Camber of Culdi has three merits which seem to make it stand out from the crowd of fantasy novels: It features exceptional characterizations, a graceful prose style, and political commentary.

This last aspect of the novel may be the best place to start a discussion of the novel. Kurtz seems to invite comparisons between the situations in her novel and contemporary America. She further presents a story of men whose choices about what society should be stem from their moral consciences. That is, morality underlies their choices, and they act for the good of society because not to act would be morally wrong. The implication is that our own choices in modern society should stem from our knowledge of good and evil and that we should take action to shape society out of a moral imperative.

Is this a rational approach to vast social problems such...