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blacksphinx 's review for:
Service Model
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why did no one mention this was a black comedy?!
It put me in mind of my dad's favorite movie, Brazil (1985, d. Terry Gilliam). The book is a biting satire about the collapse of humanity and our use of automation (with some minor potshots at generative AI). The book is broken into multiple sections each named after a different writer that channels the tone of their work. No surprised that my favorite section was the last one, D4NT-4 (I'm a big fan of Inferno). I've seen people say the book should have been shorter with one less section, but I just can't image which one you'd remove. They each bring their own flavor to the story and build upon its themes.
The ending was what put it over the line to be five stars for me. Yes it can get a little repetitive dealing with a robot governed by its internal algorithms. Some sections are funnier than others. You quickly realize that everywhere Uncharles go will be a wreck and you just wait for the other shoe to drop. But that final portion centering around a conversation trying to get to the bottom of "why?" and "how?" did human society collapse is something that I felt in my bones. It was a different take on the apocalypse and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It put me in mind of my dad's favorite movie, Brazil (1985, d. Terry Gilliam). The book is a biting satire about the collapse of humanity and our use of automation (with some minor potshots at generative AI). The book is broken into multiple sections each named after a different writer that channels the tone of their work. No surprised that my favorite section was the last one, D4NT-4 (I'm a big fan of Inferno). I've seen people say the book should have been shorter with one less section, but I just can't image which one you'd remove. They each bring their own flavor to the story and build upon its themes.
The ending was what put it over the line to be five stars for me. Yes it can get a little repetitive dealing with a robot governed by its internal algorithms. Some sections are funnier than others. You quickly realize that everywhere Uncharles go will be a wreck and you just wait for the other shoe to drop. But that final portion centering around a conversation trying to get to the bottom of "why?" and "how?" did human society collapse is something that I felt in my bones. It was a different take on the apocalypse and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Death of parent