Adrienne Martine-Barnes may be one of the greatest forgotten fantasy authors of the 80's. I loved this "Sword" series in particular, especially this first book. Each book in this series centers on a member of a particular family, starting with the matriarch in this book. Eleanor is taken out of time and thrust into adventure in a Bronze Age England alive with Celtic goods. Her attitude? Get dressed and see what's out there. "Nothing like shoes and socks to make you feel right with the world."It's hard to do this series justice. In each of the 4 books Martine-Barnes tackles a different ancient culture and a different "sponsor" god from a range of polytheistic pantheons (Celtic, Greek, and Indian to name but a few) the goddesses of which are struggling to survive. The last book (The Sea Sword) is very very sad, and there are still lines out of all four that when I read them will make me cry. I usually demand a HEA but the quality of this woman's writing defies all preferences. She's like the fantasy world's Atwood and it's a crying shame she isn't better read and better known.
