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Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon
A LitRPG Adventure
Fantasy meets horror in this gore-soaked, standalone LitRPG adventure!
It had seemed like a dream offer. Paint a mural. $15,000. How could Duke not jump at the chance?
But it came with a catch, as these things often do. He had to first see what his client wanted him to paint.
A private server. A digital playground. An alliance of the world’s most sadistic, most depraved minds. A place to bring their prey, to hone their skills.
Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon. Survival horror. One of the most brutal, most terrifying full-immersion games ever made. A place where fantasy characters such as elves and dwarves clash with technology, where giant monsters roam the hills, entrusted with protecting the gates of heaven from the demons who would tear it all down.
A game where one plays the last of the battlefield surgeons: a healer tasked with keeping the behemoths alive at all costs.
But on this server, they don’t care about the game. That’s not why they’re here. They’ve come because of the game’s most unique feature: Full pain. Realistic anatomy. The ability to bring their victims well beyond the body’s normal breaking point. And most importantly, the ability to bring them back and do it all over again.
Trapped in a bloody, merciless nightmare, Duke only has one goal. To survive. And in order to survive, he must play the game. He must win the game. And to do that, he must become the most cruel, most ruthless monster of them all.
658 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2019
1495 people are currently reading
2897 people want to read
About the author
Matt Dinniman
34 books12.8k followersMatt Dinniman is the best-selling writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the published author of dozens of short stories and a gaggle of books. In addition, his art publications—from greeting cards to stationery kits to calendars—can be found in boutique and stationery shops around the world. Also, he strongly feels like a pretentious twat when he writes about himself in third person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 503 reviews
November 18, 2019
Hoooooookay
This is.....dark. it is well written, has an interesting plot, and a fun game system. That being said...hoooooollllllyyyyy crap is it fucked up. (Especially the ending) I would classify this as GrimDark Gamelit. Be warned.
This is.....dark. it is well written, has an interesting plot, and a fun game system. That being said...hoooooollllllyyyyy crap is it fucked up. (Especially the ending) I would classify this as GrimDark Gamelit. Be warned.
August 6, 2023
Every once in a while, I like to branch out, get out of my comfort zone and read something from a hitherto unexplored genre. There aren't too many left but LitRPG was one of them. Sadly, this was not only my very first LitRPG but it will also have been my last.
The story is that of a guy who lost a kid, lost his other kid to drug abuse for having caused the other kid's death, lost his spouse because that is what "normal" people apparently do after losing a child, and he is then hired by a RV game developer to supposedly paint a mural in-game. Of course, that's bullshit, and once the guy is caught inside the game all hell breaks loose.
The game itself is one that lets you feel actual pain. It's sadistic and sick and apparently that is exactly why it draws so many people in. Psychopaths, mostly. Me, I was drawn in by the promise of blood and gore as well.
The problem with this book is that it never delivers. There was a slither of humour in the beginning (see my status update) but that soon turned into a trickle and then dried up completely. Everything was ultra serious or, sometimes, you saw an effort being made to present some snark but it was so forced that is was totally terrible.
In addition, the characters were not just cardboard and therefore bland, but downright unimportant. I mean, even in a game, you should care about certain characters, right? Not here. Which made it all the more boring and annoying when there were long-ass side quests that took way too much time without giving the reader/player an emotional payoff at least.
Then there is the constant info dump about the MCs family background. But strewn about in a way that it just did not make any sense. As if the author was trying too hard to flesh out his character (see? even my puns are lame where this book is concerned)!
What irks me the most is that when there is blood and gore, it's run-of-the-mill and the descriptions are ... boring. Yep. Even the penis-splitting scene and THAT should have made me cackle. But it didn't. *sighs* And after a short while, the scenes were utterly repetitive. So much so that I went back to check and sure enough: many were actual copies of earlier ones, just with a word or two changed. Seriously?!
No. Just no. It was all lame if you ask me. Like the grand finale that was over in about 3 minutes (if it had been riveting 3 minutes at least but of course not). All this questing and supposed build-up for THAT?! Not to mention that the author then tried to be edgy and dark and throw in a twist that wasn't actually a twist but a lame-ass attempt at one that not only didn't make a whole lot of sense, but insulted any reader's intelligence.
Maybe this is all pretty standard for this genre but if it is, it's definitely not for me. Even fluffy and easy reads need to engage a minimum of 3 of my brain cells. As it is, this was worse than any rom-com I've ever read and that is saying a lot! Because this had kaiju and I love kaiju!
I feel betrayed.
