Originally Published: Tue Feb 18 2025 19:00:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time) | Updated: Tue Feb 18 2025 19:00:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
Side topic before we get started: Last night I got into some Japanese City Pop, so I continued that today and listened to Summer Waves! City Pop & Jazz-Funk Vinyl Mix by mingsquall on YouTube while I wrote this review. It's up to you if you want to listen to it while reading this review.
Book = 9/10: idk how I would make this better. Not the best book I have ever read, but super good
An overview of this review
Ok. So. This is just a quick, 30 minute, brain dump review after I finished the book this past weekend before I forget all of the points that I want to cover. This has not been pre-written, edited, or thought out thoroughly in any way. This is just word vomit onto a page. Some of the details might be a little off and some references may be non-specific. I did not bullet point or plan out talking points in any way. I just made different sections as I remembered things about the book that I wanted to talk about.
Where to buy the book as well as the Amazon drama
The review today is for a book called Dungeon Crawler Carl By Matt Dinniman. You can find it on Goodreads for some book details and you can buy the hardcover on Barnes & Noble or the eBook on Amazon. With all the drama going on currently about Amazon removing the ability to download your ebooks, I can't really fully reccommend getting the eBook. Unfortunately it is with Kinle Unlimited so the eBook won't be sold anywhere else for the time being. You can read more about the Amazon drama here.
The actual review
TLDR without spoilers
This book is not for kids. It's got a lot of cursing, sometimes gruesome imagery, and adult themes/situations. It's very humorous and doesn't take itself too seriously. I am not one for depressing books and books that are super serious. In fact, I stopped reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson cuz that book started off too bleak and serious. Now it was getting better at the point that I swapped books, but I wanted a lighthearted book, so I went to this one. Great choice and I will get back to Mistborn soon.
Anyways, it is a mostly lighthearted book that I really enjoyed. It had me rooting for characters, thinking about what I would do in the fucked up situations, actually laughing while reading it, and wanting to play some RPGs after I finished it.
I would definitely recommend it if you don't mind the cursing and gore. It takes a screwed up situation, creates a very interesting story, introduces you to lovable characters, and keeps you entertained for a few hours. I read the book in basically 2 days.
The review with spoilers
Now onto the actual review. XD
So, like I said above, this book is not for kids. This is a book with lots adult themes, lots of gruesome imagery, and a helluva lot of cursing. That being said, it is a very humorous and funny book. It doesn't take itself too seriously and pokes fun at video game mechanics. Let's get into this.
The general premises of the book/world
This book takes place in modern times. The whole reason that this book takes place is that Earth forgot to pay taxes to the aliens and now they want to harvest it for it's resources, however, being fair aliens (after killing anyone inside/under a structure) they will allow people to go into a dungeon crawling game show to get their stuff back. I didn't really understand if it was just for their stuff back, or for all of the resources on Earth, but they were playing the "game show" to get their stuff back. Like originally it was outlined in the rules outline that was given during the first few pages that they could play the game to get "their lost matter back". This leads me to believe that it was just for that individual person's stuff. But then later in the same explanation it says that the winner of the game would, upon completion of the dungeon's level 18, would get regency of the planet. Anyways, that is a little beside the point. The real reason that our main character Carl goes in is to not die in the freezing cold with his ex-girlfriends cat.
Oh yeah, the cat
So there's a talking cat in the book named Princess Donut (Full title "Grand Champion, Breed Winner Regional, National Winner Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk"). Starting off I really didn't like the cat too much. I'm a dog person. However, after a few chapters and after Carl finally explained how she was coming off as unbearable, she mellowed out. Kinda like my brothers after high school XD. She has her redemption arc throughout the book and I ended up really liking her character by the end of the book.
About Carl, our main protagonist, aka Royal Bodyguard to Princess Donut
So, our main protagonist, who is also known as the Royal Bodyguard to Princess Donut is also a likable character, with some faults. But TBH I was thinking about how "he really just like me frfr". In fact his reactions to things were how I believe I would react in most situations, except he is a little more confrontational than I would be. Though who knows, if I lost everything and everyone I cared about and was put into an insane game show where millions of people die in a few days, I might also grow a big pair and just not care about offending some people.
Anyways, so Carl is a great character. He's got flaws, he's shows/thinks emotionally, has his own thoughts on the whole thing and different scenarios, and I really like how he was written. But let me tell you, there is one character that really steals the show.
The game AI
Holy crap this thing is hilarious. Like the whole time it just pokes fun at the players. It has what seems to be a foot fetish. It's reward system is also interesting. There are loot boxes in this game show. Sometimes they will just be things like cat biscuits, and sometimes they will be OP rewards that give crazy powers or spells. Like for instance, a pedicure kit that make your feet indestructible. Just because it want's Carl's feet to be pretty, always. Even in death. TBH it saves him at one point cuz it gives like a 15% damage reduction I think. The quips are also pretty funny. Like one of the achievements that he gets for walking into a trap is: "New Achievement! Fall into an obvious trap. Reward: Well, if there's a heaven, and you haven't been too much of an asshole, maybe they'll let you in. Because you about to meet you maker."
The NPCs
Not only are the characters written well, but the NPC characters are also written very well. Like the guild masters/trainers of the characters get their own backstory/flavoring. Even the cooks of the rest areas get some cool quirks to them. In the book, even certain enemies get some good little tidbits added into their dialog. For instance, there are these MLM bosses that are fairies (or fairy like creatures). They are described in the usual middle aged white woman that is trying to get you to buy some MLM stuff. There is even a boss called a "Karakaren". I'll let you find out what that boss is and how it's described, but it is so funny and obviously had some good thought put into it. That reminds me, it has a ton of pop culture references.
Before I move on, I just want to say that I like how the author takes time throughout multiple parts in the book to go over that all of the NPCs and even mobs have goals and ambitions. That they are just like the player, taken from their home world and forced to play their part in this dystopian game show of the galaxy.
The pop culture mashup
So in this book, all of the NPCs and game masters/creators have studied the Earth's pop culture. So the food, character references, way of talking, and jokes all have pop culture references sprinkled throughout. The monsters will usually have a tie in to pop culture in some fashion. I really don't want to spoil it as they are a joy to stumble upon through the story. Just trust me on this. The book does just come out and say that the world's culture is combined with stuff that the rest of the galaxy knows so that both sides can see something that they are familiar with in the show. So they are trying to make the game show as approachable to the Earth humans and "aliens" from the rest of the galaxy as they can.
A conclusion
I am getting a little brain fried after word dumping for like 30 minutes straight. So I will end it here. Please give the book a shot. Unfortunately I can't fully endorse the eBook as it is only on Amazon and I don't like what they are doing with the eBooks right now. A new hardback will also cost 30$. Do I think it's worth the money? Yes, definitely. But I also like to buy used books so if you can find a used book for a good price, don't pass it up!
I really enjoyed this book and will most likely get a physical copy of the book series.