Author: Matt Dinniman
Genre: LitRPG / Progression Fantasy / Dark Humor / Science Fiction Fantasy
Tropes: Dungeon Crawl, Survival, Found Family, Game-Like World, Deadly Challenges, Bounties, Dark Humor, Found Family, Talking Pets, Apocalypse
Spice Level: None
Format: Audiobook
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl — Book 3
After leaving the third floor with Carl’s new device that he definitely can’t use yet, Carl and Donut head into the fourth floor’s Iron Tangle, where they meet up with Katia at the request of one of the other top-ten crawlers. Katia is still getting used to her new class, but she quickly becomes an important and connected part of the team.
Now Carl, Donut, and their growing group have to figure out the secrets of the subway system while helping as many crawlers as they can—which, let’s be honest, is very much a Carl and Donut thing to do—and somehow make it to the next floor. Of course, there’s also the tiny problem of having bounties placed on their heads by anyone trying to take down the top ten.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am obsessed with the Dungeon Crawler Carl books. While I still really enjoyed this installment, it didn’t quite hit me the same way as the previous books. There was plenty of the action, violence, absurdity, and dark humor I’ve come to expect from this LitRPG series, but Carl felt like he was in a much darker mental place throughout this book. And honestly? I am so glad he got the cookbook. Those recipes are going to become far more important to Carl than he has any idea right now.
We also get to see a side of Mordecai that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. His temper really comes out, especially when it comes to the person Carl got the cookbook from. I genuinely never thought I’d see Mordecai physically lose his temper in a safe room, and while I definitely don't want it to become a regular occurrence, it was incredibly satisfying to watch. Now I desperately need the full story behind what happened there.
Katia is another fantastic addition to the growing group. She starts this floor still trying to figure out her new class, but she quickly becomes an important part of the core team. I’m not sure whether she’ll remain with Carl and Donut for the entire series, but I really hope she does—or at least becomes one of those recurring background characters who sticks around long enough that you get emotionally attached to them. Donut spends quite a bit of time trying to improve Katia’s appearance, because obviously Donut has opinions about everything, but Katia seems to be doing just fine without taking all of her makeover advice.
Zev is also slowly growing on me, although I still have some reservations there.
The biggest difference for me with this book was the emotional tone. There’s some Skull Empire downtime, but the deaths are really beginning to take their toll. Carl is carrying more and more of the emotional weight of everything happening around him, and it makes this installment feel heavier than the previous books.
I really hope the cookbook gives Carl something positive to hold onto before he gets too far inside his own head. And Mordecai really needs to slow down on the drinking. Seriously. It is bad on this floor. Like, bad bad.
Even though this wasn't my favorite installment of the series, I still absolutely loved it. The action, violence, ridiculous situations, dark humor, character development, and completely unhinged world-building are exactly why I keep coming back to Dungeon Crawler Carl.
At this point, I don't think there is anything that could stop me from finishing this series.
And yes, I 100% plan on watching the TV adaptation when it comes out, especially because Jeff Hayes is voicing Donut. That casting decision alone has me ridiculously excited.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.49 by clicking here.
⭐ You’ll like this book if you enjoy:
Progression fantasy with game-like mechanics
Apocalypse and survival stories
Dungeon crawls and deadly challenges
Dark humor mixed with brutal violence
Found family and unforgettable characters
Talking pets with very strong personalities
Emotional character development beneath the chaos
Books that somehow make you laugh while simultaneously destroying you emotionally