The story is that of a guy who lost a kid, lost his other kid to drug abuse for having caused the other kid's death, lost his spouse because that is what "normal" people apparently do after losing a child, and he is then hired by a RV game developer to supposedly paint a mural in-game. Of course, that's bullshit, and once the guy is caught inside the game all hell breaks loose.
The game itself is one that lets you feel actual pain. It's sadistic and sick and apparently that is exactly why it draws so many people in. Psychopaths, mostly. Me, I was drawn in by the promise of blood and gore as well.
The problem with this book is that it never delivers. There was a slither of humour in the beginning (see my status update) but that soon turned into a trickle and then dried up completely. Everything was ultra serious or, sometimes, you saw an effort being made to present some snark but it was so forced that is was totally terrible.
In addition, the characters were not just cardboard and therefore bland, but downright unimportant. I mean, even in a game, you should care about certain characters, right? Not here. Which made it all the more boring and annoying when there were long-ass side quests that took way too much time without giving the reader/player an emotional payoff at least.
Then there is the constant info dump about the MCs family background. But strewn about in a way that it just did not make any sense. As if the author was trying too hard to flesh out his character (see? even my puns are lame where this book is concerned)!
What irks me the most is that when there is blood and gore, it's run-of-the-mill and the descriptions are ... boring. Yep. Even the penis-splitting scene and THAT should have made me cackle. But it didn't. *sighs* And after a short while, the scenes were utterly repetitive. So much so that I went back to check and sure enough: many were actual copies of earlier ones, just with a word or two changed. Seriously?!
No. Just no. It was all lame if you ask me. Like the grand finale that was over in about 3 minutes (if it had been riveting 3 minutes at least but of course not). All this questing and supposed build-up for THAT?! Not to mention that the author then tried to be edgy and dark and throw in a twist that wasn't actually a twist but a lame-ass attempt at one that not only didn't make a whole lot of sense, but insulted any reader's intelligence.
Maybe this is all pretty standard for this genre but if it is, it's definitely not for me. Even fluffy and easy reads need to engage a minimum of 3 of my brain cells. As it is, this was worse than any rom-com I've ever read and that is saying a lot! Because this had kaiju and I love kaiju!
I feel betrayed.
July 23, 2021
Notes:
If you are looking for a LitRPG-Horror story, this is it. I wasn't sure what to expect, because the reviews on this book are extreme. People either loved or hated it. I like the cover and the title. The blurb is not great. However, I had recently finished #1-3 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and saw that I've actually read several books by the author. That's why I decided to give this one a shot. I'm glad I did!
The author pulled no punches with the story. It's not graphic, but it's quite easy to imagine the horrific and yucky events. That's what makes the story cross the iffy line of thriller/action and into horror.
Great narration, solid story and good characters.
If you are looking for a LitRPG-Horror story, this is it. I wasn't sure what to expect, because the reviews on this book are extreme. People either loved or hated it. I like the cover and the title. The blurb is not great. However, I had recently finished #1-3 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and saw that I've actually read several books by the author. That's why I decided to give this one a shot. I'm glad I did!
The author pulled no punches with the story. It's not graphic, but it's quite easy to imagine the horrific and yucky events. That's what makes the story cross the iffy line of thriller/action and into horror.
Great narration, solid story and good characters.
Read
September 7, 2025(EDIT: for some reason I was sure this book was written after Dungeon Crawler Carl. Edited my review to reflect this change (basically just removed mentions of Dinniman returning to his "old" style). Kept my original review under the spoiler section.)
Don't know how to rate this.
The most ambitious Dinniman book in terms of emotional and psychological content, but strangely enough, It's a great example of why Dungeon Crawler Carl succeeded while Dinniman's other books have failed.
The premise is great, with some nice plot twists later on and a genuine attempt at a character arc and even a genuine psychological exploration. But it's all pretty bad.
Generally speaking, Dinniman isn't a good writer. He hit gold with DCC, but his writing overall is nothing special. Here he still attempts to write a "serious" novel, and I think he simply failed.
The story is bleak. So bleak it's nihilistic, and yet has nothing new or interesting to say. DCC is bleak, but it's also crazy fun and has great humor. Kaiju, sadly, is 100% bleak.
I felt nothing towards the characters. It's not enough for a character to say what they feel -- the reader needs to feel it too.
The torture scenes were just torture-porn. I felt nothing other than cringe. They were simply graphic descriptions of body parts being cut. It's terrible, and not the kind of terrible Dinniman was aiming for.
The audiobook was of the "audio drama" variety, and it wasn't for me. Jeff was great as usual, but some of the other cast members were not. And there's the format itself: when a character cries, I don't want to hear an actor cry -- I want them to read the text. And when a character screams while being tortured I don't want to hear an actor scream -- I want them to read the text.
My original review:
Don't know how to rate this.
The most ambitious Dinniman book in terms of emotional and psychological content, but strangely enough, It's a great example of why Dungeon Crawler Carl succeeded while Dinniman's other books have failed.
The premise is great, with some nice plot twists later on and a genuine attempt at a character arc and even a genuine psychological exploration. But it's all pretty bad.
Generally speaking, Dinniman isn't a good writer. He hit gold with DCC, but his writing overall is nothing special. Here he still attempts to write a "serious" novel, and I think he simply failed.
The story is bleak. So bleak it's nihilistic, and yet has nothing new or interesting to say. DCC is bleak, but it's also crazy fun and has great humor. Kaiju, sadly, is 100% bleak.
I felt nothing towards the characters. It's not enough for a character to say what they feel -- the reader needs to feel it too.
The torture scenes were just torture-porn. I felt nothing other than cringe. They were simply graphic descriptions of body parts being cut. It's terrible, and not the kind of terrible Dinniman was aiming for.
The audiobook was of the "audio drama" variety, and it wasn't for me. Jeff was great as usual, but some of the other cast members were not. And there's the format itself: when a character cries, I don't want to hear an actor cry -- I want them to read the text. And when a character screams while being tortured I don't want to hear an actor scream -- I want them to read the text.
My original review:
July 27, 2022
I genuinely wouldn't recommend this book to the casual reader.
Firstly, it's a litRPG. The protagonist is trapped in a virtual reality game, his body stuck in a gaming rig pod thingamajig.
Secondly, this is horror. The blurb doesn't exaggerate. There is torture, violence, gore, and a pet tapeworm called Banksy.
It's gross. First author to make me retch. I usually need visuals for that. Words don't really translate into an image for me (aphantasia), so that's quite the achievement. Kudos to the author. (And for those who know, yes it was the milk.)
I just shuddered.
Anyway, back to my review: I swallowed all 600 pages in less than twenty-four hours. Compelling, tense, incredibly well written. I loved this book.
Who would have thought. Not me.
Firstly, it's a litRPG. The protagonist is trapped in a virtual reality game, his body stuck in a gaming rig pod thingamajig.
Secondly, this is horror. The blurb doesn't exaggerate. There is torture, violence, gore, and a pet tapeworm called Banksy.
It's gross. First author to make me retch. I usually need visuals for that. Words don't really translate into an image for me (aphantasia), so that's quite the achievement. Kudos to the author. (And for those who know, yes it was the milk.)
I just shuddered.
Anyway, back to my review: I swallowed all 600 pages in less than twenty-four hours. Compelling, tense, incredibly well written. I loved this book.
Who would have thought. Not me.
November 8, 2025
Ta książka nie bierze jeńców... Bardzo mocna emocjonalnie, bardzo krwawa (gore 1000/10) i brutalna, więc zdecydowanie nie dla każdego. Dałam radę ją skończyć tylko dlatego, że uznałam, że robienie dnf na 70% to już trochę za późno na odwrót z tej historii- szalone pomysły autora już i tak przesączyły mi się do głowy i nie ma różnicy czy dosłucham te ostatnie 4h książki czy nie... Trzeba było zrobić DNF...
Nie twierdzę, że to zła rzecz, po prostu nie spodziewałam się, że autorowi peron odjedzie jeszcze dalej niż zwykle, że opowie historię tak bardzo pokręconą, że zaczynasz się zastanawiać nad sensem brnięcia w to. w ogóle kto czyta takie rzeczy? co to o mnie mówi, że po to sięgnęłam i bawiłam się na tym na tyle dobrze, żeby dać 4 gwiazdki?!?! no 5 gwiazdek nie dam, aż tak mocno mnie ten syndrom Sztokholmski nie złapał...
lista trigger warningów tutaj mogłaby być długa jak w niektórych dark romansach, a i tak pewnie znalazłoby się coś na niej nieuwzględnionego, co jest triggerujące dla niektórych...np, kto by pomyślał, że czytanie/słuchanie o nacinaniu zębów jest aż tak odstręczające... jest na to w ogóle jakaś nazwa?
najlepszy element tej historii to był dla mnie Banksy, ale tylko do 25 poziomu, potem nie czułam już z nim takiej więzi. zakończenie petarda, autor tak namieszał, stworzył taki węzeł intryg, że zupełnie nie widziałam tego ciosu w splot słoneczny w ostatnich rozdziałach
polecam i nie polecam
Nie twierdzę, że to zła rzecz, po prostu nie spodziewałam się, że autorowi peron odjedzie jeszcze dalej niż zwykle, że opowie historię tak bardzo pokręconą, że zaczynasz się zastanawiać nad sensem brnięcia w to. w ogóle kto czyta takie rzeczy? co to o mnie mówi, że po to sięgnęłam i bawiłam się na tym na tyle dobrze, żeby dać 4 gwiazdki?!?! no 5 gwiazdek nie dam, aż tak mocno mnie ten syndrom Sztokholmski nie złapał...
lista trigger warningów tutaj mogłaby być długa jak w niektórych dark romansach, a i tak pewnie znalazłoby się coś na niej nieuwzględnionego, co jest triggerujące dla niektórych...np, kto by pomyślał, że czytanie/słuchanie o nacinaniu zębów jest aż tak odstręczające... jest na to w ogóle jakaś nazwa?
najlepszy element tej historii to był dla mnie Banksy, ale tylko do 25 poziomu, potem nie czułam już z nim takiej więzi. zakończenie petarda, autor tak namieszał, stworzył taki węzeł intryg, że zupełnie nie widziałam tego ciosu w splot słoneczny w ostatnich rozdziałach
polecam i nie polecam
January 20, 2025
This was an odd read for me, but I'm mostly positive on it while still wishing I had been more engaged all the way through. I experienced it through Soundbooth Theater's cinematic audio format, where Jeff Hays is the lead narrator with a few other performers plus lots of added sound effects and occasional music (loved the immersive sound effects, did not like the music which is just distracting from the narration under it).
This felt like a proto-version of DCC that's less enjoyable in a lot of ways. Duke is a proto-Carl who just feels less fully realized, and it's overall not as playful as DCC nor does it have the stakes or narrative thrust. Some of the character and story beats had some echoes to ones in DCC, yet they never hit as hard as the ones in that much superior story.
I did like the premise, and as far as doing straight litrpg where we are in an actual video game, I liked this framing and approach more than some of the others I've tried recently and quickly put down. The whole premise is that Duke is taken captive and unwillingly stuck in a VR video game and has to beat it in order to wake up and resume his outside life. The story frame around the game worked great, but for almost the entire book we are there in the video game with Duke, and making our way from task to task in the game just dragged for me even though Dinniman kept on putting extremely gross/horrific/cool moments on the page. I do like that the game itself is very original and not just a World of Warcraft stand in, but I wish Dinniman spent a bit more time fleshing out the game's world and mechanics. This being a standalone had us really speeding through time here, and it often made things feel random in how we went from point A to point B.
The highlight was the bond between Duke and his pet worm familiar, and this provided the one genuinely emotional payoff I felt toward the climax of the book. It was hard to care about much else that was going on though, and after a bunch of recent experiments to try more litrpg beyond DCC, I fear that this more common type of litrpg where we are living through an actual in-world video game is just not going to be for me.
This felt like a proto-version of DCC that's less enjoyable in a lot of ways. Duke is a proto-Carl who just feels less fully realized, and it's overall not as playful as DCC nor does it have the stakes or narrative thrust. Some of the character and story beats had some echoes to ones in DCC, yet they never hit as hard as the ones in that much superior story.
I did like the premise, and as far as doing straight litrpg where we are in an actual video game, I liked this framing and approach more than some of the others I've tried recently and quickly put down. The whole premise is that Duke is taken captive and unwillingly stuck in a VR video game and has to beat it in order to wake up and resume his outside life. The story frame around the game worked great, but for almost the entire book we are there in the video game with Duke, and making our way from task to task in the game just dragged for me even though Dinniman kept on putting extremely gross/horrific/cool moments on the page. I do like that the game itself is very original and not just a World of Warcraft stand in, but I wish Dinniman spent a bit more time fleshing out the game's world and mechanics. This being a standalone had us really speeding through time here, and it often made things feel random in how we went from point A to point B.
The highlight was the bond between Duke and his pet worm familiar, and this provided the one genuinely emotional payoff I felt toward the climax of the book. It was hard to care about much else that was going on though, and after a bunch of recent experiments to try more litrpg beyond DCC, I fear that this more common type of litrpg where we are living through an actual in-world video game is just not going to be for me.
November 2, 2021
DNF I Just couldn't do it. Reading this book is torture
There are things I just don't want to see. Innocent people suffering and being tortured is at the top of that list.
