I really wanted to like this book, the cover art and the back sounded really interesting, but I was confused like 5 pages in, restarted a few times and just felt like there was something I was supposed to know before reading that I didn’t. I really just couldn’t get into it. I’ve seen other people really like this book, and I’ve heard his other books are great, but I’m disappointed I couldn’t like this one. I was willing to give it a second chance but I immediately felt meh when I thought about it.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is the first book I’ve read in a very long time. Life got got in the way but this book brought me back after all these years. If you like James Patterson’s “Daniel X” series, I think you’ll love DCC all the same. Dungeon Crawler Carl is a loving blend of Sci-fi, video games and anime. You Follow Carl, his ex girlfriend’s cat while traversing an alien dungeon run by corporate overlords, with danger at every turn and an AI system drooling over his feet (yes, really.) all to save the world from being harvested for materials.

Enjoyment: 5 Stars.

This was an amazing book to return me to my cave of books and almost non-existent human interaction. I really found myself reading even when I wasn’t in the mood to read. There’s something almost addictive when it comes to DDC, and the fact that this is only just the beginning makes this even better!

Quality: 4.5 Stars.

Overall I really loved the book! The attention to detail when it came to the RPG game system the dungeon uses was immersive to the point I could visualize pretty clearly what Carl and Donut were looking at 90% of the time. I give it an overall 4 stars on the quality due to aspects of the book feeling rushed to some degree, more so towards plot and character foundation.

Characters: 5 Stars

Although I give the quality 4 stars, I have to give characters an overall 5. I really liked the attitudes of each of the characters. Carl’s “fuck everything” attitude pairs well with Princess Donut’s snobby and posh attitude. At first its very grating, I was really hoping that PD wasn’t going to be part of things for very long or if she was that it was turn to something that would give us a solid break from her. I am so glad to be wrong! The grating communication really is required and absolutely essential for character growth.

Plot: 4.5 Stars

Finally we have the plot. Now this review doesn’t include the audio book. I wanted to really focus on the book, but everyone you even mention this series to foams at the mouth about it, so I’ll let that speak on that! However for the plot I’m giving this a 4. There’s a LOT going on in this first book and I feel like there are aspects about the plot that includes the development of the characters. I would have loved some more back story on things like Carl and his ex, and other people that has affected who he is now. We get pieces here and there of that and other things (no spoilers, teehee) that I feel didn’t get touched on enough due to setting up the plot for the series. To an extent though, I understand. The whole point is to keep everyone on there toes and confused along with Carl, but I feel like some areas could have been explored more. (I can’t really elaborate more on this without spoiling things unfortunately)

To sum everything up I’m on the edge of my seat for this next book! I’m hoping now that there’s a foundation, things will be delved into more and I can really delve in and connect with the characters a bit more! I really recommend this book SO HARD, its action packed, confusing, hilarious and so much more. Happy readings!