Carl y el día del juicio final [Carl and Judgment Day]

Dungeon Crawler Carl #2

by Matt Dinniman, Íñigo Álvarez de Lara (Narrator), Ana Fernández (Narrator)

«Se han acabado los niveles de entrenamiento. Ahora empiezan los auténticos juegos».

Las visualizaciones y la audiencia están por las nubes… El público quiere más, y los peligros de la mazmorra aumentan con cada día que pasa. Carl y Princesa Dónut van a tener que esforzarse al máximo si quieren sobrevivir a una trituradora diseñada para masacrar oleadas de rastreadores como ellos.

Y lo harán en Ciudad Superior, una próspera y descomunal metrópolis que sucumbió a una misteriosa catástrofe. Pese a todo, sus calles no están precisamente abandonadas. Un circo plagado de no-muertos hace estragos en las ruinas. Caen prostitutas asesinadas del cielo. Un hechizo ancestral está a punto de desvelar su siniestro propósito.

Y Carl sigue sin pantalones.

Esto es Rastreadores de Mundo Mazmorra, aunque para Carl y Dónut está muy lejos de ser un juego.

Standard

Please This audiobook is in Castilian Spanish.

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

Audible Audio

First published January 6, 2021

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

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read book one, you know already know why I’m continuing.

For those of you who haven’t started the series yet, Dinniman does an exceptional job at writing a propulsive storyline. It would be tempting for someone to dismiss this series as excessively niche (LitRPG, which stands for ‘literary role-playing game’), but that would do a disservice to the potential reader. What it really is is a great character book in a genre-bending setting that melds together a post-apocalypse sci-fi with RPG and reality television.

“‘When we get there, we’ll need to think of every possible scenario.’ Donut: GUESSING THE PLOTLINES OF TELEVISION SHOWS IS MY SUPER POWER.”

Now that I have the perspective of looking back at the last seven books, I’ll note that this one perhaps suffers slightly from ‘second-book’ syndrome. I think Dinniman goes for more absurdity in this story that doesn’t serve the series as well. I think he was struggling with the concept of the reality tv show for alien life-forms and tropes that work on humans (ex the book description mentions the “prostitutes falling from the sky,” although, to be honest, I don’t remember that scene at all). I did, however, highlight this ridiculous image:

“Now, if you’ve never had a flaming, skull-faced bear on roller skates barreling at you full speed, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

Still, Dinniman manages to work in the struggle for compassion and solidarity that is a cornerstone of the series. The above prostitutes certainly sound like they are played for laughs in the blurb, but when the storyline comes up, it is done very well. A lowly NPC orc brings the issue to the attention of Carl and Doughnut, who are moved by GumGum's compassion. Eventually, it is one of those instances where Carl realizes the NPCs are people too and have hopes and dreams of escape as much as he does.

“I, uh, I don’t know,” Donut said, looking about. She seemed to deflate on my shoulder. “We should try to save the others. It’s the right thing to do.”

My biggest challenge is the over-abundance of strategic details in the form of ‘leveling’ and potential conflicts. Even as someone that plays these games, I found these parts tedious. It’s too bad, really, because it’s a skill barrier that might prevent others from latching on to this series. If I was an editor, I’d have some hard conversations with Dinniman about it.

Overall, this is a series that was absolutely created for vacation-level reading, and kept me absorbed on the plane and on the beach. It only gets better.

May update: the audio is just as propulsive. In fact, I now understand why people love it even more than the eye-version. The audio has more of a performance-level sensibility, with a 'click' heralding the text chat; a tinny, radio-type voice doing the AI announcements; a posh woman doing an impeccable Doughnut and her absolutely hilarious ALL CAPS CHAT. I've actually found it even more listenable than readable.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE JOY THIS BOOK BRINGS ME IS CATACLYSMIC ???

Like straight into my top 5 reads ever. I’m going straight into book 3, and I love that the books just lead into the next like a continuous coherent story, it makes for PHENOMENAL head cinema 🙆🏻‍♀️🎬

The worst part of this book, is that I’ve been listening on audio and I can’t make a highlight from every single fucking page because it is top tier entertainment.

Side note: THE NARRATOR DESERVES A RAISE, A FOREHEAD KISS, HIS BALLS TICKLED, A NEW CAR, A TAX-FREE LIFE, FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO SPOTIFY, PENIS ENLARGEMENT, A MARY POPPINS BAG, A FRIDGE THAT NEVER EMPTIES, NEVER ENDING COLD SIDE OF THE PILLOW, WHATEVER HE WANTS, he deserves it. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏


This has been a wild, fast paced, action packed change, and I’m so glad I took a chance because I saw its silly cover and I fucking hate the name Carl, so naturally I wanted to try it. Because it’s nothing like anything I’ve ever read before.


BLESS CARL AND HIS MAGICAL FEET 💖

BLESS PRINCESS DONUT THE SASSY CHARMING SHOW QUEEN OF KITTIES 💖

AND BLESS MONGO THE DINOSAUR TURKEY CHICKEN HYBRID AND HIS NOSE CHOMPING 💖

[MagretFume · Rating 5 out of 5]

This follow-up picks up right where the last book left off, and it's just as good!
I feel that the audiobook format really adds to the quality of this series and I can only recommend this format.

