Dungeon Crawler Carl: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)

by Matt Dinniman

• ISBN13: 9798688591507
• Publish Date: 21 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Independently Published
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 444
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Carl’s life was in the process of falling apart when the unthinkable happened. One minute, he’s outside in the middle of winter, chasing after his soon-to-be-ex’s cat; the next minute, he’s in the middle of the apocalypse.

Oddly enough, the apocalypse came in the shape of a classic dungeon, complete with quests, weapons, and monsters. Given the choice between freezing to death or entering the dungeon, Carl didn’t hesitate.

My Review:

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first novel in a series of the same name, and I’ve gotta say, I’m into it. I hesitated initially because of the whole cat-in-a-dungeon thing, but I promise you that Princess Donut is fine. More than fine, really. But that’s a different story.

This series is full of monsters, drama, and humor. In other words, it’s a fun dungeon-crawler-esque story perfect for gamers. Or for fans of The Omniscient Reader’s Dilemma (side note: if you’re having Dungeon Crawler Carl withdrawal, this manwha may be perfect for you).

In a way, this series is slightly unhinged. It leans heavily into dungeon chaos, AI commentary (there’s an AI to generate all text for items and the like), and human drama. It’s a lot, but it’s quirky and fun. It shouldn’t work, but it really does.

There are some fairly tense moments in Dungeon Crawler Carl, so please keep that in mind. While Princess Donut is fine, there are some other potential trigger warnings for readers, so take a minute to look deeper if you’re concerned.

I am happy to report that I have the next two books of Dungeon Crawler Carl sitting in my TBR stack, so I’ll be getting to them sooner rather than later.

Highlights:
Dungeon Crawler Series
Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic
Dark Humor
Sassy Cat

Trigger Warnings:
The cat is okay
Lots of human death
Death & Gore

Thanks to Ace for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first book in a comedy fantasy series by Matt Dinniman. Originally published in 2020, this reformat and re-release from Penguin Random House on their Berkley Ace imprint is 464 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a fun and well written take on dungeoncrawler fantasy. MC Carl is unwillingly thrust into a starring role in a survivor reality TV contest when an alien invasion puts a major crimp in *everyone's* day. Princess Donut (his ex-GF's pampered show cat) is along for the ride, and the book is positively bursting with sarcastic humor and improbable situations, with viewers from across the universe tuned in to see what happens next, and which contestants get eliminated, permanently.

It's not at all derivative, but the bonzo, zany humor will likely appeal to fans of Charles Stross and Tom Holt. 

Four stars. There are currently 6 books in the series with a 7th due out in 4th quarter 2024. It would make a great choice for a genre buddy/binge read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Aliens have come to harvest Earth, and everyone who isn't killed is invited to join a dungeon crawl for the entertainment of Earth's new owners - and a chance to win control of the Earth itself.

Review
There’s not a lot of surprise in Dungeon Crawler Carl, but that's okay. The initial premise is odd, verging on farcical – aliens kill almost everyone on Earth and many of the rest enter a newly generated dungeon. There’s what I hope is a nod to Douglas Adams at the start (if it’s not, it’s a ripoff), and Dinniman mines a similar light-hearted comedic vein. Greg Costikyan’s Another Day, Another Dungeon also comes to mind, though the parody here is of video roleplaying games.

Once the setup (which I found a bit rocky) is out of the way, Dinniman takes the initial premise pretty much where you’d expect, with in jokes about RPGs and inventory, and fairly stock characters. But while he’s doing the expected, he does it in quite a fun way. For one thing, he does the ‘right’ things: this is not one of those horror movies where no one picks up the dropped weapons; when Carl sees a takeable object, he takes it, and Dinniman gets him to do fun things with them.

There are some moments of discomfort – does he really need to kill all these innocents just for points? – and Dinniman moved a little more quickly past them than I thought warranted. But most of the action and commentary is timed and delivered quite well. It’s fun, funny, a quick read, and I did find myself interested to go on to the next volume (and apparently there are six in total).

I didn’t go in with high expectations – humor is hard to pull off consistently – but Dinniman does a good job here, and I look forward to continuing the series.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.