Harvey Havel

I am not an aficionado of flash fiction. Hence a few readers might find my thoughts harsh. That disclaimer aside, Havel provides a true mosaic of rich originality and lukewarm, formulaic text. The book could be a powerhouse if about 35% of the vignettes were deleted and the best works expanded into short stories.

“Soldiers” has been ground through the television too many times to count. “Maintenance Man Blues” presents a bit of a cheap, cinematic stereotype mainly stigmatizing people with mental illnesses. If you're in the market for something somewhat dull, checkout “Policy Overload” or “Puppy”.

Multiple works start off with good originality but focus on tired themes. “Elections for Student Government” reads quick for its predictability as does “The Advertisement”. “Clay Face” is a novel take on nothing new. The likes of “Installation” has never before been written and never yet needed to be.

Moving on to the positive.

Lovers of flash fiction may find quite enjoyable a very large portion of the book - “The Good Doctor”, “Photograph” and “Couple” pique the interest, but like much of the book, just are not long enough for myself. “Burping Child” could be longer, but it need not be. “Coffee” is a lite tongue-in-cheek take on the nature of current civilization appropriately sized.

“BMW” is a most imaginative head case of a story that is of satisfactory length. With “Horse” Havel takes a purposefully inane shot at caste, a shot that one can rarely have too much of when properly concealed. I like a good slight against the origins and agenda of religion such as “Glasses” provides.

Avoiding any further inventorying, let me repeat that Havel concocts quite a few original tales. Though much more a lover of short stories rather than flash fiction, I think the book would be well received by others. It could, however, benefit from some culling.… (más)

The Odd and the Strange Is an intriguing and peculiar set of short fiction stories aimed at every type of reader. As the title suggests they are odd and most definitely strange! (But in a good way).

I loved Harvey Havel’s collection of weird fiction. It takes quite a creative mind to come up with such an imaginative collection of stories, especially while making sure each one was also engaging and entertaining. The way each story starts is pretty normal but each meander off in a very thought provoking way. There are one or two of these stories I would have loved the author to develop further, but I guess by leaving the reader wanting more is the perfect way to write short fiction. A very enjoyable read.

Im looking forward to reading more from this author, definitely recommend… (más)

The Odd and The Strange: A Collection of Very Short Fiction by Harvey Havel is a great short story collection filled with bizarre characters and sketchy themes that are short in nature. Some of the characters on the surface appear rather boring, but then with a twist, they turn into monsters, some of which are of their own making. These stories are great for a short read, and certainly, the collection lends itself to being read at leisure, picking up a story or two at a time. There is a range of topics covered, keeping you engaged and interested in each story. Overall, a fine collection of intriguing stories.… (más)