I thought it would be funny. I had no idea it would be as funny as it. I laughed. A lot, and I knew going in that this was the first book in a series, so I wasn’t worried when it got to the ending and not everything had resolved itself.

Carl is a bit of a goof. He’s a former Coast Guarder, who has lost his girl, and is thinking about keeping her cat, Princess Donut for himself. But before you can say intergalactic overpass or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, almost all of the life on Earth is wiped out. There are only a few survivors, among them Donut and Carl, and they are all about to be contestants on a Dungeon Crawl, which will be broadcast across the universe.

They will be forced to fight through 18 levels of blood, gore, ridiculous loot boxes, and horrifying enemies and interviewers. There is also underlying trauma, and emotional moments for the picking, and some of it hits hard.

Filled with recognizable tropes for anyone who has played RPGs, Dinniman delivers an incredibly satisfying, and laugh-out-loud adventure that sets the stage for what is to come.

This one engaged from the get-go, and had me laughing until the final moment. Having said that there are a couple of solid, ‘oh shit,’ moments that have real resonance. And that’s because despite the silliness, you actually find yourself attached to and caring for these characters.

Dinniman keeps the story moving, but also hints at some of the politics that are at work in the larger universe that Carl and Donut find themselves a part of. There’s a lot going on under the fun narrative, and it works to augment the story beautifully.

I am in for the whole ride on this series, and am preparing to dive into the second book even as I write this. If you like your fantasy or sci-fi, have ever played RPGs or D&D, and have a sense of humor, you totally owe it to yourself to check this series out.

Book one is fantastic!

And despite knowing a little about RPGs, the book keeps the surprises coming, and knows how to make the reader enjoy themselves. The AI reading out the loot boxes and achievements is hilarious, and with all that’s happening to Carl, you can really relate to him.

It’s fun, delightful, bloody, brutal, and damn funny. Just read it!

I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario.