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.
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. —â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä�
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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.
“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.
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!
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.
*3.5* I know this is odd, but this story was a blend of The Velveteen Rabbit, iRobot and The Matrix.
Charles, robot valet, discovers one morning his human is dead. Curiously, Charles is covered in blood. The robot police are called.
“Inspector, it was me,� Charles supplied helpfully. “I am the murderer.�
“That,� Birdbot said archly, “is what we are here to determine. Who is the murderer.�
“Inspector, I am.�
“Do not speak unless you are spoken to. I will not have you interfere in police business,�
As Charles, now called Uncharles, navigates the evolving world, the author raises questions about identity, purpose, and the cost of dependence on artificial intelligence. This story is filled with philosophical questions, almost to its detriment. Circular thinking times 1000.
Ultimately, this is a journey of self-discovery and societal transformation. Liked but didn’t love it.
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 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 . 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 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.
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 : Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, and Bee! <3
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I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Adrian Tchaikovsky for the chance to listen to an early audiobook copy of Service Model!
Much more than a humorous tale of robot murder. 🤖
Watch my for more books on AI, advanced tech & sex bots. 👀
"[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.
After an� unfortunate incident ends with the termination of its employment, a robot valet leaves its manor in search of a new human to serve in a fallen world where humans are a rare find.
This funny and thought-provoking novel is perfect for fans of Martha Well’s Murderbot series and Becky Chamber’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built. The audio is read by the author who does a wonderful job of bringing the robot valet "to life". � Dominique A.
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 , 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 : 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. 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 . 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 wants Uncharles and The Wonk to cogitate upon. In fact, reminded me of 's , 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 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 .
I’m so happy to have discovered this author here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. 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 â€� 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.
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.
And I forgot every hilarious and smart thing I wanted to say about this...
Oh wait, I remember two...
I am pretty sure that no one except the author himself couldn't extraordinarily narrate the book!
AND
I am always fond of Adrian Tchaikovsky's twisting conversations about/between god and critter.
Charles in the manor “Inspector, it was me,� Charles supplied helpfully. “I am the murderer.� “That,� Birdbot said archly, “is what we are here to determine. Who is the murderer.� “Inspector, I am.� “Do not speak unless you are spoken to. I will not have you interfere in police business,�
Charles to central services “What is an employment counsellor? Why are occupations other than ‘valet� under consideration? Under what circumstances would I go to anyone to see what jobs I am suited for? I am a valet. My skills are those of a valet. I would not need to go to someone to be told that I am suited to be a valet. Nothing that you have said makes any sense.�
Uncharles in farm “You can’t reform the past. We do authenticity. They work and they commute and they get home to their joyless bedsits, they jerk off to dispiriting porn and eat their microwave dinners, then they do the whole thing again. And not one iota of it ever means anything, because we take our goddamn authenticity seriously here at the Conservation Farm Project! Yes sirree! Because we all know the past was horrible, and the only point of learning about or preserving the horrible horrible past is so we can know we’ve got it better now! That’s history! That’s education! That’s progress!�
Uncharles at central library
Uncharles to wasteland Sergeant, kindly explain the necessity of war. Uncharles, son, I just did. If we aren’t supposed to fight wars then why did they make us? I mean, it sure would be a terrible and senseless world if our creators had fabricated a vast number of autonomous fighting units capable of self-repair and conducting combat behind enemy lines indefinitely, but didn’t actually intend them to fight! Can you imagine how pointless that would be?
Still, the lieutenant assured him that it was all very exciting and well executed and all the soldiers had done very well. Even the ones who got blown to pieces by the enemy, or perhaps especially those ones. So long as any viable pieces were recoverable.
he’s a person. He’s a thinking, feeling person as much as all the humans I ever met. Even if he doesn’t want to be one. Because that’s how it is when you’re a person. Sometimes you don’t want to be one. How much easier just to be a dumbass robot! But you don’t get the choice.
FUTURE Justice is a human-made thing that means what humans wish it to mean and does not exist at all if humans do not make it. I suggest that ‘kind and ordered� is a better goal. It is possible that the world was once both kind and ordered.
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.
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.
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.
