Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dungeon Crawler Carl is, to use the appropriate lingo, an enjoyable dungeon crawler slightly undone by its repetitive gameplay loop. Dinniman's accomplishment here shouldn't be understated: he's successfully written the Hunger Games for the Hitchhiker's Guide crowd. The book is a rollicking good time. Carl and Princess Donut (a sentient cat) are a delight to follow through this never-ending maze of traps and sophomoric humor and off-the-wall monsters. The book is legitimately funny (if sometimes groan-inducing). The downside here is that Dinniman hasn't quite mastered the tension and release of a smoothly-flowing plot. The battles themselves are so full of action they can drag, and the spaces between can feel empty. A lot this book is Carl MacGyvering plans and, by narrative tricks, not divulging them until a battle scene hits. There's plenty here to like though; genre fans should eat it up and ask for seconds.
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