This one was just as funny and compelling as the first book, and now that the training levels are over, the stakes keep getting higher. I loved the introduction of quests and more complex aspects of the world.
I will listen to book 3 really soon.

[Ali L · Rating 5 out of 5]

at this point I’m not even sure what’s going on but I’m having a great time

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would do anything for Princess Donut.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book picks right up where dungeon crawler carl left off - with carl and donut being “welcomed” to the third floor, with a lot of new options and decisions to make, and a baby velociraptor! and even though ten-million entered at the start of all of this, only seven-hundred-thousand have now entered level three alongside them! and we quickly get to see how this level is different, and filled with a lot more than the previous two levels. yet, we also quickly learn that the major storyline of this level surrounds a carnival and a murder mystery happening as the crawlers explore the differences between night and day in this town.

i didn’t love the violence against women and sex workers in this story. it is always done in a negative light, for said murder mystery, but i am just never going to want to read about that, especially when it starts out with three filipino crawlers. i know there is a lot of commentary in these books, and maybe the author is challenging gamer culture to look at the harmful and hurtful things perpetuated by privilege and red pill gamergate rhetoric, very much including the violence to women and sex workers. and i also understand that this story is showing an ai mimicking the horrors of our planet’s history, and the history of treatment of those two groups are pretty horrific. but, with that all being said, it did take away from my enjoyment of this one. but i do appreciate that carl obviously cared enough to listen to a woman who was not being heard… eventually. (lastly, bautista, i love you, i’m cheering for you, you’d have my follow and favorite or i’d be in your party helping with the revenge mission!)

but i did love everything else. we get more achievements, loot boxes, hot fixes, xp grinding, and party grouping! but now we also get questing, storyline progressions, profession crafting / learning recipes, and even exploiting game mechanics and the punishment that follows lol. and we get to see what carl and donut pick for classes, sub classes, and race at the start of this and… omg, i would read an entire book of all the different options! and i really love how donut’s is going to be extra fun (and scary) each and every level they descend! also, wizards of the coast, please give me a necro bard, me and my cleric and wizard loving heart are begging. (also, just to nerd out a little tiny bit more, mordicai being a master alchemist is everything to me!)

i also loved learning more about how the rich are vacationing / partying it up on some of the deeper levels. i feel like its really popular to compare things to the hunger games right now, but this for sure was giving me those vibes. i also really loved seeing the desperado club, and i can’t wait to see more of it open up upon deeper leveling! and just in general, i can’t wait to see these towns, cities, and communities open up more and more, while also learning about some of the past crawlers and their deals more and more. and obviously, and hopefully, learning all the secrets, too!

trigger + content warnings: violence in particular against women and sex workers (in a very negative light, but >.< still is hard to read), slavery, colonization, mass killing and death, gore, violence, blood, battle, murder, loss of friend, drinking, inebriation, explosions, fires, vomit, gross insect imagery, drugging, kidnapping, self harm to get blood, animal abuse (lizard)

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1.) Dungeon Crawler Carl ★★★★★

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

This was an extremely good follow up to Dungeon Crawler Carl. It was just as funny, just as crazy, perhaps even moreso than its predecessor. What’s most impressive is that I was concerned the story would start to feel repetitive, but the sequel shakes up the story brilliantly, introducing several new elements and storylines making everything feel completely fresh whilst still retaining the first books core premise as well as its charm, humour and uniqueness. It’s a brilliant blend of Sci-Fi Fantasy, combining beloved elements from each genre. Elves, magi, necromancers, aliens, robots, explosions. It’s a melting pot of a geeks wet dream. Throw in a twisted, murderous circus with an emotional twist and you have the makings of a fun time.

There’s several things that are an improvement from book 1. The most notable of this is the world-building, or rather more aptly - dungeon-building. The setting of the dungeon changes massively with the move to level 3. Instead of feeling like a dungeon, the setting is more akin to medieval fantasy world with its own unique twists such as Las Vegas style nightclubs. As well as this, more information about the wider galaxy outside of the dungeon world is brought to light. We get more information on the history of the cosmos, the politics, the feuding royal families of each respective star system, different races, and of course, more in depth knowledge of Dungeon World itself and the games within it. Quests are also introduced as a new part of the game, and thus the book. A quest is one of my favourite fantasy book tropes, so I was all for it here. The quests introduced make for a stronger narrative as it gives Carl and Donut a further goal as opposed to just making it to the next level. The quests introduced added some strong B-style storylines that all come together as part of the greater narrative.

Character wise, the lid is blown off. We’re exposed to a much wider cast of characters this time round, with even the more minor characters receiving a fair amount of screen time and decent development. Mordecai takes on a much more active, fleshed out role in the sequel, becoming more present in the plot and less of a passive device that’s there to mainly explain the rules of the game. He becomes a much stronger character in his own right, and we start to get a glimpse of a deeper story forming for him as the story goes on. Where Donut stole the show in the previous book (and rightfully so), Carl is the undisputed star this go around. Carl develops into a truly great protagonist in this book. Not only is he hilarious, but he begins to show a particularly strong moral compass. He’s developing into a heroic, noble character with plenty of depth as we learn more about his past before the series takes place. I’m excited to see how he continues to progress and where the rest of the series takes him. Donut remains a series high point and begins some strong character growth herself. There’s the makings of a great character arc that’s beginning to form around her.

