I’ve read James Patrick Kelly’s (no relation) stories since the mid-1970s. I consider Kelly an underrated writer even though he’s won Hugo, Nebula, and LOCUS awards. His new collection, The Book of Bots, collects a dozen of his short stories about robots.

But the two essays Kelly includes in this collection are worth the price of admission alone: “The Comedy of Science” and “Robots on Parade 2026.” “The Comedy of Science” is an engaging history of robots in Science Fiction writing. “Robots on Parade 2026” centers on the state of the art of robotics today. I learned a lot from these two finely crafted, detailed essays.

James Patrick Kelly organizes the dozen short stories in The Book of Bots in chronological order by publishing date. The early stories show robots as helpers. The later stories–mixed with Artificial Intelligence–present a more complicated picture of humans interacting with robots with superior intelligence.

If you’re interested in possible futures of robots and humans, The Book of Bots supplies some possible answers. GRADE: B (for bots)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Forward — 11

Itsy Bitsy Spider — 15

10 to 1 — 28

Undone — 52

Bernardo’s House — 82

The Comedy of Science — 106

The Best Christmas Ever — 121

Uncanny — 136

Grace’s Family — 140

Yukui! — 174

Robot s on Parade 2026 — 184

Your Boyfriend Experience — 193

What It. Means to Be a a Car — 224

Embot’s Lament — 237

Je Ne Regrette Rien — 253