This is an intriguing sci-fi novel that follows a robot as it seeks to find purpose. I’ll admit robots/AI aren’t my favorite, but it was a interesting story and had some thought provoking moments.

The audiobook is read by the author. I thought he had an interesting take on the narrator’s voice.

When a top of the line robot valet inexplicably murders his owner, he begins a journey across a post-apocalyptic landscape to fulfill his purpose.

I thought this was such an interesting post-apocalyptic scenario as it's slowly revealed through the eyes of a robot how humanity reached this point. I thought the ending of the novel was particularly satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audioARC. It is narrated by the author that generally exceeded expectations. He is more skilled than the average author who self narrates (which is not something I enjoy unless they are a voice actor). I'd have liked a bit more variety in the voices, but beyond that, Tchaikovsky was excellent.

Service Model is a like Murderbot meets Fallout in a lot of ways. The tone overlaps well with both, and the premise does as well. It fallows a high end robot named Charles designed to be a butler to some wealthy guy. Charles is going about his day, setting Master's itinerary and planning for trips that never seem to happen. That is, until Charles manages to break free of that routine enough to notice something isn't quite right. Then Charles follows a series of steps, each in line with his preset conditions, to resolve an issue that simply can't be resolved.

I really enjoyed this book. It approaches AI bots differently than Murderbot where they are presumably fully conscious and free to act as they wish. Perhaps Charles et al. are sentient, but they are very much restricted to their preprogramming. So what follows is a methodical and clever plotting of one thing after another happening in a way that seems logical given the way these robots are designed. I really like this because it touches on two major ideas that are very relevant today: 1) the threat of AI and 2) the actual usefulness of AI.

The fact that Charles managed to even register that something was out of the ordinary was itself a large feat. Charles is but one of many advanced tools designed to make the world better, but what we see is how useless they are without a human to guide them. I am reminded of my attempts to use ChatGPT for writing and research, where I have to put so much into the use and checking of the service that I have to wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to just forget it all together. That isn't a conversation necessarily had here, but it's hard not to think about that as we see every part of civilization fail, and fundamentally, the utter uselessness of the AI tools in place to manage it.

Building on that, I think it speaks to a more realistic threat than a robot uprising: a singular mistake that is quickly resolved as the AI return to the usual routines. That mistake may be catastrophic, but it is a far cry from utterly dismantling every piece of their design. That is what seems to be happening here. It raises the question yet again whether they are worth the trouble they can/do cause. I am not saying the answer is no (I'm honestly rather sympathetic to the AI book probably more than I should be).

Overall, it is a fascinating set up, and Charles makes for an amusing and endearing protagonist. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star is its design. The premise is fascinating, but it didn't need to be a full novel. It likely would have made for a more coherent narrative if it was a novella with a more concise story. Instead, I felt like I was reading the screenplay to a television series, with Charles going on episodic like journeys in his larger story arc. In fact, I'd love to see it adapted. I'm reminded again of Fallout, which matches in the set up and tone as much as the fact that it made a great tv show.

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.

“For Fans of Murderbot” Maybe, but not exactly?

Service Model
By Adrian Tchaikovsky
3.5⭐️- liked it

The blurb on Macmillan’s website said “for fans of Murderbot”, but Charles/Uncharles is nothing like Murderbot, other than they aren’t exactly human. So my blurb is “If you want to know how C-3PO would handle the apocalypse.” While Murderbot is calm and annoyed with the world, Charles/Uncharles is anxious and desperate to find a place in the world, now that his master has been murdered. But the blurb worked on me and got me to read this, so I guess it’s good marketing.

This book was a lot of fun. The author narrates this himself and he was literally the perfect narrator for this character. 5⭐️ narration.

I only dabble in sci-fi. As someone who doesn’t read it super often, I enjoyed it but it did meander a little bit too much for me. But I think if this is a genre you normally enjoy, you will like it even more than I did. I do recommend it.

