[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, June 5, 2023

“Colors of the Sea” by Katherine Nabity

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The main character in “Colors of the Sea” by Katherine Nabity is an android serving a woman with a terminal disease. The pair have been together for a very long time, and the android faces the challenge of continuing to exist after she dies. A young woman comes into their lives, offering a gesture of empathy when the inevitable occurs.

This is a gentle, heartfelt, quietly melancholy tale. The author accomplishes the difficult task of making the android a sympathetic character without anthropomorphizing him. (The android has the form of a man, and male pronouns are used throughout the text.) Written in clear, elegant fashion, and featuring only three characters, this work has the feeling of soft chamber music.

Victoria Silverwolf notes that this short story is only five words short of being a novelette.