I went into this book expecting Murderbot (which I also enjoy) but Uncharles is so much more complicated and Service Model has so many more layers to go through I could nerd out on it for quite a while. This book was humorous and thoughtful.

This book, set in a dystopian future, is told from the perspective of a robot designed to be a valet named Charles (later renamed Uncharles). When he realizes his owner is dead, he sets off on a long journey to figure out what is wrong with him and to find new employment, discovering in the process what a mess the world has become outside of the manor he lived in.

This was a strange one for sure, a satirical novel kind of like a combination of TJ Klune’s In the Lives of Puppets, George Orwell’s 1984, and The Wizard of Oz. (Though based on goodreads reviews there were apparently a lot of other literary allusions that went right over my head.)

Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series is one of my favorite science fiction series of the 21st century, but this is the third book of his that I have read other than those that was just ok for me. It’s definitely not for everyone, indeed I’m not even sure if it was for me. And yet, it was interesting enough to keep me reading.

The protagonist is Charles, a Service Model robot, designed to be "human facing" and provide valet service to a gentleman living in a manor (which is exactly what it sounds like, a mansion with a large robot staff). When he kills his master in what looks like a shaving accident (so easy to cut his throat while shaving him), Charles is exiled from the manor and sent to Diagnostics, where his error can be discovered and fixed so he can return to service.

He was not provided transport to Diagnostics, so his odyssey begins here. During his walk to Central Services he encounters manors that look completely collapsed, but with robots that are still trying to perform their functions. Diagnostics is even worse: an enormous queue of robots await diagnoses that are years away. Charles meets a being called the Wonk, who insists that he has achieved sentience. He runs away, ostensibly to find a human he can serve.

The pair first visit the Farm, a community of humans; then the Library, where both of them hope to find answers. They exit the Library into a scene of desolation far worse than they had seen in the manors. When they reach a computer that calls itself God they finally get answers, but once again the computer system controlling the robots reveals itself to be a failure, severely limited by its programming. The ending shows Uncharles and the Wonk collaborating on what may be a new beginning.

This is a mashup novel, alternating between humorous descriptions of absurd robotic programming and serious considerations of the potential of AI. As well as an extemely bleak dystopian vision, but it somehow manages to be entertaining most of the time anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy.

Thought I may enjoy this one due to hearing good reviews of this author's previous works. Didn't love the premise and couldn't get hooked. Don't particularly enjoy satire or humor in my books, either, so that was a touch unexpected.

I'm not a big Adrian Tchaikovsky fan and this book didn't nudge me any further along the path. It's an excellently written book about a topic I find uninteresting. It's also not too unlike Edward Ashton's "Mal Goes to War" that came out early 2024 too. And also not too far distant from Wall-E. Some people will love it.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I used to think I didn’t like Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books. I mean, I was told that I SHOULD like them since I’m a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton’s space opera doorstoppers. But when I tried to read one of his books a few years ago I rage-quit it like 12% of the way through.

But then when his novella Elder Race was nominated for a Hugo, I read it and enjoyed it. I also read Ogres when it was nominated, and it wasn’t half bad. So when I read the description of Service Model on NetGalley, I thought it sounded good so I requested it in exchange for an honest review.

It wasn’t bad.

There was a lot about it I liked. The first several chapters were wonderful and I really enjoyed the protagonist’s POV - it felt like a very relatable robotic perspective.

Two things, however, kept this book from being amazing in my eyes. First of all, there were too many pop culture references that really took me out of the story. Secondly, the world building fell apart, especially in the Farm section. I just couldn’t see how it made sense with everything that came before and after, vis a vis the existence of living humans.

Other than that, it was enjoyable. I’ll definitely check out this author’s next book.

Service Model is a great read for anyone who is curious about technology and its long lasting implications. What would our world look like when the machines we create outlive us? Our protagonist helps us to explore this idea more fully. Creative, refreshingly original, lighthearted fun paired with dangerous automation, all delightfully delivered in chapters that are easily digestible. It kept me hooked the entire time and I can’t wait to read it again.

This was a highly enjoyable new release standalone by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and just as with Alien Clay it felt like something new and fresh from the mad scientist who releases at least four books a year and is just a continual wellspring of creativity. It's robot fiction in a classic Asimovian mold (there are even mentions of Asimov's rules of robotics as a nod) but with an engaging and clever voice that Asimov's robot stories always lacked for me.

