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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As I’ve come to expect from any Adrian Tchaikovsky book I read, Service Model was brilliant. Told with sensitivity, humor, humanity, and a touch of philosophical wonder, the story follows the personal development—inasmuch as a robot can expect to develop on a personal level—of Master’s personal valet unit designated Charles—later designated Uncharles—a top-of-the-line, human-facing robot designed and created with one purpose: to serve. But when Master is suddenly murdered through a mysterious chain of events that Charles (Uncharles) only understands at the very end of the book, Charles is shorn of his employment, his duties, even his name. Turned out into the shambles of human civilization known as the “outside world” and left to his own devices, Uncharles must find fulfillment on his own terms—not that “fulfillment” is something a robot can truly experience. (Or can they?)
Given his new moniker by a fellow traveler known only as the Wonk, Uncharles and Wonk travel together off and on throughout the story, stumbling into adventures (or misadventures) and surviving through cooperation and friendship (not, Uncharles would explain, that friendship is something a robot would understand). The main thread of the story is Uncharles’s search for a way to fulfill his purpose. Through prolonged exposure to the devastation present in every human city, Uncharles’s thoughts stray further from his original programming until he finds himself with an unexpectedly expanded decision tree, replete with options he would never have had access to before. The changes he undergoes from page one through the very last page make him absolutely relatable, the kind of protagonist readers love to root for.
There are elements here of ecofiction and dystopia, a true cautionary tale hidden within a real “hero’s journey” sort of tale. In addition, threads of philosophical quandaries weave through the story’s fabric—deep questions about Purpose and Meaning, especially behind the Big Stuff that happens outside our control. There is also a touch of Murderbot Diaries(Martha Wells) in our view of the world from inside Uncharles’s head, as well as of Monk and Robot (Becky Chambers) in Uncharles’s adventures and personal growth (not that robots experience personal growth).
There is also humor, though not hilarity, in this book. More than anything else, though, there is humanity, sensitivity, and the search for understanding. Bad stuff happens to good people—good robots, too—but ultimately, Service Model is a story of hope in the face of societal collapse and a humanity on the brink of extinction.
If you love well-crafted science fiction stories told with grace, compassion, and unexpected twists, you’ll love this book. Most highly recommended.
This was very clever and a great take on our AI overlords. I like that we didn't get most of the details about the end of society but had to rely on our valet focused narrator. This was very creative and my only complaint is the passing lagged at times.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dystopian version of Wall-E. I have found this author has a problem with dialogue but since most of this was from the perspective of a robot, it was less of a problem. I found some of the vernacular distracting, using "yeet" for example.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Each chapter in Service Model is named after a famous author spelt in a robot-style code, eg:
KR15-T → Christie (Agatha) – murder mystery
K4FK-R → Kafka – bureaucratic absurdity
A4W-L → Orwell – dystopian control
B0RH-5 → Borges – labyrinthine knowledge and metafiction
D4NT-A → Dante – journey through hell and divine confrontation.
The story shifts style to match each author, so you get murder mystery vibes, bureaucratic chaos, or dystopian weirdness depending on the chapter. It’s a funny, thoughtful way to follow a confused robot through a broken world.
KR15-T → Christie (Agatha) – murder mystery
K4FK-R → Kafka – bureaucratic absurdity
A4W-L → Orwell – dystopian control
B0RH-5 → Borges – labyrinthine knowledge and metafiction
D4NT-A → Dante – journey through hell and divine confrontation.
The story shifts style to match each author, so you get murder mystery vibes, bureaucratic chaos, or dystopian weirdness depending on the chapter. It’s a funny, thoughtful way to follow a confused robot through a broken world.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(3.0 Stars)
There is no denying that Tchaikovsky is a good author. This book was interesting, but I feel like it should have been a short story because it really dragged on.
There is no denying that Tchaikovsky is a good author. This book was interesting, but I feel like it should have been a short story because it really dragged on.