Book Review: Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre:  Science Fiction
Series:  Stand Alone
Publisher: Tordotcom (June 4, 2024)
Length:  384 pages
Author Information:  Website
Unpopular opinion time! Sadly, as thoroughly as I’ve enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky’s fantasy novels, I’m afraid I’m just about done with his science fiction. I had high hopes that the humorously described Service Model would be the book to turn things around, but even with so much going for it, I’m personally not feeling the spark.
At the center of this tale is Charles, a robot who was meticulously programmed and designed to serve the aristocrats of the future. As such, his entire existence revolves around being the dutiful valet, completely devoid of emotion because feelings are deemed impractical and therefore pointless. All he needs is the drive to do his work, which he takes great pride in until, one day, Charles commits the ultimate sin for a robot: killing his human master.
But now that the unthinkable has happened, what else might he be capable of? Rebranded as “UnCharles”, our robot protagonist desperately looks to the outside world for a new purpose. He soon encounters a defective robot called The Wonk who becomes his traveling companion. Much to The Wonk’s chagrin, UnCharles harbors no desire to explore his newfound freedom; he simply wishes to find another human in need of his valet services. But as the two robotic travelers soon discover, the world has become a very different place. In the aftermath of a great sweeping apocalypse, it is now a wasteland devoid of much humanity, making UnCharles’ quest a lot more difficult.
To start, I think the central concept of a dystopian society that relies heavily on artificial intelligence and labor is an interesting one, though I’m not sure I’m on board with the execution. The story is neither here nor there in so many ways, starting with the humor hinted at in the blurb but which failed to completely materialize. Occasionally some wit would shine through in the form of satirical elements, but most of the time these felt forced. Then there are the references to literary classics and religion that feel similarly like they’re in a state of limbo—touched upon, but not explored deeply enough to have the philosophical impact the author was clearly going for.
And while I realize UnCharles is supposed to be frustrating by design, I could not get into his character at all. Supposedly incapable of feeling emotion, he nonetheless ponders his existence a lot, though his voice maintains an air of aloofness by keeping the reader at arm’s length. This inconsistency makes his motivations feel murky, resulting in a difficult time empathizing with his struggles or even feeling invested in his journey. Speaking of which, the plot structure presented in five distinct parts ostensibly illustrates the different stages of his trials, but only comes across disjointed, unevenly paced and, at times, even pretentious and a little bit preachy.
All that is to say, Service Model had potential, but it falls short of Adrian Tchaikovsky at his best. The novel’s struggle to find its footing left me wishing it had a more cohesive story and more impactful characters. Despite this, I look forward to the author’s future work but will be more cautious with my expectations.