Customer Reviews

Heavy Metal Pulp: Pleasure Model: Netherworld Book One (Netherworld (Heavy Metal))

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In the beginning of "Pleasure Model" you meet Angela who has been in hiding for the past 25 years from the killers who murdered her fiance. She is now "Mistress Julia", a dominatrix, living in New York. Her latest client is murdered and she barely escapes with her life but not before she over hears the killers talking and realizes that these are the same killers from decades ago and they've found her. She now has to find help with going into hiding again and this time she needs to remain hidden.

You then meet Rook who is a homicide detective investigating the murder of a retired General (who so happens to be Julia's client). When Rook's boss starts acting out of character and the FBI cyborgs start breathing down his neck (so to speak), he begins to get suspicious. He finds that the General had a Pleasure Model (a lab grown humanoid built for pleasure in more ways than one). Rook decides that Plesur (as the model likes to be called) could be a witness to the murder, and when some of the other detectives start planning on a "night of Plesur" he sneeks her out of the police department to keep her safe until he can find out what she knows and then take the case to trial. From here on out the point of view goes back and forth between Julia and Rook, but focuses more on Rook.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Goodreads, not really knowing what to expect. I've never read a pulp/noir book before and other than the animated movie from the 80's, I had never heard of anything by Heavy Metal before this. Although I didn't like it as much as the movie, I really did enjoy reading this book. There's just enough action and twists and turns to keep you not wanting to put the book down, and even if you didn't get fully entertained, the page count combined with the font size can make it easy to read this book in one setting. It's set in the future, but doesn't overwhelm you with made up names and phrases and gadgets that leave you confused or throwing the book down. You don't really get a lot of info on the world at this time (or even what time they are in) but I don't think the story really needs all that. The author goes right to the action and tells you just enough so that you understand what's going on, and the pictures compliment the story nicely.

I do think the cover is a bit misleading since although the book has a sexy feel to it, there is not much sex at all. What scenes there are, consist of maybe a couple of sentences and aren't very descriptive. Of course, I could be a bad judge on this since I primarily read Romance novels, but I would say it's appropriate for any high schooler.

I also can see where some women may not like this book. Being a 30 something woman myself, I can definately see how it's geared more toward men. With all the futuristic gadgets, invisible asassins & exploding heads, what man wouldn't love it? As far as the Pleasure Models objectifying women, etc. I don't think so. Yes, they are made stereotypically perfect, with big chests and lips and low IQs, but the main character resisted Plesur's advances over and over instead of taking advantage of her and when having the choice of a woman "made for sex" or a real woman to sleep with, he chose the real woman. And yes, most models in the book are treated horribly, but this treatment disgusted Rook and for the most part, Julia as well. I can totally see that if made today, the models would be made and treated the same way, with some people thinking it's ok and others not so much.

All in all, I thought it was great and can't wait until the next book in the series comes out.

I read this book in three "sittings." In the last, I didn't get up to feed the birds, let out the cat etc. I had to keep reading. It moved so quickly. Toward the end, I couldn't read it fast enough.

"Pleasure Model" has action, speed, and a gene-grown gorgeous girl. Her very existence, let alone what is going to happen to her, breaks new SF ground. And if you can't put it down, its length makes it so you don't have to. The cleverly crafted construction arranges puzzle pieces of people and plot in a strong satisfying finish.

Just looking at Plesur is a privilege. As an extra bonus, Rowley is a writer with a way with words.

I found the book enjoyable. Reads easy and fast with a great futuristic story that you want to be part of. Worth ning and even reading twice.

What a fun book! This is really what the title declares it is: Pulp Fiction. Peasure Model is an urban fantasy that the guys are going to eat up. It was a quick read and there is sex, violence and drugs, no rock and roll though. I am going to look for the next title in this series since the ending left me hanging a bit. And isn't that cover awesome since it reminds of something Quentin Tarantino would do.

This has all the page-turning action that Christopher Rowley readers expect (and if you haven't read him before, you're in for a treat.) I totally disagree with the Publisher's Weekly review that called the book misogynist.

