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Operation Bounce House
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10 copies available
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A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. As a fan of Earth television and culture, he figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their own homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. As a fan of Earth television and culture, he figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their own homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 10, 2026
25179 people want to read
About the author
Matt Dinniman
34 books12.7k followersMatt Dinniman is the best-selling writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the published author of dozens of short stories and a gaggle of books. In addition, his art publications—from greeting cards to stationery kits to calendars—can be found in boutique and stationery shops around the world. Also, he strongly feels like a pretentious twat when he writes about himself in third person.
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December 17, 2025__Well, that might just be my last book of the year, ! A full review is queued up and ready to launch the moment I submit the last exam in 2025 hehee 💀😭
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩 (𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦), 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺.
----
Oh my gosh, I'm absolutely dying to know what Matt's cooking up! I'm starving just thinking about it, and the worst part is the book won't be out until next year. The wait is killing me😭.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩 (𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦), 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺.
----
Oh my gosh, I'm absolutely dying to know what Matt's cooking up! I'm starving just thinking about it, and the worst part is the book won't be out until next year. The wait is killing me😭.
December 20, 2025
I'm a huge Dungeon Crawler Carl so I wanted to try an other story from Matt Dinniman, and I'm so glad I did!
The concept is both chilling and entertaining, the characters are interesting and great chemistry, and the world building is really immersive.
I loved the balance between deep feelings and action, humour and violence.
There are also very interesting ideas waved through the plot, especially regarding the treatment of who or what is deemed different from us.
I had a great time and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, action packed, genuinely good story.
Thank you so much Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC!
The concept is both chilling and entertaining, the characters are interesting and great chemistry, and the world building is really immersive.
I loved the balance between deep feelings and action, humour and violence.
There are also very interesting ideas waved through the plot, especially regarding the treatment of who or what is deemed different from us.
I had a great time and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, action packed, genuinely good story.
Thank you so much Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC!
October 17, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Berkely Publishing Group/ ACE for an ARC of this book!
*Sighs and adds 30 books to my TBR*
Yeah, this was everything I was hoping it would be! to infinity and beyond more. I have had my eye on the Dungeon Crawler Carl series for a while now, and it's on my TBR. But I am in the middle of so many series right now it's actually disgusting. And I have also sworn against sci-fi up until very recently. But I knew I had to be careful when I took my first step. I had a hunch Mr. Dinniman would be a fantastic stepping stone into the world of Sci-fi. I was very much correct. If you've been contemplating getting into the Sci-fi genre, you start with this book. It's a standalone, so you don't have to worry about committing to a series. Pieces of real life/real life problems and Science Fiction are glued together with humor and it's absolutely brilliant! It's not hard to follow, you don't feel as if you're getting lost, or anything is over your head. I think the use of real life situations helps with that. The story itself is an emotional ride. This was definitely a good time
According to the rules of this book, Im very weak minded..f@&k 😅
*Sighs and adds 30 books to my TBR*
Yeah, this was everything I was hoping it would be! to infinity and beyond more. I have had my eye on the Dungeon Crawler Carl series for a while now, and it's on my TBR. But I am in the middle of so many series right now it's actually disgusting. And I have also sworn against sci-fi up until very recently. But I knew I had to be careful when I took my first step. I had a hunch Mr. Dinniman would be a fantastic stepping stone into the world of Sci-fi. I was very much correct. If you've been contemplating getting into the Sci-fi genre, you start with this book. It's a standalone, so you don't have to worry about committing to a series. Pieces of real life/real life problems and Science Fiction are glued together with humor and it's absolutely brilliant! It's not hard to follow, you don't feel as if you're getting lost, or anything is over your head. I think the use of real life situations helps with that. The story itself is an emotional ride. This was definitely a good time
According to the rules of this book, Im very weak minded..f@&k 😅
November 3, 2025
Operation Bounce House
by Matt Dinniman
This really is a book that came out of left field. The characters, plot, theme, and world-building are so unique that it caught me totally by surprise. I love a good, fresh look at sci-fi and this sure is! The characters on another planet are interesting and amazing. The backstory of the people and all the history is strange and mysterious. There is the simple awe of the story as it unfolds, the society they have and how it all works, and the dry humor that pops up frequently along the way.
Just as I was getting comfortable with this crazy but adorable life, people on earth find a way to mess things up. They start a game but the game really kills the people on the planet. It is televised on Earth and the planet's people are called terrorists. These farmers now have to fight mechanical soldiers with bombs, guns, and are controlled by rich spoiled kids.
I loved this book! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this unique and wonderful book!
by Matt Dinniman
This really is a book that came out of left field. The characters, plot, theme, and world-building are so unique that it caught me totally by surprise. I love a good, fresh look at sci-fi and this sure is! The characters on another planet are interesting and amazing. The backstory of the people and all the history is strange and mysterious. There is the simple awe of the story as it unfolds, the society they have and how it all works, and the dry humor that pops up frequently along the way.
Just as I was getting comfortable with this crazy but adorable life, people on earth find a way to mess things up. They start a game but the game really kills the people on the planet. It is televised on Earth and the planet's people are called terrorists. These farmers now have to fight mechanical soldiers with bombs, guns, and are controlled by rich spoiled kids.
I loved this book! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this unique and wonderful book!
September 29, 2025
This isn't Dungeon Crawler Carl, but there's no denying it's a Matt Dinniman book. It has much of what makes Matt's books so enjoyable- a wild premise, irreverent humor, action, an endearing cast, and twists and turns that keep you guessing til the end.
September 29, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing/Ace for the eARC! ♥️
My first exposure to this author came through Dungeon Crawler Carl (which I somehow ended up reading in tandem with this book).
This book is very different from DCC and has a very different vibe. While DCC is a kind of sci fi fantasy mashup with a somewhat campy and humorous feel to it, this book is straight sci fi and lacks the humorous vibe.
This book follows a group of people originally from Earth who colonized another planet and live fairly simple lives working the land (the main character is a rancher, others are farmers, etc). Meanwhile, Earth decides to invade this new planet and the main character Oliver and his friends and family members defend their home.
This was a somewhat odd reading experience for me. Oliver, despite being the main character, didn’t feel like the main character at all. A lot of the action happened “off screen” so to speak and he wasn’t involved with it at all; he would just hear about it later from someone else or see it later on a vid screen. Roger, one of the robots working on Oliver’s ranch, felt like more of the main character (even though this is first person from Oliver’s perspective) because Roger was involved in more of the action (and a lot of the time, he was the one reporting back to Oliver what was going on).
Roger was also the only humorous character and I enjoyed his scenes. Since he was essentially the babysitter/teacher of Oliver and his sister as kids, he doesn’t tolerate cursing which led to some funny moments. I kind of pictured him to look like IG-11 from The Mandalorian.
The rest of the “humor” in the book (if you could call it that) consisted of dirty jokes and the like, none of which I personally found funny.
Aside from Roger, none of the characters really stood out to me. Part of that is because a bunch of them were introduced at the same time and also because Roger would refer to them with names like “Oliver’s third friend” or whatnot so it was difficult to keep track of them all.
