Havok publishes an anthology two times a year with a variety of genres (fantasy, science fiction, thriller, comedy, mystery) and theme (vice and virtue). Anthology series are hard to review unless a system is in place. For Vice and Virtue, I returned to my system where I rate each offering on a scale from 1-10 in the following categories: story, mechanics, and theme. Story is simply how much I enjoyed the entry. Mechanics is not only grammar (often excellent thanks to Havok editors), but the use of language and the author’s stylistic choices. The theme rating is how well authors incorporated the theme into their stories.
This anthology’s theme was interesting. Vice and Virtue proposed many sub-categories to focus on: cowardice, courage, pride, humility, etc. Yet, I had a difficult time teasing out the theme for some of these stories. If I couldn’t discern it, I found my focus slightly diverted from the plot.
The following all deserve recognition for adherence to story, mechanics, and theme. Thirteen Minutes to Kill (excitingly provided by Taylor Rae), Fear of Furniture (creatively supplied by James Scott Bell), One More Time Around (hauntingly written by K.M. Hasling), A Broken Spirit (movingly served up by Andrew Winch), Incendiary (intriguingly offered by Maia Rebekah), Sweets and Soured (delightfully recorded by Emily Barnett), Storing Up Treasures (grippingly described by Ryan Bush), and A Christmas Equation (festively plotted by Hannah Carter).
The Reader’s Choice Award, Dragons are not Heroes by Emily Barnett, was also high on my list. The dragon’s point-of-view and the arc that occurs in this very short tale is striking and deserves the award it received. A Matter of Pride by Hannah Carter nails the theme of pride—it received a top rating—but also explores this vice’s “other” side as well. And Caleb A Robinson’s The Proxy with its selfless main character grabbed my attention, exploring a new twist on what is a usually disturbing concept in science fiction.
Finally, Cadenza by Hailey Huntington, is an accomplishment of flash fiction. An offbeat tale of a pianist haunted by her past is deeply moving. The incorporation of musical terms as nouns and adjectives is clever and effective. And the character’s arc from a stifled life to making peace with her past nailed the theme.
When I read it, I thought Cadenza was a bit of an anomaly for Havok’s genres. Havok specializes in urban fantasy, high fantasy, and science fiction. The publication also offers a mystery, thriller and a comedy category, yet fantasy and sci-fi elements dominate these genres as well. As readers consume fantasy after scifi after fantasy, they expect the next story to have some form of unnatural element to it. Cadenza does not. It’s a tightly written, one-scene, engaging story. And I noticed many more stories in this particular anthology were similar.
For the first time, I decided to record and count the genres of each story. I was surprised at the results. Clearly, urban fantasy (followed closely by sci-fi) was what I’d described most of these offerings, but many were non-magical, non-sci-fi stories. I counted nine that I would classify as either a true mystery, historical fiction, or contemporary. I would encourage Havok to continue to even out the selections in their anthology in this way. The variety keeps the readers wanting more.
Overall, in general, the anthology seems stronger in the second half than the first—though a few examples contradict that assertion. The mix-up of speculative to non-speculative fiction was welcome. I was slightly disappointed in how few horror pieces were included—thrillers were mostly of the action variety. Everything was polished and well-written, a Havok staple. I believe most people will easily find several stories that they’ll love. Stories that will stick with them long after they embark on their (hopefully) virtuous endeavors of the day.