the personal journal of Brent Stewart
I was sharing my enthusiasm about Murderbot with a friend, who also liked that series and suggested I try Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. There’s something in that title that gives an accurate impression of what to expect in the book. It’s about Carl, and he’s in a dungeon. It’s also sardonically descriptive and the book similarly finds humor in exageration.
The pitch is this . . . much like the Vogons and their interstellar bypass, a group of aliens has gained right to Earth and posted it “at the nearest office” several stars away for comment. Hearing no objection from us, they’ve instantaneously replaced Earth with a multi-level dungeon. The survivors are enrolled in a galactic reality show.
The “science” in science fiction is only conceptual here, the Clarke version of “any technology sophisticated enough”. The dungeon encorporates ideas from Dungeons & Dragons, Magic The Gathering, and video games like Doom.
Dinniman may have some ideas about reality shows, entertainment, social media, and concepts of universal good couched in the story. If so, those themes aren’t drawn out in the first book, although the story has clarrity and pace that drives it forward. He clearly has fun playing with the form and the way the game is presented.
Yes. It may be just candy, but it was an enjoyable distraction. It may turn into something with deeper themes. But, taking it for what this first book is, it was a fun read.
Hang on. The first book is absurdist fun, but it isn’t as polished as Martha Wells or Douglas Adams. I plan to read the next book at some point, and that may be a better time to judge the series.