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Automatic Noodle
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2025)From sci-fi visionary and acclaimed author Annalee Newitz comes Automatic Noodle, a cozy near-future novella about a crew of abandoned food service bots opening their very own restaurant.
While San Francisco rebuilds from the chaos of war, a group of food service bots in an abandoned ghost kitchen take over their own delivery app account. They rebrand as a neighborhood lunch spot and start producing some of the tastiest hand-pulled noodles in the city. But there’s just one problem. Someone―or something―is review bombing the restaurant’s feedback page with fake “bad service” reports. Can the bots find the culprit before their ratings plummet and destroy everything they created?
While San Francisco rebuilds from the chaos of war, a group of food service bots in an abandoned ghost kitchen take over their own delivery app account. They rebrand as a neighborhood lunch spot and start producing some of the tastiest hand-pulled noodles in the city. But there’s just one problem. Someone―or something―is review bombing the restaurant’s feedback page with fake “bad service” reports. Can the bots find the culprit before their ratings plummet and destroy everything they created?
163 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2025
1202 people are currently reading
43494 people want to read
About the author
Annalee Newitz
62 books2,022 followersAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. They received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 they were a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They write for many periodicals from 'Popular Science' to 'Wired,' and from 1999 to 2008 wrote a syndicated weekly column called 'Techsploitation.' They co-founded 'other' magazine in 2002, which was published triannually until 2007. Since 2008, they are editor-in-chief of 'io9,' a Gawker-owned science fiction blog, which was named in 2010 by The Times as one of the top science blogs on the internet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,096 reviews
June 28, 2025
I didn’t realize there was such a thing as cozy sci-fi, and it works surprisingly well here. I guess if you swapped the robots out for unicorns or trolls or something, it would basically be a cozy fantasy because it follows a similar story structure.
Overall, this was a fun, short read. I was fully engaged when it stuck to the happenings at the restaurant. When it veered into the past lives of the robots, my mind started roaming. I think it’s because they didn’t tie in to the main story in a satisfying way- kinda like jigsaw pieces that don’t snap together perfectly.
There were things about this book that I absolutely loved, but I can’t go into detail because of spoilers.
Happy reading!
Overall, this was a fun, short read. I was fully engaged when it stuck to the happenings at the restaurant. When it veered into the past lives of the robots, my mind started roaming. I think it’s because they didn’t tie in to the main story in a satisfying way- kinda like jigsaw pieces that don’t snap together perfectly.
There were things about this book that I absolutely loved, but I can’t go into detail because of spoilers.
Happy reading!
December 4, 2025
I listened to the audiobook version and it was fantastic, the narrator was perfect.
It was short, sweet, cozy, but powerful. The characters are full of hope and love despite living in a world hostile to their kind and having to endure segregation.
Having such passionate descriptions of food as the conductive thread of the story was brilliant, and the tastes felt as vivid as the characters.
It is beautiful writing.
Thank you McMillan audio for this ARC!
It was short, sweet, cozy, but powerful. The characters are full of hope and love despite living in a world hostile to their kind and having to endure segregation.
Having such passionate descriptions of food as the conductive thread of the story was brilliant, and the tastes felt as vivid as the characters.
It is beautiful writing.
Thank you McMillan audio for this ARC!
December 28, 2025
Started as a 4 star, then plummeted straight to 1 star.
Ok so here’s the 2am rant. Let me start off by saying that when I started reading this I was all about it, it seemed fun and cute but not much later my feelings on it dropped.
If you only have time to read one of my reasons for hating this book please read #5.
1. I’m sorry but I thought this was a book about robots setting up a noodle shop? Can we get more of that please? Everyone’s reviews talk about how cozy this book is, “cozy this, “cozy sci-fi,” “cozy that”. Is the cozy in the room with us? It was “cozy” for a very small portion of this book. I’m all for exploring major topics and themes, but being preached at for the entirety of this book didn’t mesh with cozy well at all. There is a way to introduce big themes and thought provoking moments while maintaining the cozy aspect and atmosphere.
2. Dear author, stop trying to FORCE me to like these robots. One of my fav robot characters is Murderbot and my love for Murderbot grew naturally, not forced at all. This book takes a poor shot at trying to do that. Everytime I felt an opportunity to really appreciate the character you’d ruin it with your tone of voice. Please for the love of all that is dear to me SHOW DON’T TELL or in your case don’t force.
3. The inconsistencies man! The INCONSISTENCIES!! Bruh. Where is your editor?!? Fire them. Now. What do you mean one minute they’re sentient robot and the next they’re using what they’ve downloaded or been programmed with to mimic sentience? They’re using fake facial expressions to mimic human emotions but then they can feel genuine love?? They can voluntarily kiss but they have to force themselves to act human? How are they genderfluid? They don’t even have a gender at all, they hate humans but adopt the very human idea of gender-fluidity? Maybe I’m just oversimplifying it but this all seems incompatible with each other. Not to mention all the tiny narrative inconsistencies that add up.
4. The absolute unintentional ridiculousness. It’s very clear when an author is writing something cringy or ridiculous on purpose and that they are fully aware it is so, but that’s not the case with this book. I genuinely believe this author doesn’t know how ridiculous she sounds. I’m supposed to sympathize with a sentient robot car that’s saying that Transformers, the franchise, is offensive to cars?!?!?? And that it’s supposed to represent actual racism in the world!?? Let’s go into your world for a second; if I was a car I would not be offended by Transformers lol. There’s more ridiculousness in this book but I didn’t bother myself with taking notes.
5. Playing off of #4, you’re saying your whole book is a metaphor for how people think about immigrants right? Ok that sounds good. But then you say this on instagram: “Meanwhile, people hold the same ideas about robots that don't even exist yet. It seems like a pattern. These are the kinds of fears we have about groups we imagine without ever doing any research about the reality of who they are. Or, in the case of robots, who they might be..” I mean it writes itself people. You are actually advocating for non existent robots as if they’re immigrants. “It seems like a pattern.” Really? Really are we 12? This is textbook tone-deaf virtue signaling if I ever saw it.
Ai DOES have serious potential to steal jobs. It’s ALREADY been “directly linked to 10,000 jobs lost in the first 7 months of 2025” -google.” And that might not seem like a lot but that’s just what’s directly linked. World Economic Forum said 75 million jobs were displaced by Ai. I honestly don’t know which numbers are true or not.
