What do you think?
Rate this book
Dungeon World #1-5
Dungeon World Series Complete Box Set
The entire best-selling Dungeon World series is now together in one volume!
This Dungeon World Series Box Set
Dungeon World Books 1 – 5
Hand-drawn maps I used while writing the series
Bonus short story
In a world five times larger than Earth, dungeons and their Dungeon Cores have become the top of the food chain.
Millions of dungeons inhabit the planet, utilizing the Human people as a source of much-needed Mana to facilitate their own growth; in turn, the humans delve into the dungeons to acquire their own power in the form of Essence, which allows them to develop and enhance themselves in a multitude of different ways. It is a symbiotic relationship that has lasted thousands of years and has brought about a measure of peace.
Far in the northern wilds where no Humans (and therefore – no dungeons) regularly frequent, a young man is left alone when his parents are suddenly murdered. Now, without friends, family, supplies, or even much knowledge of the wider world, Fredwynklemossering embarks on a journey to discover who – or what – killed his parents. Along the way, however, he learns more than he bargained for, including his seemingly impossible status as a Dungeon Core/Human hybrid. With that knowledge comes a shift in his objective; revenge against those who wronged him turns out to pale in comparison to the dangers the Humans will face in the future.
Will Fred be able to successfully straddle the line between the Human and Dungeon Core worlds? Unfortunately, he’ll have to, or else the entire Dungeon World may be doomed…
Contains 564,000 words, LitRPG/GameLit elements such as statistics and leveling, as well as dungeon construction and defense. No harems and no profanity.
This Dungeon World Series Box Set
Dungeon World Books 1 – 5
Hand-drawn maps I used while writing the series
Bonus short story
In a world five times larger than Earth, dungeons and their Dungeon Cores have become the top of the food chain.
Millions of dungeons inhabit the planet, utilizing the Human people as a source of much-needed Mana to facilitate their own growth; in turn, the humans delve into the dungeons to acquire their own power in the form of Essence, which allows them to develop and enhance themselves in a multitude of different ways. It is a symbiotic relationship that has lasted thousands of years and has brought about a measure of peace.
Far in the northern wilds where no Humans (and therefore – no dungeons) regularly frequent, a young man is left alone when his parents are suddenly murdered. Now, without friends, family, supplies, or even much knowledge of the wider world, Fredwynklemossering embarks on a journey to discover who – or what – killed his parents. Along the way, however, he learns more than he bargained for, including his seemingly impossible status as a Dungeon Core/Human hybrid. With that knowledge comes a shift in his objective; revenge against those who wronged him turns out to pale in comparison to the dangers the Humans will face in the future.
Will Fred be able to successfully straddle the line between the Human and Dungeon Core worlds? Unfortunately, he’ll have to, or else the entire Dungeon World may be doomed…
Contains 564,000 words, LitRPG/GameLit elements such as statistics and leveling, as well as dungeon construction and defense. No harems and no profanity.
- GenresFantasy
622 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2020
688 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Brooks
82 books482 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 26, 2025
I read this mostly by accident, was looking for a different series and somehow ended up getting this one.
It was a strange experience. This is a prime example of LitRPG (I think? There appears to be sub-categories too now...), which means: fantasy books written with the tropes of classic, stats-based role playing games apparent. There are character levels and unlocked skills and mana points and all that. It is arguably an acquired taste, and doesn't easily lend itself to, say, lyrical Tolkien-style storytelling.
In this specific example, the writing is competent and the overall story largely coherent, though I would not call the finished product polished. There is awkwardness in places, and the character motivations and actions can easily remain shallow. Somehow however, I found this to be a page turner. There is something about a consistent power progression as a narrative arc which just keeps on working regardless of setting. I understand that there exists (and have sampled a small fraction of) a gigantic corpus of such stories in manga and manwha form, from Asian countries. It sometimes makes you feel vaguely embarrassed to read it, but it is all too easy to just keep on reading. Comparatively, I would say that Dungeon World was in the upper half of complexity and narrative coherence, and also knew how to keep itself contained. I'm giving this 3 stars.