The writing here is good, the way plot elements are set up is clever, the way characters are introduced is very well done.
If you don't mind feces the size of cars, parasites the size of buses and the main character being kidnapped imprisoned and tortured long term, this might be to book for you.
I do not want to read a study in anguish.
I have a rule: If I start urging the MC to commit suicide to end the suffering, -I quit that book. That rule triggered at the 10% mark here. I think it was where the hookworm baby started to weep that it was staving and didn't want to die and be reincarnated to starve and die again because it huts so much each time. Rear that sentence again, If it doesn't bother you, or if it intrigues you Go for this book.
There are things I just don't want to see. Innocent people suffering and being tortured is at the top of that list.
The writing here is good, the way plot elements are set up is clever, the way characters are introduced is very well done.
If you don't mind feces the size of cars, parasites the size of buses and the main character being kidnapped imprisoned and tortured long term, this might be to book for you.
I do not want to read a study in anguish.
I have a rule: If I start urging the MC to commit suicide to end the suffering, -I quit that book. That rule triggered at the 10% mark here. I think it was where the hookworm baby started to weep that it was staving and didn't want to die and be reincarnated to starve and die again because it huts so much each time. Rear that sentence again, If it doesn't bother you, or if it intrigues you Go for this book.
May 28, 2024
Meeeeeeh.
Nada del otro mundo, aunque si al autor le sirvió para llegar Dungeon Crawler Carl, lo compro.
Por reseñar una cosa: Tiene uno de los momentos más desagradables que haya leído nunca, con diferencia...
Nada, un 5 pelón y a otra cosa.
Nada del otro mundo, aunque si al autor le sirvió para llegar Dungeon Crawler Carl, lo compro.
Por reseñar una cosa: Tiene uno de los momentos más desagradables que haya leído nunca, con diferencia...
Nada, un 5 pelón y a otra cosa.
November 11, 2019
Wow
This is one of the best litrpg books I have read. And even calling it litrpg doesn't do it justice. Well written interesting plot. Really hope there is another book in the series.
This is one of the best litrpg books I have read. And even calling it litrpg doesn't do it justice. Well written interesting plot. Really hope there is another book in the series.
April 11, 2022
Super gruesome. Explicit. Stomach turning scenes. Fucked up imagination.
But presented in a manner that engrosses the reader.
A different kind of LitRPG, not the one that your kids can read.
But presented in a manner that engrosses the reader.
A different kind of LitRPG, not the one that your kids can read.
June 29, 2025
i was starting to question why everyone was saying this book was so gruesome and then they started decapitating babies
November 15, 2019
Twisted and boring
Against my better judgement I bought this book because I enjoyed the author's previous works, Dominion of Blades and Hobgoblin Riot. That was a mistake. Despite being part of a shared world with those stories this is essentially a straight up horror story. A lot of time and detail is spent on different scenarios of physical torture, psychological torture and gore. It's basically wall to wall torture porn. I managed to get about 40 or 50 percent through the book before I gave up and skipped to the end. Based on what I read in the epilogue I'm glad I did.
Don't buy this unless you're a fan of graphically detailed horror. If you're looking for a good GameLit/LitRPG, go read Dominion of Blades by the same author. That I can recommend.
Against my better judgement I bought this book because I enjoyed the author's previous works, Dominion of Blades and Hobgoblin Riot. That was a mistake. Despite being part of a shared world with those stories this is essentially a straight up horror story. A lot of time and detail is spent on different scenarios of physical torture, psychological torture and gore. It's basically wall to wall torture porn. I managed to get about 40 or 50 percent through the book before I gave up and skipped to the end. Based on what I read in the epilogue I'm glad I did.
Don't buy this unless you're a fan of graphically detailed horror. If you're looking for a good GameLit/LitRPG, go read Dominion of Blades by the same author. That I can recommend.
July 2, 2025
I was looking for another Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC) after binging that series and waiting for book 7, and I saw that this was available on Hoopla.
Unfortunately, while DCC was crazy and funny, this book was instead dark and disturbing. It was not at all what I was expecting.
There is a scene in the book Unwind that is rather disturbing that has a similar match in this book. This version was so much more disturbing and graphic that I almost skipped that section entirely.
The ending was also not what I expected, and not in the good way.
Overall, it was decent, and there are some similarities to DCC, but not many. The disturbing bits and the ending would leave me hard pressed to give it more than a 3.
Unfortunately, while DCC was crazy and funny, this book was instead dark and disturbing. It was not at all what I was expecting.
There is a scene in the book Unwind that is rather disturbing that has a similar match in this book. This version was so much more disturbing and graphic that I almost skipped that section entirely.