I do know that immigrants aren’t stealing people’s art to make their own it their own. I mean you’re an AUTHOR!!? An AUTHOR!! The irony!
I don’t want to be the one that throws out the “IT’S AI!” accusations but if weren’t for the fact that I think AI would’ve done a better job and maybe a little less tone deaf, than I’d be saying Newitz used ChatGPT to write her book. But then she’d be advocating for AI’s personal rights to the book and end up suing herself.
Honestly my bad, I should’ve have looked the author up first before reading this because then I would’ve know what level of maturity to expect from someone with “pervert” on their profile. Omg Newitz you’re like soooo quirky. 😒
Read August 13th-16th 2025
Ok so here’s the 2am rant. Let me start off by saying that when I started reading this I was all about it, it seemed fun and cute but not much later my feelings on it dropped.
If you only have time to read one of my reasons for hating this book please read #5.
1. I’m sorry but I thought this was a book about robots setting up a noodle shop? Can we get more of that please? Everyone’s reviews talk about how cozy this book is, “cozy this, “cozy sci-fi,” “cozy that”. Is the cozy in the room with us? It was “cozy” for a very small portion of this book. I’m all for exploring major topics and themes, but being preached at for the entirety of this book didn’t mesh with cozy well at all. There is a way to introduce big themes and thought provoking moments while maintaining the cozy aspect and atmosphere.
2. Dear author, stop trying to FORCE me to like these robots. One of my fav robot characters is Murderbot and my love for Murderbot grew naturally, not forced at all. This book takes a poor shot at trying to do that. Everytime I felt an opportunity to really appreciate the character you’d ruin it with your tone of voice. Please for the love of all that is dear to me SHOW DON’T TELL or in your case don’t force.
3. The inconsistencies man! The INCONSISTENCIES!! Bruh. Where is your editor?!? Fire them. Now. What do you mean one minute they’re sentient robot and the next they’re using what they’ve downloaded or been programmed with to mimic sentience? They’re using fake facial expressions to mimic human emotions but then they can feel genuine love?? They can voluntarily kiss but they have to force themselves to act human? How are they genderfluid? They don’t even have a gender at all, they hate humans but adopt the very human idea of gender-fluidity? Maybe I’m just oversimplifying it but this all seems incompatible with each other. Not to mention all the tiny narrative inconsistencies that add up.
4. The absolute unintentional ridiculousness. It’s very clear when an author is writing something cringy or ridiculous on purpose and that they are fully aware it is so, but that’s not the case with this book. I genuinely believe this author doesn’t know how ridiculous she sounds. I’m supposed to sympathize with a sentient robot car that’s saying that Transformers, the franchise, is offensive to cars?!?!?? And that it’s supposed to represent actual racism in the world!?? Let’s go into your world for a second; if I was a car I would not be offended by Transformers lol. There’s more ridiculousness in this book but I didn’t bother myself with taking notes.
5. Playing off of #4, you’re saying your whole book is a metaphor for how people think about immigrants right? Ok that sounds good. But then you say this on instagram: “Meanwhile, people hold the same ideas about robots that don't even exist yet. It seems like a pattern. These are the kinds of fears we have about groups we imagine without ever doing any research about the reality of who they are. Or, in the case of robots, who they might be..” I mean it writes itself people. You are actually advocating for non existent robots as if they’re immigrants. “It seems like a pattern.” Really? Really are we 12? This is textbook tone-deaf virtue signaling if I ever saw it.
Ai DOES have serious potential to steal jobs. It’s ALREADY been “directly linked to 10,000 jobs lost in the first 7 months of 2025” -google.” And that might not seem like a lot but that’s just what’s directly linked. World Economic Forum said 75 million jobs were displaced by Ai. I honestly don’t know which numbers are true or not.
I do know that immigrants aren’t stealing people’s art to make their own it their own. I mean you’re an AUTHOR!!? An AUTHOR!! The irony!
I don’t want to be the one that throws out the “IT’S AI!” accusations but if weren’t for the fact that I think AI would’ve done a better job and maybe a little less tone deaf, than I’d be saying Newitz used ChatGPT to write her book. But then she’d be advocating for AI’s personal rights to the book and end up suing herself.
Honestly my bad, I should’ve have looked the author up first before reading this because then I would’ve know what level of maturity to expect from someone with “pervert” on their profile. Omg Newitz you’re like soooo quirky. 😒
Read August 13th-16th 2025
October 7, 2025
☆☆☆☆
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz took me by surprise in the best way. It’s a sharp, imaginative story that manages to be both timely and deeply comforting—especially if you love good food. The descriptions of dishes throughout the book are vivid and immersive. As someone who counts Biang Biang among my absolute favorites, I was thrilled to see them portrayed with such texture, heat, and love.
But this novel isn’t just about satisfying cravings. Underneath the culinary richness is a smart and important commentary on America, specifically, on identity, fear, and the potential for transformation when people choose to challenge their biases. Newitz doesn’t offer easy solutions, but they do imagine what a better world might look like if we dared to understand one another beyond labels. That message, especially right now, feels both urgent and hopeful.
If you’re into speculative fiction with a strong emotional core and bonus points for mouthwatering food writing, Automatic Noodle is worth your time.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz took me by surprise in the best way. It’s a sharp, imaginative story that manages to be both timely and deeply comforting—especially if you love good food. The descriptions of dishes throughout the book are vivid and immersive. As someone who counts Biang Biang among my absolute favorites, I was thrilled to see them portrayed with such texture, heat, and love.
But this novel isn’t just about satisfying cravings. Underneath the culinary richness is a smart and important commentary on America, specifically, on identity, fear, and the potential for transformation when people choose to challenge their biases. Newitz doesn’t offer easy solutions, but they do imagine what a better world might look like if we dared to understand one another beyond labels. That message, especially right now, feels both urgent and hopeful.
If you’re into speculative fiction with a strong emotional core and bonus points for mouthwatering food writing, Automatic Noodle is worth your time.
August 27, 2025
Just four robots, a human and a car opening a noodle shop in a futuristic post-war San Francisco. How lovely. The way I was genuinely upset when someone started review-bombing their restaurant. Like, these are such tender creatures, could you leave them alone, please?
