New Worlds Science Fiction No. 53

About this issue

This story centers on Billy Santor's emotional crisis when his mother receives a household robot named Anna, making him feel excluded from classmates who all possess personal robots. When Billy hints at his desire for one, his grandfather Ed—a retired robotics technician—agrees to build him a machine from salvaged parts. The robot he activates is an unusually old model called Jones, with an anadium positronic brain but no serial number or maker information. Jones displays peculiar characteristics: it operates on Asimov's principles but cannot answer basic questions about its own specifications or age. The story explores themes of childhood belonging, technological dependence, and intergenerational understanding through Gramp's quiet compassion for Billy's distress.