A really unusual story by Adrian Tchaikovsky - who has incredible range, but even for his incredible range this is kind of an outlier. And it should not be my thing because it is very philosophical, allegorical in style, very satirical, and the plot mechanics do not really matter. Just take what he wants to say about the limits of AI, what is truth, greed, what humans want from intelligent machines and while I understand it will not be everybody's cup of tea, I thought it fascinating and intelligent. Right now we are starting to understand how stupid intelligent-seeming AI really is and how it does not understand the concept of truth at all. Previous fiction did not quite expect that but Service Model does and that is an important thing to think about speculatively.
Publicist-created blurbs are saying "Murderbot meets Redshirts" and uh, no. This is a book filled with references, in jokes, but Murderbot basically is one of the few famous sf books I saw no shadow of, nor particularly Redshirts (one meta joke, maybe?). Charles is as unlike Murderbot as it is possible for a robot to be. Charles just wants to serve humans (not that way, no, though that joke is made).
This it is filled with many references - besides the section headings which brilliantly portrayed in audiobook format (well played) referencing Christie, Kafka, Orwell, Borges and Dante (I did not get there on my own to ID them all, shoulder of giants) I thought there were so many more others. Candide yeah, in the optimism, but there is a real Douglas Adams tone and style throughout (and a 42 joke!), Canticle for Leibowitz, so much more, I would love annotations on this.
This was just full of sarcasm, and ideas, and what-ifs and rage (Tchaikovsky being a totally different style of british speculative fiction author than Terry Pratchett is the rightful heir of his rage).
I listened to the audiobook, without paying much attention to details other than listening carefully to the sample. I am crazily picky about audiobook narrators, narrator passed the sample taste, and listening to the whole audiobook I really liked the narrator, the voice range, the humor, the expressiveness. I finally went checking who he was and what else he had read, and oh, it was the author himself, Adrian Tchaikovsky. I do not even like, usually authors narrating their own stories (except when I do, apparently) but he was fantastic, and not just as an author reading his books. It's insane, this and , and another novel and a novella all out in one calendar year and he is even narrating one of the books himself and being incredibly good at it also. Are we really sure he is human? Not AI, obviously (unless it is all a decoy. Just amazing.
Very good, very memorable, very different from everything else. Probably not for everybody though (and really do not expect Murderbot meets Redshirts in here).
Picked the audiobook up for this on a complete whim. I’ve seen so, so many Tchaikovsky novels on the shelves in Waterstones� Sci Fi and fantasy section that I’ve always felt very overwhelmed to even consider beginning his seemingly endless bibliography.
What a load of shit because this was bloody fantastic.
It was so FUN.
I dunno why I had these weird preconceptions that Tchaikovsky was really dense and intellectual and hard to read, but this was spot on what I needed.
Service Model follows the story of Charles aka Undiagnosed Valet Unit aka UnCharles. It’s set in a dystopian world and explores the very simple and almost too obvious situation of ‘what happens when a robot’s code limits its ability to perform a task�.
Binary is on and off after all.
A slapstick, darkly humorous exploration of free-will, society, and the stupid obsession with AI.
It’s an absolute riot and I laughed multiple times.
Highly recommend if you want something a bit different to read.
Can anyone recommend any similar Tchaikovsky books?
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.
This is a fresh (2024) SF novel by British author , whom I consider one of the best current SSF writers. This novel hasn’t disappointed me. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for August 2024 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group.
According to the blurb as quoted here on GR: 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. And while this is what roughly happened at the beginning, this blurb is misleading on so many levels that it could have described a totally different book.
The book starts with a dedication For all those robots and computers who enjoy working with and having stimulating relationships with humans. and this sets the theme for the rest of the story. Charles is a "gentleman's gentleman" a personal servant or valet, a future version of Jeeves � and I guess the novel to some extent (among a lot of other things) a homage to P. G. Wodehouse, even, as readers may know from the blurb, Wooster won’t be around. He was make to serve, to be helpful and this is what he does, until one day he finds brown stain on a surface he just cleaned, on master’s clothes and finally on himself. As a good servant, he isn’t perturbed by it, but only that his service isn’t perfect:
He presented himself in the bedchamber as requested. The master had not risen, which was not unusual. The very large red stain that had spread out across the bedclothes did qualify as unusual. It had never happened before. Master himself was very still and, where not covered in red, very pale. Charles accessed a seldom-needed archive of emergency first aid and determined that the redness currently on the outside of the bedclothes, on Charles� hands, and via that vector on several suits of the master’s clothes, the car upholstery, and that morning’s teacup, had its origin within Master. Beside the bed, the shaving things had not been tidied away. The towel was very red. The bowl of water was very red. The razor, in particular, was extremely red. House, I have been derelict in my duties, Charles conferred. I cannot account for it. Charles, confirmed. House, I neglected to clear away the shaving kit. Charles, confirmed.