May 30, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
A cozy sci-fi novella about found family and sentient robots opening a noodle shop in San Francisco! This was charming on its surface, but it's also using the othering of robots in this futuristic world as a metaphor for the treatment of people based on gender, sexuality, and immigration status. It feels like a hopeful and timely story about noodles that sound absolutely delicious! I really enjoyed it and I think it's smartly done. The audio narration is great as well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
A cozy sci-fi novella about found family and sentient robots opening a noodle shop in San Francisco! This was charming on its surface, but it's also using the othering of robots in this futuristic world as a metaphor for the treatment of people based on gender, sexuality, and immigration status. It feels like a hopeful and timely story about noodles that sound absolutely delicious! I really enjoyed it and I think it's smartly done. The audio narration is great as well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
November 14, 2025
Hands, Sweetie, and the Hand-Pulled Heist: A Clever Look at Bot Labor
It is 2064 when the service bots—Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, and Cayenne—reboot from a forced stasis. After months of inactivity, they awaken to a disaster: their former workplace is flooded, and the restaurant's human owners have abandoned them and their accrued debt.
In this future, autonomous bot operations are strictly forbidden, yet these four are on the hook to pay their substantial dues. With no human oversight, they face an impossible task: earning money without alerting the authorities or their creditors. Based on a technicality in their contracts, they execute a daring plan: they will illegally operate their own high-end dining establishment, specializing in the city’s most famous hand-pulled noodles.
Their initial success is swift, but their unauthorized enterprise is quickly jeopardized by a viciously critical online review. Everything hinges on discovering the identity of this saboteur and understanding their motives. The immediate danger forces the bots to investigate, with the truth initially remaining a blur. Little by little, they piece together the answers. Will they uncover the conspiracy in time to pay off their debt and evade decommissioning?
I thoroughly enjoyed this short, speculative fiction novel by Annalee Newitz. While certainly not a masterpiece, it was a clever and enjoyable read that successfully explored themes of debt, labor, and identity.
It is 2064 when the service bots—Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, and Cayenne—reboot from a forced stasis. After months of inactivity, they awaken to a disaster: their former workplace is flooded, and the restaurant's human owners have abandoned them and their accrued debt.
In this future, autonomous bot operations are strictly forbidden, yet these four are on the hook to pay their substantial dues. With no human oversight, they face an impossible task: earning money without alerting the authorities or their creditors. Based on a technicality in their contracts, they execute a daring plan: they will illegally operate their own high-end dining establishment, specializing in the city’s most famous hand-pulled noodles.
Their initial success is swift, but their unauthorized enterprise is quickly jeopardized by a viciously critical online review. Everything hinges on discovering the identity of this saboteur and understanding their motives. The immediate danger forces the bots to investigate, with the truth initially remaining a blur. Little by little, they piece together the answers. Will they uncover the conspiracy in time to pay off their debt and evade decommissioning?
I thoroughly enjoyed this short, speculative fiction novel by Annalee Newitz. While certainly not a masterpiece, it was a clever and enjoyable read that successfully explored themes of debt, labor, and identity.
September 18, 2025
I read, errr... listened to this novella on the recommendation of my online friend Mike Finn. I'm so glad I did!
Set in a future time, where the U.S. is no longer what it once was, the plot focuses on a group of robots, with a human here and there, that were contracted to work for a certain restaurant. The robots wake to discover that the owners of the restaurant are being investigated and the restaurant is now closed. As a group the bots decide to reopen the restaurant, but only after careful research as to how to create the perfect noodles. They are a huge success, that is until someone decides to tank their ratings online. Will the bots be able to keep their restaurant running? You'll have to read this to find out!
This all boils down to a quirky novella about robots, found family, and a noodle restaurant. I found it to be delightful and I recommend it!
*Thanks to my local library for the free audio download! Libraries RULE!
Set in a future time, where the U.S. is no longer what it once was, the plot focuses on a group of robots, with a human here and there, that were contracted to work for a certain restaurant. The robots wake to discover that the owners of the restaurant are being investigated and the restaurant is now closed. As a group the bots decide to reopen the restaurant, but only after careful research as to how to create the perfect noodles. They are a huge success, that is until someone decides to tank their ratings online. Will the bots be able to keep their restaurant running? You'll have to read this to find out!
This all boils down to a quirky novella about robots, found family, and a noodle restaurant. I found it to be delightful and I recommend it!
*Thanks to my local library for the free audio download! Libraries RULE!
June 11, 2025
1.5/5
Crypto and AI robots? I really don't want to read about any of this shit in sci-fi.
Why would anyone write about AI robots and make them behave like humans? Cause these are the least artificial robots I've ever met.
Beyond that this is a cozy sci-fi novella with no real plot. Just a bunch of robots trying to run a restaurant, so I guess it's sci-fi Legends & Lattes.
The robot trying to keep humans away and make it a robot only space pissed me off, but I don't give the book 1 star because the character was genderfluid, even though I don't get why a robot would have a gender in the first place. Fuck it, 1 star.
Crypto and AI robots? I really don't want to read about any of this shit in sci-fi.
Why would anyone write about AI robots and make them behave like humans? Cause these are the least artificial robots I've ever met.
Beyond that this is a cozy sci-fi novella with no real plot. Just a bunch of robots trying to run a restaurant, so I guess it's sci-fi Legends & Lattes.
The robot trying to keep humans away and make it a robot only space pissed me off, but I don't give the book 1 star because the character was genderfluid, even though I don't get why a robot would have a gender in the first place. Fuck it, 1 star.
June 18, 2025
I found this novella well written on a style level, and passively charming in parts, but it did three things that ended up ruining the experience for me.
1. It’s not cozy. To be clear, I find most cozy writing boring and the novella didn’t NEED to be cozy. However, it’s advertised as such, while ultimately focusing on war, trauma, citizenship insecurity, and bigotry, and the fact that it’s set in a noodle shop does nothing to offset any of that.
2. As others have pointed out, I find it creepy to use sentient robots as allegory for undocumented labor and robophobia as targeted harassment towards minorities, when in our current world AI is actively destroying entire creative fields. The anti-AI note at the end of the book feels almost satirical in that context.
3. The story ends up completely undermining itself.The Big Conflict in the novella is whether the bots will succeed in getting the shop off the ground (so they don’t get SOLD INTO SLAVERY btw, for all you cozy readers), and the antagonist is an online provocateur trying to review bomb them into oblivion through a sock puppet army. So far so good, pretty compelling stakes. However, the solution turns out to be an incredibly simple private server infiltration, some screenshots, and done. Even that though then gets immediately undermined by the bots cheerfully abandoning the platform they’d been getting the reviews on because they’ve achieved independent success and no longer need it. This is the equivalent of Han and Luke blowing up the Death Star only for Vader’s suit to suffer a spontaneous catastrophic malfunction and the Emperor to die of heart failure somewhere off-screen. It just amounts to retroactively negating all stakes as irrelevant from the start, which makes the whole story feel frustrating.