The ending was also not what I expected, and not in the good way.
Overall, it was decent, and there are some similarities to DCC, but not many. The disturbing bits and the ending would leave me hard pressed to give it more than a 3.
November 19, 2019
Not for the faint of heart - but a wild ride!
What a ride this story was. From start to finish it twisted, turned, and went down fucked up routes.
This protagonist / hero / survivor - yeah, hard to say what to call him, basically has everything about him questioned at one point or another. It makes for a great psychological thriller, filled within a lovecraftian horror setting filled with giant abomination monsters.
Yeah there are levels and stars and it is a game system... but it’s definitely a horror story. If you want that, read it. It’s fun.
What a ride this story was. From start to finish it twisted, turned, and went down fucked up routes.
This protagonist / hero / survivor - yeah, hard to say what to call him, basically has everything about him questioned at one point or another. It makes for a great psychological thriller, filled within a lovecraftian horror setting filled with giant abomination monsters.
Yeah there are levels and stars and it is a game system... but it’s definitely a horror story. If you want that, read it. It’s fun.
January 12, 2020
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Explicit content: Loads (and I mean loads) of gore and body horror. Some gross sexual situations.
Recommended for: Fans of the genre looking for a spin on things (it's not an MMORPG), possibly fantasy fans?
This was a weird read for me. I've never read any LitRPG before, but I'm in a reading challenge that contains a prompt for one, so I gave this a go. It was...interesting. Mostly it just left me wanting to actually play this game, haha. It did a really good job of creating an interesting game/setting and mechanics, and then using those mechanics in very clever ways. The game's lore/background became genuinely engaging once we learned more about it, and the characters within the game are real enough that you actually feel for them. Banksy far and away stole the show, and it was genuinely heartbreaking when he questioned his own reality. You're real to us, big guy. (Also brings up an interesting point, because technically to /us/ Banksy is just as "real" as the actual "real" people. Huh.) I would absolutely read more books set in this game world, but I'm afraid there's not really much more to explore, since the ending is...wow.
The story does have a lot (a looooot) of violence and gore in it, but the author is very straightforward about that fact. It's in the blurb, and it's in the forward. If you make it past both of those and are still grossed out or offended, that's on you. I will say I didn't enjoy anything with the donkey, and I wish that hadn't been in it at all - I think it was intended to be kinda comical, but it just ended up being extra gross and weird. Overall, though, the gore didn't much phase me, until the amplifying scene, but that's kinda the whole point. After that, everything else seems almost tame by comparison.
This book also gave me a weird amount of anxiety, which is also the point. In the beginning, our main character is just so /powerless/ it was genuinely terrifying. I found myself wondering what I'd do in a similar situation, kinda like what you do when reading post-apoc novels and the like. I don't think I'd do well, but that just makes Duke more admirable. He takes to things pretty well (eventually), and is genuinely kickass and clever. He's is a likable guy who wants to do the right thing, but generally makes some very difficult choices. You're always rooting for him, though.
That point brings me to the ending. Like a lot of people have mentioned, the ending is really, really bleak. Honestly, I saw this mentioned so many times that I skipped straight to it just to see how bad it was, which meant it didn't kick me in the teeth as much as it would have were I unprepared, but it was still depressing. My problem isn't with that, though, but rather that the hopelessness of the ending seems to go against the overall theme of the story. The game itself is about healing, after all. And there's a running theme of what Duke is experiencing being "too much" that eventually comes back around and forces him to confront the nature of living. It's hard to explain without getting into too much detail, but there's a weird sort of hopefulness to it, especially in the ending he gets in the game. The actual ending of the story is a harsh, harsh contrast to this idea, and I just didn't feel they fit together well. I almost wish we'd get a little extra novella detailing what happens a few years later, dealing with certain characters and other things I can't get into. Sigh.
Overall, I think this was a good read as far as the genre is concerned, but it's hard for me to say for certain, as this is my first foray into it. As stated previously, there's lots of action, lots of gore, lots of suspense, and surprisingly a lot of fantasy elements. If that sounds like fun for you, give this a go - just be prepared for heartbreak.
Explicit content: Loads (and I mean loads) of gore and body horror. Some gross sexual situations.
Recommended for: Fans of the genre looking for a spin on things (it's not an MMORPG), possibly fantasy fans?