As you can see, there is no malice, no motive, no guilt, except for neglecting his duties. So, he patiently waits for a (robot) detective, says “there has been a murder. I am the culprit. I am surrendering myself into your custody.� But then a comedy of errors starts (or actually continues, for valets aren’t programmed what to do if a master died, but are well trained to try to improve master’s mood, say by preparing their favorite food or taking them on a walk), with the detective following his program (based on murder mysteries TV series). There is no running away, only following the instructions�
There is a lot more further going on, but I don’t want to spoil the story. There are adventures on a (mostly) post-human Earth, were robots were made to serve, but they have no one to serve to and no instructions what to do in this case. they may improvise, but they still should have a goal to reach, set by their masters.
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.
While 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.
A very entertaining look at how robots might not in fact take over the world. Something like the dark side of Teh Monk and Robot books.
I loved Uncharles and the Wonk, and would happily read many more of their adventures. The interactions between them were funny and sad and insightful in the way the best SciFi is.
This book follows in the tradition of Candide and Gulliver's Travels with a pinch of Kafka and George Orwell added as spice. I also fell in love with the naive robot protagonist and it's journey of self discovery. The writing is beautiful, lyrical, and often funny.
I've never read Adrian Tchaikovsky before and I'm a fan.
Warning: it gets political in ways that may make some Americans uncomfortable.
The protagonist, UnCharles (no relation), a murderous robot valet, goes on a Hero’s Quest in a Post-Human landscape.
Robot valet UnCharles.
My audio version was a moderate 12 hours. In dead tree format it would have been 384 pages. It had a 2024 copyright in both print and audio.
is a British author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is a remarkably prolific author. He has published more than twenty (20) novels in several series and standalone. In addition, he has published several novellas and many short stories. I’ve read many books by the author, mostly his science fiction. The last book being Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture, #3) (my review).
Tchaikovsky was the narrator for his own book. He did surprisingly well. He had enough ‘voices� to cover the limited number of characters. He also demonstrated he could tell a joke with his humorous dialog.
Tchaikovsky is a reliable author. He is also a very prolific author of science fiction and fantasy, although I only read his science fiction. One of the things he does well is to mashup familiar tropes in unusual ways. However, I have noticed his rebadging of fantasy tropes for his science fiction.
TL;DR Synopsis
This book cashes in on the recent popularity of humorous, killer robots stories, that started with the .
The story is a satiric and robotic occurring of mankind. UnCharles a killer robot valet on a journey "looking for a position" (its more than that) was joined by The Twonk, an apparently defective robot who was a of it. The Twonk hijack’s UnCharles� quest, and leads them to find the origin of the Robot Apocalypse. The root-cause of the end of humanity and UnCharles’s homicidal indiscretion were intertwined.
The Review
Tchaikovsky is a good writer. Note that having Ear-read this book, I can't comment on the prose. This being a satire, he was successful in making it quite humorous.
There were numerous in the narrative. For example, from . (I noted a lot of SW influences.) I got a kick out of the obvious British-isms. The faux Robotic-speak both as internal dialog and spoken could also be humorous. “TWonk. Confirmed.� Along with the Kafkaesque lampooning of the military, and bureaucracy. I also chuckled over The Twonk character who was voiced by Tchaikovsky and had dialog like a street urchin . Unfortunately, the gag about UnCharles� reluctance or inability to recognized Twonk’s true nature wore thin on me and their eventual fate was eye-rollingly bad.
The UnCharles character was the single POV. It borrowed heavily on the humor of the Star Wars character . It was fussy, excessively polite and strictly adhered to etiquette, which would be typical of a entity modeled after the traditional English butler.