1. It’s not cozy. To be clear, I find most cozy writing boring and the novella didn’t NEED to be cozy. However, it’s advertised as such, while ultimately focusing on war, trauma, citizenship insecurity, and bigotry, and the fact that it’s set in a noodle shop does nothing to offset any of that.
2. As others have pointed out, I find it creepy to use sentient robots as allegory for undocumented labor and robophobia as targeted harassment towards minorities, when in our current world AI is actively destroying entire creative fields. The anti-AI note at the end of the book feels almost satirical in that context.
3. The story ends up completely undermining itself.The Big Conflict in the novella is whether the bots will succeed in getting the shop off the ground (so they don’t get SOLD INTO SLAVERY btw, for all you cozy readers), and the antagonist is an online provocateur trying to review bomb them into oblivion through a sock puppet army. So far so good, pretty compelling stakes. However, the solution turns out to be an incredibly simple private server infiltration, some screenshots, and done. Even that though then gets immediately undermined by the bots cheerfully abandoning the platform they’d been getting the reviews on because they’ve achieved independent success and no longer need it. This is the equivalent of Han and Luke blowing up the Death Star only for Vader’s suit to suffer a spontaneous catastrophic malfunction and the Emperor to die of heart failure somewhere off-screen. It just amounts to retroactively negating all stakes as irrelevant from the start, which makes the whole story feel frustrating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2025
What an extremely weird story.
I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I liked the science fiction dystopian part of it. I liked the robots, somehow. Even though they reminded me a lot of robots in Star Wars.
At the same time, I didn't like the absurdity of the robots. Who would think of building such strange robots...? I had to remind myself that this genre isn't about reality, and I never really have a problem with that, but somehow everything about this story felt wrong.
The business idea of robots also felt completely wrong. Something like that would never work in reality. And there I am again, off on the wrong foot. I really don't know what that is. Damn it.
And then there's the thing with the social media ratings... that was so gruesome and disgusting and far too real...
I'm really in a dilemma with this book.
It's good and it's interesting, but I can't say I liked it. I'm far too conflicted about the story, and I'm also a little annoyed that I didn't learn more about the background, and there's really no reasonable solution, and the story is ultimately open-ended.
Still, humans were humans. They wanted you to know their opinions about your body, even if you hadn’t asked. At least one thing had changed since Independence: thanks to bot civil rights, she could control her facial expressions. Now, at last, she could frown when someone asked what was hiding under her skirt. 🥺🥺🥺
I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I liked the science fiction dystopian part of it. I liked the robots, somehow. Even though they reminded me a lot of robots in Star Wars.
At the same time, I didn't like the absurdity of the robots. Who would think of building such strange robots...? I had to remind myself that this genre isn't about reality, and I never really have a problem with that, but somehow everything about this story felt wrong.
The business idea of robots also felt completely wrong. Something like that would never work in reality. And there I am again, off on the wrong foot. I really don't know what that is. Damn it.
And then there's the thing with the social media ratings... that was so gruesome and disgusting and far too real...
I'm really in a dilemma with this book.
It's good and it's interesting, but I can't say I liked it. I'm far too conflicted about the story, and I'm also a little annoyed that I didn't learn more about the background, and there's really no reasonable solution, and the story is ultimately open-ended.
Still, humans were humans. They wanted you to know their opinions about your body, even if you hadn’t asked. At least one thing had changed since Independence: thanks to bot civil rights, she could control her facial expressions. Now, at last, she could frown when someone asked what was hiding under her skirt. 🥺🥺🥺
Read
November 19, 2025This is one of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025:
All the coziness and character of a Becky Chambers novel with the wit and charm of Martha Wells. I never knew I needed a book about robots running a restaurant in a near-future San Francisco, but Automatic Noodle proved I did. I would die for these robots—or at least leave them lots of really, really good reviews.
- Rachel Brittain
All the coziness and character of a Becky Chambers novel with the wit and charm of Martha Wells. I never knew I needed a book about robots running a restaurant in a near-future San Francisco, but Automatic Noodle proved I did. I would die for these robots—or at least leave them lots of really, really good reviews.
- Rachel Brittain
September 1, 2025
Rating: 1.5 stars
This is supposedly a cozy science fiction, feel-good novella. I'm not sure how cozy anyone else found the really depressing and monotonous past war-stories, or that this book is essentially about slavery and issues that reflect current USA-politics? So, not really "cozy" in my book. In short, I found the whole thing insipid and lacking in a thoughtful exploration of any of the themes raised (and shoved into the sidelines) by the author. The emotional, huggy robots that are indistinguishable from generic humans didn't do anything for me either.
The novella revolves around semi-autonomous, intelligent robots starting a noodle restaurant... for various reasons. Setting up the noddle shop is a surprisingly simple (and entirely implausible) affair. I found the minutiae of making noodles, ingredient logistics, and ruminating over noodle cooking just plain tedious and uninteresting. The plot picks up when the noodle shop gets review bombed but that doesn't add any drama or tension either, The looming threat of never happens. There is far too much exposition and not enough "showing". We are repeatedly told the 'bots are robots, but they sound exactly like generic emotional humans (with needs, wants and feelings, oh so many feelings! I was waiting for the romance sub-plot!) and not any type of robots. You can replace the robots with any type of marginalized group, and it won't make one iota of difference.
The plot is very thin and unsatisfying. This story seems to be more an allegory for immigration, slavery and xenophobia, along with current politically and social commentary, than any type of examination of the future role, or ethical treatment, of sentient robots in a human society. None of the themes vaguely mentioned in the story are even halfway adequately explored. I have a sneaking suspicion the author decided to jump on the currently popular "relatable sentient robot" bandwagon and wrote this story without much thought, but ticking all sorts of boxes for extra brownie-points. This novella is an example of lazy writing, which has apparently gained fans simply due to the warm, fuzzy feelings the book engenders in those readers who don't look too closely at the actual contents of what they are reading. War, trauma, slavery, debt, xenophobia (robophobia?), homelessness, immigration, artificial intelligence taking over, current American politics, are not exactly warm, cozy subjects for most people.
