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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
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What listeners say about Service Model
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- Stephen Waddington
- 10-23-24
Great Listen
Very entertaining story and characters. Not many laugh out loud moments, rather an undercurrent of satire through the whole book. The author did a great job of narration too.
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- Gregg
- 11-04-24
A genius approach to robots and robotics
this book was a grand adventure! loved following the adventures of a simple Valet
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