"The Road of Needles" is a 2013 science fiction short story, by Caitlín R. Kiernan.
It was first published in the anthology Beyond the Woods: Fairy Tales Retold.
As Nix Severn tries to repair her spaceship's damaged AI and out-of-control terraforming engines, she finds herself reliving the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
[2] Lois Tilton considered it to be "cluttered", but emphasized that "the elements [of the story] do work together", noting that "the journey means more than what happens once [Severn] arrives".
[3] Publishers Weekly (reviewing Kiernan's 2018 collection The Dinosaur Tourist) called it "creepy".