I did like the interview segments which helped explain the bigger picture. The story itself was a bit hard to follow at times and was a bit repetitive (Earth attacks, they defend, person XYZ was killed in the battle, etc). The ending got very sci fi and I personally wasn’t a fan of it.
Overall I would definitely recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl over this. This book is more on the sci fi end and is nowhere near as humorous or entertaining as DCC is. Sadly, this was a bit of a miss for me.
My first exposure to this author came through Dungeon Crawler Carl (which I somehow ended up reading in tandem with this book).
This book is very different from DCC and has a very different vibe. While DCC is a kind of sci fi fantasy mashup with a somewhat campy and humorous feel to it, this book is straight sci fi and lacks the humorous vibe.
This book follows a group of people originally from Earth who colonized another planet and live fairly simple lives working the land (the main character is a rancher, others are farmers, etc). Meanwhile, Earth decides to invade this new planet and the main character Oliver and his friends and family members defend their home.
This was a somewhat odd reading experience for me. Oliver, despite being the main character, didn’t feel like the main character at all. A lot of the action happened “off screen” so to speak and he wasn’t involved with it at all; he would just hear about it later from someone else or see it later on a vid screen. Roger, one of the robots working on Oliver’s ranch, felt like more of the main character (even though this is first person from Oliver’s perspective) because Roger was involved in more of the action (and a lot of the time, he was the one reporting back to Oliver what was going on).
Roger was also the only humorous character and I enjoyed his scenes. Since he was essentially the babysitter/teacher of Oliver and his sister as kids, he doesn’t tolerate cursing which led to some funny moments. I kind of pictured him to look like IG-11 from The Mandalorian.
The rest of the “humor” in the book (if you could call it that) consisted of dirty jokes and the like, none of which I personally found funny.
Aside from Roger, none of the characters really stood out to me. Part of that is because a bunch of them were introduced at the same time and also because Roger would refer to them with names like “Oliver’s third friend” or whatnot so it was difficult to keep track of them all.
I did like the interview segments which helped explain the bigger picture. The story itself was a bit hard to follow at times and was a bit repetitive (Earth attacks, they defend, person XYZ was killed in the battle, etc). The ending got very sci fi and I personally wasn’t a fan of it.
Overall I would definitely recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl over this. This book is more on the sci fi end and is nowhere near as humorous or entertaining as DCC is. Sadly, this was a bit of a miss for me.
August 27, 2025
Like many people, I came to know Matt Dinniman as a huge fan of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. While I can’t always completely understand what is happening in those books, I find reading them to be tremendously enjoyable. I’m not a big gamer nor am I a fantasy reader, but I love Princess Donut and Carl’s adventures.
This book, Operation Bounce House, has wonderfully developed characters that remind me a lot of Carl. While the supporting cast isn’t as absurd or whimsical, the story is engaging and it is so much easier for me to visualize and understand. Yay for Dinniman getting an editor!!
Oliver is a farmer with a steady girl and a garage band. He is the third or fourth generation on a planet called New Sonora. Earth hasn’t made contact with them for 100 years, when the planet was colonized by a handful of scientists and criminals. They are fully independent from earth. But the tables are turned with earth’s government decides to evict the settlers and take back control of the planet via AI android types that are controlled by earth gamers.
So they now become part of a video game that Earth people are charged to play to completely get rid of the citizens of Sonora, called Operation Bounce House.
This one is more speculative fiction and sci fi than fantasy, and has some thinly veiled warnings about late stage capitalism and AI. I found it to be very adventurous and fun. There is some humor, but mostly this is just action packed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ace Publishing/ Berkeley for the ARC. Book to be published 2/9/26.
This book, Operation Bounce House, has wonderfully developed characters that remind me a lot of Carl. While the supporting cast isn’t as absurd or whimsical, the story is engaging and it is so much easier for me to visualize and understand. Yay for Dinniman getting an editor!!
Oliver is a farmer with a steady girl and a garage band. He is the third or fourth generation on a planet called New Sonora. Earth hasn’t made contact with them for 100 years, when the planet was colonized by a handful of scientists and criminals. They are fully independent from earth. But the tables are turned with earth’s government decides to evict the settlers and take back control of the planet via AI android types that are controlled by earth gamers.
So they now become part of a video game that Earth people are charged to play to completely get rid of the citizens of Sonora, called Operation Bounce House.
This one is more speculative fiction and sci fi than fantasy, and has some thinly veiled warnings about late stage capitalism and AI. I found it to be very adventurous and fun. There is some humor, but mostly this is just action packed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ace Publishing/ Berkeley for the ARC. Book to be published 2/9/26.
November 2, 2025
Such a good book. Not as good as Carl so don’t expect it to be. But definitely give it a read.
Want to read
September 18, 2025Edit 9/17/25: Screaming crying throwing up because I got the ARC!!!
Um... pardon me, what is this? This is my formal request to Ace to let me get my grubby paws on this, please and thanks
Um... pardon me, what is this? This is my formal request to Ace to let me get my grubby paws on this, please and thanks
December 6, 2025
Review to come upon release
First half was wayyyy too slow, 2 stars.
Second half was much, much better, 5 stars.
So that means 3.5 stars, rounded up.
First half was wayyyy too slow, 2 stars.
Second half was much, much better, 5 stars.
So that means 3.5 stars, rounded up.
Want to read
September 11, 2025The author of Dungeon Crawler Carl has a new book coming out in February 2026!!
I've seen this described as "social commentary about a sci-fi war for land"
YES! This sounds so good!
** UPDATE OMG ARC REC'D THANK YOU!!!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I've seen this described as "social commentary about a sci-fi war for land"
YES! This sounds so good!
** UPDATE OMG ARC REC'D THANK YOU!!!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Want to read
September 1, 2025I need to read whatever this insane and genius man writes.
September 30, 2025
2.5 / 5 stars
Full RTC
Full RTC
upcoming-releases
May 14, 2025I AM SO READY!! This sounds like it’s going to be an incredibly fun time
October 29, 2025
I received an ARC of this book, and the following review is based on that copy. The final edition may be different from what I’ve read.
As a big fan of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I was excited that Matt Dinniman was publishing something new. He has unique and fresh ideas and I was curious to see what he would do with a different story. While I didn’t find this as memorable as the Carl series, it was still fun and engaging.
Dinniman writes with his usual style: propulsive, funny, and littered with surprisingly heartfelt moments. The setting is recognizable enough to make it easy to immerse as a reader, but it is twisted in a fantastical way. The story being told in that setting is also familiar but done with creativity. The themes here aren’t subtle, but they’re interesting. From dehumanization through the lens of technology and the cost of corporate greed and commercialism, to the negatives of tribalism and the complex issues related to AI, there are definite views expressed, all of them heavy handed. The bad guys in this story are also very bad. There’s no nuance to be found.