This was a weird read for me. I've never read any LitRPG before, but I'm in a reading challenge that contains a prompt for one, so I gave this a go. It was...interesting. Mostly it just left me wanting to actually play this game, haha. It did a really good job of creating an interesting game/setting and mechanics, and then using those mechanics in very clever ways. The game's lore/background became genuinely engaging once we learned more about it, and the characters within the game are real enough that you actually feel for them. Banksy far and away stole the show, and it was genuinely heartbreaking when he questioned his own reality. You're real to us, big guy. (Also brings up an interesting point, because technically to /us/ Banksy is just as "real" as the actual "real" people. Huh.) I would absolutely read more books set in this game world, but I'm afraid there's not really much more to explore, since the ending is...wow.
The story does have a lot (a looooot) of violence and gore in it, but the author is very straightforward about that fact. It's in the blurb, and it's in the forward. If you make it past both of those and are still grossed out or offended, that's on you. I will say I didn't enjoy anything with the donkey, and I wish that hadn't been in it at all - I think it was intended to be kinda comical, but it just ended up being extra gross and weird. Overall, though, the gore didn't much phase me, until the amplifying scene, but that's kinda the whole point. After that, everything else seems almost tame by comparison.
This book also gave me a weird amount of anxiety, which is also the point. In the beginning, our main character is just so /powerless/ it was genuinely terrifying. I found myself wondering what I'd do in a similar situation, kinda like what you do when reading post-apoc novels and the like. I don't think I'd do well, but that just makes Duke more admirable. He takes to things pretty well (eventually), and is genuinely kickass and clever. He's is a likable guy who wants to do the right thing, but generally makes some very difficult choices. You're always rooting for him, though.
That point brings me to the ending. Like a lot of people have mentioned, the ending is really, really bleak. Honestly, I saw this mentioned so many times that I skipped straight to it just to see how bad it was, which meant it didn't kick me in the teeth as much as it would have were I unprepared, but it was still depressing. My problem isn't with that, though, but rather that the hopelessness of the ending seems to go against the overall theme of the story. The game itself is about healing, after all. And there's a running theme of what Duke is experiencing being "too much" that eventually comes back around and forces him to confront the nature of living. It's hard to explain without getting into too much detail, but there's a weird sort of hopefulness to it, especially in the ending he gets in the game. The actual ending of the story is a harsh, harsh contrast to this idea, and I just didn't feel they fit together well. I almost wish we'd get a little extra novella detailing what happens a few years later, dealing with certain characters and other things I can't get into. Sigh.
Overall, I think this was a good read as far as the genre is concerned, but it's hard for me to say for certain, as this is my first foray into it. As stated previously, there's lots of action, lots of gore, lots of suspense, and surprisingly a lot of fantasy elements. If that sounds like fun for you, give this a go - just be prepared for heartbreak.
July 15, 2022
This book was no where near as “bad” as I thought it would be. Not gonna lie. I was put off by some of the reviews saying how graphic it was. They are overly exaggerated. It’s dudes cringing about *spoiler*penis mutilation. Lissen…it’s not even descriptive. Half of the torture is not as descriptive as I was fearing. It’s no worse in gore than any other LitRPG out there. (Ok the menses potion and donkey stuff was kinda gross lol).
So what sets this apart? The story was fanfuggintastic. When I tell you I’m praying for a follow up! I was not ready for the ending. When it ended I was left wanting. The story quickly invests you in the characters. Despite the length of the book the story doesn’t drag. The teases that put together the big picture behind the characters is amazing. I did not see the ending coming. Even when it came I was like HOW?! HOW?! Buy this! Buy it for your friends. Buy it for your enemies and tell them you’ll see them in co-op mode. 😏
So what sets this apart? The story was fanfuggintastic. When I tell you I’m praying for a follow up! I was not ready for the ending. When it ended I was left wanting. The story quickly invests you in the characters. Despite the length of the book the story doesn’t drag. The teases that put together the big picture behind the characters is amazing. I did not see the ending coming. Even when it came I was like HOW?! HOW?! Buy this! Buy it for your friends. Buy it for your enemies and tell them you’ll see them in co-op mode. 😏
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 28, 2022This book ended up being not for me which was a disappointment as I am a fan of Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. While I recognized many of the same game mechanics in the Kaiju book that I saw in the Dungeon crawler series, Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon lacked all the key aspects of Dungeon Crawler Carl that made the series work for me.
Kaiju is a gross book; that isn’t necessarily a complaint but rather a trait of the world Dinniman creates. The one issue I had with this feature though is that there aren’t really any breaks from one gross scene to the next. Dungeon Crawler Carl has plenty of gross scenes, but they are peppered with humor and there are notable breaks. This book left me queasy and kept me there.
