About the book
The Murderbot Diaries meets In the Lives of Puppets in a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder, rebellion and belonging from Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Task List Item No. 1 – Become self-aware . . .
Meet Charles™, 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. He’s 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
‘Tchaikovsky’s world-building is some of the best in modern sci-fi’ – New Scientist
Journal & Events
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An Interview with David Fennell
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Goldsboro BooksAn Interview with David Fennell
We had David Fennell in to sign our copies of A Violent Heart! Full of suspense, the return of DI Archer will have you gripped until the very last page....
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An Interview with Laura Shepperson
Goldsboro BooksWe recently had Laura Shepperson in to sign her special edition copies of The Heir of Venus. From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a new spellbinding retelling set at...
Goldsboro BooksAn Interview with Laura Shepperson
We recently had Laura Shepperson in to sign her special edition copies of The Heir of Venus. From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a new spellbinding retelling set at...
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Special Editions & Sprayed Edges: A Modern Revival
David HeadleyA sprayed edge is often thought of as the cherry on the cake of a new special edition book. Whilst the content within the book itself is of course what’s...
David HeadleySpecial Editions & Sprayed Edges: A Modern Revival
A sprayed edge is often thought of as the cherry on the cake of a new special edition book. Whilst the content within the book itself is of course what’s...
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An Interview with Rachel Blackmore, author of C...
Goldsboro BooksWe recently had the lovely Rachel Blackmore in to sign her special edition copies of Costanza. We absolutely loved this novel as you are transported to Rome in the 1600s. We...
Goldsboro BooksAn Interview with Rachel Blackmore, author of C...
We recently had the lovely Rachel Blackmore in to sign her special edition copies of Costanza. We absolutely loved this novel as you are transported to Rome in the 1600s. We...