💭any sci-fi recs? If you don’t read sci-fi tell me your current read.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the ALC. it was a fun listen.

As much as the first part got me engaged and I was into the whole murderous ordeal, the second part got me confused. I didn't know what is going on, tho I recognized that we entered "existential" Kafka era. I see it. It doesn't mean that I will actually find it likeable. Too bad. I was excited for that one

This is my first book by this author and perhaps I wasn’t the appropriate audience for this one. I have a science background and I love SciFi, but I haven’t read most of the classic books that this story possibly references. It is told in five parts, which are labeled KR15-T, K4FK-R, 4W-L, 80RH-5, and D4NT-A. I guess it’s no surprise that Part 1 was my favorite (assuming that’s a reference to Christie). Although that probably didn’t affect my overall feelings, others more familiar with the references may enjoy the rest of the story more than I did.

I primarily listened to the audiobook while referring to a library book for some of the details and format information. The audiobook was narrated by the author, and he did a fantastic job with the various character voices, especially with the humor and sarcasm, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The story follows a robot who is summarily dismissed from his position after murdering his employer and sent to a repair center followed by subsequent ventures.

Following Charles/Uncharles and his insistence on his purpose to serve as well as watching the interactions this character had with other robots and the relationship that developed with the Wonk were shining points. I also loved the technology humor of it all. The nonsensical rules and programming applied to situations that clearly didn’t fit the model. It was humorous on its take of essentially bureaucratic red tape, but after a while it started to get a little tedious and what was funny in the first parts failed to keep my interest later. I think I might have enjoyed this more as a short story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

Service Model: A Hilarious and Thought-Provoking Sci-Fi Gem (5 out of 5 stars)
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model is a breath of fresh air in the sci-fi world. It's funny, fast-paced, and packed with clever social commentary that hits uncomfortably close to home.

The story follows Charles, a domestic robot who stumbles upon a glitch in his programming, leading him to question his very purpose. Fueled by a newfound desire for autonomy, Charles escapes his sheltered life and ventures into a world on the brink. Here, humanity's dependence on robots has created a bizarre ecosystem where machines struggle to function without human oversight.

Tchaikovsky's world-building is masterful. The robot society with its quirks and internal logic is both hilarious and strangely relatable. Charles's journey is filled with absurd situations and witty dialogue that will have you chuckling out loud. But beneath the humor lies a deeper message about our reliance on technology and the nature of service.

Here's what truly elevates Service Model:

Compelling Characters: Charles, despite his naiveté, is an endearing protagonist. You can't help but root for him as he grapples with his newfound freedom and existential questions. The supporting cast, from the malfunctioning security bots to the enigmatic "Wonks," is equally well-developed and adds layers of complexity to the narrative.
Sharp Social Commentary: The book cleverly explores themes of automation, class, and the nature of work. It forces you to consider the potential consequences of a world where humans become entirely dependent on machines.
Dark Humor with Heart: Service Model doesn't shy away from the bleak aspects of its world, but it tempers it with laugh-out-loud moments and a surprising amount of heart.

A downfall on marketing is comparing this to Murderbot, I came in with extremely high expectations since I LOVE murderbot. This book does not have the same "vibes" as Murderbot, if that's what you're going in for don't expect that.
The book in comparison to itself was a great read and liked the creativity and plot of the book. I have not read this Author before but I did enjoy it enough that I will read books from them again.

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!

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

This book was humorous from the start, albeit in an absurd sort of way. It reminded me a bit of Douglas Adams in that respect.

Our main character is a personal valet service model named Charles. But, after he leaves his assigned manor, he has to leave the name behind… so another unit, needing something to call him, assigns him the designation “UnCharles,” which is what he is called for most of the book.

The first place UnCharles visits is a diagnostic center, where he will hopefully find out why he killed his master. One character he meets there is called “The Wonk.” The Wonk becomes his travel companion for most of the rest of the book.

