Review by deedireads - Service Model

deedireads 's review for:

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

3.5

adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Adrian Tchaikovsky is trying to do a lot here, and insofar as his intentions go, I think he succeeded — Service Model is a funny, voicey book that comments on the danger of relying on computers to save us when they have been programmed by humans, who are biased; the consequences of those with privilege hoarding resources for themselves; the line between human and machine; and so much more.

Unfortunately, the execution was just not for me. I went from intrigued by the excellent premise (a robot butler is going about its daily task list when it realizes it somehow accidentally murdered its human master) to impatiently frustrated, to confused at the discordant direction of the plot, to feeling like I had things explained to me like a child. Again, I think a lot of this was actually necessary to drive the themes home, but I was glad to be finished with it.

It will be interesting to see if this takes home the Hugo Award!

Content Warnings