P.S.: The author is also something of a hypocrite. The reader is presumably supposed to feel sympathy for robots (who come across as "just like humans", with the same feelings, wants and needs), but then promptly states at the end of the book that her novella may not be used to train AI/robots. Make up your mind!!! The poor AIs just want to learn just like any human kiddie!
P.P.S.: I listened to the audiobook. The narrator has a mellow voice that induces drowsiness.
P.P.P.S.: By the time I had got to the end of writing this review, I was so irritated with the sloppiness of the author's half-arsed treatment of various themes and the blandly emotional robots, that I demoted my rating by a star.
This is supposedly a cozy science fiction, feel-good novella. I'm not sure how cozy anyone else found the really depressing and monotonous past war-stories, or that this book is essentially about slavery and issues that reflect current USA-politics? So, not really "cozy" in my book. In short, I found the whole thing insipid and lacking in a thoughtful exploration of any of the themes raised (and shoved into the sidelines) by the author. The emotional, huggy robots that are indistinguishable from generic humans didn't do anything for me either.
The novella revolves around semi-autonomous, intelligent robots starting a noodle restaurant... for various reasons. Setting up the noddle shop is a surprisingly simple (and entirely implausible) affair. I found the minutiae of making noodles, ingredient logistics, and ruminating over noodle cooking just plain tedious and uninteresting. The plot picks up when the noodle shop gets review bombed but that doesn't add any drama or tension either, The looming threat of never happens. There is far too much exposition and not enough "showing". We are repeatedly told the 'bots are robots, but they sound exactly like generic emotional humans (with needs, wants and feelings, oh so many feelings! I was waiting for the romance sub-plot!) and not any type of robots. You can replace the robots with any type of marginalized group, and it won't make one iota of difference.
The plot is very thin and unsatisfying. This story seems to be more an allegory for immigration, slavery and xenophobia, along with current politically and social commentary, than any type of examination of the future role, or ethical treatment, of sentient robots in a human society. None of the themes vaguely mentioned in the story are even halfway adequately explored. I have a sneaking suspicion the author decided to jump on the currently popular "relatable sentient robot" bandwagon and wrote this story without much thought, but ticking all sorts of boxes for extra brownie-points. This novella is an example of lazy writing, which has apparently gained fans simply due to the warm, fuzzy feelings the book engenders in those readers who don't look too closely at the actual contents of what they are reading. War, trauma, slavery, debt, xenophobia (robophobia?), homelessness, immigration, artificial intelligence taking over, current American politics, are not exactly warm, cozy subjects for most people.
P.S.: The author is also something of a hypocrite. The reader is presumably supposed to feel sympathy for robots (who come across as "just like humans", with the same feelings, wants and needs), but then promptly states at the end of the book that her novella may not be used to train AI/robots. Make up your mind!!! The poor AIs just want to learn just like any human kiddie!
P.P.S.: I listened to the audiobook. The narrator has a mellow voice that induces drowsiness.
P.P.P.S.: By the time I had got to the end of writing this review, I was so irritated with the sloppiness of the author's half-arsed treatment of various themes and the blandly emotional robots, that I demoted my rating by a star.
November 9, 2025
Give me the form-e-oly. I’m just hungry now.🍜
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz was such a fun and unexpectedly poignant read. Cozy, clever, and a little weird in the best way possible. On the surface, it’s about a group of robots reopening a noodle shop in a post-war San Francisco. But underneath that, it’s a story about resilience, belonging, and what it means to build something meaningful in a world that values capital over community.
I loved how Newitz used food, something so universal and comforting as a form of rebellion and connection. The idea of “food as solidarity” really shines here. These robots cook not just to survive, but to exist fully, to participate in something human, and to claim space in a society that keeps trying to erase them.
The pacing was snappy, the writing had heart, and the found family dynamics absolutely hit. Sure, it’s a little quirky, but that’s what makes it work. It’s not about toppling empires, it’s about feeding people in the ruins and finding hope in the ordinary.
Final Verdict: 4 stars. Quick. Cozy sci-fi comfort food for the soul. If you like your rebellion served with a side of noodles and existential tenderness, you’ll devour this.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz was such a fun and unexpectedly poignant read. Cozy, clever, and a little weird in the best way possible. On the surface, it’s about a group of robots reopening a noodle shop in a post-war San Francisco. But underneath that, it’s a story about resilience, belonging, and what it means to build something meaningful in a world that values capital over community.
I loved how Newitz used food, something so universal and comforting as a form of rebellion and connection. The idea of “food as solidarity” really shines here. These robots cook not just to survive, but to exist fully, to participate in something human, and to claim space in a society that keeps trying to erase them.
The pacing was snappy, the writing had heart, and the found family dynamics absolutely hit. Sure, it’s a little quirky, but that’s what makes it work. It’s not about toppling empires, it’s about feeding people in the ruins and finding hope in the ordinary.
Final Verdict: 4 stars. Quick. Cozy sci-fi comfort food for the soul. If you like your rebellion served with a side of noodles and existential tenderness, you’ll devour this.
September 27, 2025
Dec 2024: if you one-star a book before there are even arcs of it I will five-star it, sorry-not-sorry.
Apparently this is “a cozy sci-fi novella” about “a crew of abandoned food service bots that take over a ghost kitchen in late 22nd-century San Francisco,” and I'm here for it!
Sept 2025: after reading, three stars!
Apparently this is “a cozy sci-fi novella” about “a crew of abandoned food service bots that take over a ghost kitchen in late 22nd-century San Francisco,” and I'm here for it!
Sept 2025: after reading, three stars!
November 24, 2025
Automatic Noodle takes place in a not so distant post-war future where California has become a separate, independent country. The characters are robots attempting to stay in business while facing the problems of discrimination and the general difficulties of living life as a robot?
AI can be tricky subject matter in a book. I have read and enjoyed some other books very much that deal with AI. I had trouble getting into this book - specifically the AI aspect of it - for reasons I can't quite put my finger on...
I think I liked the idea of this book more than the actual execution of it. I didn't hate it by any means but I expected to enjoy it more.
AI can be tricky subject matter in a book. I have read and enjoyed some other books very much that deal with AI. I had trouble getting into this book - specifically the AI aspect of it - for reasons I can't quite put my finger on...
I think I liked the idea of this book more than the actual execution of it. I didn't hate it by any means but I expected to enjoy it more.
June 15, 2025
This book absolutely melted my cold, bitter heart.
