Annalee Newitz Delivers a Heaping Bowl of Fun With "Automatic Noodle"
I first found the writing of Annalee Newitz years ago when they were the founder and editor-in-chief at the fantastic futurist blog io9. It was, by far, one of my favorite websites and I miss its early incarnation. I’ve followed their writing since, and was thrilled when they published their first novel “Autonomous” in 2017.
Recently, at the recommendation of my online buddy, Andrew Liptak, who writes an awesome SF/F and other stuff newsletter titled Transfer Orbit, I picked up their latest work, “Automatic Noodle” and wow, what a wonderful book.
One of the trademark features of an Annalee Newitz book is a pile of tantalizing themes and ethical questions for the reader to ponder while working through the story. “Automatic Noodle” is no exception.
The story takes place in post-war San Francisco in the 2060’s. A group of robot restaurant workers reboot after a months long power down by a company that abandoned them. Once they are operational, they have to figure out what is next. After discussion, argument, and more emotion than your typical fictional robot can offer, the group, with the help of their human friend Robles, decides to reopen the abandoned restaurant they are inhabiting as a high quality noodle joint in the Kite Hill district, a current San Francisco neighborhood, just south of Haight-Asbury.
The story is as filled with layers of flavors as the delicious bowl of noodles at the center of the story. The robots all have very distinct personalities exhibiting playfulness, military seriousness, and even deep sense of self-doubt. Throughout the course of the novella, they come together to create a team committed to creating a community space for both humans (who actually eat noodles) and their robot neighbors just looking for a place to be with others.
Newitz, who also worked at publications like Ars Technica as tech culture editor, are no stranger to the dynamics of a fast growing tech sector and how those technologies and a much slower moving and less easily adaptable human culture will have to integrate. At the center of this story is also the nuclear toxicity of social media, a problem we are certainly and painfully aware of today.
Rereading what I’ve written so far, it completely misses the charm of this book, and charming it is. It is a heartwarming story set in a cold place. It is filled with humor and “awww” moments. The vivid descriptions of the locations are wonderful. Newitz, in their acknowledgments, explains that many of the businesses mentioned in the book are favorites of theirs, and the location of the Automatic Noodle storefront, is indeed a real place.
One of the coolest things about the whole project is that Newitz also created an online store where readers can purchase the same Automatic Noodle merch that is in the book.
I’ve read some good books this summer, but “Automatic Noodle” is hands-down my favorite.
You can learn more about all things Annalee Newitz at their website.
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