Yes, the author created the character of "Plesur," an artifically made "woman" who is made for sex and has a low IQ (and is made to "die" after 10 years of usually hard use) but he is obviously critical of the men who buy and usually mistreat pleasure models. Plesur obviously has feelings and even wants the IQ upgrade that is available.


Sure, the artwork has a lot of big breasts....but I think there is a deeper message here that the PW reviewer didn't get. The book is more feminist than misogynist as far as I'm concerned.

"Pleasure Model", by Christoper Rowley, is the first installment of "Netherworld", a new pulp series co-published by Tor Books and Heavy Metal Magazine. Combining the fantastic imagery of Heavy Metal Magazine with the grittiness of Noir fiction, "Pleasure Model" is a great guilty read that melds the best of both worlds: fantastic art and exciting storytelling. If nothing else, "Pleasure Model" is tremendous, pulpy fun.

Rook Venner has just been handed the kind of case that ends careers...in messy, not-alive-any-more sorts of ways. An assassinated sadist who also happens to be former Covert Ops has been dropped into his lap. To make matters worse, Rook's boss has ordered him to play coy with the federal authorities on this one. Something stinks worse than a bloody dead sadist, and Rook wonders if that's his cooked career.

At first, all leads hit dead ends...until Rook discovers an unlikely "witness" locked in the basement: an illegal "bod-mod", still fresh from the box. Gene-grown clones grown to perfection, bod-mods exist for one thing only: to satisfy their owners. Grasping at straws, Rook takes the mod - named Pleasur, of course - to the station as evidence, which draws the wrong kind of attention. Suddenly, everyone wants Rook dead and Pleasur terminated.

As more and more people die around them, Rook becomes convinced: the answers he seeks are locked deep inside Pleasur herself. His best chance? Get Pleasur an "update" to raise her intellect in hopes of helping her survive, as well as uncover the secrets buried inside her. However, updating a sex-slave to a higher state of awareness of herself and the depraved world she's been built to serve? The potential backfires are countless...and perhaps even fatal.

"Pleasure Model" evokes strains of "Blade Runner" with a terse, authentic Noir tone, mixed with the ethical ambiguities of a futuristic, amoral world and a cyberpunk sensibility. The story moves well and is told with a steady, authoritative hand, guaranteed to leave fans of both Noir and cyberpunk waiting for more.

Netherworld #1 is a great read.

From the titilating cover to the pulp inspired interior spots, Christopher Rowley gives us a story reminiscent of Blade Runner, yet distinctly different. "Mistress Julia", a dominatrix, escapes with her life from a murder scene, and realizes very quickly that her life in in danger from those who killed her fiance 25 years earlier.

Rook, a homicide detective, investigates and discovers that the murdered client had Pleasur, a lab grown humanoid designed for pleasure. She may be a witness, so he protects her while becoming drawn into her world of perverse sex. Just how far the plot goes with Pleasur at the center is sure to be a surprise.

The story is great, the action well done, and this book receives a high grade. Titled "Heavy Metal Pulp", it is fairly accurate and with pulp fiction being more popular now, this is a great beginning.

The read may be quick, but the book will stay with you for a long time.

