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Service Model
A humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time
To fix the world they first must break it further.
Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose.
To fix the world they first must break it further.
Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2024
About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
166 books13k followersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 527 reviews
June 3, 2024
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Service Model is a love child of a very long parable and a philosophy treatise, but written as a riff on quite a few classical authors (the chapter headings give a clue — KR15-T (Christie), K4FK-R (Kafka), 4W-L (Orwell), 80RH-5 (Borges), and D4NT-A (Dante). It’s a story of a robot valet UnCharles (he used to be a “Charles”, but the name had to be left with the house as the robot was dismissed from service) who inexplicably murders his master and goes on a purpose-searching mission through a dystopian wasteland of the future society collapse while adamantly maintaining his lack of self-awareness to an unexpected companion met along the way, the delightfully rebellious The Wonk.
Tchaikovsky engages in a lot of pointed social commentary with a side of dry humor and considerations on the meaning of free will and justice and purpose in life, combining the earnestly naive outlook of our protagonist with the bleak darkness of the surrounding world, producing a comedic effect that’s still very much in a parable style but thankfully very much NOT a recently popular cozy feel.
Tchaikovsky often writes doorstoppers, and it’s one of them — but to be honest the book would have benefited from being half of its length. Maybe I’m just partial to Tchaikovsky’s novellas because he has them down to an art form, but cutting out a section or two from this one would have streamlined the flow. There was a certain repetitiveness in those sections that after the snappiness of the first part made it drag a bit. (On the other hand, however, the slowness added to the allegorical parable feel of the story).
But what saved it for me was the audio narration by the author himself; Tchaikovsky is a delightfully good narrator and it’s always special for me to hear the book in the author’s voice.
The particular mix of influences here — KR15-T, K4FK-R, 4W-L, 80RH-5 and D4NT-A, with Biblical allegories and philosophical dialogues and hero’s journey — is interesting, and I appreciate that Tchaikovsky is willing to take an experimental risk with it here instead of sticking with the tried and true. The side effect of this stylistic choice is the worldbuilding which is not air-tight but is rather present to make a point, and the point is the journey rather than destination. If you’re not expecting it, however, it may take you aback a bit. But this is a story not for the sake of the plot but for the sake of the message, and in Tchaikovsky’s hands it’s somehow not annoying and a strength rather than the expected weakness.
I’ve seen some comparisons of this book to Murderbot, but I just don’t see it. However, if you’ve read Suzanne Palmer’s Bot 9 stories, you are bound to see some rather lovely similarities.
3.5 stars plus an extra half-star for Tchaikovsky’s narration.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tchaikovsky engages in a lot of pointed social commentary with a side of dry humor and considerations on the meaning of free will and justice and purpose in life, combining the earnestly naive outlook of our protagonist with the bleak darkness of the surrounding world, producing a comedic effect that’s still very much in a parable style but thankfully very much NOT a recently popular cozy feel.
Tchaikovsky often writes doorstoppers, and it’s one of them — but to be honest the book would have benefited from being half of its length. Maybe I’m just partial to Tchaikovsky’s novellas because he has them down to an art form, but cutting out a section or two from this one would have streamlined the flow. There was a certain repetitiveness in those sections that after the snappiness of the first part made it drag a bit. (On the other hand, however, the slowness added to the allegorical parable feel of the story).
But what saved it for me was the audio narration by the author himself; Tchaikovsky is a delightfully good narrator and it’s always special for me to hear the book in the author’s voice.
The particular mix of influences here — KR15-T, K4FK-R, 4W-L, 80RH-5 and D4NT-A, with Biblical allegories and philosophical dialogues and hero’s journey — is interesting, and I appreciate that Tchaikovsky is willing to take an experimental risk with it here instead of sticking with the tried and true. The side effect of this stylistic choice is the worldbuilding which is not air-tight but is rather present to make a point, and the point is the journey rather than destination. If you’re not expecting it, however, it may take you aback a bit. But this is a story not for the sake of the plot but for the sake of the message, and in Tchaikovsky’s hands it’s somehow not annoying and a strength rather than the expected weakness.
I’ve seen some comparisons of this book to Murderbot, but I just don’t see it. However, if you’ve read Suzanne Palmer’s Bot 9 stories, you are bound to see some rather lovely similarities.
3.5 stars plus an extra half-star for Tchaikovsky’s narration.
————���—
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2024
Thank you Macmillan audio for this advanced audiobook copy.
First I cannot stress enough how talented the author is at narrating this book. I had a fantastic time listening to him giving life to his characters.
Regarding the story itself it was heartfelt, funny, absurd and so kind. I loved how the personality developed slowly and it was a great exemple in my opinion of "show, don't tell".
The pacing was a little slow but never boring.
It's another great story from Adrian Tchaikovsky, thank you again.
First I cannot stress enough how talented the author is at narrating this book. I had a fantastic time listening to him giving life to his characters.
Regarding the story itself it was heartfelt, funny, absurd and so kind. I loved how the personality developed slowly and it was a great exemple in my opinion of "show, don't tell".
The pacing was a little slow but never boring.
It's another great story from Adrian Tchaikovsky, thank you again.
May 16, 2024
Charles is a robot valet, designed to be a modern aristocrat's right hand. If he could feel any emotions (he can't, as the book reminds us whenever Charles's emotions come up in the story, which is very often), Charles would take pride in caring for his owner's schedule and wardrobe - and in following protocol every day without fail. That is, until he breaks a cardinal rule in that very protocol and kills his owner.
Why would a robot suddenly do that? And now what happens to Charles? If Charles could feel any emotions (which, again, he of course can't, what with him being a robot), he would care about the next step in his life. Will he be decommissioned? Rust in a closet? Be recycled into a garden bed?
With a human protagonist, readers easily get pulled into this sort of premise precisely because humans feel emotions. But Service Model doesn't have that luxury. Adrian Tchaikovsky addresses this issue by offering us a protagonist robot who for some reason cares about what happens to him. Charles wants nothing more than to find another human that needs a mechanical valet. That quest turns out to be so complicated that it sends Charles on an entire hero's journey.
Service Model is promoted as part of the cozy science fiction camp, with many mentions of Murderbot in the buzz around this upcoming release. In my experience, this is a treatise disguised as science fiction because the main character is (technically) a robot.
The plot is an absurdist mishmash of events that draw heavily from references to Dante's Divine Comedy, Kafka's The Trial, Borges's The Library of Babel, and The Jesus Chronicles. There's probably a fifth source that I'm missing, because there are five parts in the novel, and the parts are named after these references (in a semi-obscured way)*. There is little foreshadowing of what is going to happen later in the book, and since every major event is a modified version of a literary classic, the story can feel disjointed and lack cohesive flow. That's especially the case in the second half.
The first fifth or so of the novel was really enjoyable. I'd characterize it as a collision between British aristocratic manners and Soviet rule-burdened employee inefficiency. I was laughing out loud during the first part, while the main character was at home, and there was an investigation into him murdering his owner. Truly fun. Once the protagonist left home to go to the diagnostics center, the book started to lose its appeal for me.
There was a surprising amount of religious commentary here, what with references to Dante's Divine Comedy and the Bible itself. In the latter half, the protagonist was depicted as a Christ figure. I've only read one Tchaikovsky book before, Children of Time, which had commentary on religion too. But there, it was interesting and mainly a criticism of the church. Here, the religious element read like a regurgitation of the most basic criticisms of the Bible. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say that I missed the more nuanced message about Christianity that he put into Service Model. I get easily distracted when a story references outside sources.
There's a way to put a message in a book without it getting preachy. I don't think Service Model managed to do that successfully for me. I don't happen to enjoy philosophy, and that's not super helpful for appreciating a novel like Service Model. Still, I expect this to become a love-it or hate-it book and hope that it finds the many readers who will appreciate its merits more than I could.
__
* May 17 Edit: Agatha Christie and George Orwell are also missing from this list. Thanks to my goodreads friend Ian for picking up on this.
I got this as a free ARC from Netgalley.
Why would a robot suddenly do that? And now what happens to Charles? If Charles could feel any emotions (which, again, he of course can't, what with him being a robot), he would care about the next step in his life. Will he be decommissioned? Rust in a closet? Be recycled into a garden bed?
With a human protagonist, readers easily get pulled into this sort of premise precisely because humans feel emotions. But Service Model doesn't have that luxury. Adrian Tchaikovsky addresses this issue by offering us a protagonist robot who for some reason cares about what happens to him. Charles wants nothing more than to find another human that needs a mechanical valet. That quest turns out to be so complicated that it sends Charles on an entire hero's journey.