Despite its primary focus on the weird & wonderful, the craziness, the absurdity, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario actually touches on some deep, heavy subjects which are treated with respect and care. Subjects such as neglect, sex work, abuse, trauma, gaslighting, abandonment all play a prominent role. They’re not forced, they’re interwoven in the story very well, and they don’t detract from the comedy, nor does the comedy down play these subjects. Everything so far just fits like a glove.

This is a wickedly fun series and my fears of it possibly feeling repetitive as it goes on have been availed with this book. The series is going from strength to strength and as of right now I can see no other place it can go then up. I highly recommend fans of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or anyone looking for a fun read in between your heavier reads to check out this series. It hasn’t disappointed yet, and with its current trajectory I can’t see that happening anytime soon.

[Tawfek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck! I just noticed I finished this in the last day of 2024!
Anyway another LitRPG novel done. Glad I finished it now because my kindle had 15% charge left lol
If you read my review of the first book, I didn't like the overly mechanical fight style that we had in the first book, but this book we don't have that issue at all, so I loved it, and DCC finally gets the 4 stars it deserves from me, it's a spectacular LitRPG, and I know since it started popping up in libraries we are getting way more new readers to LitRPG now, thanks to Matt Dinniman, each LitRPG writer is usually doing something to advance this genre, but Matt done something nobody did before him with this efficiency, its very common now to see readers who never read LitRPG reading DCC.

Also I like his plot, it's otherworldly as far as LitRPG novels go, because mostly everyone just transfers you to another world where you just treat it as your new reality now, and you start killing shit to get stronger.
This part of DCC which is only book 2 we can see clearly that Carl decide to fuck with the guys who fucked humanity.
He isn't going to take our genocide laying down, he is running through their gauntlet of challenges, but he keeps poking the sleeping bear fucking them royally in the process, at the end of book 2 he almost single handedly bankrupted the Borant, now he did it unknowingly, but he forced them to use their single veto.
A veto we are told is usually saved for shit that happens in the 10th floor+++
So Borant will still get screwed in the next floors.
He also tried to instigate a revolution among the syndicate races, the same syndicate that thinks it's fine to commit genocide each time they decide to make a game with people's lives in new planets they annex.
and all of this in book 2, he is also very aware of their hypocrisy, when they cried over Manasa the singer dying, after they killed over 6 billions humans.
Carl isn't happy about what was done, and he wants to do something about it, but very carefully, in a very smart way, he is just biding his time.
Compared to most other LitRPG where MCs are just happy go lucky guys and gals who take the opportunity to live a fantasy.
Hell I think even my favorite novel isn't that self aware of the screw job that comes with a LitRPG apocalypse, and I am talking about Defiance of the fall (But it's been a while since I read it so take this opinion with a grain of salt, because I probably forgot a lot of mannerism and opinions of the MC Zac)

I enjoy the comedy in this series very much, I appreciate its uniqueness, I appreciate the witty crazy AI, and starting this book, I appreciate the tension between the top 10 players of the season.
Lucia Mar wants to avenge dogs honor everywhere by killing Donut.
Hekla's pragmatism and ruthless efficiency that made her use Carl to save her teammate and then concoct a plan to kill him to make Donut join her team.
and we still don't know what is going to happen with the couple of crawlers who are out for Carl's head.
I know people usually are way more efficient readers than me, and will read Book 3 immediately, but I like to pounce around and read different titles, to remain fresh and not get bored, and YES even though I am giving this 4 stars and I give other reads five stars, I know myself I would probably still get bored if I read 2 books of the same series back to back.

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Now, if you’ve never had a flaming, skull-faced bear on roller skates barreling at you full speed, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

This series is so damn fun!

some unhinged and funny quotes:

"I just kicked the guy in the nuts." " That's not very manly of you Carl."

“Anyway, this could be something useful like Parkour or Jui-jitsu, or you could get fucked and receive some useless crap like Stamp Collecting or Kombucha Brewing.”

“Cats don’t drink cocktails,” I said.
“Cats don’t shoot lasers from their eyes either, Carl, but here we are. Mama needs a night off.”

“Carl. It’s too dangerous for a show to have guest stars that are more interesting than the main character. That’s why they killed Barb on Stranger Things.” FOULL HAAHHAHAHA

"NEW ACHIEVEMENT! you've reached one quadrillion views! That means one of two things; you're either one of the best crawlers in the game or you're such a hot mess, people can't wait to see you fail!"

Reward?? Pussies don't get prizes!!

"A mysterious letter! It's written in an odd language. Is it clues? Is it a grocery list? You can't fucking read it, so who knows?!

"Aren't you supposed to be a comedian? When are you going to say something funny?" The audience roars with laughter. "See? It's not that hard."

