Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

“Congratulations! You’ve earned your first achievement: Crazy Cat Lady. You have entered the World Dungeon accompanied by a cat. Ahh, isn’t that sweet? Reward: You’ve received a Bronze Pet Box!”

Matt Dinniman, Dungeon Crawler Carl

Review:

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Because of this, I was kind of nervous going into it, but since I was reading it with a book club, I figured it would be a good opportunity to read outside of my comfort zone. 

Part game show, part video game. Carl and Princess Donut find themselves thrust into an apocalyptic survival course with alien viewers. Advancement means survival, and failure means death. As the game progresses, it becomes clear just how vicious the challenge’s intent is. 

My favorite part of this book was reading the achievements. I was surprised how many of them made me laugh out loud. As for the book’s plot and structure, it wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed outside of amusement. Most of the time, I didn’t care for the overall content. But that’s okay. I still had fun with the parts I did enjoy, and I’m glad to have been reading it with others. That said, I don’t intend to read the rest of the series. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• New Achievement!
• This is the first time I’ve read a book like this, so for me, it was a unique read.

What I didn’t like:

• Most of the time, the content wasn’t to my taste.
• I felt confused more often than not.

Afterthoughts:

Again, I won’t be continuing the series, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.

Where to buy the book: