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Alqua Dreams
The corpse of Planet Keela believe that life is an illusion.
Presided over by The Death Woman, they insist they are the victims of a deity who has stolen their souls, leaving their dead bodies to wander in a fake world under an illusory sky.
When earthman Jaimi Cooper visits the keela on a trade assignment he is appalled by the Lukai's bizarre sexual and religious practices and frustrated by their denial of his existence. But Jaimi is also deeply attracted by one of their beautiful tribeswomen, so much so that he prepares to challenge their Death Woman.
From the winner of the 1988 Arthur C. Clarke Award comes this mind thrilling exploration of illusion, reality and death.
Presided over by The Death Woman, they insist they are the victims of a deity who has stolen their souls, leaving their dead bodies to wander in a fake world under an illusory sky.
When earthman Jaimi Cooper visits the keela on a trade assignment he is appalled by the Lukai's bizarre sexual and religious practices and frustrated by their denial of his existence. But Jaimi is also deeply attracted by one of their beautiful tribeswomen, so much so that he prepares to challenge their Death Woman.
From the winner of the 1988 Arthur C. Clarke Award comes this mind thrilling exploration of illusion, reality and death.
- GenresScience Fiction
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
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26 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Pollack
207 books344 followersRachel Grace Pollack was an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot. Pollack was a great influence on the women's spirituality movement.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
“To the Lukai, when a mother bore a child both the mother and child were really dead souls, locked in fake bodies. ‘The child cries,’ the Death Woman told Cooper, “because it still remembers the truth'” (28).
At first glance the mission was like so many others: negotiate with a native people, the Lukai, over a rare resource that facilitates space travel. But Jaimi Cooper is plunged into an ontological nightmare, he is branded as an alqua, “someone who suffers an illusion” (20). According to the Lukai, “you are [...]"
“To the Lukai, when a mother bore a child both the mother and child were really dead souls, locked in fake bodies. ‘The child cries,’ the Death Woman told Cooper, “because it still remembers the truth'” (28).
At first glance the mission was like so many others: negotiate with a native people, the Lukai, over a rare resource that facilitates space travel. But Jaimi Cooper is plunged into an ontological nightmare, he is branded as an alqua, “someone who suffers an illusion” (20). According to the Lukai, “you are [...]"
April 1, 2019
A bad book by an author I otherwise like. This has the problem that when we learn what makes the main character tick we have to wonder why any competent organization would send him to do the job he's tasked with doing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews