Operation Bounce House: THE EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL

by Matt Dinniman

"Matt Dinniman has cooked us all up a deliciously terrifying gamer geek stew, mixing up Avatar and Ender's Game, with a dash of The Last Starfighter and Independence Day thrown in. This tale is more twisted fun than you can shake a joystick at.” Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

“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.” SFF Insider

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BECOME YOUR PLANET’S FINAL BOSS?

PRE-ORDER THIS EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL AND JOIN THE FIGHT.

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All New Sonoran colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep their aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking.

But now the colossal Apex Corporation has been hired to commence an “eviction action” – exterminate all life on New Sonora in preparation for a reboot. And they charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines, remotely pilot them, and make it a game.

The game is called Operation Bounce House . . .

And New Sonora is its playing field.

Determined to defend the only home he’s ever known, Oliver and his friends find themselves fighting for their lives against these machines.

To earth its a game, but to Oliver, it's war.


*** Praise for Operation Bounce House ***

"Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos with all the alacrity of a dynamite fuse." Pierce Brown, bestselling author of Red Rising
"Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining." James Islington, International bestselling author of The Will of the Many
"Creative and well-written as ever, Operation Bounce House reminds me how much storytelling a great writer can pack into a single volume." Will Wight, bestelling author of The Cradle Series
"An all-hands-on-deck sci-fi war novel that pits the peasants against the plutocracy, pitchforks against spaceships, rock ’n’ roll against oppression, and love against greed… you’re gonna love every bloody page of it." Philip Fracassi, author of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Humor, Audiobook, Dystopia

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 10, 2026

About the author

Matt 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.

Reviews

[MagretFume · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge Dungeon Crawler Carl fan 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!

[ଘRory]

__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😭.

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 😅

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Sandy ❦✶⁺⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read and even though I’m not really a sci-fi girly, it had lots of elements to appeal to a wide audience.🥰⭐️

The story predominantly follows Oliver, a farmer living a small off-Earth colony called New Sonara, alongside his friends and family.🧑‍🌾🐷🐓🌾
However, the characters soon discover a previously advertised ‘Operation Bounce House’ is real and its purpose is to exterminate New Sonara using remotely-operated mechanical robots. 🤖🦾🦿💥🚀

The story has a strong cat of characters with a good amount of depth but also it knows when to add humour to the story, and not take itself too seriously. I always have a soft spot for little robot characters (perhaps stemming from my love of Rocky in Project Hail Mary) and so Roger 👾was a great primary character and was strategically used to move the plot along, add information, humour and even contention. Similarly I think the elaborate lay-out of the AI systems was very clever.

The plot was very compelling and I was definitely invested in the progress of the invasion in what seemed like an insurmountable battle. Another component worth highlighting is the scene-cuts of Rosita’s recording 🎬📽️🎞️- aiming to create empathy in the audiences - which felt almost like a breaking-the-fourth-wall moment. Even though a lot of the language and plot centres around mechanics and technology, those scenes were a nice prompt to make you humanise the characters and their prior lives. 🥹😌They felt sincere and endearing.

Overall a great read. If you’re a Dinnaman fan and used to his writing style, you’ll have heaps of fun with this🫡💃🏽 - and if you haven’t read his work before, this is a great entry point to his writing as well as the sci-fi genre.🥰⭐️

[charisse ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ 2 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .

i requested this book since i loved DCC very much. it felt very different from DCC and it was very sci-fi and not as funny as DCC was. there was also kinda a lot of info dumping in the beginning of the book where i got very confused with all of the characters... somewhere in the middle of the book, the plot kinda got very repetitive and it felt like it was going nowhere? iykwim

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine Seder · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this is true MD writing with the humor and vibes that feel like you are truly a part of the story.

Second, I just refuse to believe that this is a standalone. I had such a good time with this one but I think the way this story unraveled and ended could be by itself OR continue as a series. Personally I want more.

The first 1/3 of the book is somewhat slow but that is to be expected to get the lay of the land. Then it is a steady climb until we hit the peaks of the plot.

I didn’t think I’d be obsessed with the ending of this but I am! I have SO MANY QUESTIONS. But I think that is why I refuse for this to just end.

