How does the author use imagery in the novel, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man?

The author does not glamorize violence, and her battle scenes are brief and focus on the fighting skills of the combatants, not on graphic descriptions of gore. Alanna's moral courage is just as important as her physical skill in battle. She repeatedly battles against the evil magic of the crystal sword, rather than give in to the blade's delight in bloodshed. We see Alanna using her magic to heal others almost as much as we see her fighting. Her tending of the Bahzir wounded after a raider attack on their village emphasizes the human cost of all warfare.