The Sundering Flood

The celebrated medievalist William Morris was among the first writers to combine supernatural elements with worldbuilding. He created the precursors of modern fantasy fiction, and both C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien acknowledged his influence on their writing. In his final novel, Morris draws upon Icelandic lore to tell a tale of two lovers, Osberne and Elfhild, separated by a broad river. When Elfhild vanishes from the riverbank, Osberne takes up his magical sword Boardcleaver and begins a desperate search. He soon finds himself battling a tyrannical king in the service of rebel knight Sir Godrick of Longshaw, but Osberne can never forget the quest for his lost love. A captivating blend of chivalric romance and wizardry, this volume is a facsimile of the highly ornamented Kelmscott Press edition of 1897. The text is printed in black, with red chapter titles, and the lovely borders and initials are Morris's own design.