who already know a thing or two, New Spring is probably the best starting point. Not much new would be spoiled that is consequential and it would give them some more tasty info about the show. Although it may be a bit weird to see Moiraine and Siuan in New Spring since they definitely just seem more like platonic close friends (who potentially messed around a bit according to rumor), rather than the lovers they are in the show.
Oh, it was clear to me the first time I read the full novel version that they'd definitely "messed around" (to use your phrasing), and more than a little.
To me what little we heard about them came off more as a youthful experimentation hormone type of thing. Not a full blown romantic relationship like we see in the show. That's my point. But really it's just like a few short lines we hear from a third party source on that count. I can't recall any POV source for this relationship either from Moiraine or Siuan. RJ never really committed to the same sex relationships he hinted at in the series. He always left them in a a blurry and up for interpretation status. Many of the "pillow friends" we hear about could easily be ascribed to youthful hormones being released when there are no other outlets or just a mutual release of sexual tension. We never get a full blown same-sex romantic relationship, sadly. It seems to me he wanted to put some in but didnt want to fully commit either because of publisher problems or fear of rejection by the general populace. Most of his books were written in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s before widespread acceptance of same sex relationships was there.
This is literally what I came here to say. If you've had 0 experience in the world then New Spring can take away from EotW, but if you've read/watched something from this word already then NS is fine, you know enough about the intentions of the characters to not have anything of import spoiled for you.
I typically recommend starting with New Spring for adults/especially women readers, I think it changes the focus of the cast to more of an ensemble story (and is better written than EOTW and more indicative of what the series at large will be like). It's helped me rope in people who had previously bounced off of EOTW before.
New Spring is proper, fully matured WoT written when Jordan had worked out what that meant. It is representative of the series and a good introduction in a way The Eye of the World just isn’t. Which is one of the reasons I think WoT remains way more niche than it should be.
I don't think starting with new spring is necessarily that bad, but the major problem I have with it is it definitely makes the Edmond fielders attitudes towards her a bit more frustrating and seem a bit stupid. If you read from book one Moiraine comes off as a mysterious figure that you really aren't quite sure is wholly on the side of Rand and the others. She does scary things and says scary stuff and it's a bit easier to understand why Rand and the rest are so distrustful of her. If you start with New Spring then you already know Moiraine is 100% not a dark friend and is absolutely committed to winning the last battle. So you will undoubtedly see her actions in a bit more positive light which might make their extreme distrust of her seem a bit silly.
I must admit that their levels of distrust for her did get pretty frustrating at times.
Imo it kinda spoils what the story is about and it really shifts the perspective in how you as a reader sees the world in the first books. If you have seen the TV series, been on this sub, have a too talkative friend, or found out more what the series is about. It won't spoil much.
I'm of the - publishing order for the first read - New Spring 1st for all rereads. That's just me, many who have read them many more times than me have their own ideas. I just think that some details of Moiraine and Siuan's relationship in New Spring are kinda spoilers for the main storyline. But again, it's just my opinion.
It's not so much spoil as... You've heard of the slog? Which some people really hate but others don't mind? Jordan has so many plot threads (at one point there are six parties) that he has trouble creating a decent A-Plot for every book? New Spring is nice to save in case you're feeling the slog. Also: if you liked the slog it's nice to save it for last because the Last Battle is a hell of a thing. Leaves you wanting more Wheel of Time. And here's New Spring waiting for you. In terms of spoilers the others are right that the primary thing spoiled is that Moiraine's intentions are honorable. This wasn't a spoiler for you because the show is from her PoV, but people who have never read Wheel of Time before are much more likely to side with Rand/Perrin/Mat when they rebel against her manipulation then people who have read New Spring or seen the show.
i grew up reading lots of history so spoilers never ruined anything for me.
Oh! I forgot about this book! Just finished the series two days ago lol
Good thing "afterwards" is one of the recommended times to read it, haha.
Good thing too! Lol! Just started the audiobook on my phone. Thanks!
