The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin. Dungeon Crawler Carl, #2
Paperback, 362 pages
Published June 20, 2021 by Independently published.
The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.
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 prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.
Mostly more of the same, but a decent mix of the fantasy D&D dungeon crawl and the sci-fi external setting and plotline.
Definitely an enjoyable/fun read and very addictive.
Donut is still a cat. I was a bit worried Carl would be a bit one dimensional but I'm warming up to him now. Excited to see what the story with the AI is going to be.
Content warning Spoilers!
Solid fun!! Loved how they added more dimensions to the story, showed some character growth. Ending seemed a bit BS by the system and rushed though. Like, why try to kill most players especially Carl and Donut if they were making the company so so much money?!? The extended story line and circumstances of the celestial boxes were insane though!! Precursor events with the doomsday scenario just didn't make sense to me.
"Now, if you’ve never had a flaming, skull-faced bear on roller skates barreling at you full speed, you don’t know what you’re missing."
It's entertaining pulp and it reads like butter.
Highly recommended if you want some light and funny sci-fi/fantasy dungeon crawl reading
p.s. there is a talking cat. Talking pets are always a plus in my opinion.
“I worry about you sometimes,” said Donut.
"Goddammit Donut!"
This pulpy book feels a bit like a money grab with it's Ready Player One kinda pop-references and Hitchhikers Guide's bizarreness of universal scale. But it works and makes for a fun read.
It's not a hack-and-slash kinda story, but the characters are strangely intelligent, which makes you always curious how they are creatively going to save themselves out of the next situation.
So if you are in to gaming or Dungeons and Dragons and stuff, and don't have anything better to read, pick up this book :)
