Category: Science Fiction

Jun 01 2026

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Plucky robots pluck up their pluck and, having stymied the dastardly review bombers, stay right the pluck where they are. This story was not for me. +++ Doreen liked Automatic Noodle more than I did; her review is here. This was the sixth of the Hugo finalists for Best Novella that I read, and the …

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May 26 2026

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

I was feeling very intellectually chipper last week and decided to get a head start on some of my Hugo 2026 Awards reading, beginning with a nominated novella from a podcaster I adore. Automatic Noodle is the story of a restaurant’s robot employees in a California that has successfully seceded, at some cost, from the …

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May 18 2026

Hugo Awards 2026 Chat

LAConV Logo

Here at The Frumious Consortium, we are always excited to scrutinize the list of Hugo Finalists! Doug: I’ve read one of the Best Novel finalists! And one in Novella! And I think I tried to read one in Best Short Story. I’ve forgotten whether I bounced or just suffered tab overload and closed that one …

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May 16 2026

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Here are some of the good bits from the new Murderbot novel, Platform Decay. I’m leaving out context, so I hope no big plot points are revealed. I looked at Farai, and she said, “They’re looking for rogue SecUnits. Rogue SecUnits are always alone.” Well, fuck. I hate it when the humans are right. I …

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Apr 09 2026

Ami Moon And The Galactic Peacekeepers by Frances Lee

For whatever reason, I had this book’s publication date misfiled, but oh what a perfect time to read it, as the Artemis II mission reminds millions of people worldwide why so many of us initially fell in love with the idea of outer space. And space is, obviously, the setting for Ami Moon And The …

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Apr 02 2026

Murder By Memory & Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite

Oh, boy, am I the worst person to send a speculative fiction mystery to when the mystery is, at best, mid. And that’s the thing: these mysteries could be so good, and have so much to say about the human condition as we hurtle into infinity, if the ideas were at all fleshed out and …

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Mar 25 2026

River of Bones And Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse

Alright, I’m going to straight up admit that I haven’t read any of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Sixth World novels, so I was definitely not as invested in what is likely to be the biggest draw of this book for fans of hers: the novella that closes the collection and gives it its name. River Of Bones …

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Mar 19 2026

Upcoming Tor Books by Beloved Authors

the cover of Everybody's Perfect by Jo Walton has several masked figures

While I enjoy discovering a “stunning debut” novel as much as the next reviewer, I also find it very exciting to anticipate new books by authors I already love. On the assumption that you ALSO find this very exciting, I’m delighted to share these four upcoming books from Tor – all by established, beloved authors! …

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Feb 26 2026

Escape Room: Game Zero by Christopher Edge

Lol, idk why I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I first picked it up. I do think that this is one of those books that very much benefits from readers going in already knowing the rest of the lore, if you’re an adult. Younger readers who are more ready to accept …

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Feb 18 2026

Space Opera series with installments coming up!

abstract shape seem to orbit a many pointed star on the cover of radiant star by ann leckie

This Spring two of my favorite space opera series will be getting new books: the next book in the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and the next book set in the universe of the Imperial Radch, by Ann Leckie! For me personally, either of these is a major event, and while I’ve already read them …

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