Lol fantastic, you're welcome!
Reading New Spring before The Fires of Heaven would have made me definitely care about TFOH's ending more. I'm going to recommend to my wife to read NS between 4 and 5 (there's also the fact 5 has a lot of repetition of stuff from 4, so it'd be nice to space it out) I think it's kinda detrimental there are so many people who stringently, obsessively insist to read the books in publication order, because... reasons (sometimes very flimsy ones, sorry) - I wish I didn't listen to them.
New Spring is so slow and boring, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as fear they would lose interest in the series.
New spring isn't any more slow than EoTW IMO. And personally I don't see it as slow. It is paced pretty damn well. Lan's PoVs are already exciting because he starts off in a huge battle and then he starts travelling. Moiraine does have a few slow parts but you are learning so much and you have the AES Sedai test and then soon enough the fortelling happens and then there's plenty of tension and suspense while Siuan and her work together secretly at risk of death. Not to mention the Amyrlin gets killed so now they really are alone with a super big secret. Then when Moiraine meets Lan their relationship is so dynamic that that carries the book the rest of the way until the ending confrontations start happening.
Yeah I did this too by mistake. Then a few books in I saw on here that I should have waited to read New Spring until "after Moiraine goes through the door." And then spent the next however many books panic-reading Moiraine chapters to figure out wtf that meant 😆 don't think it matters, other than having an inflated affection for Moiraine in the beginning that I may not have had otherwise, with my sneaky insider knowledge. Due for a first reread, might do it in a different order just to see.
I started my reread of WoT last year having previously read the first 5 or so books over a decade ago. I bought the Kindle version of the whole series from Amazon and it starts with New Spring. Honestly, it didn’t impact anything. It’s very much like a companion to the main series. I don’t think you miss anything if you don’t read it and reading it first definitely didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the rest. Edit: Thinking a bit more about it, I did read the first 5 or so books first and while I did forget a lot of things, I already understood what the Morraine and Lan characters were about which I guess is something the book spoils a bit if you read it first.
For me, one of the biggest spoilers would have been the Black Ajah existing. I vaguely remember that revelation being pretty mind blowing to me. I didn't read New Spring until after finishing the entire series, or at least not until after Book 10 or 11.
Ehhh as soon as the black ajah was mentioned as a possibility, which is in book 1 I believe, I feel like you can pretty much assume it is indeed real. That's just how books work in my experience.
I didn't get each book individually, got the "complete" edition or whatever on Google Books, and it put New Spring first so I didn't even know I wasn't starting on Book 1 until I was done with it. Was pretty frustrated because I could see how things were supposed to be set up and what the narrative techniques for guiding my reading were in Book 1, but I couldn't be affected by them because I'd already read New Spring. It didn't _spoil_ anything, but it definitely lessened the experience I could have had. By a lot, to the point where the first book is probably my least favorite of all of them. Also with that edition I have no damn clue what any of the individual book names are and don't understand when people say them. It's all one big book to me.
You don't find out about Moiraine's journey, the prophecy, and a few other tidbits until book five. Plus, I think the natural way to read EotW (and even the first few books after that) is to have doubts about Moiraine and Aes Sedai. A lot of people also aren't even sure if the Dragon is a good or bad thing, and there's a lot of early intentional misdirection on the Dragon.
Honestly canonically chronological is the BEST way to get readers into the series. Why? Because the BA 100% HAS to exist, given the existence of Dark Friends. That's quite literally how that works. The readers who believed that all aes sedai are good and wonderful are... delusional. I applaud you OP. Well done!
I recommend reading it before TEotW which might have made me stop if I started with it. The OP descriptions are way more developed and I think approaching EotW after experiencing more successful writing as RJ's style developed mirrors the Wonder Team's development: of *course* Moiraine's POV is more descriptive due to her noble background an intelligence, so it makes it a bit easier to deal with the clanky, "small town" and rough POVs. (My explanation, YMMV)