Finalist, Best Novella, 2026

Automatic Noodle

Annalee Newitz (opens in a new tab)

Hardcover, 176 pages

Four robots in a postwar San Francisco open a noodle shop, and have to deal with the humans who don't want them.

Borrow: A library (opens in a new tab)Library ebooks and audio (opens in a new tab)
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The ballot

The River Has RootsAmal El-MohtarTordotcom; Arcadia UKWinner
Cinder HouseFreya MarskeTordotcom; Tor UK
Murder by MemoryOlivia WaiteTordotcom
The Summer WarNaomi NovikDel Rey US; Del Rey UK
What Stalks the DeepT. KingfisherNightfire; Titan UK