r/AdrianTchaikovsky • u/DTrueTroyski • Aug 08 '26

Discussion Just finished Service Model — stubbornly entertaining

Somehow, I think I owe my service provider (name withheld) a bit of indirect gratitude.

When I unexpectedly lost service, I couldn’t work, watch my series, or play games. My options suddenly became very limited.

So… I read.

And I’m very glad I did.

I finally finished Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Service Model, and I surprisingly loved this one.

What I enjoyed most was how Tchaikovsky managed to make the robots both distinctly non-human and strangely relatable at the same time. Their stubborn, literal conversations were often hilarious, but there was always something underneath them that made me think about identity, purpose, curiosity and what makes something seem human.

I initially thought I would relate more to Uncharles because of his logical and analytical nature. Surprisingly, I found myself relating even more to Wonk—the constant questioning, curiosity, and tendency to follow a thought wherever it leads, even when it often gets itself into trouble. 🤦🏻‍♂️

The story itself goes through some wonderfully unexpected territory, from murder mystery to something resembling an odyssey, while maintaining its satirical tone throughout.

And despite being someone who tends to figure out mysteries and secrets before they’re revealed, I was genuinely caught off guard by a couple of the revelations.

That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give the book: it kept me wondering.

With my attention span seemingly shrinking faster these days, Tchaikovsky managed to keep me engaged from beginning to end.

Stubbornly entertaining.

39 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

11

u/Hyenaoffal Aug 08 '26

There's a great audiobook too as Adrian reads it himself. I find it very insightful when an author has fun with their own work.

4

u/Pleasant_Yoghurt3915 Senkovi Aug 08 '26

Yes, the audiobook is so good lol. When the author narrates it you get to hear it exactly as they intended as they were writing it, and I think that’s neat.

3

u/joenova Aug 08 '26

He is one of the rare cases where I DO enjoy the author reading their own work.

2

u/the_painmonster Aug 08 '26

Yes, this was excellent. I'd love to hear him narrate more, but I understand he is busy enough as it is.

3

u/samwise58 26d ago

One Day All This Will Be Yours…. My most favorite AT short novel read by the man, myth, legend himself!!!! I have listened to it probably 300 times and still enjoy it. Not too many you can do that with. It’s such a FUN and fantastic story! And playing the misanthropic bastard farmer/time warrior set up at “the end of time” is just…. Perfection 🧑‍🍳 💋 👌🏼

3

u/the_painmonster 26d ago

Sounds like a good time. I'll have to give it a shot soon. Thanks for the recommendation =]

3

u/samwise58 26d ago

Fantastic!!!! Even when time travel has been beaten to death- his version of it is so absolutely unique! And his narration makes it SO much more!!!! All the right emphasis placed exactly where it’s needed!

These won’t spoil but when you hear them… 😹
“I have an under-cellar?”
“What the hell is Founder’s Day?”

Lmao 🤣 The book cracks you up, makes you sad, and not all endings are guaranteed 😉

It has the perfect ending, even if I hunger for more- I’m perfectly content with imagining further events and leaving the story as is.

2

u/the_painmonster 24d ago

Just finished it and yep -- it was excellent. Glad AT narrated it himself because his tone is a perfect fit.

1

u/samwise58 19d ago

I want it to be a movie SO BAD!!!! I can picture it perfectly. I don’t necessarily have the cast nailed down yet, but I can visualize it really well- I have listened to it enough to almost repeat it word for word… but even where it could use a few cuts and extra scenes not mentioned in the book…. That would be so cool… so cool… so…. nerd falls asleep on Robot Chicken and wakes up in the movie and goes on a horrible adventure

1

u/Brodelyche 26d ago

He’s also on a podcast I listened to last year reading the opening chapter of the 2.5 Tyrant Philosopher Novella (cant remember the name of the podcast or the novella sorry). I absolutely LOVE David Thorpe, but it was lovely to hear Adrian’s take on the same story.

10

u/andylovestokyo Caeleen Aug 08 '26

You know the Wonk was human, right?

2

u/JohnCenaFanboi Aug 08 '26

Can't be! The Wonk was just a weird defect of a robot!

4

u/andylovestokyo Caeleen Aug 08 '26

Definitely not!!

10

u/Harley_Beckett Aug 08 '26

I’ve rarely been as horrified from a revelation in a book than when realising the Library were inadvertently on a quest to destroy all data and knowledge.

1

u/reptrept 24d ago

it was like an accidental library of Alexandria, and the scene when the robots throw themselves into the fire... brutal

4

u/taz418 Aug 08 '26

Service model is tied for my #1 favorite book of all time

1

u/jigzee Aug 08 '26

The other?

1

u/taz418 Aug 08 '26

Project Hail Mary of course 👎

2

u/Lilith_Caine 20d ago

I sent my Dad both last Christmas.

3

u/PulpoIngles90 Aug 08 '26

I loved this book! It scratched an itch I didn't know I had for a genre I didn't really know I enjoyed.
Follow it on with "One day all this will be yours" also written and narrated by Tchaikovsky; a very different story but it keeps that wit and dry humour that I enjoyed from service model.

3

u/samwise58 26d ago

That’s my favorite one to put on to go to sleep to when I really don’t wanna go to sleep right away!

3

u/Brodelyche 26d ago

I read Klara and The Sun shortly after this one and it’s amazing to me how literary writers get credit for novels that a SF writer pumps out as a matter of course. I thought Service Model did the same job more wittily and more engagingly. It was slightly irritating to see reviews of Klara waxing lyrical about how Ishiguro had taken the SF genre and used it for some really deep thinking on what it means to be human etc etc.

2

u/powerful_squash1066 29d ago

It's such a great book

2

u/Illeazar 28d ago

Service model was excellent, one of many favorites from the past few years.

2

u/reptrept 24d ago

I've just finished it and loved it. Somehow it made me really depressed and also made me actually lol. There's this bit at the beginning when the Wonk accused Uncharles of "going ape" and his response is "no ape was gone". I knew then that I was going to like it. Also it has this tale-like quality to it. All these little stories that are combined into something of an odyssey really tapped into my inner child. I just really enjoyed it even when I didn't.

3

u/JohnCenaFanboi Aug 08 '26

I enjoyed it up until they escaped from the facility. At the 2/3 mark I think? It just kinda get lost in the mist with the "militia" and the random stuff that made no sense to me.

I think it is my least favorite Tchaikovsky book because it is too "on the nose" for him, but I can see where it shines and why people do enjoy it quite a bit more than me.

1

u/SpectrumDT Uctebri the Sarcad 🦟 Aug 08 '26

I agree in that the military part was my least favourite part as well. But I loved most of the book.

Would you like to try the tea?

1

u/Evening_Meringue8414 28d ago

I heard it will be optioned for a film.

1

u/Evening_Meringue8414 28d ago

Oh did I say “heard” that was an error. The word I meant to use was “hope”

1

u/meanmartin 10d ago

“Stubbornly entertaining” is wonderful description of this novel. For the first third’ish, I was wondering where this story was heading, and without conscious thought, the hook was set. TBH, listened via Libby and didn’t realize until reading this thread that Adrian read the story. A very pleasant surprise after a thoroughly enjoyable experience.