[William Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

BookTube channel with my awesome brother, Ed - The Brothers Gwynne
My personal BookTube channel - William Gwynne

This series continues to live up to its hype. It is truly addictive. I really thought the novelty of this LitRPG would start to wear off, but it really hasn't! Matt Dinniman displays such creativity to keep it fresh and opens up new angles of the story to maintain its incredible entertainment factor. We now have clubs, markets, quests and more, alongside the growing character relationships and higher stakes.

Carl's Doomsday Scenario took the story in a very different direction from what I was expecting. After the initial rush, it did for the first time feel like it lost a bit of drive, but that was quickly regained and we set off onto a whole different kind of rollercoaster, with quests, more characters and even more craziness that strikes a brilliant balance of being manic, but not too over-the-top that is lost the tension.

Cannot wait for book 3. I have a feeling that is where this is really going to kick off, despite thoroughly enjoying these first two instalments!

4/5 STARS

[Hallie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ this series is so fun and entertaining!! You genuinely never know what is coming next and it’s just constant action and chaos from start to finish. Who would’ve thought my favorite character would be a cat named princess doughnut. I actually love her so much

[Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I've achieved a certain momentum now. It's unstoppable. DCC reminds me of a lot of fun reading experiences I had when I was younger - the pure joy of plowing through a series.

It also made me realize I love the trope of a somewhat-reluctant gruff guy and a sassy non-human female doing a dungeon crawl. I've read Paul Kidd's Ranger and Faerie books 3 times. I bet solid money Matt Dinniman read these too. There are noteworthy similarities.

Greyhawk Classics by Paul Kidd
White Plume Mountain
Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Queen of the Demonweb Pits

[baohua · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ 5/5

“If it used to be okay, but it’s not okay anymore, then maybe you should do something about it. Don’t compare your circumstances with how they were yesterday. Look at how they were years ago. We’re supposed to be making the world… the universe… a better place for our children. If it’s not better, if you’re dealing with cruelty, with neglect, then you should do something about it.”

✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉ Note : This review will be short and quick as I don't want to ruin the beauty of this experience for anyone else!

Carl's Doomsday Scenario is book two in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and was an absolute joy to experience, but also had me so emotionally destroyed and near tears on multiple occasions.

Like my review for the first one, this will be kept short to not ruin the experience for anyone else.

: ̗̀➛ My Review Rants

“The sight of myself up on the screen, running full tilt through the Over City with nothing but a one-armed leather jacket and my nuts dangling free filled me with a strange, almost primal sense of vulnerability.”

This book picks up with Carl and Princess Donut going through their race changes and their class choice. First off, good on you, Princess Donut, for knowing cats are indeed the supreme race. Who wouldn't want to be a cat? Then it jumps straight into the typical RPG stuff gamers love - fetch quests... woohoo!!! Except there's a twist: there's a bunch of clowns, like A LOT of them, and they're infected by mind-consuming parasites and the circus exists to entertain you by EATING you! We truly love that.

There are a lot of clowns and dead prostitutes in this book, and just enough humor and existential crisis thrown into the mix to make everything all the more fun. And that's where it hit me.

Every time Carl sat down and realized just how fucked up everything that was happening here was, it gave me a rough twist in my chest. Every time I was reminded that he and Donut had lost everything they loved, everything that gave their life purpose, everything that gave others purpose was now gone, and their lives were being bet on like a reality TV show where they were expected to die by the end... yeah, it hurts.

In only two books, this series has managed to make me so attached to Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo. I cheer for them through their boss fights, I groan when they make an idiotic choice (yeah, I'm looking at you, Carl, when you punched the city guards!), I nod in understanding when said idiotic choice is actually full of so much humanity and empathy that I likely would've done something similar in that scenario, or when you realize everyone just wants you dead. But all you want is to live. It's devastating, and watching Carl begin to spiral really breaks my heart.

I'm glad that Donut has begun her slow journey of maturing while she is by Carl's side. Their partnership is irreplaceable to me. And Mongo really is that extra puzzle piece to their dynamic! I love that stupid, squawking head-empty chicken dinosaur!!

All-in-all, I don't want to rave too much about the plot because it's so much more meaningful to experience as you read or listen to it yourself. But it really hits home just how much we overlook the beauty of our lives and only register how much that means to us, no matter how simple the small moments are, when all of it is gone.

I cannot wait to continue this journey with our trio to see where this crazy dungeon takes them! They're my babies!

: ̗̀➛ Final Thoughts

5/5 stars with no hesitation. Such a fun listen, the audiobook truly is an experience all on its own. Already started book three, and I can't wait to go even further!

“Cats don't drink cocktails,” I said.

“Cats don't shoot lasers from their eyes, either, but here we are, Carl. Mama needs a night off.”

“The baby velociraptor settled into my lap. I suddenly felt uncomfortable having that many teeth so close to my crotch. If he bit me now, I didn’t know what would happen.”

“My four-year-old mind couldn’t possibly register it at the time, but it was the scent of happiness, of joy, of being a kid, of not being afraid.”

