AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz

5 stars

This novella is set in 2064 where California has just won a succession war with the United States, who’s viewed by them as an evil nation. Sentient, mechanical robots have been deployed to help in the war effort and now post-war live as second class citizens scrambling to find some way to make a living and pay off debts incurred in their creation.

In an abandoned, run-down kitchen, an ex-military robot reboots after months of having been dormant and turns on the other handful of robots with he had been working. Their fraudulent, scam-ridden human owners have fled the scene and abandoned the robots as waste.

The robots, each with quirky individualized personalities, decide to band together try to make a go of the kitchen on their own. The chef decides on the challenge of cooking biang biang noodles having been impressed by the method that the dough gets slapped repeatedly on a surface to turn out the signature, chewy and delicate Asian noodles.

Humanity discovers the robot’s delicious food, and the robots discover their human characteristics of friendship, loyalty, teamwork and community. Heartwarming!

Thanks to Tor Pubishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.