It was a strange experience. This is a prime example of LitRPG (I think? There appears to be sub-categories too now...), which means: fantasy books written with the tropes of classic, stats-based role playing games apparent. There are character levels and unlocked skills and mana points and all that. It is arguably an acquired taste, and doesn't easily lend itself to, say, lyrical Tolkien-style storytelling.
In this specific example, the writing is competent and the overall story largely coherent, though I would not call the finished product polished. There is awkwardness in places, and the character motivations and actions can easily remain shallow. Somehow however, I found this to be a page turner. There is something about a consistent power progression as a narrative arc which just keeps on working regardless of setting. I understand that there exists (and have sampled a small fraction of) a gigantic corpus of such stories in manga and manwha form, from Asian countries. It sometimes makes you feel vaguely embarrassed to read it, but it is all too easy to just keep on reading. Comparatively, I would say that Dungeon World was in the upper half of complexity and narrative coherence, and also knew how to keep itself contained. I'm giving this 3 stars.
April 3, 2024
Fans of Dakota Krout's Dungeon Born will love this series about a Dungeon Core inside a Human. Having the best of both worlds, Fred Winklemossering doesn't know or understand his powers. Orphaned by the assassination of his parents, he has very little to go on either. He finds his way to a human village and becomes an adventurer. The series walks us through his self-exploration while many are trying to kill him because they are afraid of his potential. This series is very relaxed and easy to listen to - everything is very well explained over and over, so if you miss something, it's not going to detract from the story. 56 hours long at the cost of 1 credit on Audible, you can't go wrong with this selection.
June 15, 2024
I really wanted to love this series but I couldn't stand the characters. I really enjoyed the world (and dungeon) building and mechanics. I just actually didn't like any of the characters in it though which made it hard for me to get behind.
But it truly felt like following a homeschooled autistic kid with world-bending super powers as he got the girl and saved all of his friends while figuring out how social queues worked. Mash that with living in a tower defense game - and it's an interesting concept.
I'm happy to have listened to it on audible, the narrator was solid, but it was a slog to get through fully at points. The end picked up a bit and the extra story hidden in here was neat - but it's not one I can easily recommend.
But it truly felt like following a homeschooled autistic kid with world-bending super powers as he got the girl and saved all of his friends while figuring out how social queues worked. Mash that with living in a tower defense game - and it's an interesting concept.
I'm happy to have listened to it on audible, the narrator was solid, but it was a slog to get through fully at points. The end picked up a bit and the extra story hidden in here was neat - but it's not one I can easily recommend.
October 13, 2022
A decent read, but needs some polish.
I've been binging LitRPG books for the last few months and finally came to Dungeon Cores. This series is, I think, the seminal work in that genre. I liked the story. It was well paced, most of the time; and, came to a satisfying conclusion.
I might have given it five stars except for the obvious need for an editor. There are several instances of odd, convoluted, meandering sentence structures and odd word choices. The grammar is inconsistent as well. It became more pronounced toward the end.
Even with all that, though, it was an engaging and entertaining read.
I've been binging LitRPG books for the last few months and finally came to Dungeon Cores. This series is, I think, the seminal work in that genre. I liked the story. It was well paced, most of the time; and, came to a satisfying conclusion.
I might have given it five stars except for the obvious need for an editor. There are several instances of odd, convoluted, meandering sentence structures and odd word choices. The grammar is inconsistent as well. It became more pronounced toward the end.
Even with all that, though, it was an engaging and entertaining read.
March 19, 2024
Cozy read
I really enjoyed my stay in Dungeon World. Fred is a fun character, and it was lovely watching him learn and grow. His motivations make sense and he's a great person/core who worries about if he's doing the right thing but proves he'll do anything to protect those he cares about.
I found the series both comfortable and containing enough unexpected moments to stay entertained.
I really enjoyed my stay in Dungeon World. Fred is a fun character, and it was lovely watching him learn and grow. His motivations make sense and he's a great person/core who worries about if he's doing the right thing but proves he'll do anything to protect those he cares about.
I found the series both comfortable and containing enough unexpected moments to stay entertained.
