A Crown of Swords

Many readers point to this book as the opening of the so-called slog, the slower mid-series stretch running through book ten, where the pace eases and storylines unfold in fine detail. Others enjoy its tighter focus, so the label is partly a matter of taste.

The Bowl of the Winds is a ter'angreal that can influence weather on a vast scale. Recovering it is the key to reversing the Dark One's unnatural heat and restoring the natural turn of the seasons.

A Crown of Swords is one of the briefer main volumes and covers only a short span of story time. The narrowed scope contributes to the sense among some readers that the series slows here.

Shadar Logoth is an ancient ruined city destroyed by its own paranoid evil, home to Mashadar, a hungry mist that kills anything it touches. Its corruption is so dangerous that it rivals the Dark One himself.

Very little. The book unfolds over a remarkably short period, lingering on detail and on parallel events happening at once. That compression is part of why its pacing divides readers.