Once the story gets going (which it does quickly), it’s on rails. You’re propelled along with a rapidity that should be overwhelming, but it is interspersed with quieter character focused moments that help to break up the pacing. The plot is occasionally derailed by bouts of exposition. There is one character in particular that is responsible for extensive info dumps. It made sections of the story drag. The tone is a blend of humor with much darker elements, which is par for the course with Dinniman’s writing. However, unlike the Carl series, the balance here was off. The action is well done and vividly written, but the heavier moments didn’t always land. It never settled into a tone that was cohesive, and I dealt with whiplash trying to keep up.
First person narrative is hit or miss for me, but it was mostly successful here. Oliver was an interesting choice to anchor the book. Initially, he is as in the dark as the reader is. We get to discover what is happening as he discovers it. He is also a flawed character, and his choices and thought processes are easy to empathize with. The cast around him are memorable, although I wanted the female characters to be fleshed out more than they were. The development of Oliver is awkward, especially in some of his conversations with Rosita (a relationship that is barely touched on and needed more time), but it was believable.
There are a handful of minor spelling and grammatical errors and some clunky prose, which is to be expected given that this is not the final version of the book. I’m sure all of it will be cleaned up before publication. In spite of some issues I was hooked. I read the last third of the book in one go. There is a doozy of a plot twist at the end that took me completely by surprise. This was fun and entertaining even though it lacked the cohesiveness of Dinniman’s other work. The themes were timely, if over done, and the story itself was engaging. It was worth the read.
As a big fan of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I was excited that Matt Dinniman was publishing something new. He has unique and fresh ideas and I was curious to see what he would do with a different story. While I didn’t find this as memorable as the Carl series, it was still fun and engaging.
Dinniman writes with his usual style: propulsive, funny, and littered with surprisingly heartfelt moments. The setting is recognizable enough to make it easy to immerse as a reader, but it is twisted in a fantastical way. The story being told in that setting is also familiar but done with creativity. The themes here aren’t subtle, but they’re interesting. From dehumanization through the lens of technology and the cost of corporate greed and commercialism, to the negatives of tribalism and the complex issues related to AI, there are definite views expressed, all of them heavy handed. The bad guys in this story are also very bad. There’s no nuance to be found.
Once the story gets going (which it does quickly), it’s on rails. You’re propelled along with a rapidity that should be overwhelming, but it is interspersed with quieter character focused moments that help to break up the pacing. The plot is occasionally derailed by bouts of exposition. There is one character in particular that is responsible for extensive info dumps. It made sections of the story drag. The tone is a blend of humor with much darker elements, which is par for the course with Dinniman’s writing. However, unlike the Carl series, the balance here was off. The action is well done and vividly written, but the heavier moments didn’t always land. It never settled into a tone that was cohesive, and I dealt with whiplash trying to keep up.
First person narrative is hit or miss for me, but it was mostly successful here. Oliver was an interesting choice to anchor the book. Initially, he is as in the dark as the reader is. We get to discover what is happening as he discovers it. He is also a flawed character, and his choices and thought processes are easy to empathize with. The cast around him are memorable, although I wanted the female characters to be fleshed out more than they were. The development of Oliver is awkward, especially in some of his conversations with Rosita (a relationship that is barely touched on and needed more time), but it was believable.
There are a handful of minor spelling and grammatical errors and some clunky prose, which is to be expected given that this is not the final version of the book. I’m sure all of it will be cleaned up before publication. In spite of some issues I was hooked. I read the last third of the book in one go. There is a doozy of a plot twist at the end that took me completely by surprise. This was fun and entertaining even though it lacked the cohesiveness of Dinniman’s other work. The themes were timely, if over done, and the story itself was engaging. It was worth the read.
December 11, 2025
In this new sci-fi novel, colonists on the planet New Sonora are suddenly targeted by Earth's Apex Corporation, which turns their extinction into a video game for bored Earthers to play by remotely piloting war machines. Rancher Oliver Lewis and his community are forced to fight for survival against these technologically superior, game-playing invaders.
This book makes a great standalone sci-fi story with some heavy themes. If you’ve read any of Dinniman’s work, you know he likes to highlight the danger of capitalism and AI all while showcasing the strength of humanity’s survival. I also love how Dinniman uses gaming culture in his work, and as a gamer myself, I will never get tired of these elements.
I would compare this book to a horde survival video game. We have our main characters doing everything they can to enhance their stronghold to hold off waves of mech enemies. It’s creative and ambitious, and Matt did an amazing job bringing life to this story. I also loved the emotion that went into this story. It captures humanity well and has some dark, heartbreaking moments.
My biggest struggle with this one revolves around the AI robot. I felt like the AI companion made this situation a bit too ‘easy’. I say this lightly, because of course the situation these characters find themselves in is challenging, but with the instantaneous building and enemy disabling robots at their disposal, the plight felt downgraded. This also caused pacing to feel jarring.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, but it’s not my favorite of his. If you’ve never read Dinniman before, I still recommend picking up Dungeon Crawler Carl first to get the best possible experience. This story is still a solid story with some fantastic elements, but I do think it was missing a something to make it stand out from his other work.
Special thanks to Berkley and Matt Dinniman for early access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
This book makes a great standalone sci-fi story with some heavy themes. If you’ve read any of Dinniman’s work, you know he likes to highlight the danger of capitalism and AI all while showcasing the strength of humanity’s survival. I also love how Dinniman uses gaming culture in his work, and as a gamer myself, I will never get tired of these elements.
I would compare this book to a horde survival video game. We have our main characters doing everything they can to enhance their stronghold to hold off waves of mech enemies. It’s creative and ambitious, and Matt did an amazing job bringing life to this story. I also loved the emotion that went into this story. It captures humanity well and has some dark, heartbreaking moments.
My biggest struggle with this one revolves around the AI robot. I felt like the AI companion made this situation a bit too ‘easy’. I say this lightly, because of course the situation these characters find themselves in is challenging, but with the instantaneous building and enemy disabling robots at their disposal, the plight felt downgraded. This also caused pacing to feel jarring.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, but it’s not my favorite of his. If you’ve never read Dinniman before, I still recommend picking up Dungeon Crawler Carl first to get the best possible experience. This story is still a solid story with some fantastic elements, but I do think it was missing a something to make it stand out from his other work.
Special thanks to Berkley and Matt Dinniman for early access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
November 12, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC!
Everyone around me knows Matt Dinniman from Dungeon Crawler Carl, and you know what? So do I. I know he's written other stuff, but it's not nearly as popular as Carl. So. Yeah. I saw a copy of his newest book/series was up on Netgalley, I jumped on it. I wanted to know if his magic could work on another series or not. And for the most part, the answer is yes.
The same general feel of Dungeon Crawler Carl is here - bleak, almost post-apocalyptic feel countered by little bits and pieces of humor sprinkled here and there throughout the text. There's also an extremely intelligent, funnily sarcastic AI that's basically a main character. It's almost ALMOST eyerollingly similar to DCC. Fortunately, the AI feels different enough that it isn't just self-plagiarism. Operation Bounce House is vastly entertaining, but in the way that you watch a car crash, not an action movie.
