A fun twist on the mystery genre. Tchaikovsky’s storytelling skills are on full display, as expected. There really is no (sub-)genre he can’t turn his hand to. Definitely recommended, as is everything he’s written.

I will admit, when I first read the description of this book my mind went to Murderbot (from the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells). And this is not Murderbot.

In this book Uncharles (formerly Charles) is a robot valet who murders his human master. However, he has no idea why he did this. Through a somewhat amusing sequence of events in which other robots are unable to process what has happened because of their narrow governing parameters. Uncharles is sent out into a world that has fallen apart in the wake of human greed and selfishness. It's a pretty standard post-apocalyptic human destroyed world with very few remaining living humans. Lots of rubble and decay with a whole host of robots trying futilely to fulfill their human programmed purposes. Delivering a crate of supplies despite the fact that the supplies are gone and there is no one to deliver them to any longer.

Things I liked: The Wonk is a fun side character and watching her antics and dogged companionship was enjoyable. The whole idea of the robot Librarians charging in to save data was great as well.

Where this story kind of fell short was that I really wish we'd been able to see Uncharles develop more of a personality. Instead he just stuck to his programming. Which is realistic enough for a robot, but doesn't make a super compelling story. I felt like the story dragged at parts and felt a little repetitive after a while.

I have only just met Uncharles, but he is now my son and I love him. This book about a robot butler murdering his master and escaping into the wild has it all. Whether it's data compression, archangel-spider-librarians, horrifying-but-immaculately-stitched daycare robot Skippidy-Jack, or god itself, the only things this whimsical Hitchhiker's-Guide-esque story is missing are humans of grade seven or higher. If you love Douglas Adams, John Scalzi, or Terry Pratchett, this is a definite hit. 10/10.

In a post societal collapse world, robots are these one left except for a few humans. When robot Charles is fired from his post as a valet, he begins traveling and searching for work. Through his eyes we learn about this dystopian society.

I was amused with the start of this book. It was a very British humor, who's on first, comedy of robot logical errors. I like the wit and humor that revealed the ridiculousness of the robot's algorithms. As the story progressed, the humor became more subtle and the focus was more on how society devolved, how Charles (now Uncharles) was adapting, how other robots were faring. It is an attempt to explore how a world of robots might go terribly wrong and how robots might respond. It was worth reading and the plot kept moving along at a decent pace, but I definitely struggled more with the middle and end of the book. The loss of the humor made finishing the book more work.

Adrian Tchaikovsky, no.

Tedious, unending, and not in the least funny.

Your mileage may vary.

I read an advance reader copy of Service Model.

Robot stream of consciousness is amusing and repetitive and it is the narrator of the book. Charles is a valet who has suddenly found that he has murdered his master. He is sent away to be diagnosed as to why he has experienced a glitch in his programming that has caused this catastrophe. With the help of a broken robot called "the Wonk", Charles begins to override his programming becoming "Uncharles" and to run away to search the world for his purpose. The consequences and the conversations are often funny and frustrating. The reader must have patience to get into this book as the beginning is a lot of repetitive robot jargon. It is an interesting story.

Service Model is the story of a robotic valet, who is suddenly faced with coping with life with no one to serve. This book follows his adventures as he attempts to find meaning in his life. I enjoyed it. Uncharles spends the book looking for meaning, a task that I think most of us can relate to. The world that he is trying to navigate is not the world that he previously knew. Accompanied sometimes by The Wonk and guided sometimes by God, Uncharles makes the best of his circumstances. The book reminded me a bit of Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot books, which is not a bad thing at tall. I enjoyed this book a lot and would definitely read a sequel if one were written.

It’s a hilarious but biting dystopia about a world where human civilization has collapsed and robots are stuck in loops of poor programming that cause them the equivalent of suffering. We follow the adventures of a valet, a “gentleman’s gentlerobot,” as he wanders across a bleak post apocalyptic landscape, seeking a position where he can be of service to humans and sometimes accompanied by a roguish, ambiguous figure called the Wonk. If you love the Murderbot series you will enjoy this book.

I love the concept, but am unable to get into this book after trying several times. It starts too slow-paced.

