Outside of manga series and a few other books, I have to admit that LitRPG is not a genre that I frequent, nor is it something that has been what anyone would call attractive to me.  In other words, it is not exactly my favorite subgenre of sci-fi or fantasy, despite its growing popularity among the Japanese light novel reading crowd and younger, Gen Y and Gen Z types. 

Personally, I’ve always seen it as “cheesy,” for lack of a better word.  There is certainly creativity, but the protagonist(s)’ tendency to find themselves in situations that mirror those of characters from tabletop or video RPGs, is just something that I have never been able to grow an interest in—an irony that is not lost on me, looking back on how such games were a large part of my formative years. But outside of reading manga stories in this vein, actually playing favorites like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, or Dungeons and Dragons always held more fascination for me than reading books that utilized the mechanics found in such games as part of the story proper.

But then, I discovered Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.

It was very much an impulse purchase, I must admit, after viewing a truly insane Facebook advertisement that I wish I could find again to view simply for the sheer enjoyment.  The premise was something that immediately caught my interest and drove me to purchase the audiobook almost instantly.

(More on my purchasing choice later.)

Carl is every bit the American average Joe … except his name is Carl.  A former Cost Guard officer turned boat repairman living alone in his two-room Seattle apartment with a life average to point of banality. One freezing winter’s night, while pet-sitting for his ex-girlfriend, her prize tortoiseshell Persian cat, Princess Donut, leaps out of an open window when he decides to take a smoke.  Wearing only a coat, boxers, and his ex’s ill-fitting Crocs, he steps outside to try to coax donut out of the tree she has leaped into … when the end of the world happens.

In one jarring moment, all man-made structures and vehicles suddenly vanish, as if stomped by a giant foot, killing all who were inside.  Only those who were outside during this transformation remain alive, as a disembodied, computerized voice explains their situation: Earth’s mineral wealth has been reclaimed by the Borant Corp., an extraterrestrial mining conglomerate who now has taken ownership of the planet. For the survivors, however, there is an opportunity to regain ownership of their world: by completing a series of dungeons that have been constructed beneath the planet’s surface.  There is the choice to remain on the surface to manage life somehow, but for Carl, stuck in a freezing winter, there really is no other option.  And so, rather than freeze to death, Carl chooses to enter the dungeon with Donut.  And so they become the reluctant participants in an alien game show called Dungeon Crawler: Earth.

From this point on, insanity becomes the new normal for Carl and Donut as they traverse the dizzying and deadly subterranean world of the dungeon, fighting to stay alive against its many and sundry lethal challenges.  One part Hunger Games; one part Running Man, and one part The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the titular dungeon throws everything but the kitchen sink at Carl and Donut as they fight to survive.  Monsters like giant rats, acid-spitting llamas, meth-addicted goblins, giant roaches, lizard people, and much, much more await around every turn, along with other beleaguered dungeon crawlers hungry for a player kill or two. 

Armed with whatever treasures they can find from their victories, and with few allies they can truly trust, Carl and Donut focus on survival at all costs, earning clout and fandom amongst the trillions of viewers in the intergalactic community and unlocking the many secrets of the dungeon and the incomprehensibly powerful Borant Corp. who created it, and seems hell-bent on making sure the next corner they turn will be their last. 

The driving element of Dungeon Crawler Carl, outside of survival, is the level progression, popular in most LitRPG stories.  Everything that Carl and Donut accomplish in the dungeon earns them experience for leveling up, as well as prizes in the form of loot boxes of differing caliber, and even special loot boxes given for accomplishing certain achievements, beating bosses, or given by sponsors from their intergalactic fans.  And so the pair grows stronger with the skills that they choose to increase along the way, guided by Mordecai, their alien tutorial guild guide and former crawler, who explains the game’s ins and outs, as well as each level’s unique quirks, challenges, and mobs, giving the story the feel of a video game that actually parodies real video games in the most insane ways possible, cobbling together elements of Earth culture, pop culture, fandoms, memes, and just pure craziness through encounters and the game’s snarky AI, which explains their various items, mobs, bosses, NPCs, and prizes in the most tongue-in-cheek way possible, much to Carl’s dismay. 

There is no way, even barring spoilers, that this review could possibly go through all the trials and tribulations that Carl and Donut endure in the course of their adventure, but the game is not the only element to this irreverent dark comedy/adventure.  In addition to being a witty commentary on pop culture, and its effect on the youth of today, reflected in the dynamic of the game and the AI’s witticisms on each achievement and item won, the character interaction is pure delight. First of all, the banter between Donut and Carl is fast-paced, fun, and just as one would expect from a talking cat. And it all perfectly displays just how cartoonish things tend to get. 

And yes, I did say “talking cat.”

This may seem like a spoiler, but it occurs very early on in the story, and it becomes a main part of the tale’s entire tapestry, as Donut is given human speech and intelligence, in addition to magical powers, giving life to one of the most endearing of all characters in the book, and, if the small hits I’ve been privy to are true, the entire series (But take that one with a grain of salt). Arrogant, flamboyant, and possessing a classic “high-maintenance girl” personality, Donut behaves in the exact way one would expect from a pampered, prize-winning tortoiseshell Persian cat.  Demanding, tending towards laziness, and in love with the spotlight, Donut is the foil to Carl’s often dour practicality, creating some of the most entertaining back and forth between two characters that I’ve seen since A Day Out of Time, another fun, bedlam-filled sci-fi romp that I highly recommend. Donut’s personality had me saying “She’s a cat. Typical,” more times than I cared to count, and yet, despite her less endearing traits, never moved into the territory of utter insufferability.  In fact, it was her counterbalance to Carl that was the centerpiece of all the fun, outside of the insane dangers the hapless duo run into, and even Carl’s … shall we say “unorthodox” methods of overcoming nearly impossible odds in this game show of death. 

And then there is the fame that Carl and his feline companion accrue in their adventure, as the show allows audience interaction, gaining them views, favorites, and even the possibility of assistance from other viewers as they reach deeper levels.  And though Donut is elated with the attention she receives, especially when being picked for talk shows and her rapport with their alien manager when their popularity skyrockets, Carl never forgets that in spite of the glitz and glamor with which it is presented to the intergalactic population, this is a torment visited upon the remnants of Earth’s population by a dispassionate interstellar corporation, with a steadily decreasing number found in each of the dungeon’s many rest stop safe zones, representing the death toll the dungeon takes on Earth’s declining population, now reduced to only mere millions, making for a sobering connection with reality in spite of the frenetic comedy and violence. This is given with a double gut punch when he encounters other humans, either with less than charitable intent or in situations even more unfortunate than his own.

But the darker elements of the story only serve as a sobering reminder of the cruel fate that has befallen humanity in an otherwise crazy adventure that is nothing more than fun to read, thanks to Dinniman’s imagination, wit, and talent.  In fact, if there are any negative points to be seen, I would say that the only one that I could find is that sometimes, like some video games, the game can slip into a sort of grind, with Carl and Donut leveling up: a somewhat tedious process on its own. Fortunately, Dinniman’s storytelling chops allow him to mostly gloss over this aspect with character interactions, or shortcuts to higher levels due to Carl’s sheer creativity.  Otherwise, this first foray into what seems to be a series unlike any other, was a read that took me by the belt loops and dragged me along for a the craziest of crazy rides. 

One last thing.  My choice of medium for this book was audiobook, as it more often is nowadays.  And I just have to give credit where credit is due, and add the fact that the voice narration talents of Jeff Hays were some of the best I have ever heard since Frank Muller’s compelling and intense verbal mastery of his Recorded Books Inc. narration of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Hays does each and every voice with a distinctive sound, and so spot-on that it just makes the literary journey all the more fun. 

But however anyone wishes to enjoy this book, I sincerely hope that this review has piqued someone’s interest to pick it up and just enjoy it for themselves as I have.  As of the writing of this review, I’m on the second book, and am eagerly making my way through it, loving every moment, and determined to see it all to the very end.  Thus far, there are seven books in the series, seemingly with more to come.  And now that summer is upon us, sci-fi nerds looking for something different, crazy, darkly humorous, and just plain fun should pick up a copy and follow Carl and Dount in their journey of survival in a game of deadly insanity.  Happy reading!