The basic premise of Operation Bounce House is that far, far in the future there are human colonies on other planets. One one of these planets has a thriving colony on it, and this is where our story is set. This particular colony is populated with farmers. About 50 years ago, the entire population was decimated by a mysterious disease. Our main characters are THAT generation's children. There's no adults left between the ages of 30 - 50. But despite that, they are thriving. They have robotic help on their farm -- a sarcastic AI by the name of Roger. Anyway, getting off track.
A vicious mech lands on this colony, and starts shooting. Shooting a completely innocent colony. Turns out that a company on earth is selling tickets to whoever can afford them to come and start killing colonists. As a game. It's outrageous. It's heinous. It's stomach turning.
It sounds awfully familiar.
OBH is (seemingly) a standalone novel. It wraps up nicely at the end, but there's a little dangling string that could be followed should the author choose to. I enjoyed this, but it did feel almost tooooooooo close to Dinniman's other series. Three and a half stars.
Everyone around me knows Matt Dinniman from Dungeon Crawler Carl, and you know what? So do I. I know he's written other stuff, but it's not nearly as popular as Carl. So. Yeah. I saw a copy of his newest book/series was up on Netgalley, I jumped on it. I wanted to know if his magic could work on another series or not. And for the most part, the answer is yes.
The same general feel of Dungeon Crawler Carl is here - bleak, almost post-apocalyptic feel countered by little bits and pieces of humor sprinkled here and there throughout the text. There's also an extremely intelligent, funnily sarcastic AI that's basically a main character. It's almost ALMOST eyerollingly similar to DCC. Fortunately, the AI feels different enough that it isn't just self-plagiarism. Operation Bounce House is vastly entertaining, but in the way that you watch a car crash, not an action movie.
The basic premise of Operation Bounce House is that far, far in the future there are human colonies on other planets. One one of these planets has a thriving colony on it, and this is where our story is set. This particular colony is populated with farmers. About 50 years ago, the entire population was decimated by a mysterious disease. Our main characters are THAT generation's children. There's no adults left between the ages of 30 - 50. But despite that, they are thriving. They have robotic help on their farm -- a sarcastic AI by the name of Roger. Anyway, getting off track.
A vicious mech lands on this colony, and starts shooting. Shooting a completely innocent colony. Turns out that a company on earth is selling tickets to whoever can afford them to come and start killing colonists. As a game. It's outrageous. It's heinous. It's stomach turning.
It sounds awfully familiar.
OBH is (seemingly) a standalone novel. It wraps up nicely at the end, but there's a little dangling string that could be followed should the author choose to. I enjoyed this, but it did feel almost tooooooooo close to Dinniman's other series. Three and a half stars.
October 4, 2025
Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'Operation Bounce House' by Matt Dinniman - expected release date of 02/10/2026
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This felt like more of a sci-fi book and maybe could've been in an alternative world of DCC. This is not the same story, and that should be noted going in. This book takes place in a colony that left earth generations before and had slowly begun to have increased contact again. They use the land and limited resources to survive but don’t have a life comparable to that on earth - until earth invades. Dinniman lines this book with so much social commentary and speaks to corporate greed in its finest. Add in another spicy AI and epic battle sciences, and this book is a ton of fun!
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This felt like more of a sci-fi book and maybe could've been in an alternative world of DCC. This is not the same story, and that should be noted going in. This book takes place in a colony that left earth generations before and had slowly begun to have increased contact again. They use the land and limited resources to survive but don’t have a life comparable to that on earth - until earth invades. Dinniman lines this book with so much social commentary and speaks to corporate greed in its finest. Add in another spicy AI and epic battle sciences, and this book is a ton of fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 13, 2025If you've read any of the author's Dungeon Crawler series, you kinda know what you're getting, though the setting is a planet that the Evil Earth Corporations have set up as a live video game for the rich to get to shoot up real houses and people.
The characters are fun, if a bit one dimensional--the most interesting character is Roger, the grumpy, sarcastic AI (who at times reminded me a lot of the wise but grumpy creatures that helped kids in Edward Eager's fantasies). But it's a fast, fun read, especially if you like stories wherein a bunch of farm kids learn how to defend their territory on the run. Very cinematic!
The characters are fun, if a bit one dimensional--the most interesting character is Roger, the grumpy, sarcastic AI (who at times reminded me a lot of the wise but grumpy creatures that helped kids in Edward Eager's fantasies). But it's a fast, fun read, especially if you like stories wherein a bunch of farm kids learn how to defend their territory on the run. Very cinematic!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
DNF.
I really enjoyed DCC, but I felt this book info-dumps wayyy too much. I'm really not into sci-fi in the first place, but I liked Matt Dinniman's other series, so I thought I'd give this a go. Unfortunately I am not the audience for this book!
Thank you for the ARC and the chance to leave an honest review!
I really enjoyed DCC, but I felt this book info-dumps wayyy too much. I'm really not into sci-fi in the first place, but I liked Matt Dinniman's other series, so I thought I'd give this a go. Unfortunately I am not the audience for this book!
Thank you for the ARC and the chance to leave an honest review!
November 9, 2025
If you are expecting Dungeon Crawler Carl… you will be sadly disappointed. This is nothing like Dinniman’s DCC series… BUT this is a great book. I was intrigued throughout and the ending makes me think book 2 will be even better than the first… and i can’t wait!!!
December 17, 2025
this was so fun! the ending was perfect. would love short stories from Rogers POV
October 16, 2025
First of all, thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for providing an ARC copy
Having recently finished the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I jumped at the chance to read Matt Dinniman’s upcoming standalone, Operation Bounce House.
The story is told through an interesting contrast of traditional narrative and documentary footage, chronicling the lives of a group of settlers on New Senora, and the events of Operation Bounce House; all the while exploring themes which are culturally relevant today.
The book is fun and light-hearted, while much of the humour and LitRPG elements we’ve come to know and love from DCC have been stripped back. Though, fret not, fans of Carl and Donut, as Matt Dinniman’s signature humour is generously sprinkled throughout and he yet again he manages to transport us from page to video game. While we might not be hit over the head with upgrades and debuffs, gaming is still at the books heart along with its quirky characters and interesting AI.
I will be honest, at one point it had me googling an unfamiliar term and I immediately broke Rule 4. Why Matt? My skins still crawling.
Operation Bounce House may have a broader appeal to sci-fi fans who may not “vibe” with the LitRPG elements of DCC. But Donut Holes, don’t expect a simple rehash of DCC in a new setting. If that’s what you’re after, you may be disappointed. What you do get is a very enjoyable story with a charming cast of characters. I enjoyed my time with the book and I cant wait to check out the audiobook on release.
Having recently finished the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I jumped at the chance to read Matt Dinniman’s upcoming standalone, Operation Bounce House.
The story is told through an interesting contrast of traditional narrative and documentary footage, chronicling the lives of a group of settlers on New Senora, and the events of Operation Bounce House; all the while exploring themes which are culturally relevant today.
