Charles, a valet robot, is let go from his job and then goes on a journey of self-discovery. Hijinks ensue.

Feels like a spiritual successor to Dogs Of War (Adrian Tchaikovsky) from 2016. Service Model is also a story set in a dystopian world told from a unique and limited POV that grows and evolves throughout the book.

It’s a pastiche split into five parts — each being an homage to another author (Agatha Christie, Franz Kafka, Owl (not sure about this one), Jorge Luis Borges, Dante Alighieri).

It’s also a travel narrative following Charles and his ever-present companion, the Wonk, as they move around the far-future post-apocalyptic world they live in, discovering the state of it and their place within it.

It’s funny, it’s sad and it’s cathartic. Service Model is my favorite Tchaikovsky novel and I’ve read a bunch of them!

It’s him doing what he does the best he’s ever done it and with a level of flair, panache and polish that I’ve yet to see from his work (but he’s delivering it in spades here).