It was a quick read, less than 200 pages, and I flew through it. I honestly wish it were longer, but I do appreciate that the story is succinct and has absolutely no filler. Though I am admittedly biased and love anything about robots and androids. The bots in this were so lovable, each with their own distinct appearance, personality and backstory. And their friendships with each other were adorable and sweet. I also loved the dialogue. (Example: “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you were going to be a trashcan about it.”)
The plot was legit, and lest you think it was all sunshine and rainbows, this takes place in a post war society in which California has separated from the rest of the country and is trying to recover. Topics like identity, freedom and bigotry come into play as the robots attempt to open their own restaurant as free citizens.
The bots become a little family as they support and encourage each other through this intimidating venture, and I was rooting so hard for them! There were many heartwarming moments throughout, such as Hands the robot discovering packets of Ramen noodles for the first time and realizing a love for the culinary arts.
Another bot, Sweetie, is finding her real identity and gradually changing her appearance to match who she really is instead of who the humans wanted her to be.
Meanwhile, another robot called Staybehind was designed to fight in the war, before robots were recognized as citizens. He was traumatized by bad memories and his story is one of the more grounding aspects of the book.
But my favorite bot was definitely Cayenne, an absolute cinnamon bun shaped like an octopus. I pictured Cayenne sort of like Codsworth from Fallout 4, but more squishy and feminine, and able to change colors!
One thing I did notice in this advanced copy was that there were a few times when the various bots’ pronouns were inconsistent, but that will likely be fixed before publication.
I highly recommend this! It’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far. Even with the occasional serious or sad moment, it was overall a wonderfully cute and delightful experience. And it made me want delicious noodles very badly!
Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Racism, Depression, Mention of SA
It was a quick read, less than 200 pages, and I flew through it. I honestly wish it were longer, but I do appreciate that the story is succinct and has absolutely no filler. Though I am admittedly biased and love anything about robots and androids. The bots in this were so lovable, each with their own distinct appearance, personality and backstory. And their friendships with each other were adorable and sweet. I also loved the dialogue. (Example: “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you were going to be a trashcan about it.”)
The plot was legit, and lest you think it was all sunshine and rainbows, this takes place in a post war society in which California has separated from the rest of the country and is trying to recover. Topics like identity, freedom and bigotry come into play as the robots attempt to open their own restaurant as free citizens.
The bots become a little family as they support and encourage each other through this intimidating venture, and I was rooting so hard for them! There were many heartwarming moments throughout, such as Hands the robot discovering packets of Ramen noodles for the first time and realizing a love for the culinary arts.
Another bot, Sweetie, is finding her real identity and gradually changing her appearance to match who she really is instead of who the humans wanted her to be.
Meanwhile, another robot called Staybehind was designed to fight in the war, before robots were recognized as citizens. He was traumatized by bad memories and his story is one of the more grounding aspects of the book.
But my favorite bot was definitely Cayenne, an absolute cinnamon bun shaped like an octopus. I pictured Cayenne sort of like Codsworth from Fallout 4, but more squishy and feminine, and able to change colors!
One thing I did notice in this advanced copy was that there were a few times when the various bots’ pronouns were inconsistent, but that will likely be fixed before publication.
I highly recommend this! It’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far. Even with the occasional serious or sad moment, it was overall a wonderfully cute and delightful experience. And it made me want delicious noodles very badly!
Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Racism, Depression, Mention of SA
September 27, 2025
A San-Fran Sci-Fi.
Very Smartly written :)
I felt so bad those robots were getting 1-star reviews! They worked hard on those noodles, it made me sad. That’s the point of sci-fi. Find empathy for the “other” whatever that other may be. A delight!
Very Smartly written :)
I felt so bad those robots were getting 1-star reviews! They worked hard on those noodles, it made me sad. That’s the point of sci-fi. Find empathy for the “other” whatever that other may be. A delight!
December 23, 2025
I picked Automatic Noodle up because of the Goodreads banner challenge, I'd never seen it before, so when I came across it on the challenge page, I thought it seemed interesting and decided to give it a read.
It became clear, early on, that me and this book were not going to be friends. I tried to like it so bad, I really did, but it just didn't work.
My first impression was that it wanted to be like Murderbot, which actually made me have a bigger appreciation for that other series, because this one didn't even TRY.
There were so many topics included which are relevant today, but none of them were explored properly, they were always in the background.
It's also not as cozy as I was expecting it to be based on the blurb, like the idea of them running a noodle shop, and the actual cooking scenes were, sure, but not much else.
The robots felt so human too, if they didn't have those names to remind me, they'd practically be indistinguishable.
And the main conflict was solved so easily, that it made me wonder what the point of this book even was, other than vibes, I guess? Maybe I just don't get it y'all, maybe I just don't get it.
It became clear, early on, that me and this book were not going to be friends. I tried to like it so bad, I really did, but it just didn't work.
My first impression was that it wanted to be like Murderbot, which actually made me have a bigger appreciation for that other series, because this one didn't even TRY.
There were so many topics included which are relevant today, but none of them were explored properly, they were always in the background.
It's also not as cozy as I was expecting it to be based on the blurb, like the idea of them running a noodle shop, and the actual cooking scenes were, sure, but not much else.
The robots felt so human too, if they didn't have those names to remind me, they'd practically be indistinguishable.
And the main conflict was solved so easily, that it made me wonder what the point of this book even was, other than vibes, I guess? Maybe I just don't get it y'all, maybe I just don't get it.
June 4, 2025
A cozy sci-fi novella that tackles themes of capitalism, identity and community against the backdrop of authentic pulled noodles and garlic.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 4 hours and 12 minutes
🎤: Em Grosland
Honestly, this audiobook was perfection. The narrator does an absolutely excellent job of the different voices needed and had great tempo. The narration was clear and concise. I did have to listen to this a little bit faster than my typical audiobook speed, but it was still done very well and clear. I really think this is going to be a new favor audiobook narrator for me.
Themes:
🤖: Capitalism
🤖: Building Community after war
🤖: Dependance on social media
🤖: Fighting for individuality and acceptance
Representation:
🥢: Cultural and authentic pulled 🍜
🥢: Queer coded characters (robots)
🥢: Immigrant coded characters (robots)
🥢: PTSD rep
Tropes:
💗: Found family
💗: Food porn 🤤
💗: Robots 🤖
🥵: Spice: 🚫
🧟♂️: Gore: 🚫
Potential Triggers: Homophobia, discrimination against immigrants, online bullying/attacks **check authors website/social media
Short Synopsis:
In a near-future San Francisco setting a group of forgotten robots pick up the pieces left after war in order to turn an abandoned building into an authentic pulled noodle restaurant. Despite numerous attempts to sabotage their new business against people who are "anti-robot" the restaurant thrives with the diverse and inclusive community that they have built around them.
