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Literary Fiction
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A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz.
You don't have to eat food to know the way to a city's heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they know: making food―the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around―for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war.
But when their robot-run business starts causing a stir, a targeted wave of one-star reviews threatens to boil over into a crisis. To keep their doors open, they'll have to call on their customers, their community, and each other―and find a way to survive and thrive in a world that wasn't built for them.
"Newitz packs this tale with simmering action, endearing characters, and political savvy, topping it all off with generous dollops of humor and imagination. It's delicious." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Both heartwarming and pointed." —Kirkus (starred review)
"This is a feel-good hopepunk story that will appeal to readers of both robot and AI-centered science fiction...highly recommended for those who loved novels such as Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model and Aimee Ogden's Emergent Properties." —Library Journal (starred review)
"This sweet, heart (and stomach) warming novella is a certified cozy read, rich with meaning for queer readers, enjoyably familiar to San Francisco lovers. Perfect for fans both of Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series and Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes.... Newitz has gifted sf readers with a hopeful, postapocalyptic found-family tale." —Booklist (starred review)
"A love letter to community, identity, San Francisco, and noodles, Automatic Noodle also is a searing commentary on capitalism and our algorithm-driven culture. In other words, it's like the perfect bowl of noodles: delicious and comforting with just enough spice to kick your senses and clear your sinuses." ―Mike Chen, bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood and A Quantum Love Story
"The characters and their dilemmas are so vivid and believable. I choked up more than once and I cheered. Lovely stuff! A cool, joyous post-apocalyptic fable for our divided times." ―M. R. Carey, USA Today bestselling author of The Girl with All the Gifts
Rated 
of 5
by
Christine Edison
Short and thoughtful
Four very different robots wake in a ruined restaurant and decide to run things themselves. In the space of a short time, each experiences personal growth as they bring their electric dream to fruition. I was so surprised when it ended -- there was so much packed into a small book!
Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the nationally bestselling author of the books Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind, and the novels The Terraformers (a Nebula Award finalist), The Future of Another Timeline (winner of the Sidewise Award), and Autonomous (winner of a Lambda Literary Award). As a science journalist, they are a writer for the New York Times and elsewhere, and have a monthly column in New Scientist. They have published in The Washington Post, Slate, Popular Science, Ars Technica, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic, among others. They are also the co-host of the three-time Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. Previously, they were the founder of io9, and served as the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.
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