Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Murderbot meets Redshirts in a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time.

To fix the world they must first break it, further.

Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service.

When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: They can run away.

Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose.

Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming.

'Service Model' is neither a good nor a bad book, it just is. If you like well developed and three dimensional characters or a tense plot, this book is not for you. It's essentially about a journey through a Dystopian world, through the perspective of an android. Which actually sounds really appealing but the execution of it wasn't as I had hoped. Lots of people said it's a thought provoking book but I'd argue with that. I haven't gotten any new perspectives or thoughts from this that I hadn't already considered, though it could he as well that I missed something. But I suppose that's more of a subjective thing and people new to science fiction might see it differently and appreciate the book more than me :)

The author did bring up some interesting and creative concepts but there's only so much you can write in a 400 page book. So, he didn't really go fully in depth with any of these topics. I think some of those concepts would've done well as short stories (or maybe even whole books).

Overall, it wasn't a bad book but since the author clearly wanted to focus on a philosophical journey through this world, while however failing to convey any new perspectives/ ideas to me or creating any interest in the characters, it was often rather tedious to read. It didn't help that the writing was also a bit repetitive. Nevertheless, I truly liked some of the concepts that were brought up and think others might enjoy the book more than me as I also went into it with different expectations.

Fantastic usual from Adrian. Maybe a little overlong, but a fascinating philosophical look at AI and tech being extensions of our cultural morality - and what that might look like taken to the extreme.

I received an advance audio copy thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Service Model follows the travels of a robot valet (Charles, a gentleman's gentle robot) after the death of its master by its own hands. It doesn't remember killing the Master, or know why it would have done so, but the evidence is clear. Now UnCharles leaves the manor with instructions to go to Diagnostics at Central Services. What he discovers along the way is a society in collapse with very few humans left and most of the robots falling into disrepair and decay.

I really liked this book. It was in turns funny, poignant, and topical without getting too preachy. The audiobook is read by the author and he does a fine job narrating. While the story telling is at time stilted, the POV character is a robot, so I believe this is intentional. UnCharles' quest for new employment allows us to see the remaining human society and a number of different robot groups. These are Asmovian robots, and as with Asimov, when they act contrary to their programming, there are reasons.

About 2/3 of the way in, I wondered if we were going to get answers about the murder that started things off, but it all came together in the end with a satisfying conclusion.