This book is full of humor, heartfelt moments, gore, violence and plenty of profanity that is monitored by a Robotic Bee named Roger….this will be your book if any of these spark your interest! Especially when it is placed in a dystopian future of human colonization mixed in with the propaganda and political turmoil.

Or you may like this book if you just pick it up and just read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing for the eARC.

[Berry's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Bounce House was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and somehow, it still managed to exceed my already high expectations! The plot is unique and addictive, I was completely sucked in and couldn't put it down.

It captures that dystopian vibe that we all love in Dungeon Crawler Carl, but stands entirely on its own with a amazing storyline full of chaotic moments and a cast of unforgettable characters. The whole time I read it I kept imagining it as a TV show / movie or a video game. I couldn't put it down, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished. Pure perfection! Easy 5 stars and will be one of the best books of the year!!

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[S.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Welcome, Citizen Soldier. Welcome to Operation Bounce House."

What an adventure - a story with Matt Dinniman's signature wit and humor mixed into the horror on-line streamers, internet anonymity, and war.

Generations ago, a group of people left Earth to establish a colony on a new planet. They've been there years now, working the land, trying to establish cities versus farms and make it ready for others to come and live here. There were some hiccups, sure. A mysterious illness, a few breakdowns in the drones and worker bots, but otherwise it's gone okay. However, suddenly, mechs are at their doorstep and a brother and sister, their friends and fellow farmers along with their robots, must fight to keep this planet and the only life they've ever known.

This was a great adventure of a read, but also sobering about the realities of fighting to live. I loved learning the history of the planet but, unlike Dungeon Crawler Carl, this doesn't show the horror of aliens but the terrible side of humans. It gives us both sides of the coin of people and we get to see how each can be used for good or bad. I loved the silly moments, the animals are absolutely wonderful parts of the story, and the friendships and found family warmed my heart. Wondering what would happen next and the maneuvering of war were fascinating and compelling and made it hard to stop reading. I loved it!

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.

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book. Not as good as Carl so don’t expect it to be. But definitely give it a read.

[Youssra (semi ia)]

I need to read whatever this insane and genius man writes.

[Liz S ( Liz & Liz get Literary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Bounce House is unlike anything you’ve read before but has all your favorites, dystopian, fast-paced, and fueled by found family. A war is coming, but the lines aren’t clear, and you may not even know who you want to win. Matt Dinniman pulls you in and keeps you questioning everything until the very last page. I’m still questioning things. Some people might even consider this a horror.

Thank you to penguin publishing and Matt Dinniman for the ARC!

[Liv Kaelin]

Edit 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

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Meghan JaMonkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC. Operation Bounce House will have your adrenaline pumping the whole time. By the last few chapters, my mouth was hanging open. This book tackles gamer culture and AI head-on. The use of a small farming planet being thrown into absolute chaos offers clever plotting. Shout out to authors who put easter eggs in their other books. I love the call-outs to Dungeon Crawler Carl.

[Kelvin Pitlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

A unique concept and a thrilling read! This was what I expected from Matt Dinniman, and I had a great time!

Operation Bounce House occurs on the planet of New Sonora: a planet settled by humans from Earth two generations before the story begins. We follow our main character Oliver, a farmer on New Sonora, along with his sister Lulu, their AI tutor Roger, and their friends. As Oliver and Roger are investigating a missing farm helper robot, they are attacked by a war mech being piloted remotely by a spoiled Earth child. We then learn that an Earth corporation has created a video game called Operation Bounce House that allows residents on Earth to pilot real mechs, remotely from Earth, in order to eliminate "terrorists" on a settled planet far away, in this case Oliver's home, New Sonora. Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting to survive five days against an onslaught of gamer controlled mechs from Earth. Why is Earth after New Sonora? How will Oliver and his friends survive?

In typical Matt Dinniman fashion, this book is action packed and funny as hell, while also having tender character moments and tackling deeper themes. I loved the concept, the characters, and the action. The plot took a turn I wasn't expecting at the end, making things far more interesting than I'd thought they were. The characters and setting are unique, and the comedic moments were hilarious. Dinniman manages to create a fully fleshed out world while progressing the plot and bringing it to a satisfying conclusion, all in 437 pages.

