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:
“The apocalypse will be televised!”
New Achievement: Time to dungeon crawl!
Prepare yourself to embark on the wildest ride a book could possibly take you on. Carl, our Coast Guard veteran protagonist, finds himself freezing outside in the early hours of the morning trying to get his ex-girlfriend’s prized champion show cat, Princess Donut, out of a tree. Wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a leather jacket, life can’t be much worse at this moment. That is, until all surrounding buildings collapse to dust around him and a disembodied alien voice announces that the planet is being reclaimed into an 18-level subterranean dungeon crawl. To make matters more interesting, the dungeon crawl will also be televised intergalactically as a highly popular game show.
The story starts in downtown Seattle, which counts as an extra bonus in my book because I call Seattle my home. All the references to landmarks and the general layout gave the story an extra special touch as I could picture vividly the landscape that was being described. However, this is short lived as Carl and Donut have a limited amount of time to enter the dungeon. Those who do not, or choose not, to enter before the timer is up will be “eliminated” and their biological material reclaimed by the alien race overseeing the crawl.
As mentioned, the dungeon that crawlers must compete in is composed of 18 levels. One’s goal is to survive all the challenges that the current level holds and find the exit stairs that descend to the next floor before the timer runs out. As crawlers descend, each level’s number of available exits decreases by half, making the task of finding them more challenging as time goes on.
“Goddamnit, Donut!”
Throughout the story, readers meet a colorful and quirky cast of characters. At the heart of it all there are our two main protagonists, Carl and Princess Donut. We are also introduced to a handful of NPC characters and wide assortment of enemies from large squishy grubs that consume all organic matter, goblins that construct deadly machinery, to bad llamas that deal in hard drugs and spit lava from their mouths.
The author has a talent for developing personalities that feels believable. We see Carl go through a brief, if slightly unhinged, version of the five stages of grief upon realizing that his only options were either enter the dungeon or face certain death. He adapts quickly, proving to be sharp and resourceful in dire situations. Then there is Princess Donut. Her development and character growth are equally as well done. She is a cat, meaning she doesn’t listen, does what she pleases (and how she pleases), and is sometimes a huge jerk. However, she and Carl make a dynamite team, and readers soon find themselves cheering for both of them.
Much like the classic Dungeon’s & Dragons, this story has many aspects of the role-playing game interwoven into the plot. From spells to weapon craft, players can hone their skills by leveling up through experience that’s gained by eliminating enemies and earning rewards. Some skills and abilities can also gain levels by proficiency, which requires crawlers to obtain through repeated use of said skill. For magic, spells require points to cast and have a recharge system. This makes it so players need to carefully strategize as they work their way through the dungeon.
As readers dive deeper into the story, they will become very familiar with the dungeons AI system. The AI has the ability to make in-game announcements, read off mob descriptions when players come face to face with a new enemy, and provide players with “rewards” when new achievements are unlocked. These rewards come in the form of loot boxes and contain items that can be really good, or… really bad. Open at your own risk.
In conclusion, this book is the highlight of my year thus far. Being my first ever dive into the LitRPG gerne, this story hit every single checkbox of expectation. It was a wild ride, and I found myself staying up way too late to finish out chapters because it had hooked me so deep and I couldn’t pull away. The action, humor, and utter unbridled chaos made me giddy for more. I will be continuing my journey immediately into the second installment of the series “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario”.
