May 26 2026

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 United States. As the book opens, all the store’s robots have been deactivated. Flooding reawakens the emergency protocols of the manager, who was formerly a soldier in the war. As he tries to figure out what’s happening, he awakens the rest of his staff. Soon, they discover that the restaurant chain that owned them decided to close their location and shut them down in the process. Unwilling to disband, they decide to take over running the restaurant for themselves, meeting all of their challenges head-on in a heartwarming story of the American dream, more or less.

It’s clear that this is meant to be an allegory for immigration and civil rights. Trouble is, you have to buy in first to the (unfortunately inconsistent) depiction here of Artificial Intelligence being so far advanced as to have granted robots enough sentience that they’ve developed free will and earned a limited form of citizenship. Perhaps this story would have landed better in a time frame where generative AI isn’t busy dismantling the livelihoods of millions worldwide, solely for the purpose of enriching the already wealthy. It’s just hard for me as a reader (and a member of an ethnic minority, and someone whose career was made precarious by gen AI) to mentally traverse robotics’ uncanny valley and accept the humanity of created objects that are also somehow fully autonomous of their investors.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/26/automatic-noodle-by-annalee-newitz/

May 22 2026

Tantalizing Tales — May 2026 — Part Four

Woof, living with autoimmune disease is tough. At least I’m starting to recognize when I’m having a bad day early on, so I don’t collapse halfway through my scheduled activities and take even longer to recover. It’s been particularly brutal to me in that it’s also affecting my reading and writing — I sleep A LOT more these days — but at least there are a bunch of awesome books to keep me interested and entertained when I am awake and energized.

Such as F T Lukens’ upcoming speculative YA novel, The Last Best Quest Ever. This charming romantasy revolves around seventeen year-old Ellinore, who is the best quester her kingdom has ever seen, better even than her brooding royal rival Aven. So when she announces her retirement at a royal feast, the entire kingdom is shooketh.

Her twin brother Zig, however, is so confident in her abilities (and willingness to get back in the game) that he bets his very life on her ability to retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast, a creature no one knows for sure is even real. In order to save him, Ellinore has to return to the spotlight, embarking on one last quest with Zig, Aven and a ragtag crew of other questers looking for fortune and glory.

Trouble is, Ellinore’s a fraud. All her kills were staged and her quest rewards planted. She quit because she couldn’t take the pressure of lying any more… and now her idiot brother’s life is on the line. Will Ellinore be able to save him, and maybe save her own soul in the process?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/22/tantalizing-tales-may-2026-part-four/

May 21 2026

Hold by Randy Ribay & Zeke Peña

What a charming throwback this is to the days when my young children would fixate on a seemingly simple thing and take it to often hilarious extremes!

A child and their dad are getting ready to leave the house when Dad makes a seemingly innocuous request, extending a water bottle to Child and saying, “Hold, please.” Soon, the child wants to hold eeeeeeeverything and take it with them on their walk, from expected things like stuffies to less common choices like their long-suffering cat.

Even when they go outside, Child wants to hold a tree and a plane and someone else’s baby, leading Dad to have to come up with acceptable substitutes (and head right back indoors.) The real challenge tho happens when Child realizes that they can’t hold everything… but maybe they can hold the most important thing.

This is a very cute story with terrific art that perfectly evokes the madcap emotions of toddlerhood. Child is incredibly expressive as they realize that there are so many things they could hold. Dad’s resigned expression is hilarious… tho if I’m being completely honest, it’s also a little bewildering.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/21/hold-by-randy-ribay-zeke-pena/

May 20 2026

Shadows Over Innsmouth edited by Stephen Jones

I’m gonna be so for real with y’all, idk if I would have picked this up had I known it was a reprint from 1994. Which I also only realized after riffling through the Contributor’s Notes at the back of the book and finding that the authors here are, as far as I could tell, almost exclusively white cis men. I suppose that given the preponderance of that demographic in the appreciation of HP Lovecraft — and the fact that a push for reinterpreting his works from a minority lens didn’t really happen till the 2010s — this shouldn’t be so surprising, or even inexcusable.

But what really strikes me after reading this book is how good the original novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth actually is. Sure, Mr Lovecraft might have hated minorities with a superciliousness that positively glowers through his prose — with a healthy soupcon, granted, of self-loathing — but there’s no denying that the story itself is engaging, inventive and utterly fresh even almost a century on. The novella feels both original and complete in a way that irrevocably establishes his status as a master of the horror genre. He may have been an unpleasant person, but there’s no denying that the man could write.