Service Model is promoted as part of the cozy science fiction camp, with many mentions of Murderbot in the buzz around this upcoming release. In my experience, this is a treatise disguised as science fiction because the main character is (technically) a robot.
The plot is an absurdist mishmash of events that draw heavily from references to Dante's Divine Comedy, Kafka's The Trial, Borges's The Library of Babel, and The Jesus Chronicles. There's probably a fifth source that I'm missing, because there are five parts in the novel, and the parts are named after these references (in a semi-obscured way)*. There is little foreshadowing of what is going to happen later in the book, and since every major event is a modified version of a literary classic, the story can feel disjointed and lack cohesive flow. That's especially the case in the second half.
The first fifth or so of the novel was really enjoyable. I'd characterize it as a collision between British aristocratic manners and Soviet rule-burdened employee inefficiency. I was laughing out loud during the first part, while the main character was at home, and there was an investigation into him murdering his owner. Truly fun. Once the protagonist left home to go to the diagnostics center, the book started to lose its appeal for me.
There was a surprising amount of religious commentary here, what with references to Dante's Divine Comedy and the Bible itself. In the latter half, the protagonist was depicted as a Christ figure. I've only read one Tchaikovsky book before, Children of Time, which had commentary on religion too. But there, it was interesting and mainly a criticism of the church. Here, the religious element read like a regurgitation of the most basic criticisms of the Bible. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say that I missed the more nuanced message about Christianity that he put into Service Model. I get easily distracted when a story references outside sources.
There's a way to put a message in a book without it getting preachy. I don't think Service Model managed to do that successfully for me. I don't happen to enjoy philosophy, and that's not super helpful for appreciating a novel like Service Model. Still, I expect this to become a love-it or hate-it book and hope that it finds the many readers who will appreciate its merits more than I could.
__
* May 17 Edit: Agatha Christie and George Orwell are also missing from this list. Thanks to my goodreads friend Ian for picking up on this.
I got this as a free ARC from Netgalley.
June 22, 2024
Service Model
By Adrian Tchaikovsky
Wow, I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it. Very imaginative, humorous, and thought-provoking. Charles is a service model for his human. He tends to his every need. Until he kills him. Or does he? He leaves and travels to find someone to check his circuits and find a new human to serve. What an adventure he finds!
By Adrian Tchaikovsky
Wow, I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it. Very imaginative, humorous, and thought-provoking. Charles is a service model for his human. He tends to his every need. Until he kills him. Or does he? He leaves and travels to find someone to check his circuits and find a new human to serve. What an adventure he finds!
June 9, 2024
4.0 Stars
The premise of this novella is so cliche yet in this author's hands, the execution felt fresh.
I have read/watched so many murderous robots so many times but this hit differently. This one has very little action but instead follows the slow investigation.
The robot at the center of the story is technically emotionless which makes for a flat presentation. I felt it fit the narrative so I was more forgiving of this aspect than usual. I previously have said that I don't find this author to be exceptional at writing characters so I didn't expect to find a complex protagonist here. Instead I read this for the quirky narrative that is explored in this futuristic world.
If you love stories exploring worlds with artificial intelligence then I would recommend this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
The premise of this novella is so cliche yet in this author's hands, the execution felt fresh.
I have read/watched so many murderous robots so many times but this hit differently. This one has very little action but instead follows the slow investigation.
The robot at the center of the story is technically emotionless which makes for a flat presentation. I felt it fit the narrative so I was more forgiving of this aspect than usual. I previously have said that I don't find this author to be exceptional at writing characters so I didn't expect to find a complex protagonist here. Instead I read this for the quirky narrative that is explored in this futuristic world.
If you love stories exploring worlds with artificial intelligence then I would recommend this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
June 27, 2024
I received this novel in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank the author and the publishing company for their generosity.
In this one we visit the future and where Charles is a valet robot in a manor. In the future there are robots for basically every task. There is an accident to the manor's owner which sets Charles on a journey of self discovery.
This was my introduction to this author. Right away I was sold on the idea of this novel. I was ready to give this book five stars at the beginning. I loved the concept of the book. I loved the satirical style of the story and I loved the world that the author created. Then we start off on the journey and for me the book lost some of its shine. I still liked the concept of the book and how Charles was a metaphor in finding one's self. We see Charles try out different concepts like putting work first or religion. The problem is that it became a little repetitive. I liked the reveal at the end as the author tackles the state of the real world and are we heading to this world with all the trust we have in technology.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this book but I definitely enjoyed the beginning more than I enjoyed the whole journey. This is an intelligent novel as the author attacks everything from AI to military. I have read reviews where they compare this to the Murderbot series by Martha Wells. It is on the same vein but I would say that this is Murderbot before we actually meet him in the novellas. I like Charles but he is no Murderbot. That being said I wouldn't mind reading more about him or this world.
In this one we visit the future and where Charles is a valet robot in a manor. In the future there are robots for basically every task. There is an accident to the manor's owner which sets Charles on a journey of self discovery.
This was my introduction to this author. Right away I was sold on the idea of this novel. I was ready to give this book five stars at the beginning. I loved the concept of the book. I loved the satirical style of the story and I loved the world that the author created. Then we start off on the journey and for me the book lost some of its shine. I still liked the concept of the book and how Charles was a metaphor in finding one's self. We see Charles try out different concepts like putting work first or religion. The problem is that it became a little repetitive. I liked the reveal at the end as the author tackles the state of the real world and are we heading to this world with all the trust we have in technology.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this book but I definitely enjoyed the beginning more than I enjoyed the whole journey. This is an intelligent novel as the author attacks everything from AI to military. I have read reviews where they compare this to the Murderbot series by Martha Wells. It is on the same vein but I would say that this is Murderbot before we actually meet him in the novellas. I like Charles but he is no Murderbot. That being said I wouldn't mind reading more about him or this world.
June 24, 2024
If this is your first Tchiakovsky, there are better places to start… but it was still a fun read!
Far from my favorite of his works, but like everything he produces, it was still quality. The best thing about the book was the deep immersion into the main POV, Un-Charles: a protocol-abiding service model who just wants to serve his function… it was a delightful adherence to character, down to the incredibly inefficient back and forths between robots when humans fail to give specific-enough (or too specific) instructions to these very literal minds. I’ll admit at first the drag of all of this processing and protocol-following was tedious. What had I gotten myself into? But by about the 30% mark some personality started to show through, and by halfway I was sold.
The slow growth was undoubtedly by design, which is why it gets a pass. Showing the ins and outs of where the MC started his journey made all growth and discovery a lot more profound. It helped that the humor also became more prevalent the further along, and this story boasted the single funniest thing I’ve read from Tchiakovsky to date. If for nothing else, it was worth the read for that alone! But it’s also great that the concept was interesting and the writing compelling.
Speaking of concept, I haven’t read a lot of robot stories, but even so I don’t think anything in here was truly revolutionary (pun). But they were done well. I’m finding these more post-global-trauma stories to be interesting enough in concept to make up for any other lack.
I got early access to an audio of this via Netgalley, and wouldn’t you know it – it’s narrated by Tchaikovsky himself! I often cringe when an audiobook is self-narrated, but he gave a seamless performance. His voice reminded me of the Winnie the Pooh narrator with that kindly, very proper British accent. It’s warm and easy to listen to. And perhaps the nostalgia it brough back BECAUSE of that WtP similarity actually enhanced the experience for me because it made Un-Charles come off with an innocent, almost childlike quality. One that made his journey of discovery more earnest. I’m not sure it will have the same effect on the masses, but I thought it was great.
Recommendations: if you’re new to Tchaikovsky’s works, starting here probably wont give you the best of what he has to offer. If you’re a mega-fan like me, this’ll probably sit somewhere in the middle. Robot fun, good humor – a quick read!
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, and Bee! <3
Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Adrian Tchaikovsky for the chance to listen to an early audiobook copy of Service Model!
Other books you might like:
Far from my favorite of his works, but like everything he produces, it was still quality. The best thing about the book was the deep immersion into the main POV, Un-Charles: a protocol-abiding service model who just wants to serve his function… it was a delightful adherence to character, down to the incredibly inefficient back and forths between robots when humans fail to give specific-enough (or too specific) instructions to these very literal minds. I’ll admit at first the drag of all of this processing and protocol-following was tedious. What had I gotten myself into? But by about the 30% mark some personality started to show through, and by halfway I was sold.
The slow growth was undoubtedly by design, which is why it gets a pass. Showing the ins and outs of where the MC started his journey made all growth and discovery a lot more profound. It helped that the humor also became more prevalent the further along, and this story boasted the single funniest thing I’ve read from Tchiakovsky to date. If for nothing else, it was worth the read for that alone! But it’s also great that the concept was interesting and the writing compelling.
Speaking of concept, I haven’t read a lot of robot stories, but even so I don’t think anything in here was truly revolutionary (pun). But they were done well. I’m finding these more post-global-trauma stories to be interesting enough in concept to make up for any other lack.
I got early access to an audio of this via Netgalley, and wouldn’t you know it – it’s narrated by Tchaikovsky himself! I often cringe when an audiobook is self-narrated, but he gave a seamless performance. His voice reminded me of the Winnie the Pooh narrator with that kindly, very proper British accent. It’s warm and easy to listen to. And perhaps the nostalgia it brough back BECAUSE of that WtP similarity actually enhanced the experience for me because it made Un-Charles come off with an innocent, almost childlike quality. One that made his journey of discovery more earnest. I’m not sure it will have the same effect on the masses, but I thought it was great.
Recommendations: if you’re new to Tchaikovsky’s works, starting here probably wont give you the best of what he has to offer. If you’re a mega-fan like me, this’ll probably sit somewhere in the middle. Robot fun, good humor – a quick read!
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, and Bee! <3
Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Adrian Tchaikovsky for the chance to listen to an early audiobook copy of Service Model!
Other books you might like:
June 4, 2024
The Robot's Progress
Adrian Tchaikovsky likes to disguise philosophical treatises as novels. As Uncharles might say, "This is neither good nor bad. It just is." That is to say, some readers enjoy novel-shaped philosophical treatises -- some not so much. If you've read a lot of Tchaikovsky, you know how you feel about this. For the record, I'd have to classify myself in the "not so much" group. If you love it, please adjust my rating accordingly.
There are really only two characters in Service Model: Uncharles and The Wonk. Uncharles is a high-end valet robot, a gentleman's personal gentlerobot -- a metal and plastic Jeeves. Except Jeeves never murdered Bertie, although he may at times have felt the urge. Service Model begins with Charles, the robot whom The Wonk will eventually rename Uncharles, discovering that his master is dead. Before long he figures out that his master is dead because he, Charles, murdered him. (This is not a spoiler, because the publisher's blurb reveals it.)
This leaves Charles with a problem. Not the one you're probably thinking, but another: his master's death leaves Charles without purpose. Charles would deny that he wants a purpose, or indeed that "wanting" is a thing he is capable of, or that he actually cares about anything. But his actions show that he is mistaken in this belief. He therefore sets out on a search for a human whose valet he can become.
Thus begins a journey in Five Parts, as Charles searches for a situation. (The parts are called KR15-T, K4FK-R, 4W-L, 80RH-5, and D4NT-A. I have no idea what those designations mean.) He soon meets a strange broken robot that calls itself The Wonk, who unintentionally renames him Uncharles, the name by which he is known for most of the book. It transpires that the world is in terrible shape: everything is broken or breaking. As Uncharles's journey progresses, we learn the nature of the apocalypse that has overtaken the world.
I claimed above that Uncharles and The Wonk are the only characters in Service Model. That is not literally true. There are many other characters, but they are not REAL characters. They are mere sock puppets for ethical and philosophical questions that Tchaikovsky wants Uncharles and The Wonk to cogitate upon. In fact, Service Model reminded me of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, and not in a good way. None of what happens appears plausible to me as events that could really happen. It's all an allegory meant to motivate the exposition of ethical and philosophical questions.
The publishers describe Service Model as "A humorous tale of robotic murder". It is indeed sometimes funny. However, I honestly found it more tedious than funny. As always, YMMV.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of Service Model.
Blog review.
Adrian Tchaikovsky likes to disguise philosophical treatises as novels. As Uncharles might say, "This is neither good nor bad. It just is." That is to say, some readers enjoy novel-shaped philosophical treatises -- some not so much. If you've read a lot of Tchaikovsky, you know how you feel about this. For the record, I'd have to classify myself in the "not so much" group. If you love it, please adjust my rating accordingly.
There are really only two characters in Service Model: Uncharles and The Wonk. Uncharles is a high-end valet robot, a gentleman's personal gentlerobot -- a metal and plastic Jeeves. Except Jeeves never murdered Bertie, although he may at times have felt the urge. Service Model begins with Charles, the robot whom The Wonk will eventually rename Uncharles, discovering that his master is dead. Before long he figures out that his master is dead because he, Charles, murdered him. (This is not a spoiler, because the publisher's blurb reveals it.)
This leaves Charles with a problem. Not the one you're probably thinking, but another: his master's death leaves Charles without purpose. Charles would deny that he wants a purpose, or indeed that "wanting" is a thing he is capable of, or that he actually cares about anything. But his actions show that he is mistaken in this belief. He therefore sets out on a search for a human whose valet he can become.
Thus begins a journey in Five Parts, as Charles searches for a situation. (The parts are called KR15-T, K4FK-R, 4W-L, 80RH-5, and D4NT-A. I have no idea what those designations mean.) He soon meets a strange broken robot that calls itself The Wonk, who unintentionally renames him Uncharles, the name by which he is known for most of the book. It transpires that the world is in terrible shape: everything is broken or breaking. As Uncharles's journey progresses, we learn the nature of the apocalypse that has overtaken the world.
I claimed above that Uncharles and The Wonk are the only characters in Service Model. That is not literally true. There are many other characters, but they are not REAL characters. They are mere sock puppets for ethical and philosophical questions that Tchaikovsky wants Uncharles and The Wonk to cogitate upon. In fact, Service Model reminded me of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, and not in a good way. None of what happens appears plausible to me as events that could really happen. It's all an allegory meant to motivate the exposition of ethical and philosophical questions.
The publishers describe Service Model as "A humorous tale of robotic murder". It is indeed sometimes funny. However, I honestly found it more tedious than funny. As always, YMMV.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of Service Model.
Blog review.
June 19, 2024
“I accept that you are not a diagnostician unit, as you originally represented yourself to me. You are a unit of uncertain purpose. and function, and plainly highly defective on a wide variety of levels, which I deduce accounts for your presence at Diagnostics in the first place.”
“Jul was in no position to exclude anyone from anywhere, nor was there anywhere left to exclude anyone from, but if strong disapproval had been a laser, then those intruders, whoever they were, would have burst into flames.”
Charles is a service model robot valet for his elderly Master. Charles and the House AI maintain the Master’s schedule by following a collection of contradictory, outdated and pointless directives that they are unable to change or disregard. But then Charles discovers that he has murdered his Master, for no discernible reason. It seems that Charles really needs diagnostic tests and perhaps an overhaul. However, the diagnostic center isn’t operating as it should. And Charles can no longer be referred to as Charles since his Master is dead and no new owner has renamed him. Uncharles and a diagnostician robot called Wonk set off on a quest to find Uncharles a new Master (and also learn why he committed murder) and along the way they discover much more about the state of the world than they had anticipated.
This book was a delight. It was fun seeing Uncharles trying to make sense of what he encounters, while stretching the limits of his autonomy. The book is cleverly written and humorous, but there is a serious underlying premise. The author narrates the audiobook and he does a fantastic job. He should narrate more of his books.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
“Jul was in no position to exclude anyone from anywhere, nor was there anywhere left to exclude anyone from, but if strong disapproval had been a laser, then those intruders, whoever they were, would have burst into flames.”
Charles is a service model robot valet for his elderly Master. Charles and the House AI maintain the Master’s schedule by following a collection of contradictory, outdated and pointless directives that they are unable to change or disregard. But then Charles discovers that he has murdered his Master, for no discernible reason. It seems that Charles really needs diagnostic tests and perhaps an overhaul. However, the diagnostic center isn’t operating as it should. And Charles can no longer be referred to as Charles since his Master is dead and no new owner has renamed him. Uncharles and a diagnostician robot called Wonk set off on a quest to find Uncharles a new Master (and also learn why he committed murder) and along the way they discover much more about the state of the world than they had anticipated.
This book was a delight. It was fun seeing Uncharles trying to make sense of what he encounters, while stretching the limits of his autonomy. The book is cleverly written and humorous, but there is a serious underlying premise. The author narrates the audiobook and he does a fantastic job. He should narrate more of his books.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
June 19, 2024
I’m so happy to have discovered this author here on Goodreads. Last December I was gifted a copy of City of Last Chances and now I want to read more, much more by Adrian Tchaikovsky! Service Model is a completely different kind of book from the first one I read, and I just loved it. I’ve been reading SF for over 50 years now and the theme of robots becoming sentient is not new – I’m happy the author uses the three laws of Asimov in the story because for me, you cannot have a robot without them.
(Un)Charles is a wonderful personality and I really felt for him trying to find his destination – and discovering his destination is very different from what he hoped it would be.
In parts the story is a little slow but I couldn’t stop reading and was rewarded with a deep feeling of satisfaction after finishing this book.
Thanks to PanMacmillan and Netgalley for this review copy.
(Un)Charles is a wonderful personality and I really felt for him trying to find his destination – and discovering his destination is very different from what he hoped it would be.
In parts the story is a little slow but I couldn’t stop reading and was rewarded with a deep feeling of satisfaction after finishing this book.
Thanks to PanMacmillan and Netgalley for this review copy.
Want to read
May 2, 2024WOAH an upcoming Tchaikovsky novel being compared to Murderbot!?!?!?!?!?!? I need this. like NOW
July 22, 2024
Much more than a humorous tale of robot murder. 🤖
"[Uncharles] was used to providing very high levels of service coupled with a very low, albeit non-zero level of murder."
The opening chapters of this book are so funny! The story follows a service bot named Charles who murders his master. Because Charles is so focused on following his directives, he continues to dress his master, take him downstairs, and force his body to sit at the dining table for breakfast. Once Charles realizes his master is dead and he is to blame, the story shifts completely and becomes something less humorous and more textural.
Charles (i.e., "Uncharles") sets off to find a new directive. Specifically, he wants to be in service to another human, but he exists in an age when humanity is a dying breed and finding a human to serve is no easy task.
His story is divided into five parts, with each part paying homage to other works of fiction. For example, Part One is a nod to an Agatha Christie murder mystery, while Part Five is a religious parable inspired by Dante. (Part I KR15-T: Agatha Christie, Part II K4fk-R: Franz Kafka, Part III 4w-L: George Orwell, Part IV 80rh-5: Jorge Luis Borges, Part V D4nt-A: Dante Alighieri).
Can you enjoy this book even if you’re unfamiliar with the authors' works it pays homage to? Yes! You may miss some of the the philosophical musings or interrogation of religion Tchaikovsky aspires to convey in this book, but you’ll still find an amusing story with a surprising explanation for Charles having murdered his master.
Highly recommend the audiobook! It's read by the author, and he does a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and infusing the story with humor.
"[Uncharles] was used to providing very high levels of service coupled with a very low, albeit non-zero level of murder."
The opening chapters of this book are so funny! The story follows a service bot named Charles who murders his master. Because Charles is so focused on following his directives, he continues to dress his master, take him downstairs, and force his body to sit at the dining table for breakfast. Once Charles realizes his master is dead and he is to blame, the story shifts completely and becomes something less humorous and more textural.
Charles (i.e., "Uncharles") sets off to find a new directive. Specifically, he wants to be in service to another human, but he exists in an age when humanity is a dying breed and finding a human to serve is no easy task.
His story is divided into five parts, with each part paying homage to other works of fiction. For example, Part One is a nod to an Agatha Christie murder mystery, while Part Five is a religious parable inspired by Dante. (Part I KR15-T: Agatha Christie, Part II K4fk-R: Franz Kafka, Part III 4w-L: George Orwell, Part IV 80rh-5: Jorge Luis Borges, Part V D4nt-A: Dante Alighieri).
Can you enjoy this book even if you’re unfamiliar with the authors' works it pays homage to? Yes! You may miss some of the the philosophical musings or interrogation of religion Tchaikovsky aspires to convey in this book, but you’ll still find an amusing story with a surprising explanation for Charles having murdered his master.
Highly recommend the audiobook! It's read by the author, and he does a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and infusing the story with humor.
May 20, 2024
Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I found the book to be both sci-fi and dystopian with a plot that was charming and complex. It sets a steady pace throughout with the author showing sympathy and empathy for the protagonist as they navigate their way through unfamiliar situations out of their control.
The author is extremely skilled at conveying the levels of complexity that go into the world building and addresses the issue of feeling imaginatively. I felt the language was verbose and repetitive at times which made the read jarring as it constantly interrupted the stories flow. On a more positive note there are some funny moments which I found charming and redeemed it a little.
To sum up an interesting and thought provoking idea which asks questions about our own future with AI and how far we want to take it which I thought was a refreshing take on AI based stories. I was really looking forward to this especially as the author is one of my favourites so I was disappointed I felt so disconnected from it. Despite a pretty good ending is the journey worth it? For me, unfortunately no.
I found the book to be both sci-fi and dystopian with a plot that was charming and complex. It sets a steady pace throughout with the author showing sympathy and empathy for the protagonist as they navigate their way through unfamiliar situations out of their control.
The author is extremely skilled at conveying the levels of complexity that go into the world building and addresses the issue of feeling imaginatively. I felt the language was verbose and repetitive at times which made the read jarring as it constantly interrupted the stories flow. On a more positive note there are some funny moments which I found charming and redeemed it a little.
To sum up an interesting and thought provoking idea which asks questions about our own future with AI and how far we want to take it which I thought was a refreshing take on AI based stories. I was really looking forward to this especially as the author is one of my favourites so I was disappointed I felt so disconnected from it. Despite a pretty good ending is the journey worth it? For me, unfortunately no.
May 21, 2024
What do you get when you throw a whole bunch of pop culture and literature references into an irreverent buddy-movie story starring a vehemently non-self-aware robot and a plucky sidekick trying to find meaning in a dystopian wasteland?
You get a fun, fast paced adventure, with a bit of existential angst, and some robot librarians. You can also use it as a light-hearted vehicle to ponder the nature of self-awareness, and the duties and responsibilities we have around the use and nature of AI; it’s there if you want it, or you can just enjoy the ride.
Charles, the domestic service robot, is forced to find alternative employment after the untimely death of his Master. His quest takes him through the remains of a collapsing human civilisation, where the groups of surviving people and robots that he meets present an array of temptations and dangers that he must navigate in his search for meaningful employment.
The story is in five parts, and is almost episodic, in that each part roughly corresponds to our heroes getting into trouble, navigating the jeopardy (while moving the narrative forward), and then escaping to the next part of their quest. Each part also has a thematic or stylistic flavour, signposted by the loosely disguised part titles (the interpretation of which I’ll leave as an exercise for the reader), which was a nice touch, for those that I got.
Does it have flaws? Well… maybe. In the early parts of the book, I wasn’t convinced about the inflexibility of the AI to cope with novel situations. The robots are sophisticated enough to be able to cope with the ambiguity and assumptions involved in acting as a valet: organising their Master’s clothing, activities, and travel, for example. But those same robots are simultaneously incapable of dealing with the exact same levels of ambiguity in other contexts, or are debilitatingly literal - for example one robot had been waiting for years to greet some guests that it had been told would arrive, but had not been told how long to wait for them.
And there were a couple of pinch points in the plot when our heroes got themselves out of trouble in a way that made me say “Really?!” to myself.
But, for me at least, these are eminently forgivable. The inability of the robots to think outside the box is such an important thread that binds the plot together, that I was quite happy to put aside my mild incredulity (and, to be honest, if you can’t put this aside then you won’t enjoy the book). And the occasional opportunistic escape from trouble kept the plot moving, and contributed to the episodic nature of the story - which I found enjoyably reminiscent of old “Saturday morning cinema” sci-fi like Flash Gordon (but that might just be me).
The story is packed with popular culture references - and those that I spotted made me smile (”2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Star Wars” and “The Wizard of Oz” are all in there, for example). I’m sure there were many that I missed - in the same way that I didn’t get the references for all of the part titles - but that doesn’t matter. It annoys me when an author tries to show off with this kind of thing, but that wasn’t the case here - it was just a bit of extra fun.
I also really liked the tone. There is a witty irreverence that suits my preference, but in this case I also found it reminiscent of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett in places, which I really enjoyed.