“They were all gone. All I had left in this world was right here. Mongo soon started to snore. I could feel Donut’s warmth against the back of my neck. She breathed softly, oblivious of all that had occurred tonight. This, I thought, this is my family.”

“Carl. It’s too dangerous for a show to have guest stars that are more interesting than the main character. That’s why they killed Barb on Stranger Things.”

: ̗̀➛ Series Reviews

Check out my reviews for the other books in this series:
Dungeon Crawler Carl : Book 1
Carl's Doomsday Scenario : Book 2
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook : Book 3
The Gate of the Feral Gods : Book 4
The Butcher's Masquerade : Book 5
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride : Book 6
This Inevitable Ruin : Book 7

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to review this one because everyone and their fourth cousin thrice removed already has but I'll just say one thing: don't read the book, listen to it. I hate to admit but yes yes yes, every single one of you who told me the audio was better was right dammit . This is arguably one of the best audio productions I've ever listened to, and I would probably have given up on the series had it not been for Jeff Hays' slightly fantastic narration dammit .

Oh, and I'll just say one more thing: I want a death chicken berserker for Christmas. Oh, and I'll just say one more thing: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, and I'll just say one more thing: I'm officially kindly asking Matt Dinniman and S.M. Reine to team up and write a Donut/Mr. Poe crossover (I might unleash the murderous crustaceans on them if they don't). Oh, and I'll just say one more thing: GROSS. Oh, and I'll just say one more thing: it is a truth universally acknowledged that there is nothing quite like a feline diva with a pet dinosaur.



I rest in my case.

P.S. Thou shalt not feed family to the clowns. No, thou shalt not.

· Book 1: Dungeon Crawler Carl ★★★
· Book 3: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook ★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

To think I almost didn't read this one.



➽ Super Extra-Short Review (SESR™) to come and stuff.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, it's official. The series is even stronger in the second book. I think my favorite parts are not the quips but the strange-ass story mini-quest elements.

Of course, losing your pants is a bonus, but I'm impressed that the quests can be quite this messed up and yet potent and emotional. Big booms aren't unwelcome, either.

If you know, you know.

This LitRPG is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to Carl's internal ratings in the interviews to come.

[Carrot :3 (on a hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

The world building was amazing like in the first book. In this, the plot spans only a single level and that kinda felt like a drag. It could’ve progressed over more levels. Riding along with our beloved Carl and Donut was exciting, as always. Really excited for the next book because of setup at the end.

[aeryn rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

This book is insane and weird and so entertaining...and I absolutely love it. I will never be able to predict where one of these books would go, and I think that's one of the things I love most about it. It's strange and gory and nasty but damn is it fun.

This is one of those books where you can't really take it seriously and you're just here experiencing the time of your life. I absolutely loved all the characters and their weird quirks and it felt like this book went into my detail regarding the whole dungeon thing more than the first book did.

Carl and Princess Donut are truly some of my favorite book characters. Their personalities and mindsets are so fun to follow and so unique. New favorite character from this book? Mongo. I LOVE THAT LITTLE VELOCIRAPTOR! Not to mention Katia; I can't wait to see more of her in the next book. I also really enjoyed that we got more Carl time without Princess Donut. We didn't get much of that in the first one, but it really showed his strength and capability to survive with his quick thinking.

While I'm not reading this book, rather listening to the audio, something I really really love is the writing. It's explained so well and you get so hooked so easily. There is always something going on, but it's written in a way that makes the whole world and magic system easier to understand.

P.S: I really enjoyed the mystery element throughout this book that wasn't in the first one! It really added a mysterious, slower moment to break up so much of the intense action. I didn't expect the stakes to be so high in this book compared to the first, BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING I'M EATING IT UP!

When I first started this series, I thought it'd be way out of my depth and I wouldn't be able to get into it...BOY WAS I WRONG. This is my favorite audiobook series I have ever listened to and if you're going to get into this series, DO THE AUDIO! It's unique and the narrator is incredible. Boy does time fly when I listen to this series. A very strong recommendation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: 👾💣

Way too excited to finally start the next audiobook 🤭
This is one of my new favorite series at this point 👀

[Kennedy Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are wild! Honestly some of the most outrageous books I’ve ever read.

I can’t imagine not listening to them. The audiobook is incredibly well done and helps really paint a vivid picture.

They’re a fun change of pace from what I have been reading. I do get a bit lost because SO MUCH IS HAPPENING, and I’m listening. But the vibes are great!

I’ve heard they just get better and better, so I think I’ll continue!

[Gyan K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟🌟🌟💫stars!

I feel like I may have had my fill of this litRPG story. 😂 Carl and Donut rise to a new floor: the Over City. It’s vast, grim, and full of traps. Although Dinniman has tried to open up the dungeon by christening the level “Over-city” and introducing an artificial solar cycle, the world still feels like a stage—each street, each mob, each rule. The game does feel like it has weight. Time ticks. Each move counts.

The tale blends laughs, dread, and heart. Donut, bold and sharp, brings flair. Her class—“Child Star”—adds charm and edge. Carl, now a “Bomb Guy,” must think fast and act smart. Their bond here continues to grow strong. They fight, joke, and care. It’s not just fun—it’s trust.