The rest of the sixteen stories in this volume are directly inspired by that original tale. In my opinion, the ones that attempt to insert themselves into the narrative voice of their inspiration are the least successful. But the stories that approach the setting with verve rather than attempting (and too often failing) to ape Mr Lovecraft’s curious balance of dry analysis and gooey horror make for genuinely interesting reading.

One of these standouts is Jack Yeovil’s terrific Los Angeles noir pastiche The Big Fish. When a 1940s private investigator is hired to look into the disappearance of a Hollywood bigwig by his potentially jilted love interest, all hell breaks loose — or nearly enough to count. Unsurprisingly, Hollywood is a perfect breeding ground for Innsmouth-derived cultists looking to spread their influence. And, lol, while I was researching this review, I discovered that “Jack Yeovil” is actually a pen name of Kim Newman, whose irreverent A Quarter To Three is another highlight of this collection. Both stories tackle the solemn themes of TSoI with humor and wit as a deft counterbalance that keeps the heavy material lively.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/20/shadows-over-innsmouth-edited-by-stephen-jones/

May 19 2026

ARSENAL HAVE WON THE PREMIER LEAGUE!!!

I had something else scheduled for today but nothing else matters, really, because the team I’ve supported since first learning about and watching and falling in love with them in 1997 (after having loathed football since experiencing nothing but boredom in my first full game, the ’94 World Cup final,) my team THE MIGHTY ARSENAL, have today won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years! And I was okay, I was happy, there in my kitchen in the cherry print shirt I promised football chat I’d wear in support of Bournemouth who, if they defeated or drew against our hated rivals in this penultimate game of the season, would ensure that we won the league after a grueling campaign that saw us secure our own necessary victory yesterday. And the valiant Cherries held on to a draw, and I gleefully celebrated with my friends online while finishing up some work in the kitchen, and then Arsenal posted this video to their Instagram:

Y’all, I bawled. Sitting there at my kitchen table, seeing the proud face of Arsène Wenger — the man who made me understand that football at its best is nothing less than art — as he congratulated the team on our victory, I finally broke down crying. I haven’t really stopped since. I’ve loved this club for well over half my life. Perhaps oddly, it has provided the kind of community and stability for me that religion does for most other people. In the social media era, it’s been easier too to connect with new friends who also care about the club… and unfortunately to be exposed to haters who have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than to troll us true believers. I’ve been with this club through thick and thin, and these past few decades, there’s been a lot of thin. Now, however and once more, we feast on victory.

But you know, this is primarily a book site, so I’m gonna recommend some books about Arsenal and football for those of you who want to get to know the Arsenal better, whether you’re new to the sport or a life-long fan (tho these books will probably be old hat to the latter category):

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/19/arsenal-have-won-the-premier-league/

May 18 2026

Hugo Awards 2026 Chat

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 out. Yay! Inventing the Renaissance made it in Best Related Work! My copy of that has so many Post-It flags. I had intended to write a multi-part thingie for Frumious; maybe I will revisit as part of Hugo season.

Ooh, Sinners did make the list in Best Dramatic Presentation, but that’s a tough, tough field this year. The notes for the category say that the top choice got 313 nominations out of 650 ballots cast. Anyone want to hazard a guess which one that was?

And a third Murderbot episode would have been a finalist in Short Form of Dramatic Presentation, but for the limit of two episodes per show. I’m so glad the years when this category was Best Episode of Doctor Who have passed.

Emily: I’m surprised that I haven’t read any of the short stories this year!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/18/hugo-awards-2026-chat/

May 16 2026

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 sent two of my intel drones to cover Naja and Sofi, and we started to walk. (p. 147)

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Speaking of rogue SecUnits,

I sent: I don’t have a governor module and if you fuck up my retrieval I will fucking tear you apart, now get the hell out of here you asshole. I included a packet with some of my basic codes (fooling weapons scanners, taking control of cameras and drones, the original version of walk-like-a-human, etc.) And find some different clothes! (p. 95)

When things are getting a little feisty:

“SecUnit.” I thought Farai was going to tell me not to use violence, or don’t kill humans who are trying very hard to kill us or something. Mensah’s family had never really understood … anything about me.
Instead, Farai said with grim conviction, “I want you to do whatever you have to to keep those motherless shits away from my daughter.”
Fuck yes. (p. 119)

And while this episode in SecUnit’s life is particularly sweary, or at least seemed that way to me, it hasn’t lost its knack for understatement.

