Automatic Noodle

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