Lackey is a very popular author, and the Valdemar books are her major body of work. A discussion of By the Sword or the entire series, is likely to draw young adults fascinated by the identity-quest theme and the girl- or boy-meets-horse premise and adult fantasy readers captivated by the adventure or the world-building aspects.
Ideology and thought experiment are not big features of this series. Sessions that stay focused on the stories and the world are more practicable than those of a more literary or philosophic bent.
However, By the Sword's social concerns and warrior heroine might lend themselves to a "women's options" discussion, either based on this book alone or in combination with other feminist science fiction and fantasy.
1. Kerowyn disdains the work of household management. Yet she was good.....
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