Book Review - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl # 1)
Author: Matt Dinniman
Genre: Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Published: 2020
 
Description: 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: “Dungeon Crawler Carl” is a wildly crazy page-turner in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre. Very popular at the moment and the first in a long-running series. Author Matt Dinniman throws you right into the thick of a unique, modern subgenre that completely defies the conventions of traditional literature. The result is a rollercoaster ride that leaves the reader with a contact mix of amazement and adrenaline.
 
The story begins on a freezing cold night when Earth is abruptly overrun by an intergalactic syndicate, after which the remaining humanity is forced to participate in a live-broadcast, sadistic gladiatorial tournament. At the center of it all is Carl, an ordinary man who flees into the Apocalypse in his boxers and barefoot, along with his ex-girlfriend’s eccentric Persian cat Princess Donut. Together they must descend into a gigantic, underground dungeon with eighteen deadly levels, there, they must battle monstrous creatures, solve complex puzzles, and survive the levels to entertain the universe, all while amassing millions of alien fans.
 
The absolute highlight of this spectacle is its unparalleled humor, as the absurdist story had me laughing out loud several times at the most unexpected moments. The universe is filled with a colorful collection of the weirdest and most bizarre characters you’ll ever encounter in a book. Among all these extraordinary creatures, Princes Donut (a now talking and hyper-intelligent cat) absolutely steals the show as the most entertaining character, thanks to her regal airs and hilarious feline antics.
 
Still, the adventure also has a downside that you, as a reader, have to read through. The story is incredibly chaotic; there’s constantly so much happening all at once, and the enormous amount of information and statistics you have to process is overwhelming. That meant I had to get used to the structure and the breakneck pace. Fortunately, this doesn’t outweigh the rest of the experience; the concept is simply incredibly original and entertainingly executed. This addictive introduction leaves me wanting more, and I’ll definitely be continuing this series. I totally get the hype.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5