The Moon and the Sun

Rating:
Summary: Recreates the time
Review: For some reason I had my doubts about this book before I even read it . . . don't ask my why, call it a faulty gut. At first glance it seemed to be a typical "lowly person fights the unyielding establishment and their unceasing ignorance" except set in France. Fortunately the novel completely transcends any cliche and will probably stand as one of the definitive SF historical novels (how's that for a sub-genre?) for quite a while as it's hard to imagine something surpassing this work. Plotwise it's fairly straightforward, the court of the Sun King as seen through the eyes of a girl, Marie-Josephe, whose brother goes on a mission for the king to discover the secret of immortality through some sea monsters, one of which he brings back alive. From there the reader discovers along with Marie-Josephe that the sea monster is more human than anybody realizes at first and she goes to do something about that. The novel benefits from two things, the strength of its characters (Marie-Josephe is one of the most well rounded characters in years, smart and sensitive, courageous and vulnerable . . . but most of the cast gives her a run for her money) and McIntyre's total recreation of the French court and the people who populated it. Every ceremony, every gesture, every sight and sound brings you back to the time . . . singlehandedly through her prose she makes the scenes come alive and pulls you into a world that thrives on ceremony and ritual . . . the amount of research that must have gone into this must have been staggering but the end result is well worth it for the reader. You see both the glorious and the seamy, the honor and the squalidness of the behavior of the members of the court . . . my only complaint is that after a while everyone seems related to everyone else but that's probably not the author's fault. So the combination of McIntyre's research and her stunning charactization create one of the most exciting and realistic feeling SF historical novels in recent years. I don't know what else was up for the Nebula in 1997 but the award was certainly deserved.

Rating:
Summary: If this were a movie, it would be a ?chick flick.?
Review: In this complex and often thrilling novel, McIntyre imagines a "sea monster" captured by a priest and delivered into the decadent court of the "Sun King" Louis XIV of France. The priest, handsome young Father de la Croix, hopes the "speciman" will promote his scientific studies at court, but his convent-bred sister, Marie-Josèphe, newly arrived from the colonies, makes a startling discovery: despite its leathery skin, seaweed hair and twin fishtails, the creature is a variety of human-a "sea woman." She tells the stories of her people in haunting songs that only Marie-Josèphe understands. In opposition to the courtiers who sponsor her, the visiting Pope Innocent, and King Louis himself, Marie-Josèphe plots to win the sea woman her freedom before she winds up an entrée on Louis' dinner plate. Marie-Josèphe's only ally is Lucien, Count de Chrétien, war hero, personal advisor to the king, and the second most powerful man at court. Lucien is also a dwarf. But as the only character moral enough to assist Marie-Josèphe (and the only one worthy of her love), he sets a standard by which more conventional fictional heroes shrink in comparison.

What Marie-Josèphe and Lucien risk for each other, and what they gain, gives the story resonance, while the fate of the sea woman propels the plot. The natural rapture of the sea woman and her tribe plays off against the ruthless moral hypocrisy of the Church, and the extravagance, sexual license, pompous ritual and elegant back-stabbing of court life, while shifting perceptions of beauty, monstrosity and morality glimmer like phosphorescence on a moonlit sea.

McIntyre takes her time setting up the plot-there may be a few too many descriptions of the pomp and ceremony of court life. But once the payoffs begin, you can't put the book down.The novel reads like historical fiction with a touch of magic realism (McIntyre calls it "alternate history"). Strange then to find a work of such genre-bending imagination banished to the Science Fiction category.

Rating:
Summary: More psychological than adventurous
Review: Marie-Josephe, after living in a convent, finds herself at the court of Louis XIV. Her brother, Yves, has found a sea monster and has brought it back to his majesty - who believes that the sea monster is the key to his immortality. However, Marie-Josephe can understand and communicate with the creature, and she comes to realize she's not as much a monster, as she is human.

I loved all the research that went into writing this book. The court of Louis XIV was amazingly well recreated. I also liked the love-story that was woven in to the plot. The last hundred pages or so were my favorite. Unfortunately, the plot was very slow at times. This isn't a book about great adventures, epic battles and heroes and heroines in the typical sense. Most of the "action" revolves around Marie-Josephe's struggles - both internal, and external while trying to deal with life at court.

Just a note of caution: the writing style was extremely descriptive. McIntyre uses a lot of unfamiliar, long words to get her point across. I had to have a dictionary beside me at all times while reading this book. Also, the book dealt a lot with Christianity at the time. Struggles to save one's eternal soul, struggles to discover immortality, and the immoral way most people at court behaved despite Christianity's role in their lives was explored at length.

Overall, I would only recommend it to fans of the period, or fans of fantasy novels that are more psychological than adventurous.

Rating:
Summary: Fine ideas; poor writing.
Review: The Moon and the Sun begins with the compelling premise of a sea monster brought to Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV. Yet Ms. McIntyre neither takes the plot anywhere of real interest, nor infuses her characters with anything more than stereotypical personalities. The novel's heroine, Marie-Josephe St. Croix, is a stark anachronism at the court of Versailles. Although Marie-Josephe's ideas and worldview are undeniably sympathetic, she epitomizes a thoroughly contemporary ideal -- her views on slavery, education, religion, and the rights of women are all modern ideas -- and, as such, she fails to be a believable character. Moreover, the other characters of the novel fall into predictable roles and never surprise the reader with any of their actions.

