There are things over which even absolute power is powerless. The Sun King is free to dispose of other people's lives, but his own inexorably flows into the past. Immortality is what rulers have longed for since time immemorial, and Louis XIV was no exception. Hoping to gain power over death itself, he sends the scientist-priest, Father de la Croix, on an expedition to find the legendary sea creatures, whose flesh, according to legend, bestows eternal life. And finally, the long-awaited ship returns with an amazing captive. It is unknown whether this mysterious creature is capable of granting the king victory over death, but it will change the destinies of many people irrevocably... “The Moon and the Sun” by Vonda McIntyre is an unusually picturesque, bright and fast-paced narrative that combines science fiction, fantasy and historical romance. , whose historical layer is written out very carefully. The author masterfully recreates the picture of life in France in the seventeenth century, when unprecedented luxury coexisted with poverty, freedom of morals every now and then turned into inquisitorial cruelty, and science and enlightenment coexisted with the wildest superstitions. In 1997, the novel “The Moon and the Sun” was awarded two literary prizes. - Nebula and Intergalactic Award for Best Novel.