March 31, 2023
3.5 stars
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I had a lot of problems with it as well. First, as with most self-published litrpgs, it really needs an editor to go through and help fix a bunch of issues. The most frequent of which was the tendency to use the same word multiple times in a sentence.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I had a lot of problems with it as well. First, as with most self-published litrpgs, it really needs an editor to go through and help fix a bunch of issues. The most frequent of which was the tendency to use the same word multiple times in a sentence.
June 4, 2021
Nice LitRPG dungeon book.
Okay this is a dungeon book series. 5 books in total combined.
This starts with Fred (the full name is ridiculous) a weird dungeon hybrid, of half core and hhuman, going out to experience the not home thing.
Okay this is a dungeon book series. 5 books in total combined.
This starts with Fred (the full name is ridiculous) a weird dungeon hybrid, of half core and hhuman, going out to experience the not home thing.
August 27, 2023
dungeon world series complete box set 1-5
I like this book it had a lot of action and a lot of character development. I read all five books. It did seem to be a little bit wordy in that book 4 and 5 Ithink could’ve been combined. this is why I gave a four-star vs a five star
I like this book it had a lot of action and a lot of character development. I read all five books. It did seem to be a little bit wordy in that book 4 and 5 Ithink could’ve been combined. this is why I gave a four-star vs a five star
September 17, 2020
Fun read
This was a great series! I'm looking forward to reading the next Arc of books in the dungeon world series
This was a great series! I'm looking forward to reading the next Arc of books in the dungeon world series
March 3, 2021
I need more
Amazing world building that leaves you satisfied yet wanting more I would love to follow the adventures of Wynk and Milton!!
Amazing world building that leaves you satisfied yet wanting more I would love to follow the adventures of Wynk and Milton!!
November 18, 2021
Entertaining
My 1st foray into the dungeon core genre and I enjoyed it. I thought the main character was a little naive for a little too long, but it kept me turning the pages.
My 1st foray into the dungeon core genre and I enjoyed it. I thought the main character was a little naive for a little too long, but it kept me turning the pages.
December 13, 2021
Lots of fun
Good series great characters. I like the plot line and the finale was well written. A little deus ex machina but still handled well.
Good series great characters. I like the plot line and the finale was well written. A little deus ex machina but still handled well.
July 19, 2022
Lovely
A lovely series! Pretty wholesome. Well written, clever mechanics, solid world building. I'm glad someone recommended the series to me!
A lovely series! Pretty wholesome. Well written, clever mechanics, solid world building. I'm glad someone recommended the series to me!
April 9, 2024
Very refreshing
I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy books. This story has a unique story line that I truly enjoyed.
I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy books. This story has a unique story line that I truly enjoyed.
November 10, 2023
A new world build unwraps
This author and series came to my attention after giving read most of Mr. Wong's first series based on the system.
I appreciated the restraint the author showed during this book series keeping certain human activities to light mentions and insinuating wording.
I was looking for a major difference between the epuc Dragon fantasies I have been reading lately. This helped in some regard.
If I focus on the main objection I have, it is while some parts are longer than perhaps necessary, other parts, in particular the ending, seemed too rushed.
But I enjoyed it overall and hope some day to figure out what series comes next.
This author and series came to my attention after giving read most of Mr. Wong's first series based on the system.
I appreciated the restraint the author showed during this book series keeping certain human activities to light mentions and insinuating wording.
I was looking for a major difference between the epuc Dragon fantasies I have been reading lately. This helped in some regard.
If I focus on the main objection I have, it is while some parts are longer than perhaps necessary, other parts, in particular the ending, seemed too rushed.
But I enjoyed it overall and hope some day to figure out what series comes next.
July 23, 2021
Original, unexpected, satisfying resolution
Not at all the direction I expected this to go... not that I had any idea how the author was going to finish this out. Suffice it to say, he pulled off a surprisingly complex yet believable solution and a satisfying resolution for all concerned.
This series definitely feels more like an epic than I was expecting. Very vividly imagined, excellent world building, dynamic characters, and a fully fleshed out mana/essence system with its own distinct flavor.
Not at all the direction I expected this to go... not that I had any idea how the author was going to finish this out. Suffice it to say, he pulled off a surprisingly complex yet believable solution and a satisfying resolution for all concerned.
