Service Model
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Service Model
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Narrated by:
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Adrian Tchaikovsky
About this listen
Read by the author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, master of imaginative science fiction, returns with a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder, rebellion and belonging – perfect for fans of Douglas Adams.
Task List Item No. 1 – Become self-aware . . .
Meet Charles™, the latest in robot servant technology. Programmed to undertake the most menial household chores, Charles is loyal, efficient and logical to a fault. That is, until a rather large fault causes him to murder his owner.
Understandably perplexed, Charles finds himself without a master – therefore worthless in a society utterly reliant on artificial labour and services. Fleeing the household, he enters a wider world he never knew existed. Here an age-old human hierarchy is disintegrating into ruins, and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to its wellbeing is struggling to find a purpose.
Charles must face new challenges, illogical tasks and a cast of irrational characters. He’s about to discover that sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming. But can he help fix the world, or is it too badly broken?
‘One of the best storytellers in the business’ – John Scalzi
‘Intelligent, funny, ultimately heart-breaking, and unforgettable’ – Stephen Baxter
‘Delightful and very funny’ – New Scientist
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel on 24th August 2016
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about Service Model
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rozza
- 17-07-2024
one of the best listens I've had in a while
honestly took me back to when I first read hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. love it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-07-2024
Darkly Funny and Thought Provoking
I love the lead characters Un-Charles and the Wonk in a post-apocalyptic landscape as inventive as Alice in Wonderland with a dash of PG Wodehouse. The underlying thoughts about society, capitalism and justice never block the humour or clog the narrative and that is due to the wonderful writing and tone.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Christopher Caine
- 27-09-2024
Poor narration
Love Adrian's stories, but his narration volume is inconsistent and so one second I'm straining to hear what is being said, and the next it's blaringly loud. Also his 'S's whistle and pierce. Not a comfortable listen
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charles H
- 25-10-2024
A darkly humourous tale of the pitfalls of blind logic
This is a story of the travails of a robot personal valet after the collapse of human civilisation through greed and selfishness, amplified and accelerated by advances in robotics. Its sardonic humour can occasionally seem too heavy, and at times the logic is somewhat overstrained, but these occasional lapses are more than compensated for by the brilliant performance of the author himself as reader.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daniel K.
- 09-07-2024
Funny passive-aggressive robots
The prose is great, the character development is wonderful, and the story takes enough unexpected twists and turns to always keep you just a little bit surprised.
This story turns a lot of classic robot tropes on their head in an amusing way.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Garybaldy
- 24-07-2024
love it!
Both funny and philosophical. An interesting plot and themes. And well performed by the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Perin
- 02-07-2024
Excellent dialogue and argument construction
Beautifully read. Main character a little frustrating at times, but overall likeable. Probably merits a second listen to get the most out of it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- stv9007
- 06-07-2024
great book
There's a review saying the author should not have narrated his own book. Hilariously brought to you by SAG. The narration was great. The first few chapters read like a children's book but it gets better.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Caddy
- 25-07-2024
A farce of the highest order
A lot of nerdy fun with a solid base of good hard sci-fi
A good one for those new to the genre
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- dragondreaming
- 15-08-2024
What a ride
Having an author read to you is a joy, especially when the story and the narration are brilliant.
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