The book is fun and light-hearted, while much of the humour and LitRPG elements we’ve come to know and love from DCC have been stripped back. Though, fret not, fans of Carl and Donut, as Matt Dinniman’s signature humour is generously sprinkled throughout and he yet again he manages to transport us from page to video game. While we might not be hit over the head with upgrades and debuffs, gaming is still at the books heart along with its quirky characters and interesting AI.
I will be honest, at one point it had me googling an unfamiliar term and I immediately broke Rule 4. Why Matt? My skins still crawling.
Operation Bounce House may have a broader appeal to sci-fi fans who may not “vibe” with the LitRPG elements of DCC. But Donut Holes, don’t expect a simple rehash of DCC in a new setting. If that’s what you’re after, you may be disappointed. What you do get is a very enjoyable story with a charming cast of characters. I enjoyed my time with the book and I cant wait to check out the audiobook on release.
December 15, 2025
I truly love Matt Dinniman’s creative, hilarious mind and I don’t think there will ever be a day that he is not an instant buy author for me! 🪐
I was first introduced to DCC from my husband and it became an overnight sensation in our household. Needless to say I was stoked to receive an arc copy of Dinniman’s newest standalone, Operation Bounce House.
In all transparency, I went back and forth over how I should rate this and ultimately I decided on 3.75⭐️ rounded up. Was it perfect? No. However it was still a great read and I think there are many readers who will really enjoy this book. My biggest issue with Operation Bounce House is that it took a little too long for me to finally get into the story. Unlike DCC where the story hits the ground running, this book has a much slower pace. The second half was definitely better than the first half as far as character development, pacing and plot goes. The beginning had a lot of action, which I usually love but because it was lacking character development I found myself not connecting to the story as much as I like to and for that I struggled to care about what was going on in the first half. I believe that it is due to its slower start that some arc readers decided to DNF the book which is unfortunate because pushing through definitely ended up being worth the payoff at the end. I would probably have DNFed it myself but because this was a gifted ARC I continued on and I’m glad so glad I did!
Rodger was my favorite part of Operation Bounce House. I enjoyed his character and learning more about his backstory. I also thought the plot twists in the second half made this story worth reading and made the experience more enjoyable all around. It was because of the second half of the book that I decided to round up to 4⭐️. I am interested to give the audiobook a try when it comes out to see if my feelings change with a reread. I have a feeling I will end up liking it even more as an audiobook.
Thank you to the publishers at Berkley Publishing Group as well as Matt Dinniman for gifting me an arc of Operation Bounce House. I enjoyed the experience!
I was first introduced to DCC from my husband and it became an overnight sensation in our household. Needless to say I was stoked to receive an arc copy of Dinniman’s newest standalone, Operation Bounce House.
In all transparency, I went back and forth over how I should rate this and ultimately I decided on 3.75⭐️ rounded up. Was it perfect? No. However it was still a great read and I think there are many readers who will really enjoy this book. My biggest issue with Operation Bounce House is that it took a little too long for me to finally get into the story. Unlike DCC where the story hits the ground running, this book has a much slower pace. The second half was definitely better than the first half as far as character development, pacing and plot goes. The beginning had a lot of action, which I usually love but because it was lacking character development I found myself not connecting to the story as much as I like to and for that I struggled to care about what was going on in the first half. I believe that it is due to its slower start that some arc readers decided to DNF the book which is unfortunate because pushing through definitely ended up being worth the payoff at the end. I would probably have DNFed it myself but because this was a gifted ARC I continued on and I’m glad so glad I did!
Rodger was my favorite part of Operation Bounce House. I enjoyed his character and learning more about his backstory. I also thought the plot twists in the second half made this story worth reading and made the experience more enjoyable all around. It was because of the second half of the book that I decided to round up to 4⭐️. I am interested to give the audiobook a try when it comes out to see if my feelings change with a reread. I have a feeling I will end up liking it even more as an audiobook.
Thank you to the publishers at Berkley Publishing Group as well as Matt Dinniman for gifting me an arc of Operation Bounce House. I enjoyed the experience!
Want to read
September 19, 2025I am so excited for this ARC! Thank you so much Berkley Publishing Group
December 15, 2025
Oh boy, prepare for me to never shut up about this book. Matt Dinniman has done it again. Legend. Prepare for a lengthy review.
This review was originally posted to SFF Insiders.
https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
Strap in and grab your pitchfork because Matt Dinniman is back again with a fast-paced stand-alone novel that’s sure to leave you itching for more. Oliver is a colonist of the recently inhabited New Sonora, a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy. All he wants in life is to keep his family farm running with its population of agriculture bots and play a few songs in the garage style band he established with his friends.
All this changes when Oliver encounters a mech war machine off his property that tries to kill him on sight. It turns out Apex Industries back on old Earth has started an eviction for the New Sonora residents. To make matters more interesting, Apex has decided to turn this extermination into a game, allowing people on Earth to pay a price to design their own mechs and remotely piolet them. It’s Operation Bounce House. Now Oliver and his friends must band together using the farms robots to defend their home, and planet, from invaders who have paid top tier prices for deadly entertainment.
“It’s Operation Bounce House,” she said. “It’s real, and it’s here.”
From the start of the book, readers are dropped onto New Sonora, a planet much like Earth with breathable air and fertile land. With picturesque towns and tight-knit community residents that give off an Earthlike charm, one might forget that they are on a different planet. The only noticeable difference is the presence of the agricultural robot population that were brought along on the generation ships to assist in setting up the colony. The bots were meant to be decommissioned once their task was done, however Oliver’s grandfather had kept his fleet of machinal helpers running. They now assist with the day-to-day tasks of farm life. No job is too complicated for them as they have a hive queen bot that oversees all functioning. However, these bots cannot run forever. Break downs are bound to happen, and Oliver has become skilled at crafty DIY repairs, doing whatever he can to keep the workforce operational for as long as possible.
As the plot progresses, readers get snippets of lore and information from Old Earth. Life there has continued over the past few hundred years, however parts of the population have developed a new bias towards the inhabitants of New Sonora. They are now seen as inferior genetic alterations, despite coming from a line of colonists who originally lived on Earth. Apex heavily exploits this bias, using it to carry their plans forward and justify the actions of its killing game for its paying players.
Throughout the story, we are introduced to a wide range of main and supporting characters. For the sake of keeping this review at a reasonable length, I will be focusing on the three that had the biggest impact with me.
Beginning with Oliver, our main protagonist, who is enjoying his day-to-day life running the inherited family farm alongside his sister. Early in the story, Oliver is focusing on the tasks necessary to keep the farm and agriculture bots running. But after the extermination kicks off, Oliver is quickly thrust into a new role he is neither comfortable with nor prepared for. His family, friends, and community start looking up to him in this time of strife. Oliver quickly becomes a leader in defending his home, and with that comes the crushing weight of guilt when lives are lost. Dinniman masterfully crafts this internal struggle, giving readers a genuine sense of emotional connection.
Supporting Oliver throughout his life is his younger sister, Lulu. She is a constant presence, standing firmly beside him as they make difficult decisions regarding how to defend their family home from the onslaught of destruction. Of course, sibling disagreements and squabbles naturally arise, however Lulu always remains faithfully by Oliver’s side. She is fiercely protective of her family and community, so the impact of losing life in the coming battle weighs heavy on her consciousness.