Although the game rules run deep, seemingly harmless entities come out as duplicitous, there are twists and turns, I still found myself trailing off when stats and loot boxes and levels came up. Layers of rules keep getting introduced. Each skill, each stat, each quest shapes the path.

I am not one to cheer this kind of videogamey depth. I did feel lost in the grind. The pace can jump—fast, then slow. At times, the plot feels packed, like too much in one bite. New entities, characters, players are introduced most of whom seem fleeting and superficial despite their detailed stats and powers, and characteristics.

Dark themes lurk. Death, loss, and fear creep in. Yet the tale keeps its spark. Jokes break the gloom, but not all land. Some scenes shock just to shock. Lots of blood and gore but not a lot of meaning. Still, most serve the plot and show how bleak this world can be.

The book dares to mix tones—jokes, gore, grief. I don’t mind the gore but there has to be substance. Hard to vibe with that. For those who do, it might hit hard and float their boat.

[Jareth Navratil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another *chef’s kiss* dive into this glorious LitRPG series. The plot thickens with more of the interstellar politics outside the dungeon being revealed to our favorite reluctant heroes, the pantsless Carl and his schmarmy Persian cat companion, Princess Donut.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd really like to know what was happening in the author's life the day he wrote "undulated" three times in a five-page span. He must have been going through something.

Book two! It was a slightly different experience than book one, naturally, and it reinforces the series expectation that each volume will be a whole new ballgame, reflecting the same status for each dungeon floor in-world. It took me some adjustment to get on board with the time spent on the stories associated with the quests that Carl stumbles into, complex stories that felt like they were taking away from Carl-focused experiences. But they're part of the game and are in keeping with everything that has been established about the nature of the long-term game. This book is like training for the reader for the rest of the series.

It didn't neglect Carl's story at the same time, and his attack on the broader elements holding his life in the balance takes bold new steps, with surprising and dire consequences. There's plenty of leveling up, surprising resolutions, frightening developments, complex threats both immediate and looming, and no end of overpowered madness.

The scale of this story continues to surprise me.

*********
Part two of Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret is included in the Ace hardcover edition. It adds a lot of depth to the overall story while remaining optional, but since if you read Dungeon Crawler Carl at all you're a big fan and so you should check it out. You don't have the buy the hardcover, you can borrow it from the library or surreptitiously read the short story in the bookstore.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is second in a LitRPG series that picks up where the first left off. Read in order.

The clever hijinks continue in this one, but Dinniman does an interesting pivot; I think successfully. The humor has been forefront from the start, but character development hasn't been stinted so I've grown attached to Carl and Donut in and of themselves. So much so that Dinniman pulled out a couple of weepy moments in this one. One sad but poignant, one simply a heart touching moment. This is amazing writing for something so overtly comedy-based.

I don't have a lot else to say. I was thoroughly entertained and completely engaged. I may not be laughing out loud as often, but I'm completely enthralled. Five stars.

A note about Chaste: This is still very chaste. Carl has too much to do to be doing other people.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

… And now for something different. Really different. A completely different kind of reading experience than you have ever had before. The closest thing that I can even come closest to with this one is a combination of Douglas Adam’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and Monty Python’s comedy troupe. Only this time in an Americanized version…

Trust me. You have never read anything like the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” books and that is a good thing. Carl will never be mistaken for literature or serious reading, but if you want to enjoy some seriously sarcastic, imaginative, and downright laugh-out-loud funny, you’ve come to the right place. Carl may be listed as a science fiction and fantasy adventure in the rather new LitRPG (literature role-playing game) genre. But don’t worry. You need not be a gamer to enjoy the heck out of this unique blend of creative storytelling – an open mind and a willing imagination is all you need.

“Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” is the second novel in a projected 10 book series that Matt Dinniman originally self-published, then were bought by Ace books in 2024, and now are being enjoyed on a largescale level of popularity and strong word of mouth.

Carl is a former member of the Coast Guard and a generally nice guy. He was living in an apartment in Seattle, Washington with his ex-girlfriend’s Persian show cat named Princess Donut when aliens arrive and attack earth, and all of the humans in any enclosed space is instantly killed when the aliens collapse all of the buildings and shelters (even tents) on the planet.

The remaining survivors, including Carl and Princess Donut are given the choice to try on and survive on the planet’s surface or to become contestants in a gladiatorial game show - Dungeon Crawler World – that is livestreamed to billions of planets throughout the galaxies. It is like participating in a real-life first-person shooter video where danger and death is absolutely real.

“Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” picks up immediately where the first book – “Dungeon Crawler Carl” – ended. Carl and Princess Donut have left the training levels of the first two dungeons behind and enter the third level with a marked increase in their contestant ratings and views. It seems that the audience across billions of alien worlds just can’t enough of the twosome, but they must work even harder just to survive.

Carl and Princess Donut are introduced into Over City, a once-thriving city that’s been devastated by a mysterious calamity involving an active volcano. They, along with their dangerous pet, Mongo, and new game manager, Mordecai, will find themselves facing off again an undead circus troupe and NPC elites starring in their own crossover show, try to solve the mystery of murdered prostitutes falling from the sky, and an ancient magical enemy that is working on a dark spell that will eliminate them from the dungeon completely.

