Novella Double Feature: The Tusks of Extinction + Automatic Noodle

Two novellas. One meeting. Under 265 pages total.

This month we're kicking off with a double feature. Two short books that ask the same question from completely opposite directions: what does it mean to be conscious in a body the world wasn't built for?

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (100 pages) A murdered elephant researcher's consciousness is downloaded into a woolly mammoth to lead a de-extinction herd across Siberia. Winner of the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novella.

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (164 pages) A crew of abandoned food service robots in post-war San Francisco do the one thing no one programmed them to do: open their own restaurant. USA Today bestseller. Nominee for Goodreads Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2025).

I'll be in town for this one. See you then. -Leif