The last character I want to highlight is the farm’s hive queen robot, Rodger. He is responsible for communicating, coordinating, and controlling all the agriculture robots, drones, and scouts. He makes it possible for all the farm’s bots to operate together in unison. If Rodger were to ever break down, the majority of the farm’s workforce would cease to exist or be severely limited in its functional capacity. Rodger has a personality that can be described as dry yet sassy. He was programed by Oliver and Lulu’s grandfather to not only help run the farm, but also to look after the siblings and provide protection at whatever cost. Rodger is, in my opinion, the unsung MPV of the story. He quickly became my favorite character, and I deeply enjoyed uncovering more about him as the book progressed.
“We only have five days to cleanse the planet! Don’t’ miss out on your chance to make a difference in the galaxy! The future of true humanity is in your hands!”
Since this book doesn’t not use a magic system, I will be focusing instead on its combat. As one might expect in a world containing mechanical enemies, bullets and explosives are the primary weapons of choice. Every paying customer has the opportunity to heavily customize their purchased Apex mech. From class types and abilities to weapon choices, all the way down to the finer details such as color and personal style, the combinations are endless. The residents of New Sonora must learn the weakness of each type of mech as they are actively engaged in combat. With each new wave assaulting the farm over the 5-day extermination period, the number of players aiming for a chance to kill steadily increases.
Despite the grim outlook, our colonists aren’t completely left out to dry. With Rodger’s assistance, he and Oliver quickly reshape the agriculture workforce into their own makeshift army. They only have a few days to make the transformation before chaos is unleashed onto New Sonora. By customizing the scout bots to be stealthy, they become the colonist’s eyes in the field assisting with recon information. The larger bots transform into heavy duty tanks that hit hard and hold defensive lines. Lastly the large drone population becomes the new primary fighting force. Oliver and his friends must think fast on how to set up defenses around the farm, and plan for launching their own counter attacks on the oncoming Apex forces.
This book was a pleasure to read. From the start the action kicks off and keeps steadily increasing until the very last chapters. The concepts are fresh and original, yet the story has an air of familiarity with Dinniman’s writing style that we all love from his other works. The plot keeps you absolutely hooked to the point you are reading into the early hours of the morning. Also keep an eye out for some fantastic Dungeon Crawler Carl easter eggs!
In closing, this book made my year. I’m a tad bit sad it’s only stand-alone, as I would love to see a second installment or further expansion to this world that has been crafted. However, this book wraps up perfectly to leave readers satisfied with its conclusion. I’m just being greedy.
Lastly, a huge thank you to Dinniman and ACE Books for the advanced reader copy. This book genuinely dug me out of a reading slump.
This review was originally posted to SFF Insiders.
https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
Strap in and grab your pitchfork because Matt Dinniman is back again with a fast-paced stand-alone novel that’s sure to leave you itching for more. Oliver is a colonist of the recently inhabited New Sonora, a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy. All he wants in life is to keep his family farm running with its population of agriculture bots and play a few songs in the garage style band he established with his friends.
All this changes when Oliver encounters a mech war machine off his property that tries to kill him on sight. It turns out Apex Industries back on old Earth has started an eviction for the New Sonora residents. To make matters more interesting, Apex has decided to turn this extermination into a game, allowing people on Earth to pay a price to design their own mechs and remotely piolet them. It’s Operation Bounce House. Now Oliver and his friends must band together using the farms robots to defend their home, and planet, from invaders who have paid top tier prices for deadly entertainment.
“It’s Operation Bounce House,” she said. “It’s real, and it’s here.”
From the start of the book, readers are dropped onto New Sonora, a planet much like Earth with breathable air and fertile land. With picturesque towns and tight-knit community residents that give off an Earthlike charm, one might forget that they are on a different planet. The only noticeable difference is the presence of the agricultural robot population that were brought along on the generation ships to assist in setting up the colony. The bots were meant to be decommissioned once their task was done, however Oliver’s grandfather had kept his fleet of machinal helpers running. They now assist with the day-to-day tasks of farm life. No job is too complicated for them as they have a hive queen bot that oversees all functioning. However, these bots cannot run forever. Break downs are bound to happen, and Oliver has become skilled at crafty DIY repairs, doing whatever he can to keep the workforce operational for as long as possible.
As the plot progresses, readers get snippets of lore and information from Old Earth. Life there has continued over the past few hundred years, however parts of the population have developed a new bias towards the inhabitants of New Sonora. They are now seen as inferior genetic alterations, despite coming from a line of colonists who originally lived on Earth. Apex heavily exploits this bias, using it to carry their plans forward and justify the actions of its killing game for its paying players.
Throughout the story, we are introduced to a wide range of main and supporting characters. For the sake of keeping this review at a reasonable length, I will be focusing on the three that had the biggest impact with me.
Beginning with Oliver, our main protagonist, who is enjoying his day-to-day life running the inherited family farm alongside his sister. Early in the story, Oliver is focusing on the tasks necessary to keep the farm and agriculture bots running. But after the extermination kicks off, Oliver is quickly thrust into a new role he is neither comfortable with nor prepared for. His family, friends, and community start looking up to him in this time of strife. Oliver quickly becomes a leader in defending his home, and with that comes the crushing weight of guilt when lives are lost. Dinniman masterfully crafts this internal struggle, giving readers a genuine sense of emotional connection.
Supporting Oliver throughout his life is his younger sister, Lulu. She is a constant presence, standing firmly beside him as they make difficult decisions regarding how to defend their family home from the onslaught of destruction. Of course, sibling disagreements and squabbles naturally arise, however Lulu always remains faithfully by Oliver’s side. She is fiercely protective of her family and community, so the impact of losing life in the coming battle weighs heavy on her consciousness.
The last character I want to highlight is the farm’s hive queen robot, Rodger. He is responsible for communicating, coordinating, and controlling all the agriculture robots, drones, and scouts. He makes it possible for all the farm’s bots to operate together in unison. If Rodger were to ever break down, the majority of the farm’s workforce would cease to exist or be severely limited in its functional capacity. Rodger has a personality that can be described as dry yet sassy. He was programed by Oliver and Lulu’s grandfather to not only help run the farm, but also to look after the siblings and provide protection at whatever cost. Rodger is, in my opinion, the unsung MPV of the story. He quickly became my favorite character, and I deeply enjoyed uncovering more about him as the book progressed.
“We only have five days to cleanse the planet! Don’t’ miss out on your chance to make a difference in the galaxy! The future of true humanity is in your hands!”
Since this book doesn’t not use a magic system, I will be focusing instead on its combat. As one might expect in a world containing mechanical enemies, bullets and explosives are the primary weapons of choice. Every paying customer has the opportunity to heavily customize their purchased Apex mech. From class types and abilities to weapon choices, all the way down to the finer details such as color and personal style, the combinations are endless. The residents of New Sonora must learn the weakness of each type of mech as they are actively engaged in combat. With each new wave assaulting the farm over the 5-day extermination period, the number of players aiming for a chance to kill steadily increases.
