Carl's Doomsday Scenario Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #2 Published by Penguin Group on September 24, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, Fiction / LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game), Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure
Pages: 384
Find the Author: Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon
Goodreads
Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can’t ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
“Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”
The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.
They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?
And can Carl finally find some pants?
Includes part two of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”
Review:
This follow-up picks up where the last book left off, and it’s just as good! I feel that the audiobook format adds to the quality of this series, and I can recommend this format. Several things are an improvement from Book 1. The most notable is world-building, or, more aptly, dungeon-building. The setting of the dungeon changes massively with the move to level 3. Instead of feeling like a dungeon, the setting resembles a medieval fantasy world with unique twists like Las Vegas-style nightclubs. In addition, more information about the broader galaxy outside the dungeon world is brought to light. We get more information on the history of the cosmos, the politics, the feuding royal families of each respective star system, different races, and, of course, more in-depth knowledge of Dungeon World and its games. Quests are also introduced as a new part of the game and, thus, the book. A Quest is one of my favorite fantasy book tropes, so I was all for it here. The quests introduced make for a stronger narrative, giving Carl and Donut a further goal instead of just reaching the next level. The quests added strong B-style storylines that all come together in the narrative. Despite its primary focus on the weird & wonderful, the craziness, and the absurdity, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario touches on some deep, heavy subjects treated with respect and care. Subjects such as neglect, sex work, abuse, trauma, gaslighting, and abandonment all play a prominent role. They’re not forced; they’re interwoven in the story very well, and they don’t detract from the comedy, nor does the comedy downplay these subjects. Everything so far fits like a glove.
It is a wickedly fun series, and my fears of it possibly feeling repetitive as it continues have been availed with this book. The series is going from strength to strength, and as of right now, I can see no other place it can go than up. I highly recommend that fans of sci-fi and fantasy, or anyone looking for a fun read between your heavier reads, check out this series. It hasn’t disappointed yet; with its current trajectory, I can’t see that happening anytime soon.
About Matt Dinniman
Matt Dinniman is a writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the author of the best-selling Dungeon Crawler Carl series along with several other books about the end of the world. He doesn’t really hate Cocker Spaniels, and he plays bass in two bands.