Ms. McIntyre wrote The Moon and the Sun as an alternate history (with only the one, central fantasy element), but it seems unlikely that this novel would not have garnered praise had it been written for another genre. That fantasy readers reward such mediocre novels with their highest awards reflects tellingly on the sci-fi/fantasy genre as a whole -- and that reflection is decidedly negative.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent blend of fantasy and alternate history
Review: The Moon and the Sun" (1997) is an excellent fantasy novel by US science fiction author Vonda McIntyre. The novel is not a standard fantasy, but rather an alternate history novel with fantasy elements. It won a number of awards, including the 1997 Nebula Award for Best Novel (beating the favorite "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin).

The story is set in 17th century France, during the reign of the Sun King Louis XIV, at his court in Versailles. The novel is filled with a large cast of courtiers, many of them historical figures, who are all competing for the favor of the King. The main character, Marie-Josephe de la Croix, assists her brother, Father Yves de la Croix, in the scientific study of a recently captured sea monster. The King hopes to gain immortality by consuming part of the creature, but as the study continues, Marie-Josephe discovers the sea monster may be more than a dumb beast. This discovery tests Marie-Josephe's loyalty to her brother, her king and her religion.

Vonda McIntyre thoroughly researched the historical setting for "The Moon and the Sun" and created a very convincing setting, filling it with believable and well-rounded characters. Because of the level of detail, the novel can be enjoyed as a historical novel and a fantasy. Very highly recommended.

Note: the novel originated as a short story, written in the form of a fictional encyclopedia article, "The Natural History and Extinction of the People of the Sea", which was illustrated by (fellow author) Ursula K. Le Guin and indirectly inspired by research done by the late Avram Davidson, another brilliant SF writer. The novel also exists as a screenplay.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent blend of fantasy and alternate history
Review: The Moon and the Sun" (1997) is an excellent fantasy novel by US science fiction author Vonda McIntyre. The novel is not a standard fantasy, but rather an alternate history novel with fantasy elements. It won a number of awards, including the 1997 Nebula Award for Best Novel (beating the favorite "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin).

The story is set in 17th century France, during the reign of the Sun King Louis XIV, at his court in Versailles. The novel is filled with a large cast of courtiers, many of them historical figures, who are all competing for the favor of the King. The main character, Marie-Josephe de la Croix, assists her brother, Father Yves de la Croix, in the scientific study of a recently captured sea monster. The King hopes to gain immortality by consuming part of the creature, but as the study continues, Marie-Josephe discovers the sea monster may be more than a dumb beast. This discovery tests Marie-Josephe's loyalty to her brother, her king and her religion.

Vonda McIntyre thoroughly researched the historical setting for "The Moon and the Sun" and created a very convincing setting, filling it with believable and well-rounded characters. Because of the level of detail, the novel can be enjoyed as a historical novel and a fantasy. Very highly recommended.

Note: the novel originated as a short story, written in the form of a fictional encyclopedia article, "The Natural History and Extinction of the People of the Sea", which was illustrated by (fellow author) Ursula K. Le Guin and indirectly inspired by research done by the late Avram Davidson, another brilliant SF writer. The novel also exists as a screenplay.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly engrossing!
Review: The struggles between philosophy, science, court and religion play against each other in this wonderful historical fantasy by Vonda McIntyre, and the author comes out winning! Set in the 17th century court of Louis XIV, you see the grandeur through the eyes of court newcomer Marie-Josèphe. While there is much description of the Sun King's court at Versailles - indeed, you're drawn into the sounds, sights, and smells - it's not overwhelming or confusing to the plot. Buy, read, and enjoy! (Make sure to check out other works of McIntyre's while you're at it!)

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not the experience I expected
Review: Vonda McIntyre presents us here with a pretty good novel set in the decadent court of Louis XIV...where extravagantly dressed nobles with tragic birth defects dance in sumptuous and glittering halls that reek of sewage. It is this rotten-at-the-core revelation that is the strongest part of _The Moon and the Sun_. McIntyre does a stellar job of showing us the falseness of the image of the Sun King's court.

Unfortunately, the plot and the characters didn't live up, in my mind, to the gushing blurbs on the back cover. When reading the novel, I couldn't go three pages without, mysteriously, flashing back to "Free Willy". McIntyre, in her afterword, mentions that she originally planned this book as a screenplay; it shows, with plot taking a back seat to spectacle.

I could have gotten over the plot, though, had I fallen in love with the characters. Too bad the most interesting character in the whole book was Madame la Princesse de Palatine, who has a bit part--she was a real historical figure who was married to Louis's gay brother but loved Louis. She is interesting. But she's not the central character. Instead we have Marie-Josephe de la Croix, a paragon of Pollyanna innocence, who is just too perfect to seem real. And her beloved, Lucien, is such a brown-nosing sycophant that I wanted to slap him. At the beginning, he slavishly follows King Louis around and thinks of nothing but pleasing him. Later, he changes his ways--and begins slavishly following Marie-Josephe around instead, and thinking of nothing but pleasing her. The man never gets a backbone of his own. And he was always so bad-tempered that I couldn't like him.

The book was successful in that it inspired me to go read more on the history of the period, but I wouldn't recommend it especially highly unless you're interested in that period. The story doesn't really stand apart from the historical scenery.