In many of the robot stories I've experienced (through films like AI, Bicentennial Man, Wall-E, or in books like Murderbot), the robots think and feel in a way so similar to humans that there's not a very meaningful difference between them. In Service Model, Tchaikovsky makes no mistake about it -- robots think and act in utterly non-human ways, and refreshingly, this is not a tale of a robot protagonist trying to transcend their robot-ness and become human.

Our POV Charles is a robot valet and just wants to be able to serve and go about his tasks. The way that the world intervenes and prevents Charles from doing so is what drives the plot of the book, but it's Tchaikovsky's utter commitment to having all the robots actually think and act robotically that really makes this book the unique little gem that it is. Whether through Charles' inner monologue, dialogue with various humans he meets along the way, or (my favorite) his robot-to-robot communication, Tchaikovsky mines the way robots think and talk for endless bits of wry humor. While it had its dark and tense moments, the dominant emotional tenor of this read was one of dry comedy where I often found myself smiling or occasionally chuckling out loud.

That clever humor is deployed to brilliant effect to lighten the mood against what is a pretty grim situation the world finds itself in (the cover itself gives away that the setting is rather post-apocalyptic). There is plenty of acerbic social commentary going on here, so while you might be entertained by the witticisms and robot-filled plot, there's also thematic depth to chew on as well that adds to its impact with a bit of satirical weightiness. Overall a fun and worthwhile read!

Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Service Model" is an inventive book about a world run by robots that defies the reader's expectations of an AI-themed novel.

The main character is Charles, a robot valet. When their human "master" dies, Charles loses their job. They're sent to Central Services for fixing, but it's chaotic there. Charles meets The Wonk, who appears to be a rather unusual
and rebellious robot, who convinces them to travel and find work. Charles, now UnCharles, goes on journey with The Wonk that shows the reader how much has chanted in this future world, and how much has not.

Tchaikovsky imagines a future where robots do most work humans used to do. This is no utopia, for the robots were made by humans, flawed as ever. Tchaikovsky finds much humor in directing the robots to follow human orders exactly and literally, leading to numerous mix-ups. Yet the novel blends humor with serious ideas, letting the reader chuckle as they think about what might happen if AI continues to advance without carefully designed safeguards.

Tchaikovsky's humor is dry and British, which isn't usually my, ahem, cup of tea. But even if the jokes don't land, the story remains interesting.

If you like droll science fiction or wonder about the paths AI might lead us down in the future, read "Service Model," a fresh take on human-robot relations that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Charles is a robot valet serving his master until he unthinkable happens, sending Charles on a quest to understand his actions and to find a new valet position. Along the way, he encounters numerous robots in varying states of decay and a human society in ruins. This is ultimately a very philosophical novel about the work of humans and the tools we create. It also has a timely element in its AI subject matter.
I really enjoyed this novel. In the beginning, it felt numerous but became darker and more contemplative as the story progressed. There are several references to other literary works that the reader will enjoy. Some of the dialogue felt weird, but this came exclusively from human characters and may have been intentional. Readers who enjoy distopian fantasy will enjoy this book.

Thanks so very much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do reviews on my main social media platforms and will be providing my full review there as I get through my TBR blacklist. Adding star rating as placeholder. Thanks again!

The plot didn't capture my interest as much as I had hoped, and I felt disconnected from the writing style. Still, it might be a better match for others.

Service Model had many similarities to the Murder Bot series, and is written just as well as that series is. Tchaikovsky's satire and whimsy is intertwined with the brilliantly executed post apocalyptic world to deliver one of the most entertaining stories of 2024.

My first Adrian Tchaikovsky work, Service Model is an excellent book. I find it to be a combination of Franz Kafka with Monty Python and a brilliant satire of much of our world. You should read this!

Review: Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Quotes:
"Knowledge is a lamp against the Darkness."

"I did not intend to be changed," Uncharles said.
"Well, yeah," she repeated. "But that's not the point of change. It happens, is all. And once it's happened, you can't go back."

Review: The tale of a robot "Charles" is programed to be a valet to a human. In a society where humanity is mostly gone. Until one day, it inexplicably murders its master. Following protical, It's sent to be decommissioned but meets another robot, "The Wonk," there, who talks it out of following through with that . To search out a new human to help or to find a new purpose.

