Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl

Author: Matt Dinniman

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1

Page Count: 446

Publish Date: October 2, 2020

Publisher: Dandy House

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Synopsis:

The apocalypse will be televised!

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.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

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My Review:

The start grabbed my attention immediately. There were so many questions popping up because of that but luckily, those answers started to roll in right away.

The video-game feel of the book, especially the achievements popping up as Carl and Donut navigate the world was a great addition. The descriptions of those achievements were hilarious and the rewards, or lack thereof, made them even better.

The world-building was done well, with the readers discovering everything at the same time as Carl and Donut. It made the experience even more rewarding.

Watching these two navigate the ups and downs of the dungeon, getting new skills, meeting the “natives” of the dungeon, defeating mobs and bosses, and their first encounter with another crawler brought the story together perfectly.

Oh the two main characters, Carl and Princess Donut, I have to give my points to Donut. She’s hilarious, especially her penchant for doing things, such as learning new abilities without reading what they do or diving into combat with no regard for what it will do to her or Carl.

Despite this, she is helpful to Carl in many ways and I’m not sure if he would have been as successful as he was without her erratic help.

The dungeon as a whole, at least the floors we see, is quite interesting. It has a lot of what you would expect out of a dungeon – treasures, traps, trash mobs, bosses, and the threat of death.

However, that’s where the similarities end. This dungeon is also a gameshow, thrusting Earth’s survivors into a death game for the entertainment of multiple alien races. As such, this adds extra complications for all of the Crawlers involved but can also reward them with good items and other prestige should the audience love them.

What sets things apart is that the Crawlers are given mentors to help them. Carl and Donut are assigned Mordecai. His character is quite intriguing and we get to learn a bit more about his with each visit.

Mordecai provides the tutorial for the dungeon, pointing out key information to help Carl and Donut figure out this dangerous game they have been forced into. They can visit him whenever they need to gather new information.

However, he can’t quite answer every question and oftentimes his answers are vague at best, leading to obvious frustration for Carl. I can understand why it’s played out this way because not everything can be known in advance. If that was the case, any Crawler could breeze through the entire dungeon and that wouldn’t be very profitable or entertaining for those running it.

His guidance, vague as it is, is critical to Carl and Donut’s survival. He is a character I look forward to learning more about as the series progresses, especially his connection with another character we meet along the way.

The various characters we met along the way add an additional element to the story. Because of how people survived the initial implosion of Earth’s buildings, there are all manner of people down in the dungeon. This includes a group of elderly from a nursing home and this group presents a new challenge for Carl and Donut.

The dungeon is dangerous enough for young, healthy, active adults, so imagine the extreme challenges of a group of geriatrics and their care givers.

There are a few other characters that stand out from all of the others which left me curious to know more about them.

One of these is Agatha. There are hints of who she is and her possible connections to a corporation. However, there is nothing solid at this point and there still much we don’t know. It will be interesting to see exactly what her presence means for the dungeon and the many Crawlers within.

Another interesting character is Odette. Her connection to another character we meet, her past, and her role as a talk show host leaves me utterly curious to know more about her.

If you dislike violence or swearing, then it would be best to avoid this book because it is scattered throughout.

The ending felt a bit lackluster compared to the rest of the book. Yes, I was intrigued and it did make me want to pick up the next book, but something felt flat about it. I was expecting more of a cliffhanger at the end.

Watching Carl and Donut navigate this new world, learn as they go, discover new skills – like Carl’s various explosive devices, and deal with the various obstacles and Crawlers they meet creates an entertaining read. From the world-building, character development, zany antics, chaos, and destruction wrought by Carl and Donut, to the fast-paced storyline, and the variety of characters we meet along the way, there is a lot to enjoy with this book.

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, which I have added to my TBR to see what comes next for Carl, Donut, and the ever-changing Dungeon. Bring on more crawling!

I hope you enjoyed my review of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Have you read this book?

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