From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …

[close] This novel is a prequel to the super epic 14-volume fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. This novel does not add to the series, at least in plot. It does add to the characterizations of Lan and Moiraine. A reader learns how Lan became Mioraine's warder, and the relationship between Moiraine and the eventual Amrylin Seat, Siuan Sanche. You begin to learn about the prophesy of the dragon reborn and the Black Ajah is introduced.

If you like fantasy on an epic scale, you will like The Wheel of Time. This novel makes a good entry into the series, but it is not necessary to read it first or at any specific point in the series.