Matt Dinniman, Michael Joseph. (464p) ISBN: 9780241816264. Fantasy, read 12/05/26, Ebook ★★★★☆
Dungeon Crawler Carl
It’s taken me long enough, but after selling so many of these I thought I should see what all the hype was about, and boy the hype is worth it!
The hapless Carl and Princess Donut are among the few survivors of a Vogon Constructor Fleet Syndicate that has come to strip mine Earth for the valuable resources that they need.
Earth did have a chance to claim sovereignty of the planet but since the notice was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’ given to the Egyptians during the construction of the pyramids this didn’t happen.
Survivors to the initial flattening were given the option to go into the World Dungeon (the most humongous mega dungeon ever) to claim sovereignty of the world (and maybe just survive the apocalypse that just happened on Earth).
We follow the escapades of the Royal Court of Princess Donut, Carl and Donut who eventually get the pet Mongo… as they figure out the rules and politics of this dungeon crawl. Where the safe spaces are, how to level up, how the toilets work, who to trust, who to help, and how to appease an AI with a foot fetish…
After the first couple of chapters I was hooked and really invested in how this was all going to work out, every character introduced is worth it and adds so much to the story, Carl’s survival skills really impress, Donut keeps getting better throughout and is such a cat.
I was worried though that the pace and conceit couldn’t be sustained for a book, but hooo I was so wrong.
Loved all the TV show bits especially, and looking forward to seeing how some of the threads play out, especially the pet revelation at the end just before they descend to the third floor.
A great read with great energy and really hoping this continues through the next nine books.
