Service ModelService Model
What it's about
Charles is a robot valet, built to serve, and one day he murders his master, for reasons he can't understand. Unsure what else to do, he sets out to have himself fixed, and discovers that the human world outside has collapsed. With a strange robot companion called the Wonk, he travels through a world of machines still doing jobs nobody needs.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo finalist and a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a funny, Kafka-like satire about work and purpose, with a very dry robot hero.
You'll love it if you liked
Mockingbird
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The TrialGood to know
Parts are deliberately repetitive, as Charles gets stuck in bureaucratic loops.
By the numbers
- Readers42 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller26 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #157 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #279 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1616 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Dark
More by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Children of Time
Shroud
Alien ClayIf you like this, read next
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many
The Everlasting
Cloud Cuckoo Land
BabelExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Service Model worth reading?
Yes. It was a Hugo finalist and a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #1,616 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Service Model about?
Charles is a robot valet, built to serve, and one day he murders his master, for reasons he can't understand. Unsure what else to do, he sets out to have himself fixed, and discovers that the human world outside has collapsed. With a strange robot companion called the Wonk, he travels through a world of machines still doing jobs nobody needs.
How long does it take to read Service Model?
About 9 hours (373 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Service Model?
If you liked it, try Mockingbird by Walter Tevis, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams or The Trial by Franz Kafka.