The Sundering Flood

The Sundering Flood is a fantasy novel written by William Morris and first published in 1897 after the author's death. It is one of the precursor novels of modern fantastic literature.

The Sundering Flood is a river so vast that it separates the lovers Osberne Wulfgrimsson and Elfhild.

After being invaded by the Red Skinners, Elfhild disappears and Osberne sets out to find her.

With the help of his magic sword, he joins Sir Godrick of Longshaw's army to fight the tyrants who rule the city and try to locate Elfhild there...

One of the innovations that this novel made in the field of fantasy was the inclusion of a map with the description of the imaginary world, something that most fantasy novels with their own world now include.

"It is told that there was once a mighty river which ran south into the sea, and at the mouth thereof was a great and rich city, which had been builded and had waxed and thriven because of the great and most excellent haven which the river aforesaid made where it fell into the sea, and now it was like looking at a huge wood of barked and smoothened fir-trees when one saw the masts of the ships that lay in the said haven".