I want to be careful and not say too much more, because not knowing anything else is the best way to immerse yourself in this incredibly farfetched and sarcastic take on society, norms, beliefs, and the lengths that we are willing to go to survive. Its approximate 380 pages in length is a really a fast, easy, and very enjoyable read as long as you don’t take it too seriously. I should also mention that this is an adult-oriented novel, including violence and swearing, so some may want to be aware if that is an issue.

In my opinion, this book takes the worldbuilding introduced in the first one, and expands on it in several excellent ways, as well as the multiple plotlines and character development. It feels like Dinniman has established his footing, direction, and style of what he wants to do and now its full speed ahead in delivering his vision.

What I described in my review of the first book also applies to this one. Dinniman makes this unique blend of comedic Science fiction and fantasy on many levels. It is full of richly imaginative worldbuilding that increases in complexity and storytelling, as well as incredibly funny satire and sarcastic reflections on human life. For me, the most surprisingly aspect has been the characters – Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo - that quietly endear themselves to you in ways that you just don’t see coming.

The worldbuilding is incredible and you see additional layers in this one that start to reveal how truly complex the political, governmental, and different aspects of the alien races are going to be in all of the various, interconnected storylines that Dinniman masterfully weaves together with crazy twists and turns along the way. In addition, he pulls off an incredible feat with laugh-out-loud humor and wit throughout. It so near impossible to deliver laughs in a book format, but my hat’s off to Dinniman who makes it look much easier than it should be.

I also appreciated his straight-forward writing style, which flowed naturally, helping the reader to easily be immersed into such a crazy world of mayhem. Carl and Princess Donut’s adventure is fast paced, fluid, and easy to follow. As Dinniman tells their story, you get into their heads, and share their intimate thoughts and motivations. This felt so fresh and full of many twists along the way. It can be hard as a writer to have both strong characters and strong plotting in the same story. It is harder do than most people think. In this case, Dinniman has magically captured both and mixed them together in an unforgettable recipe of conflict and drama, through every twist, turn and challenge they face. By the end of this book I was confronted with the reality that I am emotionally connected to these characters and their outcomes matter dearly to me.

Overall, just like the first book, “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” is another guilty pleasure, a well-spent afternoon escape from reality, and wonderful new type of reading experience that lifts your spirit. It’s like witnessing the ultimate train wreck. You want to pull away, but you are just pulled in and the story demands your attention. My advice, get yourself something to drink and snack on, curl up on the couch, and simply enjoy the ride of reading what is an unexpected and delightful treat that will capture your heart…

For me, this continued the ridiculous fun journey of our human survivors, and another worthy 5-star read. I finished the first book as we started our family vacation last week, and I immediately started reading this one within minutes because I was hooked and just had to know what happened next. That should tell you something about how additively fun these books are. As I non-video game player, I am as caught-off guard about feeling that way as you probably are… Come drink the Kool-Aid with us…

Book #3 – “The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook” is up next. Don’t you just love the sounds of that title…

[caleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series is just slowly seeping its way into my personality

── .✦ pre-read
i am SAT for more carl & donut & mongo 🙂‍↕️

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’d like to present Dungeon Crawler Carl, the Level 13 Compensated Anarchist Primal. Welcome, Carl, to the third floor.”

We’re in the business of survival through entertainment. Galactic gladiators Carl and Princess Donut perform in a planet-sized dungeon against other ‘crawlers’ and against monsters of ever increasing power and ability. There is no respawn and the stakes are high: the survival of our own planet, which has just been invaded by a multimedia corporation with a license for the highest rated show in the galaxy. The only survivors are those few who managed to enter the dungeon before the portals were closed. And they are getting fewer and fewer every day.

The success of this second episode relies heavily on the excellent groundwork from the first book in the series. By making levels one and two of the dungeon the training levels, the reader is eased into the setting at the same pace as the pantless Carl and his cat companion. But Matt Dinniman is not satisfied with simply entertaining us and with making fun of the RPG gamer culture. He does that of course, but he is also painting a bigger picture, with political, social and personal ramifications. Which is why the series is growing on me, for all its sometimes childish humour and excessive violence.

I looted it all, plus both of the oversized butcher knives, the red wig, and the little hat.

I’m a gamer myself, mostly into RPG and strategy games, so of course I am drawn into the story primarily by these bits of lore and by the insider wink-winks from a fellow addict, well aware of the psychological profiles that make us into hoarders of useless loot, min-maxers of stat points and item properties or compulsive explorers of every nook and crannies of a new level. Carl and Donut go through this process with their manager Mordecai before entering the dungeon, choosing their alignment, their racial profile and their hard won attributes assignment.

I was getting a little apprehensive, after the mayhem of the first book: if these two crawlers were in the training levels, what kind of weapons and adversaries are waiting lower down in the dungeon? I have read too many series where the heroes become too strong much too early in the game and then the authors jump the shark with improbable magicks or ridiculous adversaries to fight. Dinniman takes a side-step now instead of simply raising the numbers for skill and combat: he brings intelligence and cunning into play.

