Automatic Noodle, Annalee Newitz
Automatic Noodle, Annalee Newitz
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Automatic Noodle

Author: Annalee Newitz

Narrator: Em Grosland

Unabridged: 4 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/05/2025

Synopsis

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

About Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the USA Today bestselling author of the novella Automatic Noodle, 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.

About Em Grosland

Em Grosland (he/they/she) is a transgender, nonbinary actor and artist with over 50 books under their belt. They love giving voice to powerful trans boys and men, rebellious tomboys, nonbinary humans and fantastical creatures, sapphic folks falling in love, and any and all books that challenge late-stage capitalism or highlight the joy and strength of marginalized folks.Em was lucky enough to be read to by their mother, so they narrate from the beliefs that grown-ups and kids all benefit from storytelling and that nothing can replace the human voice. What defined humanity as being a culture instead of a pack was when the first storyteller decided to share. They love finding the very specific life of each character through subtle (and occasionally not so subtle) vocal qualities.Em truly enjoys performing a story more than simply reading it. They pay very close attention to the full arc of the story and the ways in which the character and the narrator learn and grow from the beginning to the end.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Monica on 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......more

Goodreads review by Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) on May 29, 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 imm......more

Goodreads review by CarlysGrowingTBR on June 04, 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 differen......more

Goodreads review by Craig on 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......more

Goodreads review by Lydia on June 04, 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,......more

Quotes

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

Awards

  • CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
  • NPR Best Book of the Year
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
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