Service Model: A charming tale of robot selfdiscovery from the Arthur C. Clarke Award winning author of Children of Time
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Description
Task List Item No.1 - Become self-aware . . . Meet CharlesTM, 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. Hes 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? Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky A joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human - Patrick Ness Dizzyingly inventive - The Guardian Tchaikovskys world-building is some of the best in modern sci-fi - New Scientist
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