New achievement! It’s Elementary, My Dear Crawler!
And you thought all you had to do was bonk monsters on the head.
You’ve received a quest! Puzzles and intrigue and mysteries, oh my! If you want to survive in this world, you’re going to need to be more than just a pretty, sword-swinging barbarian.

Instead of a slash-fest, the crawl becomes story-driven: the actual puzzles that Carl and Donut must solve, and the overall main plot of what happens outside the dungeon, how can those inside improve their odds of survival through interaction with the mods and with the audience.

We live and die by our reviews.

This is a quote from the afterword, where the author appeals to his readers to spread the word about the series, so he can continue writing [and feeding his own feral pet]. But what I like about it is the metafiction angle, since Carl and Donut also survive the game show by being popular with the billions of galactic viewers, with sponsors who buy loot boxes for them with real money, by interviews with influencers and by keeping the corporate fat cats happy. The dungeon crawl and the meta-galactic plot are intertwined and the stakes are slowly creeping towards a major star wars scenario.

My Enchanted BigBoi Boxers glowed.

Popularity can be a two-edged sword, in particular if the dungeon is run by an artificial intelligence with a fetish for Carl’s naked feet. We are led to believe that our hero will continue to fight in his signature white boxers with red heart imprints, the ones that you can see on the cover.

I have told as little as I possibly could about the two major puzzles Carl and Donut are tasked to solve on the third level, in the hope that readers will prefer to discover the details together with our two crawlers. Both quests take place in an urban environment ruled by a species of flying aliens. The first one involves a decrepit circus, killer clowns, stalking poisonous vines with mind-altering toxins and a scary boss in the form of a berserker giant bear on roller skates, wearing a pink tutu.
The second one is a murder investigation: someone is killing prostitutes all over the city, dropping their mutilated bodies from the sky. Carl suspects corruption and vice at the governing level of the city. There will also be a doomsday device, just as the title promises.

>>><<<>>><<<

My remaining notes are game trivia and some more metafictional arrows launched at the audience before they become too comfortable with the wholesale slaughter:

... it’s a sign of lazy writing explains Mordecai when Carl asks for an explanation of the familiarity of the dungeon. AI and aliens are apparently not immune to tropes or to common programming troubles: There seemed to be as many bugs on this floor as they had when the dungeon first opened.
A wise player will use these bugs and the previous gaming experience to his or her own advantage. For example, throwing bombs is better than hand to hand combat, if you have the necessary skills and tactics. This is the skill tree Carl appears to choose for his points distribution, while Donut is more focused on charisma and magic. Which brings me to my next bookmark, and to a remark by the cat about her new found skills and her future career as a television show writer:

“Maybe if the television shows are good enough, people wouldn’t be so interested in watching real-life people kill each other,”

So, this is a book about a television show that is in fact a death-match between conscripted players against AI-controlled monsters and against each other, with a running commentary about violent entertainment.
I can’t wait to continue my crawl.

[Narilka · Rating 5 out of 5]

New achievement! Congratulations, you've read another book. Pretty soon you'll be telling all you friends and joining a book club. Reward: Book 3's available. What are you waiting for?

This series is just so much fun :) I love how much character growth and poignant moments there are mixed in with all the humor, irreverence and mayhem. The creativity with the race/class combos is just awesome. Carl is really living up to his!

[Morwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tutorial is over!
Carl is still in his boxers (or less), but with a new race and class! Donut also picks a fun new class and tells us her star-crossed lover story with Ferdinand.

Mordecai gets extra hot in this book, but no less drunk than usual.



Cats and velociraptors get human anatomy lessons

Princess Donut: "HE HAS AN ERECTION, MORDECAI. IT’S VERY INAPPROPRIATE. MONGO IS APPALLED."

Unsolicited quests that involve with zombie clown bears on roller skates ensue



And lover quarrels between Elite bad girls and their Pestiferous-Vine daddy-exes



Love reconciliations via mind-parasite worms



Dead prostitutes drop from the sky, and much much more!


Pre-read🎧🚶‍♀️
This shit is a drug. I'm sick and exhausted all day, but it still pushed me to go out and walk so I can listen to it (no, I can't listen to audiobooks any other way. A blessing and a curse, I suppose).

[Cassandra Lynn Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75

[Javir11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.75/10

Lo he seguido disfrutando muchísimo, pero es indudable que esta segunda parte ya no tiene la frescura de la primera y todo se vuelve más predecible...Además, la narrativa se hace un poco más lenta en cierto momento y algunas de las "misiones" de los protagonistas no me terminaron de convencer.

En cualquier caso, novela muy entretenida, ojalá me pudiera topar con más de este estilo, que en este momento de mi vida, me cuesta un mundo meterme en lecturas profundas.

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is INCREDIBLY immersive! The audiobook is fun and the full cast creates a unique experience. The male narrators voice is like velvet and Donut is hilarious. I love every voice and the story is amazing.

A thousand percent in to the next book in the series. I’m immediately diving into the audiobook version and I’m already sad that at some point this journey will end.