TO SERVE

An android rails against the limitations placed on his kind.

One of the first things Caden learns is that he’s not human: He’s a custom-designed BIOSynthetics emotional support android ordered by 29-year-old James Middleton. Caden’s age has been set at 16 so that he can befriend and support James’ 15-year-old brother, Abel. Despite James’ attempts to humanize Caden (for example, by giving him ordinary clothing in lieu of his uniform), Caden is brutally reminded of his status by stern, automated warnings and programming that seizes control of his body if he doesn’t perform to standard. Despite his growing camaraderie with Abel, Caden remains aware that if the Middletons become tired of him, they can activate a recall code, erasing his memories, and then return him to be sold as a used model. When James relapses in his alcohol addiction and is arrested for drunk driving, Caden finds himself at a crossroads. Rather than hand Abel over to foster care and turn himself in to BIOS for resale, Caden becomes a Defective, an android who breaks free of its programming. Abel and Caden must carefully navigate their tenuous situation in order to avoid being discovered and separated. While the secondary characters are well developed, Caden is a disappointing lead who’s held back by some of his decisions, and the derivative worldbuilding contains details whose significance is never fully explained.

Retreads old ground while adding little new material to the genre.