Tag: dungeon crawler carl

Book Review: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dystopian Sci-FI/LitRPG
Length: 590 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Here’s the thing. It’s never easy. Carl and his team can’t go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can’t-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.

CURRENT FAV.

I think (after the first book) this is my current favorite of the series. There was something ultra magnetic about the story telling and maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten a few levels down in the dungeon and I’m more attached to all of the things happening. I felt like I had a better grasp of the characters and their personalities and I loved that I got some background on Carl too.

It’s another wild adventure of too many hard decisions, explosions, and trying to find the next path forward. I feel like a lot of the plot points were heightened and made me 100% invested in continuing the series (of which I was going to anyways, but the encouragement helps!).

I still highly recommend going the audiobook route for this series. I do think I would have less enjoyment eyeball reading because it’s not my typical genre and I can get bogged down in keeping up that way. The production is great.

Overall audience notes:

  • LitRPG / Dystopian Sci-Fi
  • Language: moderate+
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Length: 446 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Dandy House
Release Date: October 2nd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend’s cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.

The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.

Only a few dare venture inside. But once you’re in, you can’t get out. And what’s worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it’s game over. In this game, it’s not about your strength or your dexterity. It’s about your followers, your views. Your clout. It’s about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.

You can’t just survive here. You gotta survive big.

You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that “it” factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That’s the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it’s anything but a game.

WHAT A SURPRISE.

Not that I was expecting not to like this? It’s just absolutely not my usual. But after my Dad and husband (and a few friends) all asked if I have read this yet, HERE WE ARE, I READ IT NOW ARE YOU HAPPY?

It is an incredibly clever story. The concept is wild and unique and I could not tell you one thing I for sure thought would happen as the book unfolded. I was along for the ride with Carl and I loved how well the audiobook was produced. The voices and video game feel was perfect. Highly recommend that format if you’re wanting to try this. I even caught myself laughing out loud multiple times.

It’s definitely a *boy book* but one I can get behind. I heard the character arc is amazing and I will be continuing this series soon!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy/Sci-Fi
  • Romance: none
  • Language: moderate
  • Violence: moderate+
  • Content warnings; physical/weapons altercations, near death experiences, loss of life, apocalypse themed setting

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Book Review: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Length: 371 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can’t get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it’s anything but a game.

ENJOYABLE SEQUEL.

I don’t have much to say about this installment?? It was a good, but not GREAT sequel. There’s definitely enough momentum that I will be picking up book three. I still delight in the uniqueness of this series and how different it is from my usual stories. I find the world fascinating and I’m always curious where each turn will lead. I feel like there’s a lot we don’t know yet and I’m super curious where it’s all going to lead.

Carl and Princess Donut are humorous and easy to follow. I like all of the video game pieces and NPC’s. There’s more achievements and another level conquered. I’ll be getting to book three soooooon!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy / Sci-Fi
  • Language: moderate-strong
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder and loss of life, near death experiences

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