In front of the station, my hauler bot had run into the armored vehicle so successfully, it had decided to repeat the experience several times. (p. 201)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/16/platform-decay-by-martha-wells/

May 15 2026

Tantalizing Tales — May 2026 — Part Three

Hello, dear readers! This week, we open with two fairly recent releases that I’ve only actually received in the past week, before swinging even further backward, then looking forward to some exciting books that are just on the horizon.

First up is Irina McGrath’s Murder At Haddonford Manor, the first in the Charlotte Reinford Mystery series. The heroine after whom the series is named is looking forward to taking up her post as personal assistant to Lady Haddonford. Her visions of a peaceful, pastoral life on the grounds of majestic Haddonford Manor are swiftly shattered, however, by the murder of the manor’s cook. Rachel Offley was almost universally beloved: who could possibly have wanted her dead?

The longer Charlotte stays at the manor, the more suspects she uncovers. Every guest and staff member seems to have their own secrets and hidden agendas, rendering each of them a potential suspect. Charlotte will soon find herself navigating a tangled web of deceit as she races to uncover the killer and restore the tranquility that she’s dreamed of.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/15/tantalizing-tales-may-2026-part-three/

May 14 2026

Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi

This charming chapter book for advancing readers will delight and reassure any kid looking forward to the exciting experience of their very first sleepover!

Alas, my own first sleepover was not a great time. I was seven years old and my best friend was my next door neighbor, who was a grade or two ahead of me. I found her friends confusingly mature — they wanted to talk about boys and kissing and pranks — and they probably thought I was a baby. After we all eventually fell asleep, I woke up with a desperate case of homesickness and had to go home. Later, my best friend told me that I’d ruined her slumber party. We did not remain best friends for long.

Fortunately, Destiny Ink has a much better experience than I did, even tho she and her hamster Fuzzy are both extremely nervous about what’s not only her first sleepover but also her first experience sleeping outdoors. Her best friend Olivia has invited her to come sleep in a tent in Olivia’s backyard. Destiny is excited but also a little scared. It’ll be awfully dark when they go to bed. What if there are monsters?

Destiny decides that what she and Fuzzy need is a little practice, so builds an indoor tent the night before. Imagine her surprise when she discovers a lost monster and his pet rustling around in there after she’s gone to bed! The duo are just as afraid of her as she is, theoretically, of them. Destiny knows that she doesn’t want anyone to feel as scared as she’d once been, so decides to be the perfect sleepover host, even if she’s never actually had a sleepover herself before. Will helping the lost monster in this way adequately prepare her for camping out with Olivia?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/14/destiny-ink-sleepover-surprise-by-adeola-sokunbi/

May 13 2026

The Dogs Of Venice by Steven Rowley

Choosing this to read rn was 100% due to my recent coverage of it in the latest Tantalizing Tales column reminding me that it’s a manageably quick, grown-up read. Which is just what I need while my doctors puzzle out what’s been keeping me sick since mid-January, with only occasional bursts of energy that would allow me to resume my normal lifestyle for, at most, four days at a time before coming down with flu-like symptoms all over again (and as I’m currently suffering now.)

It certainly hasn’t been due to travel, as my doctors have inquired of me. All the far-flung climes that I’ve enjoyed since last spring have been visited entirely through books or televised sports. That desire for what seems exotic to me, and my need for something short — as well as a nostalgia for a city that I haven’t visited in several decades — nudged me to read this novella of picking up the pieces when everything you thought you wanted collapses around you.

I’m just going to crib myself for the next bit of description, if you don’t mind (I am a little sick after all; insert Karen from Mean Girls cough here.)

“Our protagonist Paul has spent months planning the perfect romantic holiday in Venice. He’s thus completely blindsided when his marriage of five years abruptly unravels, leaving him heartbroken and alone.

“Hoping that a change of scenery will help heal at least a little of his heartbreak, he decides to take the Venice trip by himself. Soon after arriving, he notices a small, scruffy dog trotting alongside a canal, with all the self-assurance that he himself lacks. When their paths cross again, Paul decides to follow the little dog, in hopes of gaining some insight into the creature’s confident self-sufficiency.

“As Paul journeys amidst the sights, sounds, food and people of Venice, he begins to discover connections that he never thought possible, whether to a dog, a city or — perhaps most importantly — to himself.”

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/13/the-dogs-of-venice-by-steven-rowley/