So, despite the flaws, a solid 5 starts. I can see myself revisiting this - for the humour, the story, the robot librarians, and the philosophical exploration of the nature of free will and self-awareness.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan MacMillan / Tor for the free review copy of #ServiceModel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
You get a fun, fast paced adventure, with a bit of existential angst, and some robot librarians. You can also use it as a light-hearted vehicle to ponder the nature of self-awareness, and the duties and responsibilities we have around the use and nature of AI; it’s there if you want it, or you can just enjoy the ride.
Charles, the domestic service robot, is forced to find alternative employment after the untimely death of his Master. His quest takes him through the remains of a collapsing human civilisation, where the groups of surviving people and robots that he meets present an array of temptations and dangers that he must navigate in his search for meaningful employment.
The story is in five parts, and is almost episodic, in that each part roughly corresponds to our heroes getting into trouble, navigating the jeopardy (while moving the narrative forward), and then escaping to the next part of their quest. Each part also has a thematic or stylistic flavour, signposted by the loosely disguised part titles (the interpretation of which I’ll leave as an exercise for the reader), which was a nice touch, for those that I got.
Does it have flaws? Well… maybe. In the early parts of the book, I wasn’t convinced about the inflexibility of the AI to cope with novel situations. The robots are sophisticated enough to be able to cope with the ambiguity and assumptions involved in acting as a valet: organising their Master’s clothing, activities, and travel, for example. But those same robots are simultaneously incapable of dealing with the exact same levels of ambiguity in other contexts, or are debilitatingly literal - for example one robot had been waiting for years to greet some guests that it had been told would arrive, but had not been told how long to wait for them.
And there were a couple of pinch points in the plot when our heroes got themselves out of trouble in a way that made me say “Really?!” to myself.
But, for me at least, these are eminently forgivable. The inability of the robots to think outside the box is such an important thread that binds the plot together, that I was quite happy to put aside my mild incredulity (and, to be honest, if you can’t put this aside then you won’t enjoy the book). And the occasional opportunistic escape from trouble kept the plot moving, and contributed to the episodic nature of the story - which I found enjoyably reminiscent of old “Saturday morning cinema” sci-fi like Flash Gordon (but that might just be me).
The story is packed with popular culture references - and those that I spotted made me smile (”2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Star Wars” and “The Wizard of Oz” are all in there, for example). I’m sure there were many that I missed - in the same way that I didn’t get the references for all of the part titles - but that doesn’t matter. It annoys me when an author tries to show off with this kind of thing, but that wasn’t the case here - it was just a bit of extra fun.
I also really liked the tone. There is a witty irreverence that suits my preference, but in this case I also found it reminiscent of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett in places, which I really enjoyed.
So, despite the flaws, a solid 5 starts. I can see myself revisiting this - for the humour, the story, the robot librarians, and the philosophical exploration of the nature of free will and self-awareness.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan MacMillan / Tor for the free review copy of #ServiceModel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 21, 2024
Charles ... or un-Charles as he is known later, is a valet. A robotic valet on a future Earth where humans don't do much if anything. One day, Charles gives his employer a shave ... or so he thought. Instead, he cuts his master's throat and doesn't even know why (or, at first, that he actually did it).
After being dismissed from the household (which is when he has to hand in his name and becomes un-Charles), he's trying to find a new employ as well as the answer to how this could have happened.
Unfortunately, this futuristic world is nothing like what un-Charles thought it was. So many things are just ... broken. Or at the very least unlogical and about to break down. We therefore meet many other robots that are defective as well as systems that supposedly function 100% according to their programming but in a way that just makes no damned sense.
This little road trip was pretty much hilarious. In a "I-dont-know-if-I'm-laughing-or-crying" sort of way. For there is so much that went utterly wrong in this world and I'm not just talking about . The author nicely held up the mirror to us silly humans and our illogical way of handling things or our pseudo-solutions to what often isn't even a problem. It was glorious!
My favorite part, unsurprisingly, was the library. I could have stayed there for ages!
Simultaneously, this definitely had passages that should have been trimmed down. I'm not saying certain stops along the way were superfluous, but they didn't need to take up as much space in the novel as they did. The pace got kinda glacial at one point even and that is definitely not something I'm used to from this author.
All in all, however, I liked the characters and the story as well as its moral. Sure, I had figured out the "big" reveal pretty much from the start (both, actually) but it was still funny observing un-Charles stumbling about, just not getting it.
Not the author's best but a very solid novel about free will, the structure of human society, the chances and dangers of technology (or why we intent it / how we use it) and much more.
After being dismissed from the household (which is when he has to hand in his name and becomes un-Charles), he's trying to find a new employ as well as the answer to how this could have happened.
Unfortunately, this futuristic world is nothing like what un-Charles thought it was. So many things are just ... broken. Or at the very least unlogical and about to break down. We therefore meet many other robots that are defective as well as systems that supposedly function 100% according to their programming but in a way that just makes no damned sense.
This little road trip was pretty much hilarious. In a "I-dont-know-if-I'm-laughing-or-crying" sort of way. For there is so much that went utterly wrong in this world and I'm not just talking about . The author nicely held up the mirror to us silly humans and our illogical way of handling things or our pseudo-solutions to what often isn't even a problem. It was glorious!
My favorite part, unsurprisingly, was the library. I could have stayed there for ages!
Simultaneously, this definitely had passages that should have been trimmed down. I'm not saying certain stops along the way were superfluous, but they didn't need to take up as much space in the novel as they did. The pace got kinda glacial at one point even and that is definitely not something I'm used to from this author.
All in all, however, I liked the characters and the story as well as its moral. Sure, I had figured out the "big" reveal pretty much from the start (both, actually) but it was still funny observing un-Charles stumbling about, just not getting it.
Not the author's best but a very solid novel about free will, the structure of human society, the chances and dangers of technology (or why we intent it / how we use it) and much more.
June 11, 2024
I received an ARC of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via Black Crow Pr and the publishers.
Service Model is one of the most fun sci-fi dystopian reads I've ever read. You can tell the author had great fun writing this, and in all honesty, it's geniusly written!
Charles is a robot and not just any old robot. He's a gentleman's valet who works in a wealthy Manor house alongside other robots. But after he accidentally kills his owner, he is left with no purpose, so he goes out into the world in search of one. Charles befriends a fellow robot called The Wonk who tells him he has a virus called the protagonist virus and who helps Charles realise he is more than what he was built for and can make choices for his future. The pair get themselves into and out of many sticky situations, which were so well written with humour and thought-provoking moments, too.
The book is divided into five main sections, each one referenced towards a famous classical writer, which was fun working out through the section headings for each and again was a genius and fun idea.
The book does include some serious topics such as environmental factors, society, the justice system, the growth of AI and religion throughout the book, which do make you stop and think as they're very relevant to the future of mankind which is a great message as the book shows a dystopian future for mankind due to all of these factors. The book features very few humans due to all of these factors, which is definitely food for thought.
Service Model is one of the most fun sci-fi dystopian reads I've ever read. You can tell the author had great fun writing this, and in all honesty, it's geniusly written!
Charles is a robot and not just any old robot. He's a gentleman's valet who works in a wealthy Manor house alongside other robots. But after he accidentally kills his owner, he is left with no purpose, so he goes out into the world in search of one. Charles befriends a fellow robot called The Wonk who tells him he has a virus called the protagonist virus and who helps Charles realise he is more than what he was built for and can make choices for his future. The pair get themselves into and out of many sticky situations, which were so well written with humour and thought-provoking moments, too.
The book is divided into five main sections, each one referenced towards a famous classical writer, which was fun working out through the section headings for each and again was a genius and fun idea.
The book does include some serious topics such as environmental factors, society, the justice system, the growth of AI and religion throughout the book, which do make you stop and think as they're very relevant to the future of mankind which is a great message as the book shows a dystopian future for mankind due to all of these factors. The book features very few humans due to all of these factors, which is definitely food for thought.
June 4, 2024
Meet Charles, robot valet, at your service!
As a human, should you need some tea made, or traveling clothes laid out, Charles is your man....er robot. Then one day, Charles kills his rich human. Why? He doesn't know. All he knows is that he was made to serve humans. He immediately sets out to find another human to serve. Charles meets "the Wonk" on his travels, and together the two set out to figure out what is going on.
In the outside world, everything appears to have gone wrong. They can't find many humans, and many of the robots they encounter are either too damaged to operate or, if operating, there's no one and nothing to operate for. What has happened in the outside world? Will Charles and Wonk ever discover what went wrong? You'll have to read this to find out!