Despite the grim outlook, our colonists aren’t completely left out to dry. With Rodger’s assistance, he and Oliver quickly reshape the agriculture workforce into their own makeshift army. They only have a few days to make the transformation before chaos is unleashed onto New Sonora. By customizing the scout bots to be stealthy, they become the colonist’s eyes in the field assisting with recon information. The larger bots transform into heavy duty tanks that hit hard and hold defensive lines. Lastly the large drone population becomes the new primary fighting force. Oliver and his friends must think fast on how to set up defenses around the farm, and plan for launching their own counter attacks on the oncoming Apex forces.
This book was a pleasure to read. From the start the action kicks off and keeps steadily increasing until the very last chapters. The concepts are fresh and original, yet the story has an air of familiarity with Dinniman’s writing style that we all love from his other works. The plot keeps you absolutely hooked to the point you are reading into the early hours of the morning. Also keep an eye out for some fantastic Dungeon Crawler Carl easter eggs!
In closing, this book made my year. I’m a tad bit sad it’s only stand-alone, as I would love to see a second installment or further expansion to this world that has been crafted. However, this book wraps up perfectly to leave readers satisfied with its conclusion. I’m just being greedy.
Lastly, a huge thank you to Dinniman and ACE Books for the advanced reader copy. This book genuinely dug me out of a reading slump.
October 27, 2025
I haven’t read the books Matt Dinniman is most famous for, the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I’ve heard nothing but raves about those novels, but as I’m not much of a gamer (I still firmly believe that the finest video game ever created was Mario 64), I wasn’t sure they were for me. Still, when an ARC of Dinniman’s new, stand-alone novel became available and I read the description, I was intrigued, and I took a chance.
I’m so glad I did, because Operation Bounce House is a ton of fun.
New Sonora is a planet far from Earth, colonized by humans from generation ships that left the home planet hundreds of years ago. Despite many setbacks, some of them catastrophic, the largely agrarian civilization is thriving, due in part to the guidance of the AI intelligence and agriculture bots that help run the family ranch where most of the story takes place. The settlers are looking forward to a transfer gate finally opening, which will give them instant travel to, and communication with, Earth.
And then everything goes to hell, when the settlers are attacked by war machines piloted by remote gamers back on Earth, thanks to a game called Operation Bounce House. The settlers much come together and fight for their lives against advanced technology and overwhelming odds, with only their ingenuity, their bravery, and a mediocre rock band to save them.
Dinniman excels at creating fully-realized characters you’ll root for, and does some truly exceptional world-building. And somehow, while building tension, amidst life and death stakes, he manages to inject laugh-out-loud humor when you least expect it. Like I said earlier, Operation Bounce House is a ton of fun.
This novel reminded me, in the best ways, of authors like Heinlein and Varley, and novels like The Forever Way, Old Man’s War, Ender’s Game, and Armada, but Dinniman has his own story to tell, and he does it well.
Operation Bounce House will be published February 10, 2026, and is available for pre-order now. Don’t miss this one.
I’m so glad I did, because Operation Bounce House is a ton of fun.
New Sonora is a planet far from Earth, colonized by humans from generation ships that left the home planet hundreds of years ago. Despite many setbacks, some of them catastrophic, the largely agrarian civilization is thriving, due in part to the guidance of the AI intelligence and agriculture bots that help run the family ranch where most of the story takes place. The settlers are looking forward to a transfer gate finally opening, which will give them instant travel to, and communication with, Earth.
And then everything goes to hell, when the settlers are attacked by war machines piloted by remote gamers back on Earth, thanks to a game called Operation Bounce House. The settlers much come together and fight for their lives against advanced technology and overwhelming odds, with only their ingenuity, their bravery, and a mediocre rock band to save them.
Dinniman excels at creating fully-realized characters you’ll root for, and does some truly exceptional world-building. And somehow, while building tension, amidst life and death stakes, he manages to inject laugh-out-loud humor when you least expect it. Like I said earlier, Operation Bounce House is a ton of fun.
This novel reminded me, in the best ways, of authors like Heinlein and Varley, and novels like The Forever Way, Old Man’s War, Ender’s Game, and Armada, but Dinniman has his own story to tell, and he does it well.
Operation Bounce House will be published February 10, 2026, and is available for pre-order now. Don’t miss this one.
December 9, 2025
So, I am a huge fan of Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC), and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants zany, off-the wall action.
As soon as I saw a book from Matt Dinniman on NetGalley, I immediately jumped on it.
At face value, it sounds like a comedic action story filled with robots, battles, and humor. Unfortunately, the book failed to live up to my expectations.
The premise was interesting enough, the colony planet is invaded by robots from Earth, and Oliver must put together a resistance to protect their home.
The problem is that Oliver was hardly the main character. To put it bluntly, he was boring. The true main character was Roger the robot. Roger fought all the battles, Roger was involved in all the decisions, Roger was crucially important, and Roger was even funnier than Oliver (not terribly difficult).
The majority of the battles happened off-screen, and it was only the final battle that actually was experienced by the reader in any great detail. I did a buddy read of this book and a comment I made at 84% was, “ This is it! This is what we’ve been waiting for! Action is finally about to start!” Action stories should get to the action a bit quicker than that.
Lack of action aside, the was filled with cringey, sexual based humor. It was a tad repetitive, and got old very fast. I don’t mind the occasional crass joke, but it got excessive. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make it funny.
Overall, the book came across as a cautionary tale about the over use of social media and the inherent perils of AI generated images. While a thought provoking subject, it does not make an interesting story, and it would be better suited as a news article or scientific study.
I was looking for another DCC, but sadly, I was let down. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that this book came out before DCC. Overall, it was okay at best.
As soon as I saw a book from Matt Dinniman on NetGalley, I immediately jumped on it.
At face value, it sounds like a comedic action story filled with robots, battles, and humor. Unfortunately, the book failed to live up to my expectations.
The premise was interesting enough, the colony planet is invaded by robots from Earth, and Oliver must put together a resistance to protect their home.
The problem is that Oliver was hardly the main character. To put it bluntly, he was boring. The true main character was Roger the robot. Roger fought all the battles, Roger was involved in all the decisions, Roger was crucially important, and Roger was even funnier than Oliver (not terribly difficult).
The majority of the battles happened off-screen, and it was only the final battle that actually was experienced by the reader in any great detail. I did a buddy read of this book and a comment I made at 84% was, “ This is it! This is what we’ve been waiting for! Action is finally about to start!” Action stories should get to the action a bit quicker than that.
Lack of action aside, the was filled with cringey, sexual based humor. It was a tad repetitive, and got old very fast. I don’t mind the occasional crass joke, but it got excessive. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make it funny.
Overall, the book came across as a cautionary tale about the over use of social media and the inherent perils of AI generated images. While a thought provoking subject, it does not make an interesting story, and it would be better suited as a news article or scientific study.
I was looking for another DCC, but sadly, I was let down. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that this book came out before DCC. Overall, it was okay at best.