The protagonist, whilst bearing a close resemblance to C-3PO, was actually The Tin Man from . It had the Tin Man’s tragic past. It’d inexplicably killed its human Master, and lost its position in 'life'. It was a compassionate companion to The Twonk. And then there was the symbolic transformation when UnCharles, finally embraced its inherent qualities.
However, where °¿³ú’s Tin Man was seeking “A Heartâ€� (love and emotional fulfillment), Tchaikovsky switched that out for the common trope of Fulfillment. UnCharles started on its quest seeking goal achievement—get another position as a valet. However, this evolved into a journey of: self-discovery, understanding their place in the world, personal growth, and the resolution of its inner conflict over murdering its original human Master.
World building was good, but not exceptional. (I've read of better Post-human wastelands.) I thought there were too many locations and too much travel. If UnCharles could drive, why didn’t it and Twonk just take an unused car from an intact, but empty Estate to expedite their travels? In addition, the anthropomorphizing of UnCharles waxed and waned in the narrative. This may have been an artifact of Tchaikvosky's narration?
Summary
I felt, this story was too long. Tchaikovsky made every point at least thrice. It could have been 100, perhaps 200 pages shorter, by trimming a few and forgoing a couple of the numerous ‘stops� UnCharles made through the Post-Human landscape. The use of faux computer logic with its ‘Task Lists� and redundant dialog (“House. Confirmed.�) could have been more economical too. There were too many Kafkaesque examples of ‘things not working� or gone awry. These issues and others caused the book to drag.
This was not a great work, because of its dependence on too many common tropes and the obvious 'borrowings' of the story. It also felt bloated with unnecessary scenes.
Still, it was amusing in places. It was successful as a satire. However, I thought this would have been a better story in the novella format, which I think Tchaikovsky excels at.
Folks interested in a classic Turned Against Their Masters novel, should try Mockingbird (my review) or Day Zero (Sea of Rust, #0) (my review). This a less humorous robot perspective story.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
Welcome to Project Second Chances where I give authors who have disappointed me a second chance to impress me before I swear them off for good, probably.
How will I do this? Each month I will be reading one book that is either wildly popular or sounds like it should be something I would like to see if maybe the first book I read by the author was just a fluke.
Why am I doing this? I’m sure there is something to be said about my mental health but let’s just call it being reasonable.
Here is the lineup:
Jan: Service Model (Adrian Tchaikovsky) Feb: Starling House (Alix E Harrow) Mar: The Black Prism (Brent Weeks) Apr: The Night Watchman (Louise Erdrich) May: Tom Lake (Ann Patchett) Jun: Eragon (Christopher Paolini) Jul: Spinning Silver (Naomi Novik) Aug: The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate (Ted Chiang) Sep: The Invisible Hour (Alice Hoffman) Oct: The Seven Year Slip (Ashley Poston) Nov: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (Silvia Moreno-Garcia) Dec: The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
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The first Adrian Tchaikovsky book that I read was Children of Time, and let’s just nicely say it did not go well. But Tchaikovsky shares a name with one of my favorite composers and he is constantly being compared to other sci fi authors and books that I love, so I had to give him another shot. And here we are.
There were definitely positives in this book. I loved Uncharles as a character. He is a robot valet whose entire existence is to serve based on a decision tree of actions and conversational patterns. When his master is suddenly dead, he embarks on a journey to find new employment. His conversational patterns and decision making are comical, and I found myself empathizing with him. He finds himself in a space where he can possibly think critically and be sentient, but he pushes back against this, resorting to the comfort of his protocols. His journey is highly philosophical, as is evidenced by the section breakdowns.
Each new section, which is a new adventure in Uncharles� quest to find meaningful employment, is an ode to other writers, mainly philosophical ones as each section is given their names in code. I admit, with the audiobook, I did not catch this, but luckily other readers did and after seeing this, it did give me new appreciation for the creativity of Tchaikovsky.
Unfortunately, while I can appreciate the nods to other writers in each section, the book did begin to feel long about halfway through, and by the last section, I was kind of done. It wasn’t bad, it just went on too long given how limited Uncharles� introspection could be.
Bottom line, I am giving this one 3 stars because I liked it, and it had interesting and creative ideas, but it didn’t wow me. It was, however, enough for me to try another Tchaikovsky in the future should one pique my interest.