This science fiction tale was well written and engaging, though a bit slow paced at times. There's a lot more humor here than I expected from a sci-fi story, and I enjoyed that quite a bit. There are several levels to this story-the fun-ish quest portion as Charles and Wonk try to figure out what is going on, but there's also some sly commentary as well.
With the development of AI looming over us, SERVICE MODEL brings a lot of questions about that to mind. Could humans create robots for everything, so that they can just sit back and enjoy life? Will or would the AI become sentient and turn on humans? What might happen if all humans were killed in some kind of natural disaster? Would AI survive, and if so, what might it do? All of these questions and more floated around in my brain as the story progressed. Some of which were answered, many were not.
Either way, this story was a good one, if a bit lagging at times. It had humor and featured both the best and the worst of humankind. I feel like it also offered a bit of hope as well, (but maybe that's just me.) Whichever way you view the denouement, it's the journey itself that really makes a book, and this journey was fun and enlightening.
Highly recommended!
*ARC from publisher, and I won a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!*
As a human, should you need some tea made, or traveling clothes laid out, Charles is your man....er robot. Then one day, Charles kills his rich human. Why? He doesn't know. All he knows is that he was made to serve humans. He immediately sets out to find another human to serve. Charles meets "the Wonk" on his travels, and together the two set out to figure out what is going on.
In the outside world, everything appears to have gone wrong. They can't find many humans, and many of the robots they encounter are either too damaged to operate or, if operating, there's no one and nothing to operate for. What has happened in the outside world? Will Charles and Wonk ever discover what went wrong? You'll have to read this to find out!
This science fiction tale was well written and engaging, though a bit slow paced at times. There's a lot more humor here than I expected from a sci-fi story, and I enjoyed that quite a bit. There are several levels to this story-the fun-ish quest portion as Charles and Wonk try to figure out what is going on, but there's also some sly commentary as well.
With the development of AI looming over us, SERVICE MODEL brings a lot of questions about that to mind. Could humans create robots for everything, so that they can just sit back and enjoy life? Will or would the AI become sentient and turn on humans? What might happen if all humans were killed in some kind of natural disaster? Would AI survive, and if so, what might it do? All of these questions and more floated around in my brain as the story progressed. Some of which were answered, many were not.
Either way, this story was a good one, if a bit lagging at times. It had humor and featured both the best and the worst of humankind. I feel like it also offered a bit of hope as well, (but maybe that's just me.) Whichever way you view the denouement, it's the journey itself that really makes a book, and this journey was fun and enlightening.
Highly recommended!
*ARC from publisher, and I won a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!*
April 25, 2024
I do not personally have a stronger recommendation than to say that this book deserves the comparisons to Murderbot and Redshirts. I have read and re-read both of those and I suspect that I will be re-reading this one as well.
Murderbot, Redshirts, and Service Model.
Yes. These are books that help me understand how to be in the world as a human and I am so grateful for the brilliant writers who shape the stories in their fictional worlds to give shape to our understandings of our less-fictional world.
**EDITED TO ADD THAT I HAVE LISTENED TO THE AUDIOBOOK OF THIS BOOK THREE TIMES NOW ALSO AND IT IS PERFECTION. I am going to make everyone I know read this book. Or at least strongly suggest it to them.
Murderbot, Redshirts, and Service Model.
Yes. These are books that help me understand how to be in the world as a human and I am so grateful for the brilliant writers who shape the stories in their fictional worlds to give shape to our understandings of our less-fictional world.
**EDITED TO ADD THAT I HAVE LISTENED TO THE AUDIOBOOK OF THIS BOOK THREE TIMES NOW ALSO AND IT IS PERFECTION. I am going to make everyone I know read this book. Or at least strongly suggest it to them.
Read
June 9, 2024While reading this book I kept flashing on some of the same ideas that come to mind when I read the first Murderbot story: how the supposedly emotionless robots actually expressed emotions in a way that strongly reminded me of some folks' habit of naming their machines, attributing gender and personality to them. This one is certainly in conversation with the Murderbot idea.
The opening segment reminded me of Camus or Brecht in the absurdist comedy centering around a valet robot murdering its/his human master. From there he goes to get diagnosed and fixed, and brings us along for an increasingly chaotic glimpse into a weird future world mostly run by robots running down.
There are a lot of literary references worked in, and it's pretty clear that the author had a lot of fun writing this. I enjoyed it in patches, but felt it went on a bit long; if it had been half the length it would have been elegantly perfect. But that's just me. Other readers will adore it all.
The opening segment reminded me of Camus or Brecht in the absurdist comedy centering around a valet robot murdering its/his human master. From there he goes to get diagnosed and fixed, and brings us along for an increasingly chaotic glimpse into a weird future world mostly run by robots running down.
There are a lot of literary references worked in, and it's pretty clear that the author had a lot of fun writing this. I enjoyed it in patches, but felt it went on a bit long; if it had been half the length it would have been elegantly perfect. But that's just me. Other readers will adore it all.
April 20, 2024
What happens when a robot gains sentience, I fall in love with him, this was a speculative scifi/dystopian novel about a charming robot called Charles or UnCharles who murdered his master, I did find parts of this rather sad, how the robots were in a continuous loop no matter what, the tone of the narrative (sometimes meandering and monotonous) reflects the endless repetitive nature of the robots, unable to deter from their programming, a larger theme of what it means to be human and in a time when AI is so prevalent and discussed this novel is deeply thought provoking and explores the perils/promise of a robotic future, as always Adrian is a master story teller whose world building and witty (sometimes absurd)prose is unmatched, fans of Murderbot/dystopian scifi will definitely enjoy this, many thanks to blackcrowpr for the proof copy, Service Model is published 6th June
Read
June 1, 2024Adrian Tchaikovsky is perhaps best known in the world of science fiction for his enormously expansive imagination and world-building. His stories are fed by big "what if" questions like "What if the dominant species on a planet were spiders?" (Children of Time) or "What if evolution was more like Lego?" (Alien Clay). Service Model, however, is something entirely different.
This is a deeply philosophical novel that plays out like a series of parables starring a lost and wandering robot named Charles. Separated into five parts, each inspired by—and directly named after—an author known for their own style and philosophy (Christie, Kafka, Orwell, Borges, and Dante), Charles' story is one of searching, questioning, and discovering.
Charles worked as a valet for a wealthy and reclusive master, until one day he killed that master in spite of his own programming, and Charles himself has no idea how this was possible. But the death of his master leads Charles on a series of journeys, each one telling us more and more about how this strange future world operates. All the while, Charles searches for where he might now belong.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-sci-fi-b...
This is a deeply philosophical novel that plays out like a series of parables starring a lost and wandering robot named Charles. Separated into five parts, each inspired by—and directly named after—an author known for their own style and philosophy (Christie, Kafka, Orwell, Borges, and Dante), Charles' story is one of searching, questioning, and discovering.
Charles worked as a valet for a wealthy and reclusive master, until one day he killed that master in spite of his own programming, and Charles himself has no idea how this was possible. But the death of his master leads Charles on a series of journeys, each one telling us more and more about how this strange future world operates. All the while, Charles searches for where he might now belong.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-sci-fi-b...
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 13, 2024DNF 27%
If any of my friends read this and enjoy it I will come back to it. But right now it just doesn’t seem like the kind of SciFi I would enjoy. The concept is intriguing but the story is a bit too philosophical? for my reading mood.
If any of my friends read this and enjoy it I will come back to it. But right now it just doesn’t seem like the kind of SciFi I would enjoy. The concept is intriguing but the story is a bit too philosophical? for my reading mood.
Read
June 24, 2024DNF @ 10%
This is absolutely a case of it's not the book it's me. I'm a huge fan of Tchaikovsky, and have read enough of his books to know when I have run across one of the few that isn't for me. No rating because I only read a very short portion of the book.
This is absolutely a case of it's not the book it's me. I'm a huge fan of Tchaikovsky, and have read enough of his books to know when I have run across one of the few that isn't for me. No rating because I only read a very short portion of the book.
June 8, 2024
Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite authors, and one of the things I like about him most is his versatility. His books feel so different, and this is no exception. It has more sardonic humor than other Tchaikovsky books that I've read, while having a very straight laced but fun protagonist in Not-Charles (you'll see).
The book has been compared a lot to Murderbot and I understand why on the surface but I think they are quite different. Tchaikovsky is much more interested in the concept of free will and consciousness, as well as exploring what might happen if we get automated to levels of intense comfort.
