Service Model
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4.3 • 194 Ratings
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
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.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this clever postapocalyptic adventure, Tchaikovsky (the Children of Time series) puts a pair of out-of-place survivors on a satirical journey to replace what they lost when human civilization collapsed around them. The Wonk hopes to identify robots who have become self-aware and with them build a new, better society. The other survivor, a sophisticated robot house servant redesignated as "Uncharles," wants to find a job. Even a simple employment quest is horribly complicated in an environment where repair facilities are scrap heaps in disguise due to robot overpopulation, dutiful robots fatalistically attempt to follow pointless instructions, and combat bots busily scavenge parts to perpetuate endless battles with each other. Tchaikovsky hangs a banner of tragedy over his stage, with Uncharles continually worried by the glitch that killed his owner and the Wonk increasingly disappointed in the search for a robot that thinks for itself (even one called "God" turns out to be running a program). What begins as a quest for justice, though, resolves into an appreciation of mercy as Uncharles and the Wonk lose their pasts but win a brighter future. With humor, heart, and hope balancing out the decay, this glimpse of the future is sure to win fans. This review has been updated for clarity.
Customer Reviews
Adrian Tchaikovsky meets Douglas Adams
I’m a big fan of Tchaikovskys Sci-Fi books, they’re great from a variety of angles. Some of them are quite dark, all of them are interesting. This one is a combo of this darkness (think SHROUD) and the unexpected humor of Douglas Adams. If you like this author, or intellectual Sci-fi in general, and also humor (especially political humor), this is a book for you.
What’s a Valet Bot To Do?
This offbeat story of a dedicated yet errant valet robot is entertaining from beginning to end. In a dystopian future, he wanders through crumbling cities and manors for one purpose—to serve a master. The adventures he stumbles into, akin to Through the Looking Glass or The Wizard of OZ in humor and originality, conflict with his coded directives and are a delight to read. The author's descriptions, dialogue, and pacing are top-notch. Have a dictionary handy, though, for the £10 words. Can't wait for the movie—CGI, of course.