Now for some things I didn't quite like about this book. The pacing to me felt inconsistent at times. Overall, the entire book is decently fast paced, but there were parts that felt TOO fast paced, or other places where the shift change in the plot felt a little too abrupt. There were also a number of things that felt far too convenient for our characters, simply to help the plot move along given this is a standalone. These things normally appeared without too much explanation, or a convoluted explanation. And lastly, there were one or two details thrown in for comedic relief that didn't quite work for me, or didn't really feel like they fit the story.

Overall, I loved this book, and it was another great story from Matt Dinniman. If you enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl, you'll enjoy the tone, characters, and plot in Operation Bounce House as well. Rhythm Mafia for life!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ Operation Bounce House
ARC Review

This was an absolute blast from start to finish. I received an ARC of Operation Bounce House from NetGalley, and it completely delivered on everything I was hoping for and then some….It’s chaotic, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny in that very specific Matt Dinniman way where things are ridiculous on the surface but smartly constructed underneath.

The concept alone is wild, but what really makes this shine is the execution. The pacing never drags, the humor lands consistently, and the situations escalate in ways that feel both unhinged and perfectly logical within the world. I found myself constantly impressed by how the story balances absurdity with genuine stakes…you’re laughing one moment and fully invested the next. I think there is a slight reference to Princess Donut…😏

The characters are a huge highlight. They’re sharp, distinct, and react to the insanity around them in ways that feel earned rather than forced for laughs. There’s also that signature Dinniman energy: fast, snarky dialogue, unexpected turns, and a refusal to play it safe. I love that Roger refers to everyone not by names but by descriptions…😂

If you enjoy smart chaos, dark humor, and stories that fully commit to their premise, this is an easy five stars. Operation Bounce House is wildly entertaining, ridiculously fun, and proof (yet again) that Matt Dinniman knows exactly how to keep readers hooked….Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new standalone from Matt Dinniman??? SMASH!


After begging ACE for an eARC for weeks, they finally took pity on me and then when my Libro.fm ALCs for February dropped and I saw my most anticipated read of 2026 as the first pick…I clicked it so fast I think I cracked my phone screen!

Leave it to MD (Matty D? Would he hate that? I’ll have to ask) to take horrific subjects like genocide, colonialism, homicidal capitalism, and potentially murderous AI systems and make them laugh-out-loud hilarious and punch-in-the-gut miserable. Poor Oliver just wanted to be farmer who plays in a crappy garage bad with his buddies, but instead he has to save the planet from a terrifying government-contracted video game company bent on exterminating their colony.

Operation Bounce House gives all the heart and chaos of the DCC universe, with all the quirk and charm of the delightfully weird characters Matt Dinniman is known for.


Thank you to Libro.FM for the gifted ALC and to ACE for my gifted eARC and the opportunity to give my honest review!

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I honestly don’t even have words for the book I just read. Operation Bounce House was somehow everything I expected from Dinniman and so much more.

Dinniman’s pacing is masterfully handled in this standalone. The story creeps forward at a deliberately painful pace in all the right places, forcing you to savor every moment of brutal combat, mournful loss, and the many adrenaline-packed plots unfolding simultaneously.

The worldbuilding is another major standout. Dinniman packs an incredible amount of detail and depth into a relatively short book, leaving you desperately wanting a book two. The cast is instantly lovable, and the protagonist, Ollie, serves as an especially satisfying narrative lens through which to experience this story.

As with many of his books, Operation Bounce House is also a fantastic entry point for newer sci-fi readers. The themes, setting, plot, and characters all feel fresh and deeply engaging. More than once, I found myself reading for hours without realizing it, only to immediately dive right back in.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 stars

Full RTC

[GheridenTheBookBard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Bounce House is one of those books that sounds ridiculous on paper and somehow ends up being completely addictive. It is funny, tense, and way more heartfelt than I expected, and I flew through it once I got started.

Oliver is a great lead. He is a farmer just trying to keep his land and his family’s legacy intact while also chasing his love of music, which makes him feel real even when everything around him goes off the rails. Lulu, his sister, is an absolute standout. She is confident, fearless, and not afraid to call anyone out, and she brings so much energy to every scene she is in. Roger, the queen honeybee, ended up being one of my favorite characters. He has way more depth than you expect at first, and watching him step up when things get serious was both fun and surprisingly emotional. Sam, the loyal best friend, rounds out the group with heart and humor, and their dynamic between them all made the story even more enjoyable.

