Reviewed by Kristin
It is a common theme in science fiction: Humans create robots,
robots develop sentience, war happens, rogue robots decide to follow their own
paths.
In this case, start a business and make noodles.
Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, and Cayenne are HEEI – “human
equivalent embodied intelligence” individuals awakening after being offline
unexpectedly for a period of months. They exist in the nation-state of
California, which recently liberated itself from the so-called United States.
The California Constitution recognized HEEI as citizens, although their legal
status can be complicated by pre-war contracts and obligations. And citizens or
not, the humans often have preconceived notions when it comes to HEEI and their
abilities.
It’s a good thing that Staybehind and friends make a mean
noodle.
Authentic Noodle is soon operating and becoming a highly rated
restaurant. The orders are pouring in and their stars on the net are going up,
up, up! They are filling their order capacity in advance and becoming the
hottest lunch in San Francisco. But negative reviews start coming from
somewhere, and it appears that they are being attacked by someone who doesn’t
like robots. But is this an actual disgruntled human or a targeted campaign
from some larger power?
In this near future (2064) novella, the characters are
endearing, the tension is palpable, and the noodles are yummy. Automatic Noodle
– 5 stars.
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