A robot turning on a human isn't a new idea for a story. But I'm not sure I've read one quite like this. This was my first Tchaikovsky book. Probably not the best one to try first. At times, the dialogue is repetitive. And tedious. It smoothes out. The journey is definitely odd. But he asks a lot of philosophical questions. One of which is what happened to the humans in this world where machines are seemingly dominant beings. Even in the ruins of what's left. It's hard for me to give it a more thorough review. I'm sure elements of the story went over my head. But it was an interesting read.
I'd rate this 3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley and Tor for an unbiased review and I thank them for the opportunity

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

A big thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where was this book when I was in my Murderbot hangover?

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a science fiction novel about a murderous robot. To fix the world they must first 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 its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: They can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming.

This book is everything you need after reading Martha Wells' Murderbot series. Just read it and thank me later.

Charles is a robot valet, a human facing model meant to be the right-hand-man for any proper gentleman. Every day there is a queue of tasks that he must complete in order to serve his master to the best of his ability, but one morning Charles makes a discovery that upsets the vital order of things upon which he depends; his master is dead, this throat slit. While Charles has no memory of having done the horrendous deed, he concludes that it must have been him. Seeing a trip to Diagnostics as his only choice, Charles heads out, taking the first step in a journey that will take him across a dystopian wasteland. Along the way he earns the new designation of UnCharles and meets the rebellious The Wonk, all while desperately attempting to bring order to the chaos that he finds himself amid.

On the surface Service Model is an extremely entertaining novel that I was hooked on after the first few minutes of listening to the audiobook version. Even though Charles/UnCharles is a robot, I still found myself having compassion for him and the situations that he finds himself in; I wanted him to be happy, well, as happy as a robot can be. It was an audiobook that I listened to every chance I got, not being able to get enough. That being said, I did not receive a digital copy until I was practically done with the novel, and I feel that I missed a lot by not reading the novel while I listened to it. For example, the five parts of the novel are KR15-T (Cristie), K4FK-R (Kafka), 4W-L (Orwell), 80RH-5 (Borges) and D4NT-A (Dante), but not having seen the names of the sections with my eyes and only hearing the numbers and letters stated I did not make the connection that the sections represent authors, and I feel that there was a lot that I missed and parts I did not fully understand; I had noticed that the various sections were very different from each other and I was confused as to why. Regardless of this fact, however, I was blown away by Tchaikovsky’s narration. The voices used for the various characters, along with his accent, made this such a pleasurable novel to listen to.

I highly recommend Service Model, but if you are going to listen to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s amazing narration I would recommend reading a physical/digital copy as well in order to fully enjoy the story. Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with digital and audio copies of Service Model, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own. Service Model is out now!

Service Model was a journey-- for myself, and for our protagonist, Uncharles (or Charles the Valet, as it was previously known), a service model robot of the finest caliber. It was forced from its position at its manor, due to the unfortunate incident of it accidentally murdering its master, and thus must venture out into a dystopian wasteland in search of new employment.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Service Model. It was both cleverly written and thoughtful in its contemplation of the End of the World. It's very funny, especially at the beginning. The sense of humor with which the initially naive Uncharles is written is fantastic. I did find that towards the latter half of the book, Tchaikovsky chose to take on bigger ideas and larger conflicts, that I don't think were resolved in ways that I found particularly satisfying. I'm keeping this deliberately vague so as not to spoil future readers, but it was like Tchaikovsky wanted to take on stakes that were as high as his space operas and hard science-fiction when the core of Service Model is really quite silly by comparison. I'm not entirely sure the tonal shift worked.

I still liked the book a lot and would recommend it, but as a bookseller, I am having a difficult time pinpointing the best audience for a novel that shifted so much tonally. So far, the best that I've surmised is that Murderbot fans in the mood for a book about the bleak inevitability of humanity destroying itself will like this.

If Ishiguro's Remains of the Day and Wells' Murderbot had some drinks, this wacky dystopian world would likely result. Valet robot Charles is shocked to learn that his precisely coded paradise with Master has gone terribly awry - he has mysteriously killed Master for no apparent reason. Through the tortured logic of police robots and his estate's majordomo system, Charles (now unCharles) is slated for decommission when he happens on a unit called The Wonk, who convinces unCharles that he's caught the "Protagonist Virus." Charles struggles with the difficulties of choosing one's own actions rather than accept the logically coded ones, and longs to find a human master to serve again in fulfillment of his destiny. In his journey, he discovers that the human world has been pretty much wiped out over the last two years and computing is merely keeping things humming in ever-shrinking loops. The humorous dialogue is sharp, using robotic logic to give unCharles a personality far beyond his initial programming. A surprisingly emotional little robot tale with heart.