The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.

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Craig Zablo, on his eponymous site, enjoys Joe R. Lansdale’s OF MICE AND MINESTRONE – HAP AND LEONARD: THE EARLY YEARS.

OF MICE AND MINESTRONE – HAP AND LEONARD: THE EARLY YEARS provides a look at events that shaped Hap and Leonard into the men they would become. You don’t have to be a H&L fan to enjoy the book, but if you are you’ll enjoy it all the more.  My favorite story gave the book it’s title.  Lansdale sets up a classic situation and then throws in twists along the way (doesn’t he always) that will leave you smiling at his storytelling ability and sad at the situations the characters are in.  There’s not a weak story in the book and even though I’m not much of a cook, I think I’ll give a recipe or two a shot.

In SFRA REVIEW (vol. 50, no. 2-3), Jeremy Brett praises Nancy Kress’ SEA CHANGE.

SEA CHANGE is a welcome addition to the growing subgenre of climate change fiction that bursts with hope. If nothing else, if we ignored Kress’s clever worldbuilding and her engaging characterizations, that belief in hope makes it worthy.

On the Tachyon Publications Channel, Lead Designer Elizabeth Story explains how to design a book cover.

CURIOUS FICTIONS offers Jaymee Goh’s “A Better Man.”

Dick is not much of a prize.

Unfortunately, Dick, or Richard Anselm III, is today’s prize. I’m given to understand that the full saying used to be “dick is in abundance and of low value,” but with the ongoing red plague, that hasn’t been the case, since it kills off mostly people with a Y chromosome. Not quite an apocalypse, but many communities, mine included, are still reeling at the sudden imbalance. Who knew the lack of cis dudes would be such a problem? And of course, those of us in the rural communities were hit the worst, and college-attending daughters, including yours truly, were summoned home. Because a little thing like the plague killing off most of the cis boys doesn’t signal the end of the patriarchy, there is now an uptick in those husband-finding competitions, and general misogynist douchebaggery.

Due to this heinous string of events, here I am on a televised contest trying to win the heart of this dude. My family had sent me because I’m witty and pretty, which is another way of saying, you’re useless on the homestead, so go use your smart mouth and bag us fresh genetic material. The producer said that I had “interviewed well” which I think means, “what a bitch, put her in for the drama.”

Speaking of Goh, LIBRARYTHING is giving away ebook copies of Crystal M. Huff’s anthology RECOGNIZE FASCISM. The book includes the Goh story “Scholar Miaka’s Brief Summary of Memories Imbued in Memory Object Exhibit 132.NW.1.”

Cory Doctorow has established a Kickstarter for an audio book of his Attack Surface, the third Little Brother book.

Preview the audiobook here:  Chapter 1: Two hours and 44 minutes for free! 

Making an audiobook is expensive, but it’s not difficult. Publishing is such an outsource-oriented business that you can hire exactly the same people to do exactly the same job in exactly the same studio that the audiobook would be made in if you’d sold your rights to a real publisher.

What’s more, you can do better than a real publisher would — it’s your show, so you can cast the voice actors, sit in on the production, and make something really incredible. Which is what I did.

To narrate, I hired Amber Benson – author (Echo Park Coven and more), actor (Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more) and all round excellent human being, who previously performed on the audiobook for my 2017 novel Walkaway. 

To direct, I hired Cassandra de Cuir from Skyboat Media, who have produced many of my audiobooks with readers ranging from Tim Curry to Anne Hathaway.

And for mastering, I hired John Taylor Williams, the engineer who masters my weekly podcast – a polymath musician, sound engineer, brewer, carpenter and all-round brilliant fellow.