Automatic Noodle
Annalee Newitz
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(8.3/10)
A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz. An instant USA Today and indie bestseller! Indie Next pick | Library Reads pick | Most Anticipated at Electric Lit, Ms. Magazine, Gizmodo, Autostraddle, Book Riot, IGN, New Scientist, Reactor, and more 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. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
CAWPILE Rating
CCharacters
8/10
Character development and memorability
AAtmosphere
10/10
Immersion and world-building
WWriting
9/10
Writing style and prose quality
PPlot
8/10
Story structure and pacing
IIntrigue
7/10
Engagement and page-turning quality
LLogic
7/10
Internal consistency and coherence
EEnjoyment
9/10
Overall satisfaction
Review
Automatic Noodle takes place in a future where there was a second civil war, and California has left the US. In California, sentient AI are second class citizens, but that's better than the US were they are property. This is a cozy novella about a group of robots in San Francisco trying to open a run a noodle shop. It deals with anti-robot bigotry, PTSD from the war, as well capitalism and political escape-goating.
Reading Details
Reading period: Finished May 3, 2026
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