Read it after ToM, when I needed more WoT.

i think I read it while waiting for Knife of Dreams to come in the mail.

Read it after CoT - it was a bit odd to suddenly be reading about Moiraine again..

Read New Spring directly after my first time through and directly before second time through.

Read New Spring directly after my first time through and directly before second time through.

After TGS, do you mean?

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.

 

Talmanes hits the nail on the head.

 

While starting out with NS may not ruin the first three books it will ruin EotW.

 

Wasn't NS going to be a trilogy?

I read New Spring somwhere around reading Lord Of Chaos

Read New Spring directly after my first time through and directly before second time through.

After TGS, do you mean?

Yes, after Gathering Storm.

 

Edit:: Added the "before" part because I consider the prequel as part of both times through.

I read it when it came out, and you can easily notice that it was written then, considering who shows up in it. That is probably the best time to read it, once you know who Cadsuane is, and when you know what happens to Moiraine and Siuan.

 

I don't think its a disaster if someone starts out with it, I'm sure some like to have the insights into the Power and the White Tower to understand a bit more of the world when reading tEotW. Also, it makes Moiraine and Siuan a lot more sympathetic, this is possibly the best argument for starting out with it. The downside is that it ruins the gradual revelations about the WoT universe in first books.

 

 

I didn't buy NS until I was well into TGS. I wanted to dive into TOM immediately, but I took the time in-between TGS and TOM to read it.

 

On my read-thru, I'll read it in publication order.