This is not one of my top favorite Tchaikovsky books, but it was very enjoyable and I particularly liked the ending. Also, Adrian does the audiobook and he does a great job!
8.5/10
The book has been compared a lot to Murderbot and I understand why on the surface but I think they are quite different. Tchaikovsky is much more interested in the concept of free will and consciousness, as well as exploring what might happen if we get automated to levels of intense comfort.
This is not one of my top favorite Tchaikovsky books, but it was very enjoyable and I particularly liked the ending. Also, Adrian does the audiobook and he does a great job!
8.5/10
June 5, 2024
Adrian Tchaikovsky is, in my opinion, one of the best science fiction writers out there today. His latest provides further confirmation of my opinion of the man and his works.
The protagonist here is a robotic valet, living and working on the estate of his human master with a few dozen other robot servants. He discovers one day that his master is dead - oddly, on reviewing his logs, the valet himself slit his throat during his morning shave. Strange, in that there’s no decision tree leading to the action, but regardless his tasks are clear and must be completed.
After a period of some Weekend at Bernie’s kind of shenanigans - the master’s orders didn’t include any contingency like “don’t bother if I’m dead,” so he still needs to be dressed, his food prepared, etc - the valet and other robot services conclude that the (robotic) doctor must be called in, and the (robotic) police must be informed that the valet has murdered their master. The valet is eventually sent off to Diagnostics to figure out what went wrong with him and from there, hopefully, to another master who won’t object to his negligible, but admittedly non-zero, history of murder.
Unfortunately the world has fallen apart. The manors adjacent to his master’s are all in various stages of abandonment and decay. There’s precious little sign of humans, and the robots that the valet encounters are mostly stuck in loops, following orders no longer valid but without any authority to do anything else.
This book is both incredibly bleak and incredibly funny - though you would need a particular taste for black humor to find it so. It’s a not-terribly-subtle critique of late stage capitalism, basically. It reminded me of Firewalkers, another book of Tchaikovsky’s (though of course late stage capitalism and climate change are closely connected).
The promise of increased automation has always been increased leisure time, which hasn’t happened as much as it should for numerous reasons. We often hear about people whose jobs are being left behind by a society that no longer needs them. In American politics, coal miners are often brought up, but there’s many more.Service Model speaks to this kind of problem, but on a more fundamental level. We, as a society, define one’s worth to society based on one’s productivity. It’s not something we really ever admit, but it underpins everything. What happens if and when automation progresses to the point where there’s not enough productivity to go around? Will we figure out a way to redefine how we value individuals as a society, or will the haves simply pull the ladder up behind themselves, congratulate themselves on their success and their virtue (each one being axiomatic proof of the other), and tell the have-nots to pull themselves up by the bootstraps?
I think we all know which one is more likely. Tchaikovsky agrees. Hence the “bleak” I mentioned above.
Despite the bleakness, it does end on a hopeful note. And I was laughing, sometimes to tears, the entire time I was reading this. Tchaikovsky is a genius.
My blog
The protagonist here is a robotic valet, living and working on the estate of his human master with a few dozen other robot servants. He discovers one day that his master is dead - oddly, on reviewing his logs, the valet himself slit his throat during his morning shave. Strange, in that there’s no decision tree leading to the action, but regardless his tasks are clear and must be completed.
After a period of some Weekend at Bernie’s kind of shenanigans - the master’s orders didn’t include any contingency like “don’t bother if I’m dead,” so he still needs to be dressed, his food prepared, etc - the valet and other robot services conclude that the (robotic) doctor must be called in, and the (robotic) police must be informed that the valet has murdered their master. The valet is eventually sent off to Diagnostics to figure out what went wrong with him and from there, hopefully, to another master who won’t object to his negligible, but admittedly non-zero, history of murder.
Unfortunately the world has fallen apart. The manors adjacent to his master’s are all in various stages of abandonment and decay. There’s precious little sign of humans, and the robots that the valet encounters are mostly stuck in loops, following orders no longer valid but without any authority to do anything else.
This book is both incredibly bleak and incredibly funny - though you would need a particular taste for black humor to find it so. It’s a not-terribly-subtle critique of late stage capitalism, basically. It reminded me of Firewalkers, another book of Tchaikovsky’s (though of course late stage capitalism and climate change are closely connected).
The promise of increased automation has always been increased leisure time, which hasn’t happened as much as it should for numerous reasons. We often hear about people whose jobs are being left behind by a society that no longer needs them. In American politics, coal miners are often brought up, but there’s many more.Service Model speaks to this kind of problem, but on a more fundamental level. We, as a society, define one’s worth to society based on one’s productivity. It’s not something we really ever admit, but it underpins everything. What happens if and when automation progresses to the point where there’s not enough productivity to go around? Will we figure out a way to redefine how we value individuals as a society, or will the haves simply pull the ladder up behind themselves, congratulate themselves on their success and their virtue (each one being axiomatic proof of the other), and tell the have-nots to pull themselves up by the bootstraps?
I think we all know which one is more likely. Tchaikovsky agrees. Hence the “bleak” I mentioned above.
Despite the bleakness, it does end on a hopeful note. And I was laughing, sometimes to tears, the entire time I was reading this. Tchaikovsky is a genius.
My blog
July 20, 2024
At first charming and funny, Service Model becomes progressively more bleak and repetitive as its delightful robotic protagonist discovers what remains after the collapse of human civilization. While the section headings acknowledge the influence of Agatha Christie, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, Jorge Luis Borges, and Dante, Service Model reminds me of a robot version of Voltaire's Candide. Programming and philosophical views are challenged as the protagonist and his quirky companion encounter one horrible and/or absurd thing after another in their quest for purpose and meaning.
June 21, 2024
Part The Murderbot Diaries, part classic Hero's Journey, part... The Bible? Believe it or not, that's the mashup here, infused with plenty of dry humor.
This novel is certainly a journey! At the start, I expected a sci-fi murder mystery, and it's playful tone made me think I got into something light and fun. So, imagine my surprise when after a while I found myself contemplating humanity, religion, consciousness, purpose, and our collective relationship with technology. Service Model is a lot more complex than it might seem at first, and Adrian Tchaikovsky makes a simple premise of a murderous robot feel fresh and interesting. Who would have thought this was even possible?
However, it's definitely too long. This probably could have been a novella. A lot of the humor and exploration of the nature of humanity comes from the way our main character, Charles (or rather UnCharles), is programmed and the way he makes decisions. The way he thinks and talks is entertaining, but it gets repetitive very quickly, and at a certain point interactions just become predictable - you know know exactly how he's going to approach the problem, sometimes you even know what he's going to say next.
But it's still a very enjoyable read - the tone is light, the dry humor lands very well, and the characters are easy to like! Plus, I can't believe the insane development this plot went through, and the novel really surprised me.
A review copy was provided by the publisher
This novel is certainly a journey! At the start, I expected a sci-fi murder mystery, and it's playful tone made me think I got into something light and fun. So, imagine my surprise when after a while I found myself contemplating humanity, religion, consciousness, purpose, and our collective relationship with technology. Service Model is a lot more complex than it might seem at first, and Adrian Tchaikovsky makes a simple premise of a murderous robot feel fresh and interesting. Who would have thought this was even possible?
However, it's definitely too long. This probably could have been a novella. A lot of the humor and exploration of the nature of humanity comes from the way our main character, Charles (or rather UnCharles), is programmed and the way he makes decisions. The way he thinks and talks is entertaining, but it gets repetitive very quickly, and at a certain point interactions just become predictable - you know know exactly how he's going to approach the problem, sometimes you even know what he's going to say next.
But it's still a very enjoyable read - the tone is light, the dry humor lands very well, and the characters are easy to like! Plus, I can't believe the insane development this plot went through, and the novel really surprised me.
A review copy was provided by the publisher
June 28, 2024
2.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2024/06/08/...
Unpopular opinion time! Sadly, as thoroughly as I’ve enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky’s fantasy novels, I’m afraid I’m just about done with his science fiction. I had high hopes that the humorously described Service Model would be the book to turn things around, but even with so much going for it, I’m personally not feeling the spark.
At the center of this tale is Charles, a robot who was meticulously programmed and designed to serve the aristocrats of the future. As such, his entire existence revolves around being the dutiful valet, completely devoid of emotion because feelings are deemed impractical and therefore pointless. All he needs is the drive to do his work, which he takes great pride in until, one day, Charles commits the ultimate sin for a robot: killing his human master.
