Alqua Dreams Author:Rachel Pollack The corpse people of Planet Keela believe that life is an illusion. Earthman Jaimi Cooper finds their practices bizarre but is attracted by a beautiful tribeswoman. Cooper's task on the planet Keela: offer the native Lukai fair price for their rare ore rhovium, but first convince the powerful Death Woman that he and the Lukai themselves... more » are more than illusions in a world where everyone has already died. The fascinating story of one man confronting a totally alien culture.
In this alien landscape, a tribe of natives lives in the ruins of a magic city. With all their needs for food and shelter satisfied by automatic systems, they have retreated into a world of their own. Their bizarre sexual customs and religious ceremonies are based on one central belief: that life is an illusion.
To their planet comes an explorer searching for rare mineral deposits. Under galactic law he must offer something to the natives in fair trade for their planet's precious metal. But what can he give people who want nothing, who even refuse to believe he exists? To them he is an "alqua" - a fool who can't face the truth that life is a lie.
This is a fascinating story of one man confronting a totally alien culture, submitting to its perverse rituals, and feeling his sanity gradually slipping away while he struggles to convert them to his view of reality. His task becomes more dangerous as he finds himself intimately involved with a beautiful young native woman. His task begins to seem impossible as he learns the real secret of the seemingly childlike, innocent people around him.
Rachel Pollack, known for her haunting short stories of surreal fantasy, has written a dramatic novel whose images live on long after its profound questions and conflicts have been resolved« less