Recent Short Fiction: “The Artificial Sunlight of Memory” by D. E. Wasden

Published in Electric Velocipede, Issue #14, “The Artificial Sunlight of Memory,” by D. E. Wasden, is a piece of short fiction about household Nandroids on Mars. We haven’t read the story, but here is a summary from SFRevu:

"D. E. Wasden's "The Artificial Sunlight of Memory" is told from the point of view of an artificial intelligence called a Nandroid. It is a nanny robot that takes care of a little girl called Maddie. It has been given the artistic talent and image of Salvador Dali and has watched while other Nandroids called Picasso & Goya & Van Gogh have been taken away. It is paired with a Matisse who doesn't think that will happen to it. Wasden is quite successful in bringing the Nandroids and the little girls who they take care of to life."

Marshall Payne at The Fix: Short Fiction Review has some insightful commentary, noting that "I couldn’t help thinking I was reading an updated version of Ray Bradbury’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” or various stories by Philip K. Dick. While I enjoyed “The Artificial Sunlight of Memory,” I was left wondering if our field has truly run out of new ideas, and all there is left to do is refurbish the old ones."

A brief excerpt from "The Artificial Sunlight of Memory" is available at the website of Electric Velocipede.