This series definitely feels more like an epic than I was expecting. Very vividly imagined, excellent world building, dynamic characters, and a fully fleshed out mana/essence system with its own distinct flavor.
February 8, 2022
Interesting
Ok....I started reading Brooks dungeon series with the Dungeon Fairy box set, from there it just evolved into getting all the other sets in the universe... I won't lie, some are better than others, but they are all enjoyable in one way or another.
But about this one..... I found it interesting and engaging, it sort of would have like it to have more personality development on the shards, but I was still enjoyable.
Ok....I started reading Brooks dungeon series with the Dungeon Fairy box set, from there it just evolved into getting all the other sets in the universe... I won't lie, some are better than others, but they are all enjoyable in one way or another.
But about this one..... I found it interesting and engaging, it sort of would have like it to have more personality development on the shards, but I was still enjoyable.
September 15, 2022
amazing collection
This book series takes Fred a loving son to two dungeon cores on a journey to bridge the lives of dungeon cores and humans. My favorite part was in book 5, with the realization that Dungeon Cores and Humans have something in common. It was interesting that the dungeon cores were very human in their fear of the unknown. The Bonus Story was awesome too, I think it is word for word in Core Convergence but it has been awhile since I last read it.
This book series takes Fred a loving son to two dungeon cores on a journey to bridge the lives of dungeon cores and humans. My favorite part was in book 5, with the realization that Dungeon Cores and Humans have something in common. It was interesting that the dungeon cores were very human in their fear of the unknown. The Bonus Story was awesome too, I think it is word for word in Core Convergence but it has been awhile since I last read it.
March 6, 2024
I found this box set of a fantasy world to be very entertaining. I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys 'other world ' adventures. Mr. Brooks has constructed a world that he has peopled with a wide range of characters. His vivid imagination transports the reader into the action. (Think the Twilight Zone). He followed it with a short story that had a huge hook. It was a complete story that left me wanting answers. Please keep writing.
June 6, 2022
To be Core or not to be Core
Now this how a adventure should be. Showing the ins and outs of how a dungeon operates. And how stupid they have gotten. And finding out a real bad guy exists. And the hero fixes what he can. And has a great learning curve to get there.
Now this how a adventure should be. Showing the ins and outs of how a dungeon operates. And how stupid they have gotten. And finding out a real bad guy exists. And the hero fixes what he can. And has a great learning curve to get there.
Read
February 19, 2022Great fun
Very enjoyable, imaginative read, so yes, I would definitely recommend this to any who are new, or are already familiar with the genre.
Very enjoyable, imaginative read, so yes, I would definitely recommend this to any who are new, or are already familiar with the genre.
February 12, 2023
I appreciate the effort to have a new view point, but just lacking a reason to be interested.
January 6, 2024
Riveting reading
Loved these books, I just couldn't stop until I'd finished all of them I highly recommend these and look forward to seeing more from this Author
Loved these books, I just couldn't stop until I'd finished all of them I highly recommend these and look forward to seeing more from this Author
October 21, 2024
Still Good
Still good on second read through. Keep making good stories and I'll keep reading them.
Hmmm n hmmm How many words does this thing require?
Still good on second read through. Keep making good stories and I'll keep reading them.
Hmmm n hmmm How many words does this thing require?
January 7, 2025
great series
I love dungeons and this was an unusual take on them, it brings the two ‘combatants’ into perspective
Great series
I love dungeons and this was an unusual take on them, it brings the two ‘combatants’ into perspective
Great series
January 30, 2025
Great nonstop read!
I had to force myself to stop reading around 1:00 am daily. I how everyone enjoys the books as much as I did!
I had to force myself to stop reading around 1:00 am daily. I how everyone enjoys the books as much as I did!
April 4, 2025
Fun world, with an interesting MC. Definitely hits the complexity of system that a LitRPG reader would want.
July 15, 2025
Captivating!
Interesting story line, and very unusual and unique perspective on LitRPG - (spoiler alert!) - dungeon core point of view!
Interesting story line, and very unusual and unique perspective on LitRPG - (spoiler alert!) - dungeon core point of view!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews