n the court of the Sun King, the word of Louis XIV of France is more than mere law, and when Louis orders Yves de la Croix to bring him one of the fabled sea monsters of the tropics, that's just what the young Jesuit does. Louis wants the sea monster because of the rumors that it possesses a mysterious organ of immortality, and it is Yves' job to find this organ. Yves returns from his voyage with a dead sea monster to analyze and a live one to provide the organ itself at an upcoming banquet. The importance of the task is magnified by the King's delicate negotiations with the new Pope, and all care is taken to make sure things proceed without trouble. But then no one imagines that trouble will come from Yves' younger sister, Marie-Josephe.
Marie-Josephe is visiting the Sun King's court with the household of the King's brother. She becomes involved with the sea monster while helping her brother with his scientific experiments, but as she cares for the sea monster's physical well-being, she realizes it is more than a mere pet or exotic exhibit. Convinced that the sea monster is a thinking, feeling creature like herself, Marie-Josephe is horrified to learn of the King's plans for it. Determined to do what is right, Marie-Josephe undertakes to convince the King that he is wrong. Enlisting the aid of the King's confidante, Count Lucien, Marie struggles against ignorance, religion and politics to keep the sea monster alive--but she soon finds that in the court of the Sun, this is a difficult and very dangerous task.
An old-fashioned romance
In The Moon and the Sun, Vonda McIntyre gives readers a romance in the old-fashioned sense--a story of love, adventure and scientific endeavor in an alternate 17th century France. McIntyre provides lush and lyrical descriptions that bring the court of Versailles to life. Equally entertaining are the court intrigues--the jockeying of courtiers (particularly the King's relatives) for favor. McIntyre also does an impressive job of recreating the thought processes of a different time period. Yves' scientific method bows without complaint to the political whims of the King. Marie-Josephe's growing desire to save the sea monster isn't latter-day ecological awareness--it's a halting, painful struggle with her own religious and ethical prejudices. McIntyre parallels the sea monster story with Marie-Josephe's own position in the hierarchical court society, her relationship with her personal slave and her odd alliance with Count Lucien--one of the most powerful men in court, who also happens to be a dwarf and social outcast.
Most intriguing of all, though, is the sea monster itself and the reactions it evokes. Portrayed as a creature that is neither completely animal nor human, it is as enigmatic as any alien. And because it does not explain itself, it becomes a mirror for the prejudices and desires of those around it. If The Moon and the Sun disappoints in any way, it's in the choice not to explore this fascinating theme further, but to tell instead a simpler, more romantic tale.
Given the author's choice of direction, though, The Moon and the Sun succeeds admirably as a bejeweled plunge into a time and place that might have been.
eneath the Gated Sky is a sequel to Beyond the Veil of Stars, in which readers learned that the universe "as we know" it is an elaborate illusion. The stars and galaxies in the sky are an artificial backdrop, an image of the universe as it existed eons ago before some really heavy-duty engineering projects changed it into, well, something else.
There are other worlds, however, and they are right next door, hyperdimensionally speaking. Traveling to these worlds, through artificial portals called "intrusions," is tricky work. A sprawling meta-civilization called The Few has mastered this art and has covertly colonized countless worlds, including Earth.
But travelers have to pack light when going from world to world: no clothing or machinery can pass through an intrusion, and even the traveler's body is transformed into that of the target planet's native intelligent life, whether they be nocturnal blood-suckers or desert creatures who practice self-cannibalism, or stationary, ocean-dwelling blobs possessing vast intelligence and memory.
The Few strive to live peacefully and anonymously on their colonized worlds. On Earth, however, a sinister government organization has stumbled upon the secret of crossing the intrusions. The Cosmic Event Agency's mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly exploit alien knowledge for military and economic gain. To achieve its goals, the CEA isn't above spilling innocent blood, taking hostages, and condemning field agents to permanent insanity (like sushi or bungee jumping, inhabiting an alien body isn't for everyone).
The Few attempt to expose the nefarious doings of the CEA (without exposing themselves in the process), but a traitor in their ranks gives the CEA the upper hand. With her family held hostage, alien-born Porsche Neal has no choice but to return to her homeworld and participate in a dastardly scheme on behalf of the CEA.
Life is like box of chocolates: You never know who is really a
vampire-alien from Jarrtee
Those who haven't read Beyond the Veil of Stars shouldn't have much trouble getting up to speed on the cosmic machinations of Beneath the Gated Sky. However, newcomers will have a harder time getting a handle on returning characters Cornell Novak, his father Nathan, and hotheaded scientist Timothy Kleck. Admirably, Reed avoids stereotyped characters, but for sequels this makes it harder to peg the personalities and dynamics of the main players. Reed does offer a fascinating look at Porsche's early life on Jarrtee, where her people hibernated during the long, sweltering days and feasted on fresh blood by night.
Those who've read Beyond the Veil of Stars might be disappointed that the sequel does not expand much on the concepts and situations introduced in the first installment. There are tantalizing hints about the scope and nature of The Few civilization--Earth and Jarrtee are backwater worlds in The Few's invisible empire--but Beneath the Gated Sky represents only a small step forward in Reed's exploration of an intriguing and original science fiction milieu.
Some of the plotting could be stronger. A renegade Few robs Porsche's family of their secret stash of high-tech goodies, but just when things look hopeless it turns out there's a second secret stash of advanced gadgetry. And both The Few and the Cosmic Event Agency have a penchant for half-baked schemes that can exact a harsh toll on the readers' credulity and patience.
Still, Beneath the Gated Sky is an enjoyable, fast-moving thriller, and Reed's prose is polished if not too flashy. He also leaves the hatch open for a third installment, and indeed readers can see a new band of villains lurking in the shadows beyond. That's bad news for The Few, and good news for readers.