The pacing kept me engaged the whole way through. The book moves quickly, but it never feels rushed, and the way the action and quieter moments are broken up keeps things from ever slowing down too much. There is always something about to happen, which made it really easy to keep turning pages.

The worldbuilding is a big part of why this works so well. The mix of colony life, advanced tech, and game like mechanics gives it strong tower defense and VR MMORPG vibes without ever feeling gimmicky. The history of the settlers and the forces attacking them adds real stakes, and the world feels busy, messy, and lived in.

By the end, I was completely sold. Operation Bounce House is not Dungeon Crawler Carl, but there is more than enough here for Dinniman fans to love, especially if you enjoy smart sci fi, fun systems, and characters you actually care about. At 4.75 stars, this was an easy win for me and one I had a blast reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ace Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Edward Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Bounce House is Matt Dinniman’s first novel since the break out success of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and at first glance it shares a lot of the same DNA. There’s still a young male protagonist caught up in a resistance movement, a sassy sidekick, a prominent AI shaping events and a corporations enjoying a game at the expense of real lives. Even though the setup sounds similar enough to be a very safe follow-up, the differences are enough to keep it interesting and fresh. This time the AI themes are more grounded and critical of the ways technology can be misused. The heart is still there but focusses on the existing relationships instead of found family.

The humour is still prominent, but it’s toned down. It’s less ridiculous and crass, lending it a more serious tone overall. Because of that, this book may appeal to readers who found Dungeon Crawler Carl too over-the-top.

There was a lot of pressure on this book to deliver, and fortunately Dinniman pulls it off. I really enjoyed the depth it offers as a stand-alone novel, and the ending left me genuinely excited for a potential follow-up.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap this was a wild ride!

thank you so much to the publisher for the early review copy via Netgalley.

If you like video games: this is for you. If you like Sci-fi books with an AI component: this is for you.

There's humor, there's some found family vibes, there's the terror of potentially dying, there's some little mysteries spread throughout.

This is one of those books that I want to start reading again immediately after finishing it. I will be listening to the audio.

[Grigory Lukin]

DNF at 37%
I love the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and so it pains me to abandon Operation Bounce House just over the 1/3 mark. :(

The premise is great: gamers from Earth use remote-controlled battle robots to attacks farmers on another planet. The farmers' sole defense is their hyper-intelligent farm robot. (All of this is covered in the first 10 or so pages.)

My problem with the book was the overabundance of exposition, the relative lack of action, and, when the action finally took place, much of it happened off-page, without any involvement from the main character. (Who, incidentally, is running around just fine a few hours after getting concussed, but that's fairly minor.)

If you've ever played Disco Elysium, one of the skill trees ("Encyclopedia," IIRC) will give you walls of text with lore and context for literally everything you click on. It's fun at first, but it gets overwhelming quite fast. Likewise here.... When the main character goes on a very short walk, his internal monologue drops pages upon pages of lore about every single building he passes. (Which, again, is not a side effect of his concussion.)

At one point in the exposition-heavy chapters, one of the characters literally says, "As you know..."

The first real action scene occurred 23% of the way through, and I decided to keep going, to give the book a chance. (The many threads and hints of old conspiracies were enticing.) But I finally called it quits on chapter 18, when the main character said, "Update?" and then spent 3 pages - three whole pages - giving an info-dump on the people standing around him. When the other character finally provides an update, answering the question that had been posed 3 pages earlier, it feels bizarre due to the gigantic gap between the question and the answer.

Usually, I abandon a book around a 25% mark if it fails to grab my attention. I made it further than that with this book, but I just don't have it in me to finish it. Sorry, Matt. FWIW, the dialogue is occasionally funny, the worldbuilding is neat, and all the sinister conspiracies are intriguing. This is why I'm choosing not to add any rating with my review: it wasn't for me, but others might enjoy it, and I don't feel right rating a book that I've only read 1/3 of.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Athena 💗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Kasey]

I AM SO READY!! This sounds like it’s going to be an incredibly fun time

[Marina (morifinwes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over 100 years ago, space ships carrying volunteers and the voluntold, set out for New Sonora, a planet where they would establish an autonomous farming colony. But when Operation Bounce House begins, groups of Earth citizens show up piloting high tech mech suits with one goal: to eradicate the terrorists on New Sonora. The problem is, those “terrorists,” Oliver and his friends, are merely farmers, now thrust into a fight for their lives.

