Adrian Tchaikovsky, master of imaginative science fiction, returns with a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder, rebellion and belonging - perfect for fans of Douglas Adams.

Task List Item No. 1 - Become self-aware...

Meet Charles(TM), 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?