But now that the unthinkable has happened, what else might he be capable of? Rebranded as “UnCharles”, our robot protagonist desperately looks to the outside world for a new purpose. He soon encounters a defective robot called The Wonk who becomes his traveling companion. Much to The Wonk’s chagrin, UnCharles harbors no desire to explore his newfound freedom; he simply wishes to find another human in need of his valet services. But as the two robotic travelers soon discover, the world has become a very different place. In the aftermath of a great sweeping apocalypse, it is now a wasteland devoid of much humanity, making UnCharles’ quest a lot more difficult.
To start, I think the central concept of a dystopian society that relies heavily on artificial intelligence and labor is an interesting one, though I’m not sure I’m on board with the execution. The story is neither here nor there in so many ways, starting with the humor hinted at in the blurb but which failed to completely materialize. Occasionally some wit would shine through in the form of satirical elements, but most of the time these felt forced. Then there are the references to literary classics and religion that feel similarly like they’re in a state of limbo—touched upon, but not explored deeply enough to have the philosophical impact the author was clearly going for.
And while I realize UnCharles is supposed to be frustrating by design, I could not get into his character at all. Supposedly incapable of feeling emotion, he nonetheless ponders his existence a lot, though his voice maintains an air of aloofness by keeping the reader at arm’s length. This inconsistency makes his motivations feel murky, resulting in a difficult time empathizing with his struggles or even feeling invested in his journey. Speaking of which, the plot structure presented in five distinct parts ostensibly illustrates the different stages of his trials, but only comes across disjointed, unevenly paced and, at times, even pretentious and a little bit preachy.
All that is to say, Service Model had potential, but it falls short of Adrian Tchaikovsky at his best. The novel’s struggle to find its footing left me wishing it had a more cohesive story and more impactful characters. Despite this, I look forward to the author’s future work but will be more cautious with my expectations.
Unpopular opinion time! Sadly, as thoroughly as I’ve enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky’s fantasy novels, I’m afraid I’m just about done with his science fiction. I had high hopes that the humorously described Service Model would be the book to turn things around, but even with so much going for it, I’m personally not feeling the spark.
At the center of this tale is Charles, a robot who was meticulously programmed and designed to serve the aristocrats of the future. As such, his entire existence revolves around being the dutiful valet, completely devoid of emotion because feelings are deemed impractical and therefore pointless. All he needs is the drive to do his work, which he takes great pride in until, one day, Charles commits the ultimate sin for a robot: killing his human master.
But now that the unthinkable has happened, what else might he be capable of? Rebranded as “UnCharles”, our robot protagonist desperately looks to the outside world for a new purpose. He soon encounters a defective robot called The Wonk who becomes his traveling companion. Much to The Wonk’s chagrin, UnCharles harbors no desire to explore his newfound freedom; he simply wishes to find another human in need of his valet services. But as the two robotic travelers soon discover, the world has become a very different place. In the aftermath of a great sweeping apocalypse, it is now a wasteland devoid of much humanity, making UnCharles’ quest a lot more difficult.
To start, I think the central concept of a dystopian society that relies heavily on artificial intelligence and labor is an interesting one, though I’m not sure I’m on board with the execution. The story is neither here nor there in so many ways, starting with the humor hinted at in the blurb but which failed to completely materialize. Occasionally some wit would shine through in the form of satirical elements, but most of the time these felt forced. Then there are the references to literary classics and religion that feel similarly like they’re in a state of limbo—touched upon, but not explored deeply enough to have the philosophical impact the author was clearly going for.
And while I realize UnCharles is supposed to be frustrating by design, I could not get into his character at all. Supposedly incapable of feeling emotion, he nonetheless ponders his existence a lot, though his voice maintains an air of aloofness by keeping the reader at arm’s length. This inconsistency makes his motivations feel murky, resulting in a difficult time empathizing with his struggles or even feeling invested in his journey. Speaking of which, the plot structure presented in five distinct parts ostensibly illustrates the different stages of his trials, but only comes across disjointed, unevenly paced and, at times, even pretentious and a little bit preachy.
All that is to say, Service Model had potential, but it falls short of Adrian Tchaikovsky at his best. The novel’s struggle to find its footing left me wishing it had a more cohesive story and more impactful characters. Despite this, I look forward to the author’s future work but will be more cautious with my expectations.
June 11, 2024
Finally kinda realistic robots!!
This book was an obviously inspired take on murderbot, but Tchaikovsky style. There are some interesting statements about the world if you pay attention enough to find them.
This book follows Un-Charles, a butler service robot who is looking for a human to serve since his last one died by his hand. It immediately begins pointing fun at the rather inefficient algorithmic processes of machines, and takes the reader through the world in a fun and satirical way.
Slight warning robots here dont really have same motivations as humans which tchaikovsky gets away with by using wry wit, but while it is more realistic it is somewhat more dry than other works.
This book was an obviously inspired take on murderbot, but Tchaikovsky style. There are some interesting statements about the world if you pay attention enough to find them.
This book follows Un-Charles, a butler service robot who is looking for a human to serve since his last one died by his hand. It immediately begins pointing fun at the rather inefficient algorithmic processes of machines, and takes the reader through the world in a fun and satirical way.
Slight warning robots here dont really have same motivations as humans which tchaikovsky gets away with by using wry wit, but while it is more realistic it is somewhat more dry than other works.
April 12, 2024
Who knew that a robot who gruesomely murders his master could be so lovable?
Don’t judge me. I suspect that if you get to know Uncharles, you will find him endearing, as well.
Service Model begins as a delightfully dark tale, but I cannot say it was always delightful or dark. As Uncharles comes to recognize that he is responsible for the murder, he makes hilarious choices, and the brief investigation that followed, which felt like an old school detective novel parody, was absolutely fantastic. Remaining mentally present beyond this was a challenge, though, as my enjoyment waned.
The narrative often relies upon exaggerated misunderstandings. Uncharles, being a robot who is programmed to function based on very specific directives, does not comprehend a lot of what is being communicated to him. This was funny at first, but it was a plot device that the author stretched too thin. It felt as if Tchaikovsky believed comedic perfection could only be achieved through verbosity. Uncharles’s misadventures stopped being amusing, and I eventually felt like I was trudging through the novel.
I also expected more agency on Uncharles’s part, based on what the synopsis suggested, and often found myself frustrated that he was a mostly obedient (barring that pesky little murder issue) robot. I am not capable of going blindly into a book, but doing so here would have eliminated my erroneous assumptions. I will say I was pleased to discover that the author did, indeed, have worthy intentions, and it’s not his fault that the promotional blurb misled me. So, despite finding a good portion of this tedious, I do think the climax helped cancel out the growing negative feelings I felt toward it.
I am certain that Tchaikovsky embracing a “less is more” philosophy could have made Service Model significantly more enjoyable. Its objective was brilliant, with a culmination that delivered the type of social commentary I love. I’m glad I stuck with the story so I could witness its ability to finally shine.
I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
Don’t judge me. I suspect that if you get to know Uncharles, you will find him endearing, as well.
Service Model begins as a delightfully dark tale, but I cannot say it was always delightful or dark. As Uncharles comes to recognize that he is responsible for the murder, he makes hilarious choices, and the brief investigation that followed, which felt like an old school detective novel parody, was absolutely fantastic. Remaining mentally present beyond this was a challenge, though, as my enjoyment waned.
The narrative often relies upon exaggerated misunderstandings. Uncharles, being a robot who is programmed to function based on very specific directives, does not comprehend a lot of what is being communicated to him. This was funny at first, but it was a plot device that the author stretched too thin. It felt as if Tchaikovsky believed comedic perfection could only be achieved through verbosity. Uncharles’s misadventures stopped being amusing, and I eventually felt like I was trudging through the novel.
I also expected more agency on Uncharles’s part, based on what the synopsis suggested, and often found myself frustrated that he was a mostly obedient (barring that pesky little murder issue) robot. I am not capable of going blindly into a book, but doing so here would have eliminated my erroneous assumptions. I will say I was pleased to discover that the author did, indeed, have worthy intentions, and it’s not his fault that the promotional blurb misled me. So, despite finding a good portion of this tedious, I do think the climax helped cancel out the growing negative feelings I felt toward it.
I am certain that Tchaikovsky embracing a “less is more” philosophy could have made Service Model significantly more enjoyable. Its objective was brilliant, with a culmination that delivered the type of social commentary I love. I’m glad I stuck with the story so I could witness its ability to finally shine.
I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
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