September 2, 2025
(Pre-Release review)
Having read all of DCC to date, I was interested to see what of Matt Dinniman's style would carry over to another work and what would stay with Carl.
I've come to the conclusion that the secret sauce of Matt Dinniman is that he's a genuinely good writer of character driven drama that happens to enjoy writing off the wall and action filled sci-fi. Every character has authentic and visceral trauma, but where a lesser author might make the trauma their entire personality, these characters feel so much more real because the trauma is this scabbed over past wound that has been incorporated into who they are. when his characters think about the loss and hurt that motivates them, it feels similarly to the way it feels to look on your own childhood with the perspective and wisdom of age. All that to say, his character work is fantastically nuanced and every character feels very alive (until they aren't).
On to the story. This story, much like DCC, has a relevant political theme, this one being the dangers of nationalism/xenophobia and the commoditization of human life. These themes ring as true in the story as they do in our world. The science part of the fiction can be a bit of a hand wave at times with a lot of reliance on near magical robots and 3D printers, but there's just enough explanation to satisfy most readers of hard Sci-fi. The story itself is not overly complicated and follows a fairly obvious pathway. It reminded me a lot of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein but with more readable prose and no polygamy.
Overall I enjoyed it a good bit and I look forward to reading more of Dinniman. 4.3/5
Having read all of DCC to date, I was interested to see what of Matt Dinniman's style would carry over to another work and what would stay with Carl.
I've come to the conclusion that the secret sauce of Matt Dinniman is that he's a genuinely good writer of character driven drama that happens to enjoy writing off the wall and action filled sci-fi. Every character has authentic and visceral trauma, but where a lesser author might make the trauma their entire personality, these characters feel so much more real because the trauma is this scabbed over past wound that has been incorporated into who they are. when his characters think about the loss and hurt that motivates them, it feels similarly to the way it feels to look on your own childhood with the perspective and wisdom of age. All that to say, his character work is fantastically nuanced and every character feels very alive (until they aren't).
On to the story. This story, much like DCC, has a relevant political theme, this one being the dangers of nationalism/xenophobia and the commoditization of human life. These themes ring as true in the story as they do in our world. The science part of the fiction can be a bit of a hand wave at times with a lot of reliance on near magical robots and 3D printers, but there's just enough explanation to satisfy most readers of hard Sci-fi. The story itself is not overly complicated and follows a fairly obvious pathway. It reminded me a lot of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein but with more readable prose and no polygamy.
Overall I enjoyed it a good bit and I look forward to reading more of Dinniman. 4.3/5
December 6, 2025
As a huge Dungeon Crawler Carl fan, I was so thrilled and thankful for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley. And thanks to Matt Dinniman for continuing to write books that feel like nothing I've ever read before. The problem with writing something as insanely good as DCC is that many readers will, inevitably, compare your other works to your insanely high standard you set for yourself, and that is the case here. Unfortunately, I cannot suggest that all DCC readers should go out and urgently add Operation Bounce House to their TBR, but I do think that some DCC readers will enjoy this title.
I'll start with what I liked: the premise, some of the humor, and the last 30% of the book. Premise: colonists from Earth have terraformed and developed a planet, and this young group of farmers (and wannabe rockstars) find themselves fighting for their lives/homes when mechs virtually manned by entitled teenage gamers from Earth attack their planet and essentially attempt a genocide. The coolest part of this premise is the Black Mirror-esque concept that the Earth society has been led to believe this planet is home to a dangerous terrorist cell, and they get to participate in this gaming company's high stakes event to "save the planet" and wipe out the "terrorists." There is an actual Black Mirror episode where soldiers are killing what they believe are zombies, but at the end, one soldier removes his high-tech goggles/helmets and realizes they are just civilians, including children. That same vibe is present in this book, and I love it. Dinniman takes it further by really exploring how terrifying our tenuous grasp on reality is/will become as we have increasingly powerful AI and wealthy companies that can warp reality to their liking. OBH isn't as funny as Dungeon Crawler Carl, in my opinion, but I still laughed out loud at times. The book really picked up for me when I was about 65% of the way through, and I plowed through the ending.
Ok now the reason it's a 3-star for me instead of the resounding 5 stars that DCC is. Operation Bounce House feels a little more niche, in my opinion, and likely to be most enjoyed by gamers (or those familiar with modern gaming); it felt more tactical, and I found myself bored during most of the combat scenes--but there are readers who may really love the frequent combat. My main gripe is that I didn't find myself instantly drawn to or caring about the characters. Even most of the main characters just didn't feel as well developed, as human, or as endearing as characters in his other books. By the end, I was rooting for them, laughing at their inside jokes, and hoping they didn't all die. But it was just a little too little, too late for me. So it's a resounding MAYBE from me. Worth a read if you love Dinniman's stuff. If you're not already a fan, I don't think this is the book that's going to make you a fan.
Again, a huge thanks to NetGalley, Matt Dinniman, and Penguin Random House for access to more of Matt Dinniman's one-of-a-kind writing. GLURP GLURP.
I'll start with what I liked: the premise, some of the humor, and the last 30% of the book. Premise: colonists from Earth have terraformed and developed a planet, and this young group of farmers (and wannabe rockstars) find themselves fighting for their lives/homes when mechs virtually manned by entitled teenage gamers from Earth attack their planet and essentially attempt a genocide. The coolest part of this premise is the Black Mirror-esque concept that the Earth society has been led to believe this planet is home to a dangerous terrorist cell, and they get to participate in this gaming company's high stakes event to "save the planet" and wipe out the "terrorists." There is an actual Black Mirror episode where soldiers are killing what they believe are zombies, but at the end, one soldier removes his high-tech goggles/helmets and realizes they are just civilians, including children. That same vibe is present in this book, and I love it. Dinniman takes it further by really exploring how terrifying our tenuous grasp on reality is/will become as we have increasingly powerful AI and wealthy companies that can warp reality to their liking. OBH isn't as funny as Dungeon Crawler Carl, in my opinion, but I still laughed out loud at times. The book really picked up for me when I was about 65% of the way through, and I plowed through the ending.
Ok now the reason it's a 3-star for me instead of the resounding 5 stars that DCC is. Operation Bounce House feels a little more niche, in my opinion, and likely to be most enjoyed by gamers (or those familiar with modern gaming); it felt more tactical, and I found myself bored during most of the combat scenes--but there are readers who may really love the frequent combat. My main gripe is that I didn't find myself instantly drawn to or caring about the characters. Even most of the main characters just didn't feel as well developed, as human, or as endearing as characters in his other books. By the end, I was rooting for them, laughing at their inside jokes, and hoping they didn't all die. But it was just a little too little, too late for me. So it's a resounding MAYBE from me. Worth a read if you love Dinniman's stuff. If you're not already a fan, I don't think this is the book that's going to make you a fan.
Again, a huge thanks to NetGalley, Matt Dinniman, and Penguin Random House for access to more of Matt Dinniman's one-of-a-kind writing. GLURP GLURP.
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