Great entertaining read! It's quick, suspenseful, action packed, the characters are compelling, the mystery is good, cool gadgets (Nokia artificially intelligent phone named Ingrid and government weaponry), it's dark, it's not over the top predictable, the art on the cover and throughout the book is cool and it's got hot sex in it! Elements remind me a little bit of two great sci-fi movies like Blade Runner, and Soylent Green. Each takes place in a dark future. Each has a good, honest, lone wolf cop as it's lead character. Charleton Heston's character is trying to solve a murder everyone else wants buried as part of a government conspiracy like our hero cop in Pleasure Model, Rook Venner. Harrison Ford has Replicants to deal with who are artificial humans with no rights or status and a limited life who just want to live, and be respected. He falls for one at the end of the movie. Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Rook Venner has Plesur, a smokin' hot blonde pleasure model known as a "Pammy". (Bet the author had Pam Anderson in mind for this character.) An illegally created human being with no rights or status, 10 year life span, created dumb as a bag of cement mix, (intelligence upgrades are available for a high price) and built to please any wealthy customer's sexual desires for a mere 400,000 New Dollars. (Time frame is 2060something after some event known as The Emergency). Well, Plesur is purchased by a black ops General with deep, dark secrets and an extremely guilty conscience. So deep, dark, and guilty is this General and his secrets that he periodically hires a dominatrix to beat him so he can feel some sense of atonement for his sins. As our dominatrix character, Mistress Julia finishes administering punishment, the General is murdered while she's cleaning up. Julia has to hide to avoid being murdered herself. She plays into the story with a past she's running from too and is looking for answers to the murder of her boyfriend who also was involved in black ops some 25 years previously. Mistress Julia is a hard, jaded survivor on the outside, but a frightened woman on the inside, who wants answers to why the man she loved was murdered. Anyway, our lovely pleasure model carries inside her some secret info that the General planted inside of her. He didn't purchase her for sex at all. The information our General planted inside Plesur is something the government will spare no expense to bury, meaning kill Pleasur. SIO Rook Venner has to protect Plesure at all costs. As soon as Rook discovered who this general is he wanted nothing to do with this murder investigation except to leave it to the feds but it happened in his jurisdiction and this case has chosen him more than he chose it. He's stuck with it. Rook has to protect Pleasur not only from the feds because of the information that could solve the general's murder and expose a huge government conspiracy, but also from fellow cops who want to use the extremely hot Plesur to get their jollies. He has to sneak her out of the evidence room (Pleasur is actually classified as evidence, not a person.) to protect her from fellow cops. He takes her to his place. It's not what your thinking though. Later that night at Rook's apartment he receives a mysterious phone call telling him to get out of his apartment immediately or he (and Plesur) will be killed. From there, its not stop running. Lot's of interesting characters along the way. Highly recommend! Would be extremely cool if they made an animated movie or movies of Chris Rowley's Netherworld series in the Heavy Metal genre. It could have a hardcore metal soundtrack. Movie would have to be rated NC-17 to be any good with some of the language, violence, and sex scenes.

Tor presents what they call the first "illustrated novel" with Christopher Rowley's Pleasure Model, the first in the Netherworld trilogy. It represents a new partnership between Heavy Metal magazine and Tor books: "Heavy Metal Pulp will partner the top illustrators and designers from the iconic fantasy magazine with today's most talented science fiction authors, blending the sensuous artistic style and graphic imagery of Heavy Metal with classic noir storytelling." While I wouldn't ordinary step within ten feet of a book with this type of cover, I was curious about this new "illustrated novel" concept and was somewhat surprised with Pleasure Model.

The setting is a noir future world, where perfect human forms can be created for pleasure. Rowley seems to borrow from the minds of William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, and Richard K Morgan, but then does some interesting things, making the story his. This is the story of detective Rook, a down-and-out cop who seems to be going nowhere fast, until he gets handed a bizarre murder case. He makes little headway in the case until he discovers one witness, a Pleasure Model - an illegal gene-grown human - named Plesur. But the murderer soon discovers this and is looking to eliminate Plesur. Rook isn't going to let that happen, and does what he can to protect Plesur, as well as find out just what exactly is going on.

The book definitely goes where the explicit cover hints, but Rowley doesn't over describe and dwell on the Pleasure Model and what she does, as one might expect if this had been written by the likes of Frank Miller á la Sin City. As for the small rectangular bars of art - the illustrations - displayed on various pages, in different spots; the quality and detail aren't that great, and serve more to distract the reader, and spoil he or she on what's to happen on the next page.

Therefore the concept of the "illustrated novel" isn't that impressive and I honestly could've done without the artwork, or perhaps had something at the beginning of each chapter. The story however was a little different from what I expected it to be and worth checking out.

Originally written on April 14 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

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After it was over, I felt cheated. A short book written in Reader's Digest larger print type and padded with little cartoons. Not a pulp, not a graphic novel, just a femme fatale robot with neural implants to be a sex toy or a half-naked super warrior. Nothing to see here - move along.