Automatic Noodle cover art

Automatic Noodle

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Automatic Noodle

By: Annalee Newitz
Narrated by: Em Grosland
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About this listen

A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz.

“Without ignoring the metallic constraints of their robotic bodies, [Narrator Em] Grosland…crafts a narration for each character that feels completely distinct and tenderly human. His vocal range has a place for each robot in this ragtag group…” — Booklist (Starred Review)

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com

Adventure Humorous LGBTQIA+ Creators Science Fiction Heartfelt Robotics Technology San Francisco

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Critic reviews

Praise for Automatic Noodle:

"This is a story—about building community despite adversity, fighting for your rights and individuality, and creating art that you want to see in the world—that I didn't know I needed right now. And it was so much fun to read!”—Martha Wells, author of The Murderbot Diaries and Witch King

"This book will make you hungry. It will also keep you warm."—Becky Chambers, author of the Monk and Robot series

"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."–Publisher's Weekly (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 deceptively breezy, sneakily poignant, culinary dystopian redemption tale that blends the pleasures of a heist, a satirical romp, and The Bear. Smart, inventive, and fun."—Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and Moonglow

"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

“This heartwarming tale of found family, exquisite food, and loveable bots overcoming society's flawed codes will make readers say, 'Yes, chef!'”—Samit Basu, author of The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport

"No one writes robots better than Annalee Newitz."—Interzone Magazine

All stars
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Postapocalyptic but cozy vibes, found family and mouth-watering descriptions of food. Also, a bot getting top surgery, definitely a first for me!

I'm craving noodles now 😸

A good little read

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There is nothing science fiction about this story beyond the futuristic robot setup. It is essentially a story about immigrants vs xenophobia, nothing is particularly new to anyone who knows about the contemporary America. Two things stood out extremely laughable: (1) smart robots had no way cracking cyberbullying (even taking a few chapters to figure out that they were being bullied online); (2) after announcing the characters proudly watched the first show completely written by LLM, the book ended with a declaration that the content shall not be trained for LLM.

Immigrant story wearing the skin of sci-fi

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A sweet, cosy little book about overcoming loss, found family and following your dreams. Great listen.

Nice little listen

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