Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Blurb:

The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Review:

This book is like if my two favorite hobbies of reading & gaming had a baby. This is their love child. I am 10000% here for it. It's my nerdy cup of tea.

“Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the First Floor”

This is my foray into the LitRPG subgenre. I honestly don't know why I haven't tried any of them sooner, considering they are topically based on something I love so much. Dungeon Crawler Carl solidifies the fact that this is something I must remedy soon by reading more from this little nook of fantasy/sci-fi.

Dungeon Crawler Carl has literally been popping up everywhere on Twitter & Instagram, for the last few months especially. All my friends and acquaintances have read it, screaming about it from the proverbial rooftops. Well, the FOMO finally got to be too much and I had to dive in. Best decision ever, I will tell you!

This book kind of reminded me of Hunger Games, solely for the fact that it's a televised "game" where the contestants have to fight to the death. But this is like if Hunger Games was a MMORPG type of game. Then add in a metric ton of humor and you have Dungeon Crawler Carl.

For every person that ticked away, I felt I was losing a part of myself, a part of my humanity.

So in saying that, DCC is honestly kind of dark at times, as it is dealing with the topic of the extinction experience of humanity on earth. It is brutal and gory, heartbreaking and thought-provoking. Through Carl’s eyes we see the depravity of it all, what lengths others will go to, sacrifice even, to survive. You can't help but wonder what your odds would be in Carl’s shoes…I mean bare feet 🐾 But this quote from Robin Hood: Men in Tights “if you tell me the bad news in a good way” it sounds better. And Dinniman definitely told this grim story in the best possible way. With humor. Plenty of it to cut the edge of darkness.

Congratulations! You’ve earned your first achievement: Crazy Cat Lady. You have entered the World Dungeon accompanied by a cat.

All the game related aspects were so familiar to me (my other main hobby is in fact gaming). This reads exactly like you’re playing your favorite game. From the leveling/experience grind, to the disappointing loot boxes, harmful debuffs, mismatched and highly unfashionable gear, and especially the intensity of the boss fights, Dungeon Crawler Carl pays epic homage to the game world. Even the silly named achievements with hilarious descriptions are so spot on! I was loving every minute of my time in this book. My gamer soul was thriving!

“Goddamnit, Donut,”

And the characters! Let's talk about them, shall we? I am ALWAYS down for a book with an animal companion. A cat companion in particular is a favorite because they always bring the sass. And what takes that to the next level?? A sassy cat who talks! So I give you Princess Donut. She's priceless! Her interactions with Carl often had me almost in tears. Her quips are pure gold! She’s such a prima donna, having spent her years winning cat shows and being pampered to within an inch of her life. Now that she’s a crawler in the dungeon, that hasn’t changed one bit. She must always look her best for the cameras, be caught killing monsters with style, and winning those views and sponsorships. Honestly she drives poor Carl up a wall with her obsession of getting interviews and followers.

“You might hurt me, or kill me, but you’re not going to break me.”

And Carl, I love him so much as well! He's got a heart of gold, a true gem of a person who refuses to let the corporation/this game break him. He refuses to let them take away his humanity. And he's doing it in....the worst possible fashion. On the outside he looks like a big tough guy, but on the inside he’s a real softy at heart. I especially love how he’s rather attached to Donut, despite what he feels about her owner. Their bond throughout this traumatic journey is everything! I swear these two will go down as one of my all time-favorite duos. I can’t get enough of them. 

“Did we really just start a meth war between the goblins and the llamas?”

DCC is a literal goldmine of humor and epic lines. Hardly a page went by where I wasn't cracking up or highlighting some amazing bit of dialogue. At times the action is rather gruesome and yet somehow so hilarious? One point was so strongly messed up and yet I couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of it all. I'm totally going to hell for that. Matt Dinniman just has this way of writing scenes that keep you riveted to the page, and enjoying yourself the entire time, through the good and the bad.

“Wait, so this is like a TV show? Like Survivor?” 

In addition to all of that, there are so many pop culture references sprinkled throughout, you're bound to see one or more of your favorite things listed on page. I was highly entertained seeing what all was deemed worthy of a mention. I am all for a good pop reference! It just made the book that much better and more authentic (if you can really say that about such a book lol).

I can't recommend this book enough! If you're in need of a good laugh, a slump buster to get you back into regular reading, or just looking for an epic good time, you REALLY need to pick up Dungeon Crawler Carl! It's addictively bingeable. It's like literary crack! I need the next book ASAP! Seriously, jump down this crazy rabbit hole. I promise you'll thank me later