Kathleen's Staff Pick
Published Date: First published September 21, 2020; republished August 27, 2024
Number of pages: 450 pages
Format: Physical book
Genre: LitRPG
Tags: Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Aliens, Violent, Dark Humor, First In a Series, Popular on Social Media, Kindle Unlimited, Audible Exclusive
Cardigan rating: 5
Thoughts
Achievement Unlocked: “First Floor Survivor”
You made it through Floor 1 - half-naked, confused, and covered in blood (mostly not yours).
You’ve conquered the chaos, bonded with a cat princess, and realized this dungeon isn’t just a game - it’s a galactic reality show from hell. Welcome to the Crawl.
Reward: Why do you need a reward? You read a great book and get to read the next one, isn’t that enough for you?
If you pay even a little bit of attention to fantasy or sci-fi news, you’ve probably heard of Dungeon Crawler Carl. It was independently published a few years ago and was a huge hit, so the series got picked up by Penguin Random House to be published through their Ace imprint. It’s already been adapted into a Webtoon, the television rights have been purchased by Seth MacFarlane’s studio, there’s an upcoming manga spinoff, and there’s even a tabletop role-playing game coming out next year!
I can’t lie, I was a bit nervous about starting this one. There’s so much hype, and I’d waited so long for it- what if it ended up just being a let-down? Or what if it was too gory for me? Matt Dinniman is notorious for blood and guts, and I don’t do blood and guts very well. But I really liked the concept, and I love cats, so a cat protagonist was worth the risk, and oh, did it pay off. For a book about the genocide of the human race, there are a lot more laughs than one would expect, and even a few heart-wrenching moments. There is a lot of violence, mostly against non-humans, but for the most part, it’s pretty over-the-top and cartoonish. Key phrase: for the most part. Your mileage may vary, but I could live with it. There’s also a lot of foul language, so definitely keep that in mind.
I obviously love books- if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this- and I love video games, but I was a little iffy about the idea of combining them. I wasn’t sure about how the menus, achievements, etc. would translate onto the page, but Dinniman made it make sense. Maybe I’d think differently if I wasn’t a video game person, but I feel like it’s pretty clear, and the video game concepts give you a glimpse into the world beyond the dungeon, especially the achievements. We’re learning along with Carl and Donut- excuse me, Princess Donut- that there’s something bigger going on than just the universe’s worst reality show.
Something new in the hardcover version is a chapter at the end from the perspective of a non-player character from early in the book- sort of an epilogue after the epilogue. It’s an interesting twist, both from a storytelling perspective and from the perspective of the story itself. NPCs don’t change- they have their role, they fill that role, that’s all they’re for. But when they’re tired of that… Well, that’s enough said.
If I could be totally exact, I’d really give this book a 4.95 out of 5. The gore was a bit over the top- heck, in the first few pages, there’s a disembodied head! But it has a lot of heart, and our protagonists have hope in a hopeless situation… and torches. Lots of torches. I can see why this series totally blew up, especially since it’s on Kindle Unlimited. There are a lot of secrets to be uncovered, mobs to be defeated, and bosses to be battled. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series holds!