Adrian Tchaikovsky has been an author that I have regrettably slept on for the past couple of years as a sci-fi lover, and with an impressive backlog of books to catch up on, he is an author that can feel daunting to approach. Thankfully, there are some standalone, shorter novels that are well worth reading to get a feel for his writing style, and Service Model is a great starting point for his more light-hearted writing. I’d been searching for some time for a book that scratched the itch I’ve had ever since reading Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for the silly humour and absurd story-telling, but I’ve been struggling to find books that were hitting the spot. Luckily, Service Model was just the ticket!
I’ll start off by saying that I listened to this book as an audiobook and, while reading is usually my preferred format, I would go as far to say I would recommend the audiobook over reading Service Model. I’m usually very sceptical of authors who narrate their own books, but in this case Tchaikovsky does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life in a very engaging way, with great comedic timing along with some genuinely good voice acting with other characters. In fact, there were a couple of times that listening to the book had me laughing out loud to myself while I listened to this at work, while my co-workers looked over at me slightly concerned.
The premise of this book might not sound particularly unique; a service robot that, after seemingly becoming sentient, murders his master and then sets off on an adventure to find his new purpose. But it’s precisely because the premise isn’t overly complicated that it really works, as it allows Tchaikovsky’s humour to shine, which is the highlight of the book. Service Model gets straight into it with our charmingly naive valet robot, Uncharles, who has just murdered his master but doesn’t really understand what he’s done. Quite a bit of the book’s set-up leans heavily into the fact that he is so naive; it’s to the point of not understanding his master is dead despite the fact Uncharles is telling the reader all signs point to him being very very dead. This leads to some fun exposition about how Uncharles has a constant internal battle with himself of wanting to serve humans but having none to serve, and his attempts at creatively circumventing his programming in order to find a new purpose.
Along the way, the story gets surprisingly dark, as we come to the realisation that things have gone very wrong in what is ultimately a dystopian world. This is where a lot of the book’s humour comes into play; Uncharles’ tells us what the world is like through his eyes, and it looks perfectly fine and efficient to him as a robot, but the juxtaposition of his cheery descriptions of what is ultimately a horror story for humans, makes for some very humorous events and character interactions. In fact, throughout the book there are several ‘plot twists’ that feel like an inside joke between the author and the reader, because they are so very obvious, but Uncharles just doesn’t see what’s happening.
But don’t be completely fooled by the light-hearted tone of the book. Tchaikovsky still manages to bring in some quite profound views on AI, capitalism and human nature which, because of the tone of the book, manages to never feel overly preachy or on the nose. Perhaps because of the light-hearted narration, it’s precisely why it felt more impactful and left me with a pause at the end. There’s also a surprising amount of world building packed into the book too, and while this could feel a little drip-fed to readers that prefer action packed stories, I thought this made for a very accessible read, even for those who are reluctant to read sci-fi or dystopian novels.
And for those on the fence about audiobooks, this might help convert you! I sometimes struggle with audiobooks because I easily get distracted and realise I have completely zoned out of the book for a couple of minutes, so books with heavier exposition can be a hard listen. However, this book held my attention at all times, and the purposefully simple point of view from Uncharles makes for an easily digestible story for audio. Tchaikovsky’s narration really brings it to life, and I can’t help but feel that you would be missing out by not giving the audiobook a chance.
Service Model was a joy to listen to from start to finish, perfect if you are craving a lighter, humorous experience that still packs a punch. In a world that seems to be constantly churning out multi-book series, it’s refreshing to have a standalone sci-fi story that manages to strike the balance of not overstaying its welcome while also tying itself up neatly with a bow in under 400 pages (or 13.5 hours, if you listen to it!).
© 2026 Lydia Harris
Audiobook | Tor Books
SERVICE MODEL by Adrian Tchaikovsky
June 2024 |13 hours and 30 minutes (380 pages)
ASIN: B0CMY32CY1