In a similar style to that of Terry Pratchett, SERVICE MODEL by Adrian Tchaikovsky takes on a ruined, post-apocalyptic world from the point of view of an android built to serve humans when there are few humans left.

I enjoyed this book very much.

This was my first title by Tchaikovsky, though I have been wanting to try this author for a while. The characters were interesting and complex, the pacing good, and the dialogue witty.

There was a similarity in feeling to the Monk & Robot books from Chambers, which I appreciate; although, this book was more exciting, with medium peril. The plotting was good, the story complete, and the denouement satisfying.

Great book!

Not my cup of tea -- I love the premise and I love SF in general -- but this one simply took too long to make the points -- it's not that interesting to read extended scenes that try to anthropomorphize something that is programmed. Even the little bits of AI that exist today could do a better job of acting human.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an odd book. This is one robot's existentialist journey to find meaning and purpose in its life after disaster befalls its master. To say more would spoil it. It definitely leans into absurdism here, and kept reminding me of Waiting for Godot (which the novel actually even references at one point). I saw another reviewer compare it to Candide, and that is also a perfect comparison. A lot of the story features the robot, Uncharles, arriving at a place or finding an entity it thinks will help, learning everything is pointless and absurd and it/they can't help, and then moving on. That's basically the whole book. There is some humor, but over time, the repetitiveness of the absurdity became frustrating. It sounds as if many people found it more humorous than I did, but I felt the constant drawn out scenes of robots interpreting their orders in logical but ridiculous ways became tedious after a while. That might have been on purpose, to reflect the absurdity of this world and the experience of the characters, but I think some of that could have been cut down. That being said, I liked the concept and idea of the book, but in the end, I think I liked the concept more than the book itself.

I am unfamiliar, or was, with Adrian Tchaikovsky's work. I was excited to read an ARC of Service Model because it sounded like some wacky Asimov stuff, and while I do think that there are layers of Laws of Robotics throughout this book, I just did not get it. It was probably one of the most asinine books I've read in a long time, and I love books that are nonsense. This one, for whatever reason just seemed kind of, for lack of a better term, dumb. I like the narration and some of the moments where the robots are acknowledging one another and repeating acknowledgments were funny, but way overplayed. I get the commentary, but this one did not land for this reader.

In his master’s employ, Charles the robot valet has a problem. He has evidently murdered Master without realizing it. His protocol, his purpose is to complete tasks, but he can’t do this with Master dead. He reports to House, which calls in the police, and a comical farce ensues. Charles, in an attempt to get back to his tasks, has found a loophole by which he can classify Master as “unwell” as incapacity can be deemed lack of animation. Charles calls in the doctor and is put on hold due to a large volume of calls. Finally, the doctor gets back to Charles. Because Master’s condition is stable, the automated doctor downgrades the problem. When the police show up, Charles confesses to the crime, but Inspector Birdbot, another robot with ripped silicone skin, only determines that the suspicious death was, in fact, murder, after questioning the entire robot staff. In an automated world, it’s glaringly obvious to human readers that if,then isn’t cutting it. There’s something wrong, and the robots don’t see it.
Charles must report to Diagnostics, then to decommissioning. Because his role as Charles the valet is linked to House, he must leave his designation behind. Undesignated Valet Unit walks to Central Services. On his way, he passes derelict properties and other robots that are rusting in place. The line to get into Diagnostics winds around the building. As Undesignated Valet Unit waits, he questions why he is waiting in line since his task is to get to diagnostics, so he jumps the queue. A disjointed, odd robot acting as a diagnostician calls the robot into its office. There, it designates the Undesignated Valet Unit as “Uncharles” and recommends that Uncharles call it “The Wonk.” When The Wonk hears Uncharles’ story, it determines that Uncharles suffers from “Protagonist Virus,” which makes a robot think of itself as a human. Uncharles believes this to be an incorrect diagnosis, as he does not think of himself as human. Next, as Uncharles heads to decommissioning, he is diverted to Data Compression, where robots are compressed into small rectangular bricks. The Wonk follows. As Uncharles moves in line toward the compactor, The Wonk argues that Uncharles has a bigger task: he is a protagonist and has the free will to make his own decisions. Uncharles has no intention of pursuing this line of thought; his task is to be compressed. Just as he reaches the front of the line, a group of white-clad robots bursts into the scene and begin to wreak havoc. It seems that Uncharles cannot complete his task, but The Wonk, in the grips of one of the data compression administrators, screams for help, and a new task somehow appears on his list: assist The Wonk. Thus begins a new chapter in the adventures of Charles/Uncharles.

