Tor UK nabs 'post-humanity' science fiction novel by Tchaikovsky

Tor has nabbed Service Model and a further untitled novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Publisher Bella Pagan acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights with audio, excluding Canada, from Chris Scheina at Tor US. Tor UK will publish Service Model in hardback in summer 2024, matching dates with Tor in the US.

Service Model is described as "a satirical, tongue-in-cheek take on an alternative future where robots go rogue in a post-humanity world". The synopsis says: "In the novel, it seems humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labour and services provided by robot valets such as Charles. However, this domesticated robot’s core programming goes askew and he accidentally murders his owner."

Pagan commented: "Adrian delighted me and the whole team with this fabulous, quirky take on robots and their service to humanity. Charles is the most characterful robot you could ever hope to meet – and I was utterly hooked on his journey into the murky depths of a dystopian society."

Tchaikovsky added: "I had so much fun writing this novel. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to channeling writers like Douglas Adams. Sometimes the world ends in fire and sometimes in ice, but just occasionally it ends in a lot of robots trying earnestly to obey their programming."