General Thoughts:
This audiobook was absolutely adorable. I enjoyed this so much. I really feel like the synopsis does not give an accurate representation of just how much is packed into this short novel. This tackles so many important and relevant themes to today's society in a way that is super cute, zany and fun.
The characters and food were the stars of this show. The descriptions of the food were tantalizing. It definitely made me want a nice steaming bowl of noodles. So if you are someone who gets hungry when they read, beware this book will absolutely get you!!
The themes represented throughout the novel are extremely apparent to anybody paying attention to the novel. Watching the robots who are just trying to get by the best way they know how come up against all of these unfair and unwarranted attacks was definitely disheartening, but the grace with which these robots handled the adversity was so commendable. The rising of the community to surround them in love and support was absolutely inspiring. It sometimes does help to know that the voices that are the loudest are usually not the most numerous.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and I definitely will read anything else that comes out by this author.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a free audiobook through the Macmillan Audio and NetGalley . All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 4 hours and 12 minutes
🎤: Em Grosland
Honestly, this audiobook was perfection. The narrator does an absolutely excellent job of the different voices needed and had great tempo. The narration was clear and concise. I did have to listen to this a little bit faster than my typical audiobook speed, but it was still done very well and clear. I really think this is going to be a new favor audiobook narrator for me.
Themes:
🤖: Capitalism
🤖: Building Community after war
🤖: Dependance on social media
🤖: Fighting for individuality and acceptance
Representation:
🥢: Cultural and authentic pulled 🍜
🥢: Queer coded characters (robots)
🥢: Immigrant coded characters (robots)
🥢: PTSD rep
Tropes:
💗: Found family
💗: Food porn 🤤
💗: Robots 🤖
🥵: Spice: 🚫
🧟♂️: Gore: 🚫
Potential Triggers: Homophobia, discrimination against immigrants, online bullying/attacks **check authors website/social media
Short Synopsis:
In a near-future San Francisco setting a group of forgotten robots pick up the pieces left after war in order to turn an abandoned building into an authentic pulled noodle restaurant. Despite numerous attempts to sabotage their new business against people who are "anti-robot" the restaurant thrives with the diverse and inclusive community that they have built around them.
General Thoughts:
This audiobook was absolutely adorable. I enjoyed this so much. I really feel like the synopsis does not give an accurate representation of just how much is packed into this short novel. This tackles so many important and relevant themes to today's society in a way that is super cute, zany and fun.
The characters and food were the stars of this show. The descriptions of the food were tantalizing. It definitely made me want a nice steaming bowl of noodles. So if you are someone who gets hungry when they read, beware this book will absolutely get you!!
The themes represented throughout the novel are extremely apparent to anybody paying attention to the novel. Watching the robots who are just trying to get by the best way they know how come up against all of these unfair and unwarranted attacks was definitely disheartening, but the grace with which these robots handled the adversity was so commendable. The rising of the community to surround them in love and support was absolutely inspiring. It sometimes does help to know that the voices that are the loudest are usually not the most numerous.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and I definitely will read anything else that comes out by this author.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a free audiobook through the Macmillan Audio and NetGalley . All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
November 8, 2025
This book grabbed me on the very first page! I loved the vibes of both Murderbot and Legends & Lattes that I picked up. The uncertain state of intelligent machines in California society made me think of Martha Wells' creation, as did the group chats among the bots. The despair felt by Hands and the reluctance of Staybehind also reminded me of Murderbot and Art. The desire of Hands and Cayenne to make, sell, and benefit from delicious food recalled Viv's coffee shop in Baldree's novel.
Most of all I loved the “all for one and one for all" nature of the bots' relationship. Just like my favourite urban fantasy novels, it's about friendship and found family. If bots can have emotions, there's nothing preventing them from feeling affection (or, unfortunately, anxiety). They may start out catering to human tastes, but they find ways to include their bot brethren in their ventures, too.
In short, I loved this warm little novella and I have noticed at least one other title by this author that I'd like to peruse. Now I must go look for a spicy noodle recipe!
Most of all I loved the “all for one and one for all" nature of the bots' relationship. Just like my favourite urban fantasy novels, it's about friendship and found family. If bots can have emotions, there's nothing preventing them from feeling affection (or, unfortunately, anxiety). They may start out catering to human tastes, but they find ways to include their bot brethren in their ventures, too.
In short, I loved this warm little novella and I have noticed at least one other title by this author that I'd like to peruse. Now I must go look for a spicy noodle recipe!
December 24, 2025
Cloud Library app and ebook
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So much fun :) miss them already! Library worker recommendation was a hit 👌.
Narrator did a wonderful job with the story, it didn't take me long to fall in love with the characters ❤️.
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So much fun :) miss them already! Library worker recommendation was a hit 👌.
Narrator did a wonderful job with the story, it didn't take me long to fall in love with the characters ❤️.
December 21, 2025
Legends & Lattes but instead orcs/succubuses and coffee, make it robots and noodles hehe plus commentary on racism, government, and social media.
August 7, 2025
My third and final Newitz book, what the fuck was that? I was first drawn to Newitz’s books because of their prominent leftist themes, but like always, there’s something that comes off so horrendously that it has me questioning where they actually stand.
Comparing robots to real life immigrant experiences when they could’ve written a story about an immigrant surviving capitalism is a bold choice. Not to mention the anti-capitalist themes feel so half baked, just like every other damn aspect of this book. This doesn’t work for the same reason Zootopia’s racism allegory doesn’t work, prey have genuine reasons to fear predators, and robots (AI) are taking jobs from real people who need to survive. But I guess these fears are unfounded according to Newitz because why should we be afraid of something that isn’t a part of our reality right now and we need to be hopeful or whatever. On their Instagram is a post from July 13, 2025 explicitly stating that they feel the fears of robots (“that don’t even exist yet”) are similar to the fears of immigrants and that we shouldn’t be so hasty in our hatred of them yet. So fucking stupid.
And yet they basically insinuate that AI is alive??? Although I was never the biggest fan of Newitz I was still surprised to find pro-AI themes present so I checked their instagram again only to find a post from Sept. 23, 2024 with AI photos as the header of an article they wrote!
