I reviewed the first book in the Havok series, Havok: Reborn, when it was published and immensely enjoyed it. Genre flash fiction that mostly hit the mark, the first offering was an entertaining read and has a place prominently on my bookshelf. I was excited to learn the second book was going to feature music as its inspiration and read a few of the stories online. I waited for the opportunity to buy it in book form.
The second season of Havok allows talented authors to show off their writing chops in approximately four pages or less. Horror, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller are all represented here. Some stories are deep and densely packed; others, light-hearted. If nothing else, Havok brings variety in spades.
To remember the stories, I rated each with a simple 1-10 rating. As each song is inspired by a piece of music, I also rated them 1-10 on how well the author incorporated the song into the story. In the end, though, the song rating didn’t play nearly as large a role in the final score. Two stories received perfect 10s, three received 9s, and from there were a wealth of 8s. I made sure to reread the 9s and 10s before writing this review, and though I tried to avoid it, went to one decimal point.
I won’t describe the plot of any of the following as the stories are short enough that even giving away the genre is giving too much away.
Notable stories rated an 8 include Weaver of Dreams by Jebraun Clifford, Rave by Justin Mynheir, and A Fly on the Wall by Kat Heckenbach. Whether it was an exciting setting (Dreams or Rave), or unique premise (Fly), they made a mark that elevated Havok. A couple more wavered between an eight and a nine for me. What Happens in Las Veggies by J. L. Ender was so clever that I enjoyed it even more the second time. Darksoul by Rachael Kemme took a familiar device into new dimensions. Everyone’s a Henry by Charles Frierman was one of the few that I boosted because of its source of inspiration. Wreaking Havoc by Ronnell Kay Gibson had the right tone and perspective, and was both fun and merciless at the same time with a perfect narrating voice. And my favorite 8 belongs to Kristiana Sfirlea’s hilarious yet profound Siege of the Dead. With its killer opening line to its lasting impression, this one’s a winner.
The first nine, when I read it, really stood out to me. The Balloon Man by Morgan L. Busse has an ingenious plot and a lot going on for flash fiction. One of the reasons it works is it generates the atmosphere it’s going for with an economy of words. This one will stick with me for a long time.
The second nine was Blow Her a Kiss by Rosemary E. Johnson. This slice-of-life story was unlike most in the collection in its world-building without explanation, but its thriftiness with words and its compelling creativity make it stand out. The first time through I was baffled and in awe of this wonderful story.
My first ten is the editor’s choice. A Good Night to be Alive by Meaghan E. Ward had a lot to live up to being the last story but it delivered. This story had both a light-hearted plot and some serious underpinnings. You get two unique characters, an interesting setting to place them in, and an ending that sticks with you, all in 1K words or less.
And then there’s One Day in the Park by Teddi Deppner. I’m going to label this a personal 10 as this story wears its heart prominently on its sleeve. This story really touched me in a way no other tale managed to do in this entire collection. I went back and read her entry in Season One as a result of this offering and would encourage you to do the same.
All of the authors ought to be proud of the stories in this collection but the real winner is the reader who has yet to read these “wonderful compositions.” Season Two is as successful as season one. I’m looking forward to new tales in the next book (Bingeworthy) produced by Havok.
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SMHW62