Lusca and Other Fantastic Tales

by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas

She keeps to the shadows and is everywhere and yet nowhere. She keeps watch, and protects. She was chosen because of her ability to become a puff of air brushing a cheek or a ripple in the sand of a beach. Her movements are almost imperceptible—dismissed as a trick of light, a figment of the imagination… So many coming, it is hard for her to keep watch. But, she is swift and can be anywhere, faster than a frightened, indrawn breath. She is Lusca.

Discover the magic of the otherworld in this collection of stories. Meet predators that prowl the night and cannot be stopped by locks or bars; heroes with fangs and backward turned feet. Wonder at a celestial being with the power to bring light to dark lives.

Through the creative genius and cultural knowledge of Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, LUSCA and Other Fantastic Tales animates and preserves several of the unique, legendary, but mostly forgotten creatures of Bahamian folklore.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2017

About the author

Bahamian writer, editor, educator and cultural critic, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas was the first winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for Writing and recipient of a Silver Jubilee of Independence Medal for Literature. For her poetry collection, Chasing Light, Glinton-Meicholas was a finalist in the 2012 International Proverse Prize Competition. By 2014 she had written 18 books and numerous essays on Bahamian history, art and culture.

Reviews

[Ricardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reto de lectura 2021: Autores del Caribe (5 de 12)

Continuando con el reto de los doce libros de autores del Caribe, la más reciente captura ha sido esta antología de relatos de la escritora bahameña Patricia Glinton-Meicholas. Ha sido también una elección curiosa no solo por ser el único libro de cuentos de mi selección sino también por ser el único dedicado a la literatura fantástica, en concreto tomando elementos del folklore caribeño pero mezclándolos con la inevitable influencia del gótico europeo, en el sentido de que los protagonistas de los cuentos son siempre personajes de origen anglosajón enfrentados a lo que consideran las "supersticiones" de las islas y que casi siempre terminan sucumbiendo ante ellas. Es también un libro con un lenguaje muy refinado y un tono muy elaborado en su narración, lo que causa un divertido contraste con el imaginario que maneja. El cuento que da título al libro, "Lusca", es probablemente el mejor de todos y uno que deja entrever un claro subtexto ecologista y anti-capitalista que pasa desapercibido en el resto de los cuentos. No ha sido mi favorito de este reto anual, pero está muy bien.

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lusca," the story of human greed and disrespect for nature, is easily the most "frightening" tale in the collection.

Read Harder 15 -- one-sitting book (even though I didn't read it in one)

[Shannon White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely tales derived from Bahamian lore and the islands’ colonial past—highly recommend if you’re traveling to the Bahamas!

[Rayne Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quintessentially Bahamian. An interesting tale about one of the lesser-known Bahamian/Caribbean cryptids.