Genre: Novella

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Novella, Satire, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Published by Tordotcom on August 4, 2025 Pages: 168 A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz.  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 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. Masquerading under the guise of a cute and innocent story of sentient robots starting a take-out noodle restaurant, Annalee Newitz’s Automatic Noodle is brilliant satirical novella that is full of creative and imaginative metaphors. Part start-up company business story and …

What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher Series: Sworn Soldier #3 Genres: Adult, Horror, Mystery Thriller, Novella Published by Tor Nightfire on September 29, 2025 Format: eBook Pages: 191 The next installment in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in America.  Alex Easton does not want to visit America.  They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.  But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…  Book #3 in T. Kingfisher’s Sworn Soldier series, What Stalks the Deep features a great premise of mysterious occurrences and a disappearance at a long abandoned mine in the rural West Virginia countryside. Those that have been keeping up with the series should know what to expect, namely its frank and sarcastic narration courtesy of sworn soldier Alex Easton, a good sense of ambiance, and a grounded approach to paranormal horror beings. Compared to the previous two entries, this one feels like …

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Fae, Fairy Tale, Low Fantasy, Magic, LGBTQ+, Novella, Poetry Published by Tordotcom on March 3, 2025 Format: eBook Pages: 144 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.  “Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.”  In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family.  There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.  But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk… Ethereal poetry paired with a simple yet elegant fantasy story, Amal El-Mohtar’s novella The River Has Roots is an enchantingly read akin to a modern fairytale. Beautifully written with an air of sophistication, what this novella lacks in world-building detail …

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells Series: The Murderbot Diaries #4 Genres: Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller Published by Tor on October 1, 2018 Format: eBook Pages: 163 Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?  Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.  But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?  And what will become of it when it’s caught? Entry #4 in Martha Well’s Murderbot Diaries series, by this point you’re likely a devoted fan of the series and should have a pretty good idea of what to expect; Murderbot’s sarcastically dry and witty humor, a healthy balance of thriller and political scheming plot, and good ol’ high sci-fi goodness. While the abbreviated novella format continues to limit the amount of worldbuilding and concurrent storylines Wells can run with simultaneously, Exit Strategy is by far the most serialized …

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells Series: The Murderbot Diaries #3 Genres: Adult, Fiction, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller Published by Tor on August 7, 2018 Format: eBook Pages: 150 Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?  Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.  And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good. Entry #3 in Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, Rogue Protocol continues the series’ perfect formula of a great action adventure with snappy and sarcastic humor. While I found the previous entry Artificial Condition to be a bit slow and a tad heavy with its setup, Rogue Protocol felt like a welcome return to All Systems Red’s more ideal balance with a more extensively developed plot that connected back to the series’ loose overall narrative. At this point it goes without saying that the tone and humor of the series is pitched perfect for me and something I don’t really need to spend much time on (I would assume if you’re reading this review you must be …