The Moon and the Sun

Artwork by Gary Halsey

The Moon and The Sun

by Vonda N. McIntyre

Winner of the Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Award for Best Novel of 1997!

The Nebula Award

A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 1997

"Inspired by tales of ancient sea-monsters, McIntyre (The Crystal Star) spins a marvelous alternative-history fable about greed and goodness, power and pathos set at the 17th century court of Louis XIV, France's glittering Sun King. At breathtaking (and chilly) Versailles, Louis pays for his glory by sacrificing his comfort and privacy. He lusts after bodily immortality and unending treasure, and he hopes to find both by devouring the entrails of a sea-woman trapped by Jesuit explorer Yves de la Croix. Enthralled by the creature's songs and telepathic tales, Yves's musician sister Marie-Josephe must defy brother, king and pope to save the sea-woman from the court butcher. Marie-Josephe isn't alone in her proto-ecofeminist struggle. She finds an ally (and lover) in Lucien, Comte de Chretien, a great-hearted dwarf whose inner pain and essential nobility recall Cyrano and Quasimodo. Drawing on deep research (detailed in an afterword), McIntyre vividly re-creates a Versailles poised on the cusp between alchemy and modern science. Her imaginings enliven her history with wonder, but, as in the best fantasy, they serve less to dazzle by their inventiveness than to illuminate brilliantly real-world truths — here, humanity's responses, base and noble, when confronting the unknown."

--Publishers Weekly, July 28, 1997

Praise for "The Moon and The Sun":

"The finest alternate history ever, lighthearted and wise -- a gorgeous visit to the court of the Sun King, a marvelous fireworks illumination of human history, human nature, and the nature of the people who live in the sea -- a luminous, radiant novel."
-- Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness, Always Coming Home, Wizard of Earthsea, A Fisherman of the Inland Sea; winner of the National Book Award; multiple winner of the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award, and the James Tiptree, Jr., award

"This is McIntyre at her best. An enchanting fantasy, expertly woven into 17th century reality. Like a grand opera, The Moon and the Sun regales with charming wit, style, and drama. A thoroughly satisfying read which echoes lyrically in one's memory long after the last page has been turned."
--Jean Auel, author of Clan of the Cave Bear

Read excerpts from The Moon and the Sun on The Simon & Schuster home page Eclectic Literary Forum and SFF-Net (très romantique!)

This Hardcover edition of The Moon and the Sun is available in very limited quantities, signed for you by Vonda N. McIntyre.

About the Author

The Moon and the Sun

by Vonda N. McIntyre

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