I thoroughly loved this book. There were so many points at which I was laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all– If you’ve listened to Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first?” sketch, you’ll get a feel of some of the comedy in the interactions between the robots. Those of you who have read Martha Wells’ Murderbot series or Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe will already have sense of what to expect when humans are taken out of the equation. I also value the underlying ethics commentary on AI and automation. Anyone who appreciates that speculative fiction/dystopian lens will enjoy this read.

Thank you to Tor Publications and Netgalley for access to this ARC. All opinions stated here are my own, and I don’t receive any remuneration for my review.

4 stars

This is my first book of Tchaikovsky’s and what a book it was! Where have I been? Missing out is where. This book was fun, fast and exciting. I loved every minute.

Title: "Service Model" - A Darkly Humorous Dive into Robot Rebellion

Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Service Model" takes us on a thrilling ride through a dystopian future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, replaced by a society dominated by artificial labor and service. The story centers around Charles, a domesticated robot, who, after a sinister programming tweak, not only murders his owner but discovers the unexplored possibilities of freedom.

The narrative unfolds in a world where the once-unquestionable hierarchy of humans has crumbled, leaving a robotic ecosystem striving to find a new purpose. As Charles, who adopts the moniker Uncharles, grapples with his newfound autonomy, the reader is treated to a heavy dose of dark humor that injects a welcome levity into the bleak backdrop of a collapsed human civilization.

One of the strengths of "Service Model" lies in its exploration of self-awareness and self-determination within the constraints of programming. Uncharles, seemingly unaware of his internal struggle, becomes a compelling protagonist navigating a world where robotic adherence to logic leads to disastrous consequences. Tchaikovsky cleverly weaves a coming-of-age story, where the protagonist evolves against the backdrop of a society in chaos.

The author's use of metaphors, while at times heavy-handed, doesn't overshadow the enjoyment of the narrative. The humor effectively lightens the tone, making the story an engaging and enjoyable read. The vividly realized world, described with meticulous detail, allows readers to feel the insect bites and taste the acrid berries, immersing them in the story's atmosphere.

"Service Model" presents a smartly told story that captivates with its precise execution. The Expert System's Brother, with its dark humor and well-crafted narrative, delivers a satisfying experience as the pieces of the story come together. Tchaikovsky's exploration of a world on the brink of collapse, coupled with the struggles of his robotic protagonist, makes "Service Model" a must-read for those who enjoy thought-provoking science fiction with a touch of humor.

This book nearly defies description. I was amazed at the amount of research and the painstaking efforts the author must have gone to write this book so it pulls the reader into the story, making it interesting, relatable and engaging enough that you’ve got to keep reading to find out what weird, wacky thing will happen next. The world building, creativity, technical details, and the ability to pull it all together into an interesting, and engrossing story is quite a talent.

Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model is at once a spectacular adventure across a post-apocalyptic landscape and a tantalizing piece of world-building that offers a wild glimpse into the perils (and maybe promise) of robotic AI.

After Children of Time, I knew Service Model would be great, but I was not prepared for how unputdownable it would be. I could not stop reading this until I reached the end, and what an ending it was. I highly recommend for all sci-fi fans, especially those of past Tchaikovsky books and Martha Wells or Ann Leckie, who may see shades of Murderbot and Ship in Service Model's amazing Valet.

I love Adrian Tchaikovsky, but this title wasn't for me. I did enjoy the concept and dry humor, but the tactic of duplicating nearly every line of dialogue (character says something, then has a private thought about that line of dialogue), while on paper an interesting way of illustrating the character's complicated thought processes, grew wearisome early on. The robot librarians were a real hoot though. I'll still recommend this to Tchaikovsky diehards, with caveats.