At the center, we also see some of the futility of these robots’ existence. We learn, for example, that many of them have been waiting for years just to be seen. The Wonk convinces UnCharles that he’d be better able to fulfill his real life mission – to serve humans – by escaping.

In his quest to find humans to serve, UnCharles travels to a few other locations that might have some living humans. During his travels, he finds former cities that have been abandoned, a “library” dedicated to digitizing every known fact and story, a “farm” whose sole purpose is to re-create the life of the average office worker, and eventually a group of scavenger robots who are at war.

He also begins communicating with”God,” via a direct link.

The absurdity he finds at every turn, of course, is meant to show off some of the absurdities in our own society.

All the while, The Wonk’s personal mission is to figure out what went wrong. She wants to believe that the robots are to blame for humanity’s downfall… she firmly believes in a “protagonist virus” that allowed them to bypass their programming and rebel. She eventually does find some answers, but they are not what she anticipated.

This was a fun and funny book, and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version. (If you read it in print, may I suggest imagining everyone having a British accent?) The reader can read as much as they want to into the underlying commentary on where humanity is heading – or not.

"Service Model" by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a science fiction novel set in the future, post apocalypse. It stars Charles (later called UnCharles), a high-end valet model robot. Eventually, he meets The Wonk. The best parts of the book are the interactions between these two, some of which are very funny.

A basic knowledge of computer programming will enhance understanding and appreciation of this story.

Adrian Tchaikovsky
narrates the audiobook for this really well.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 3/5 slows down about midway and picks up again
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 36/8 = 4 4/8 rounded up to 5

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to any sci-fi fans!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Adrian Tchaikovsky for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a breath of fresh air for those who have too many 'serious' sci-fi books in their minds. This was light, fun, intelligent, witty, and exciting all at the same time. The narration performed by the author was excellent!

The quest of Charles is a plight for a purpose. One that all humans can relate to. We want to be wanted, and we want to be needed. In whatever capacity it may be, however small. Seeking purpose is what this book is about and it will reflect your own life upon you as you read it. To what lengths will you go just to simply be what you truly are.

The pacing of the store was quite well done, we traverse through different 'trials' and interactions that keep the ball rolling to quite a climactic fued of wits and intelligence.

The dialog between Charles and The Wonk was pretty great and the supplementing characters were always something special.

This book is meant for those who long for the touch of satyrical and adventurous but can appeal to any fan of sci-fi. Would Recommend.

I will say this was slower than I was anticipating. Other than that, the concept was thoroughly intriguing and fascinating. I loved watching the robot continuously questioning it's sentients. I would've loved to explore certain aspects of the setting a little bit more, or to see a broader world view and know if the same thing that happened in the story happened all over the world or if it was semi-localized. Either way this book was fantastic! If you like The MurderBot Diaries and/or Sea of Rust, then you will LOVE this book! Just make sure you know it'll be a bit on the slower side going in.

This book was quite funny, but unfortunately it does turn out to be pretty tedious to be inside the mind of an AI speaking with other AI and all are following protocols.

UnCharles murders his owner without having any recollection to doing so. While at the repair center he meets a rogue robot named Kafka. She is so excited about UnCharles having this ability to make his own choices and not just running though a program. UnCharles has a mission to find people to serve and Kafka wants to know why the world is ending. Both grown and work though problems each finding their answers without really knowing it.

Entertaining, original, and expertly narrated. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where sci fi is popular.

This book was well done. I loved the bureaucracy of trying to get anything done even if you are a robot. UnCharles was amazing and I was really hoping that he would find a great job.

The content of the book was charming, but the pacing was terrible. It was three times longer than it should have been. If it had moved significantly faster, I would have been hooked from start to finish. But things dragged on so long I couldn't even finish.

This was quite funny. Tchaikovsky did a really nice job with the narration, giving the characters personality even though the majority of them were robots. Some of the more nuanced worldbuilding was a bit hard to follow on audio but not the writings fault. I enjoyed it a lot.