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:

New Achievement: Unhinged obsession! Prepare for this series to become your entire personality. Reward: Your coworkers are annoyed that you won’t shut up.

Buckle up for a wild ride in the continuation of the Dungeon Crawler series! Join our dynamic duo, Carl and Her Majesty Princess Donut, as they continue their adventure through the dungeon crawl. New challenges, explosive action, and thrilling danger await!

“Welcome, Carl, to the third floor.” 

Welcome crawlers, to the third floor! Here you will find the world has expanded and is unlike anything from the previous two levels. I hope you are prepared because things are about to heat up! Various sized NPC settlements and towns, specialized training guilds, and a wide range of side quests are introduced. But be warned, a fresh horde of monsters lie in wait and are ready to tear into anyone who crosses their path.

Starting from the third floor, all crawlers who have survived thus far are now required to make a pivotal choice: race and class. There are hundreds of options available with each selection bringing unique changes to a crawler’s appearance and abilities. Choosing wisely, and basing the decision on one’s current skills, makes a huge difference between a glorious success or a painful defeat later in the dungeon. As for our pair of protagonists? Well, I’m not going to spoil the fun and reveal their picks. However, I will say that their choices add some fantastic and inventive approaches to sticky situations. 

As mentioned, the stakes are now higher as dungeon crawlers officially enter the Over City: a sprawling area filled with hundreds of small villages that are surrounded by large swaths of an old, abandoned city. Here is where it doesn’t matter which staircase one used to descend to the third floor, as all entry points into the Over City are randomized. Crawlers will now start to encounter others from across the world. This shakes up the familiar dynamics as groups that had previously worked and collaborated with each other are now separated.

Building upon book one, our main protagonists Carl and Princess Donut are starting to rise in popularity. Since the dungeon crawl is televised, an ever-growing number of viewers from countless worlds tune in to watch their every move, turning them into interstellar celebrities. As their fan count rises, so does their influence when it comes to rewards. Subscribers obtain the ability to vote on the contents of specific reward loot boxes that the dungeon AI system provides. 

Onto our characters. One returning face that was originally introduced in the first book is Mordecai, a dungeon Guild Master that was able to provide some assistance to crawlers who visited his safe room. Previously limited in his interactions, Mordecai now finds himself with something of a promotion. Thanks to some additional perks that were unlocked in the class selection process, Mordecai now finds himself as the manager of Donut and can provide on the go assistance without restrictions. He is no longer bound by the AI system and travels along with the duo by teleporting between safe rooms. He is not able to participate in combat or explore the dungeon alongside Carl and Donut but instead acts as a living game guide and monster dictionary. This comes in handy as the dungeon’s third floor provides a new plethora of challenges.  

As the story progresses, dungeon begins to introduce new tiers of NPC’s, some of which are labeled as “elites”. These formidable characters boast a significantly higher level and are usually attached to an expansive side quest that goes in line with their backstory. Readers can think of these specific interactions as a “spin off” series within the dungeon. Seeing how expansive some of these elite narratives are, it’s safe to say this isn’t the last we may see of them. I feel their long-term story arcs are likely to come up again in future books.

I would also like to touch on one other minor character that really stood out for me, and that is dear Mrs. Quill. She is a Skyfowl, which is a race of large bird people, and is a secretary to a settlement’s governor. She has a grand yet pristine Beanie Baby collection that is carefully set up in her office. And no, you absolutely cannot touch them, those are collector’s items! As someone who also collected Beanie Babies as a kid, this struck a nostalgic chord. 

You have been stunned!

You have been paralyzed!

You have been rendered unconscious!

The magic system in Doomsday expands, building on the foundations laid in book one. The theme continues with the classic Dungeons & Dragons, but it now dives deeper into the variety of spells, scrolls, weapons, and potions available to crawlers. As Carl and Donut level up their abilities and skills, their combat style starts to become deadly and efficient. Additionally, now that the crawl is three floors in, the magical gear awarded by the dungeon’s system AI is starting to have slightly better perks and stats. However, every reward is not without risk. As crawlers fight to gain experience and valuable items, they find that enemies are starting to get more difficult to eliminate. 

Now for enjoyment. At this point I feel like my love of this book, and thus the entire series, is beyond obvious. Although I only just finished this book and there are many more to come, I am already finding myself completely obsessed. I talk more about this series to friends, coworkers, and strangers on social media than is necessary. I highly recommend anyone to pick up the first book and give it a go. This series very quickly hijacked my entire personality. Doomsday picked up the wild and chaotic energy of book one and ran with it, scratching that very specific, book-induced itch in the best way possible.

In closing, I will be jumping straight into book three, The Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook. Dinniman continues to raise the bar and I’m very eager to see where this wild journey goes next! All hail Her Majesty Princess Donut!