Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
Blurb:
Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can’t ignore in the second book in the smash-hit New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
“Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”
The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.
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 women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?
And can Carl finally find some pants?
Review:
Dungeon Crawler Carl was one of the best books I read in 2024. It was a given I’d come back to this world soon. After that cliffhanger-like finale of the first book, I really couldn’t wait to dive in. Returning to this world was as fun as it was daunting. Because the Borant corporation’s antics and the interplanetary politics that play out in the background further hammer in the truly cosmic scope of the dystopia that this series is set in.
Spoilers ahead!
What I liked:
The game mechanics of Dungeon Crawler Carl continue to entertain as advertised. In fact, we start the book with Carl and Donut having to select classes, each coming with their own set of pre-determined stats. While the classes didn’t bring as much of a change in Carl’s navigation of the third floor, it did result in Carl and Donut beginning to strategize their battles. They now have proper plays with names, with Mongo being a brutally amusing addition to the mix.
The third floor is an entirely open world, as opposed to the dungeons and tunnels of the first two floors. This new town treatment got me all hyped up for this book, because we get to see a whole new level of institutions and gameplay. We finally visited the Desperado Club, which was an absurdly cool setting. Plus, Mordecai is now our heroes’ manager (thanks to Donut’s class selection), meaning he’s much more involved. Seeing this competent and all-knowing guide suddenly turn into a free-to-roam NPC who chooses to indulge in casual alcoholism was hilarious!
The plot in this one is as straightforward as the previous instalment. Carl and Donut enter the new floor, level up, fight bosses, collect gear, and move on. However, this floor had a slight change in approach with its introduction of quests. I’ll talk about the quests in the next section, but I’ll say this: this new layer of storytelling opens up so many doors of imaginative questlines, I can’t wait to see where they lead. Plus, Dinniman has continued to develop the interplanetary politics in the background, foreshadowing the Skull Empire’s meddling in Carl’s crawl.
Another aspect I really enjoyed, which was also one of my favorite sections of the previous book, was the talk shows. Carl and Donut have become accustomed to the limelight, making the shows all the more compelling in Book 2. I had to put the book down and applaud Carl’s not-very-subtle call to rebellion against incompetent and evil governments.
My favorite part of the book was the ending. This one felt more complete, unlike book 1, which I found lacking. The ending actually finished on an intriguing note, making me feel equal parts satisfied and excited for Book 3, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook.
What I didn’t like:
I honestly did not like either quest. The Signet storyline, despite the trippy visuals of a fungi-infected undead circus, didn’t resonate with me at all. I found it quite dull, to the point that I was glad when it ended. I didn’t particularly like the way the quest was resolved either. I believe it’s because Carl ‘outsmarts’ the system without Donut or Mordecai. Something about that didn’t feel right.
And the second quest with the skyfowl? That one was actually intriguing, but the mystery aspect of it felt a little too convoluted for its own good. The skyfowl lore, along with the headless demons (krasue) and the dead prostitutes’ investigation could have been an outrageously thrilling episode. Sadly, the motley parts didn’t fit all too well, and the complex explanation tying them together almost broke my immersion. I’ll admit, the climax that it leads to was one of my favorite scenes in the book. But the journey that led us to it was not.
When I look back at this book, it feels like a filler arc. Where the first book threw so much fun, action, absurd bosses, and emotional storylines our way, almost none of the major plotlines in book 2 worked half as well.
Conclusion:
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario was a fun, if not sometimes slow, read with an exciting finish. Despite my criticism of its two quests, I genuinely believe that this quest storyline approach is going to be a fantastic addition in future instalments. Plus, I can’t wait to see more of this absurd world.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: Gameplay mechanics, the Desperado Club, Talk Shows, Ending
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Didn’t enjoy the two quests
