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Service Model
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
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Service Model
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Summary
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
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 31-07-24
Funny about the end of the world
I normally don’t enjoy apocalyptic stories, but Tchaikovsky’s spin on the story had me giggling to myself several times. How many humans should a robot be allowed to accidentally kill before being sent to maintenance? Great entertainment, both funny and thought provoking. Also excellently read by the author.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- secret squirrell
- 08-07-24
Deceptively simple
A sort of mashed up candide and the wizard of oz- funny and trenchantly ironic
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah
- 09-06-24
Entertaining story and excellent narration
This is why authors who can should narrate their own books. I think this should be picked up by Netflix.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ian Baxter
- 24-08-24
This was a sobering story of the dangers of AI
I must admit it to me a while to adjust to the style of the story. But after a while I adjusted and it built up to an amazing and very thought provoking ending. Anyone with the slightest interest in AI and the state of humanity should read this! I loved it, one of my favourite books of the year! It was also really well read by Adrian.
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- Mr. M. Cleary
- 10-06-24
A bright and fun dystopia
How many books about robotic AI dystopias make you chuckle? How many make you openly guffaw?
This book is a travelogue through a bizarrely fallen world of funny and extremely dangerous characters. Arthur Dent would find himself quite at home.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Douglas Hallam
- 12-08-24
A wonderful and captivating adventure.
Authors are often not very good at reading their own work. Adrian Tchaikovsky is an outstanding exception to this. I was taken by the hand and led through a thought provoking journey, had a heck of a great time along the way.
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- Raben
- 27-09-24
uncharles and the wink, won my heart.
A thoughtful and humourous tale. Tchaikovsky is simply getting better and better... this was not written by A.I.
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- Thomas Rosin
- 22-07-24
Zero one!
Hilarious and absurd in the tradition of Douglas Adams. If you enjoyed the author’s other work ‘Cage of Souls’ then this will delight you.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Grim
- 13-08-24
Excellent
I don’t do reviews, but I did really enjoy this book.
Well delivered, funny and thought provoking.
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- Lizzie
- 30-08-24
Genius
A flawless work. Outrageously witty with a warm heart. This is the first novel I have read by Adrian Tchaikovsky and will definitely consider other novels written by them. The narration was engaging, and I loved The Wonk.
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