Winner of the Nebula Award and now a major motion picture: "A
luminous, radiant novel" (Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea
series).
During the late seventeenth century, Louis XIV's natural philosopher and
explorer, Father Yves de la Croix, does what no one has done for four
hundred years: he brings a living sea monster to land. Thus begins a
stunning fantasy, a journey into science and superstition, and an
alternate history in which Yves and his sister, Marie-Josèphe--a
lady-in-waiting with her own finely tuned intelligence and insatiable
curiosity--struggle to learn from and protect the sea woman. As
Marie-Josèphe translates the sea woman's songs into stories, she hopes
to stave off the creature's inevitable execution--for Louis XIV believes
the wondrous being holds the secret to the immortality he craves, a
twisted obsession that will force brother and sister to choose between
their conscience and their loyalty to king and country . . .
The basis for the movie starring Pierce Brosnan, The King's Daughter
is "a dazzling and spirited evocation of the passions, intrigues, and
preconceptions of the age, along with a dandy pair of misfit,
star-crossed lovers: an enchanting slice of what-if historical
speculation" (Kirkus Reviews).
"A wonderful book! Adventure, love, history, magic." --Diana Gabaldon,
bestselling author of Outlander
"A plot that sings, enchanting romance, and a depth of insight into
human nature." --SF Site
"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 . . . [McIntyre's] 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, starred review
"Combines two demanding genres, with some remarkable twists unlike
anything I've seen before. It is a science fiction story of first
contact with an alien race, but told in a setting more often associated
with fantasy. It is also historical romance at its best, the type of
meticulously researched work that brings another era to life. McIntyre
infuses it all with her marvelously unique style." --Catherine Asaro,
award-winning author
Previously published as The Moon and the Sun