It’s just so disappointing to see a progressive author have such a strange stance like this, and I just don’t get it. Do they think robots and AI are separate? Do they fully support AI? And to leave in the acknowledgements that you hope we get through these years of “climate chaos”, bro what do you think contributes to that?
Newitz is quite self righteous so I doubt they’ll be willing to look back on this type of thinking and ever think they’re wrong about it. I mean they even have a podcast called “Our Opinions Are Correct” so I’m sure they’re pretty damn confident in what they’ve written. Which, I guess, good for them, but this feels like a very ignorant way of thinking.
Comparing robots to real life immigrant experiences when they could’ve written a story about an immigrant surviving capitalism is a bold choice. Not to mention the anti-capitalist themes feel so half baked, just like every other damn aspect of this book. This doesn’t work for the same reason Zootopia’s racism allegory doesn’t work, prey have genuine reasons to fear predators, and robots (AI) are taking jobs from real people who need to survive. But I guess these fears are unfounded according to Newitz because why should we be afraid of something that isn’t a part of our reality right now and we need to be hopeful or whatever. On their Instagram is a post from July 13, 2025 explicitly stating that they feel the fears of robots (“that don’t even exist yet”) are similar to the fears of immigrants and that we shouldn’t be so hasty in our hatred of them yet. So fucking stupid.
And yet they basically insinuate that AI is alive??? Although I was never the biggest fan of Newitz I was still surprised to find pro-AI themes present so I checked their instagram again only to find a post from Sept. 23, 2024 with AI photos as the header of an article they wrote!
It’s just so disappointing to see a progressive author have such a strange stance like this, and I just don’t get it. Do they think robots and AI are separate? Do they fully support AI? And to leave in the acknowledgements that you hope we get through these years of “climate chaos”, bro what do you think contributes to that?
Newitz is quite self righteous so I doubt they’ll be willing to look back on this type of thinking and ever think they’re wrong about it. I mean they even have a podcast called “Our Opinions Are Correct” so I’m sure they’re pretty damn confident in what they’ve written. Which, I guess, good for them, but this feels like a very ignorant way of thinking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
I never want to make that mistake again -- letting humans decide how valuable we are.
Four robots quietly declare their independence, and open a noodle restaurant. Robophobic malcontents bombard the internet with one-star reviews. How does one fight an invisible enemy . . .
Though I had trouble visualizing the robots, and the tale was not as lighthearted as I had hoped, this was still lots of fun.
Don't read on an empty stomach.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sharing.
Four robots quietly declare their independence, and open a noodle restaurant. Robophobic malcontents bombard the internet with one-star reviews. How does one fight an invisible enemy . . .
Though I had trouble visualizing the robots, and the tale was not as lighthearted as I had hoped, this was still lots of fun.
Don't read on an empty stomach.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sharing.
September 10, 2025
An absolutely charming story about finding family, creating community, and the shared love of personal freedom and well-made food.
I want some more, please!
I want some more, please!
May 31, 2025
I was pleased to win an ARC of this short novel (or long novella, if you prefer) in a Goodreads giveaway drawing. As the back cover claims, it's a cozy near-future tale about a diverse group of cast-off intelligent robots who open a noodle shop. There are somewhat subtle messages about the hardships faced by people who have to deal with gender bias and PTSD and immigration prejudice and poverty and other unnecessary man-made hardships, but it can be read as a feel-good, occasionally zany story about overcoming such obstacles through found-family and community pride and through trust and friendship, too. Recommended for fans of Disch's Brave Little Toaster, Goulart's crazy future California, Wells' MurderBot, and noodles. Very nice little book!
June 5, 2025
Overall this is a very warm hug kind of book full of hope and possibility. I love the community the crew of Automatic Noodle builds and the ways they keep managing to survive, but also finding joy along the way. There’s a lot of trauma and pain because several of the robots were involved in the war, and even the ones who weren’t have experienced prejudice and harassment. When a group of four robots, Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, and Cayenne find themselves in an abandoned storefront after being suddenly shut down five months ago and learn the company that owns the restaurant has abandoned them, they decide to become a proxy for the company on their contract in order to to earn money to cover their leases so they won’t be permanently decommissioned. Highly recommend.
August 9, 2025
'This story is set in an actual storefront that exists at the corner of Douglass and 24th Streets in San Francisco, across from a lovely little park. Many of the places, businesses, and institutions I love in present-day San Francisco managed to survive the war of Independence to flourish in these pages. More than anything, I want this weird, kinky, nerdy city to live through the coming years of oligarchy and climate chaos. We will make it, and we’ll do it in style, despite the robophobes and Vigilance Committees and you-know-whats. Stick together, friends, and share some spicy noodles with me.'
This is much more than cosy speculative fiction; it is a rallying cry for us to respect our common humanity, honour our responsibility to ensure the future of the (only) planet we call home, at least for now, and to regard all lifeforms as equal. Including, ultimately, agentic intelligence.
May the revised Turing Test include a liking for hot oil biang biang noodles.
This is much more than cosy speculative fiction; it is a rallying cry for us to respect our common humanity, honour our responsibility to ensure the future of the (only) planet we call home, at least for now, and to regard all lifeforms as equal. Including, ultimately, agentic intelligence.
May the revised Turing Test include a liking for hot oil biang biang noodles.
July 29, 2025
Today's lunch was noodles. Because.
Fans of cozy fantasy need to pay attention to this heartwarming SF story of abandoned robots who decide to open their own noodle shop in a near future, post-war San Francisco. The four sentient robots with unique body shapes, personalities, and backgrounds, along with a pot-smoking human assistant, make this a wonderful story full of humor, a bit of intrigue, and a lot of mouth-watering noodle descriptions. I really adored the crew of Hands, Staybehind, Sweetie, and Cayenne, and would love to have a follow up story to see how they are doing six months later!
My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this early read opportunity!
Fans of cozy fantasy need to pay attention to this heartwarming SF story of abandoned robots who decide to open their own noodle shop in a near future, post-war San Francisco. The four sentient robots with unique body shapes, personalities, and backgrounds, along with a pot-smoking human assistant, make this a wonderful story full of humor, a bit of intrigue, and a lot of mouth-watering noodle descriptions. I really adored the crew of Hands, Staybehind, Sweetie, and Cayenne, and would love to have a follow up story to see how they are doing six months later!
My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this early read opportunity!
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