Operation Bounce House is at its core, an anti war, anti genocide story. I believe It’s impossible, and foolish, to not call attention to the obvious similarities between the mech war waged on New Sonora, to the drone strikes used by the United States in various “wars.” And that’s really what these types of science fiction stories warn us about; how quickly, how easily it becomes justifiable to kill “enemies” once you’ve dehumanized them, and especially, when you don’t have to look them in the eye when you kill them.

In my mind there’s no difference between a politician signing bombs that were used in an ongoing genocide, and the participants in Operation Bounce House personalizing their mechs to kill civilians.
But I digress.

Dinniman’s commentary on war and violence is the strongest, and most relevant part of this book. In Operation Bounce House, the “game,” also called Operation Bounce House, is marketed to Earth citizens, especially children, as a fun way to kill terrorists and keep Earth safe. Not unlike the way the United States military insidiously uses video games and other propaganda to get children thinking about enlisting once they turn 18. Can’t make it much clearer than the people from Earth explicitly being the bad guys in this book. The messaging is heavy handed yes, but we’re beyond the point of metaphors and coded language. Sometimes you have to (figuratively) hit someone over the head for it to click.

Oliver begins as sort of an average “everyman” type. He goes to work, he goes home, sometimes he goes to the bar with his friends, or plays music. Importantly, he doesn’t care about politics because none of it affects him. It’s not until Operation Bounce House, the titular event not the title itself, begins, after seeing the dead bodies for himself, after realizing that this is his life now, that Oliver gets angry and fights back. He has the privilege of not caring about politics until it’s almost too late. This is very on-the-nose for how many (typically white, cishet, middle-upper class) people behave/think in our own world. And if you’re someone who “doesn’t do politics,” I’m begging you to get angry, get engaged, CARE NOW before it’s too late.

That’s the ultimate message of Operation Bounce House- don’t wait to care until things directly affect you.

The same way that Oliver is written to be broadly relatable is also what made him feel underdeveloped as a character. A truly unfortunate fact because we spend most of the story (more on that later) in Oliver’s head. He, and the rest of the cast, felt half finished at best. We got a lot of what felt like “tell, don't show,” with their personalities and histories. This is especially evident when there’s inclusions of the "Rhythm Mafia Tapes,” transcripts of video interviews filmed by Rosita.
Despite all of this telling, I still felt like there wasn’t enough information about this world to truly feel invested.

I also struggled to suspend my disbelief that these people who were normal farmers, could suddenly organize and fight so efficiently. Yes, they did have Roger the AI, helping them and feeding them information, but it still felt like they became too powerful too quickly. If this was like Dungeon Crawler Carl where the story was a progression fantasy/LitRPG, I would’ve been more on board with the extremely fast power scaling, because that’s part and parcel with the genre. But it felt out of place in Operation Bounce House.

I think giving this book 200 more pages would’ve solved all of my issues with the book.The story could still take place over 5 days,but it would give Dinniman more room to develop the characters and fix the pacing. As it stands, I found the first quarter of the book incredibly slow, and the last quarter of the book to be rushed.

My high expectations going into Operation Bounce House quickly turned into feelings of “Oh if it weren’t for the fact that I needed to write this review, I would DNF this.” It was very apparent to me early on that this book wasn’t going to work for me.

Despite the fact that this book wasn’t one that worked for me, I do believe that this is a very good jumping in point for people who haven’t picked up sci-fi a lot before, or who are interested in this kind of story but feel intimidated by the classics. If it takes modern gamer language and scenarios in order to convince someone to become anti-war, then so be it!


I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

2.5 out of 5 stars but I’ll round up to 3 on Goodreads.

Review is cross posted on Goodreads, StoryGraph, NetGalley, and my own Ko-Fi