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Chronique D'Avebury #1
The Fire Sword
Eleanor had fallen asleep in the twentieth-century Wilshire - and had awoken 800 years in the past, on a a Candlemas morning in medieval England. But this England, this Albion, was not the one she remembered from her history books. The King had a different name, the Crusades had never happened, but, worse of all, this England was swathed in perpetual twilight as the forces of Light retreated before the gathering Dark. And it seemed that Eleanor had been choisen as Albion's saviour.
Cover art by Carl Lundgren.
Cover art by Carl Lundgren.
Paperback
First published November 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 21, 2009
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.
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.
September 15, 2025
Three stars.
Another of my 'originally read this years and years ago' rereads.
This is an older book (originally published in 1984 (with a god-awful 'woman in a bikini with a sword and pet wolf' cover - my copy is the marginally nicer 'sword against sunset sky', though that hilt still looks ridiculous to me)); does it still hold up? Well - yes and no.
This is a portal fantasy; our main character, Eleanor Hope, wakes up one morning to find she has been transported back 800 years, give or take, to a medieval England (here called Albion) that never was - various historical events (the biggest example being the Crusades) never happened, the royal line has changed, and a 'perpetual twilight' hangs over the country like a shadow as the forces of Light are in retreat from the gathering Dark.
Compared to modern fantasy novels, this book had something of a fairytale or almost folkloric slant to it - goddesses, the summer king/winter king, shapechanging and the mystical power of music all feature in this book. Eleanor was a curious heroine - at the beginning she seemed strangely emotionless; waking up in her changed bedroom, she doesn't get hysterical, she gets dressed and goes looking for an explanation of what's going on (The protagonists of Kay's Fionavar Tapestry are similarly calm when they get transported to another land, so maybe it's simply how books were written then). She wonders whether she's the right person for this job - not terribly strong or, in her own mind, brave, but she is intelligent and knows a lot about Celtic folklore, which is probably more useful in this situation.
It was okay; by all means read it if you find a copy, but don't expect a story that reads like the majority of modern fantasy.
Another of my 'originally read this years and years ago' rereads.
This is an older book (originally published in 1984 (with a god-awful 'woman in a bikini with a sword and pet wolf' cover - my copy is the marginally nicer 'sword against sunset sky', though that hilt still looks ridiculous to me)); does it still hold up? Well - yes and no.
This is a portal fantasy; our main character, Eleanor Hope, wakes up one morning to find she has been transported back 800 years, give or take, to a medieval England (here called Albion) that never was - various historical events (the biggest example being the Crusades) never happened, the royal line has changed, and a 'perpetual twilight' hangs over the country like a shadow as the forces of Light are in retreat from the gathering Dark.
Compared to modern fantasy novels, this book had something of a fairytale or almost folkloric slant to it - goddesses, the summer king/winter king, shapechanging and the mystical power of music all feature in this book. Eleanor was a curious heroine - at the beginning she seemed strangely emotionless; waking up in her changed bedroom, she doesn't get hysterical, she gets dressed and goes looking for an explanation of what's going on (The protagonists of Kay's Fionavar Tapestry are similarly calm when they get transported to another land, so maybe it's simply how books were written then). She wonders whether she's the right person for this job - not terribly strong or, in her own mind, brave, but she is intelligent and knows a lot about Celtic folklore, which is probably more useful in this situation.
It was okay; by all means read it if you find a copy, but don't expect a story that reads like the majority of modern fantasy.
August 3, 2011
Bit of a weird one. I liked the overall story and (mostly) how it was played out, but there were a lot of little niggles that just spoilt the enjoyment a bit:
- The main character being so easy and OK with her whole life being turned upside down except at "convenient" moments that just felt shoehorned in to the story.
- The really sudden "kisses goddess that just drowned her and has mindblowing orgasm" scene.
- Every single male wants to rape or otherwise have sex with her.
- The ending of the book being so sudden and short, it was like the author though "sod it, had enough, the end".
I'm not averse to having sex in a book, indeed if done well it can be really good, but everything in the book just felt as if it was forced in "because" rather than being smoothly worked in to the story. Not sure if I'll buy the other books in the series, I'm quite curious to see how the tale progresses, but maybe will just see if I can get them from the library, not quite wanting it enough to buy.
- The main character being so easy and OK with her whole life being turned upside down except at "convenient" moments that just felt shoehorned in to the story.
- The really sudden "kisses goddess that just drowned her and has mindblowing orgasm" scene.
- Every single male wants to rape or otherwise have sex with her.
- The ending of the book being so sudden and short, it was like the author though "sod it, had enough, the end".
I'm not averse to having sex in a book, indeed if done well it can be really good, but everything in the book just felt as if it was forced in "because" rather than being smoothly worked in to the story. Not sure if I'll buy the other books in the series, I'm quite curious to see how the tale progresses, but maybe will just see if I can get them from the library, not quite wanting it enough to buy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish
January 6, 2024An early chosen one portal fantasy, our protagonist Eleanor wakes up to an alternate past England, Albion. She takes this development stoically when she wakes up in a rustic cabin, and heads off into the winter snow, where she finds a church with a priest who instantly accepts that she’s from another world and who can discuss with her in detail the differences between their worlds, and how this one is going wrong under its Dark curse. Luckily she happens to have an extensive knowledge of English and European history to help her along, and of course she is chosen as the saviour of this land by the Saint whose statue is in this church, so she sets off with a magic sword and supplies on her quest.
This is kind of a weird one. Eleanor acquires a wolf companion almost as soon as she steps outside her door into the woods, who barks like a dog for some reason, which annoyed me. She has strange mood swings, where she’s fine with her situation most of the time and doesn’t even think of her old life, but then is frustrated with her quest for a few sentences, which disappears again without being addressed. Most men she runs into are rapist brutes, or want to sleep with her. She meets a goddess and has a bizarrely written brief sexual encounter with her. I just couldn’t get into the character, and the story was too clunky and basic for me to want to continue.
This is kind of a weird one. Eleanor acquires a wolf companion almost as soon as she steps outside her door into the woods, who barks like a dog for some reason, which annoyed me. She has strange mood swings, where she’s fine with her situation most of the time and doesn’t even think of her old life, but then is frustrated with her quest for a few sentences, which disappears again without being addressed. Most men she runs into are rapist brutes, or want to sleep with her. She meets a goddess and has a bizarrely written brief sexual encounter with her. I just couldn’t get into the character, and the story was too clunky and basic for me to want to continue.
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October 23, 2025Across the centuries, Eleanor Hope is called to restore a banished king to his throne and return the power of light to Albion. Her only weapons are the magical Fire Sword of St. Bridget and the powers of faith, courage and love
December 26, 2022
first time i read about a girl turning into stone to avoid sexual advances...
August 10, 2011
The cover art is awful, but this book grabbed me and sucked me in. A classic Quest story, with a woman hero, but in which the man also gets to be a real person with moods and a backstory. Even the Goddesses have depth and heartbreak - nobody here is a cipher or cardboard cutout.
October 31, 2007
One of the first true fantasy books I read as a kid - loved the whole series, still remember vividly Eleanor and her wolf companion.
May 8, 2016
Still one of my favourite books of all time.
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November 21, 2018who is the character in this novel ?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews