Reviews for Books in The Dungeon Crawler Carl series
I've read 3books in this series so far. There are 3 reviews of those books for an average score of 3.67 (out of 4).
- 🔈 - Audiobook
- 🔁 - Re-read
- 🥇 / 🥈 / 🥉 - Favorite of the Year honoree.
Book #1
Starts a little slow, but it really picks up as it continues. I especially like the worldbuilding and intrigue around the corporations running the game. It feels like there's a ton going on outside our POV which I'm optimistic we'll discover as time goes on. Carl doesn't come across as especially likable, but the cat and most of the rest of the cast are fun and I ultimately did really want to know what happens next.
May not be for you if you don't like reading RPG item descriptions at length. I like what they're going for, but item & stat discussion can go a little long / dry. There's some good humor in it all, but there's also some cruelty that doesn't feel reckoned with. We'll see if that smooths out in future books.
The audiobook narration is great, but the "new achievement" dialogue gets pretty grating (even when they're funny).
2025-10-19
Starts a little slow, but it really picks up as it continues. I especially like the worldbuilding and intrigue around the corporations running the game. It feels like there's a ton going on outside our POV which I'm optimistic we'll discover as time goes on. Carl doesn't come across as especially likable, but the cat and most of the rest of the cast are fun and I ultimately did really want to know what happens next.
May not be for you if you don't like reading RPG item descriptions at length. I like what they're going for, but item & stat discussion can go a little long / dry. There's some good humor in it all, but there's also some cruelty that doesn't feel reckoned with. We'll see if that smooths out in future books.
The audiobook narration is great, but the "new achievement" dialogue gets pretty grating (even when they're funny).
Book #2
Fairly tight story. Doesn't escape being someone's D&D retelling and we probably hear too many stat numbers, but this sequel does an admirable job expanding the world and characters. Shows a slightly more introspective Carl, too which is a promising sign.
2026-04-24
Fairly tight story. Doesn't escape being someone's D&D retelling and we probably hear too many stat numbers, but this sequel does an admirable job expanding the world and characters. Shows a slightly more introspective Carl, too which is a promising sign.
Book #3
Does a good job smoothing out the detail while focusing on the big picture. I love the media / "the revolution will be televised" angle and the intergalactic worldbuilding.
Growing the ensemble is good and some of the more complex plot threads are coming to fruition. Carl is also less terrible at this point, which is probably for the best. He can't save everyone, but he does really seem like he cares.
The audiobook narration continues to be excellent. Jeff Hays is an all-timer.
2026-08-07
Does a good job smoothing out the detail while focusing on the big picture. I love the media / "the revolution will be televised" angle and the intergalactic worldbuilding.
Growing the ensemble is good and some of the more complex plot threads are coming to fruition. Carl is also less terrible at this point, which is probably for the best. He can't save everyone, but he does really seem like he cares.
The audiobook narration continues to be excellent. Jeff Hays is an all-timer.