Another issue for me is the lack of characterization of the main character Duke. I felt that I had more description of the torture he undergoes and the sewage he walks through than of his personality. Duke is an artist, but this never really seems to come into play leaving it as an unused Chekhov’s gun; sure, it’s the excuse used to bring him into the game, but he could have just as easily been an insurance assessor. Beyond Duke’s personal tragedy I don’t know much about him by the end of the book.
Both Duke and Carl from Dungeon Crawler have mantra’s that become motifs throughout the book. Carl’s mantra of “You will not break me” feels both determined and inspires a sense of hope. Whereas Dukes mantra of “This is too much” feels exactly that “too much”. In some ways it is fitting that Duke’s repetition inspires hopelessness because that is the chief emotion this book inspires, but it is not exactly an emotion I would choose to seek out.
There is no humor in this book, no fun companions, no clever dialogue. Everyone is depressed and only bad things happen to everyone including the AI pets. The bad things are graphic because one thing Dinniman’s book doesn’t lack is powerful descriptions of the nasty bits. And that a lot.
I really do like the way Dinniman writes but I will be sticking to his more well-balanced series moving forward. I don't want to rate this book because while I found this book very alienating it no doubt has its audience. That said, for those who prefer some levity with the dark and twisted stuff maybe skip this one and pick up the Dungeon Crawler series instead.
Kaiju is a gross book; that isn’t necessarily a complaint but rather a trait of the world Dinniman creates. The one issue I had with this feature though is that there aren’t really any breaks from one gross scene to the next. Dungeon Crawler Carl has plenty of gross scenes, but they are peppered with humor and there are notable breaks. This book left me queasy and kept me there.
Another issue for me is the lack of characterization of the main character Duke. I felt that I had more description of the torture he undergoes and the sewage he walks through than of his personality. Duke is an artist, but this never really seems to come into play leaving it as an unused Chekhov’s gun; sure, it’s the excuse used to bring him into the game, but he could have just as easily been an insurance assessor. Beyond Duke’s personal tragedy I don’t know much about him by the end of the book.
Both Duke and Carl from Dungeon Crawler have mantra’s that become motifs throughout the book. Carl’s mantra of “You will not break me” feels both determined and inspires a sense of hope. Whereas Dukes mantra of “This is too much” feels exactly that “too much”. In some ways it is fitting that Duke’s repetition inspires hopelessness because that is the chief emotion this book inspires, but it is not exactly an emotion I would choose to seek out.
There is no humor in this book, no fun companions, no clever dialogue. Everyone is depressed and only bad things happen to everyone including the AI pets. The bad things are graphic because one thing Dinniman’s book doesn’t lack is powerful descriptions of the nasty bits. And that a lot.
I really do like the way Dinniman writes but I will be sticking to his more well-balanced series moving forward. I don't want to rate this book because while I found this book very alienating it no doubt has its audience. That said, for those who prefer some levity with the dark and twisted stuff maybe skip this one and pick up the Dungeon Crawler series instead.
November 1, 2024
3.5 stars. I can completely see how some people might rate this 1 star (or less!) … but others 4 or 5 stars. It is NOT a book that appears to the most common denominator. It’s litrpg … kind of. It’s horror/gore … kind of. It’s a serial killer/mystery … kind of. It’s a psychological exploration of the crumbling of a man’s marriage following the tragic loss of a child. It’s also one of the author’s earlier/est works.
August 21, 2020
Beautiful and Terrible and Strange
I've seen attempts to bring Litrpg into the horror genre before, with very little success, but all that is now a faded memory. Matt pulls it off in a way that has never been done before, combining Litrpg with splatterpunk, with psychological horror, with smart ingenious twist endings.
This work is disturbing. Its frightening and twisted and grotesque. But its also something else... it's also a masterpiece. Comparing favorably to the best works by authors like Richard Layman and Bryan Smith of the horror genre, while also being a better written, more literally relevant work than any of the foremost litrpg sagas of our time.
I've seen attempts to bring Litrpg into the horror genre before, with very little success, but all that is now a faded memory. Matt pulls it off in a way that has never been done before, combining Litrpg with splatterpunk, with psychological horror, with smart ingenious twist endings.
This work is disturbing. Its frightening and twisted and grotesque. But its also something else... it's also a masterpiece. Comparing favorably to the best works by authors like Richard Layman and Bryan Smith of the horror genre, while also being a better written, more literally relevant work than any of the foremost litrpg sagas of our time.
May 30, 2025
This felt like a fever dream, but like that fever where your tongue is numb and your feet feel way too sensitive.
TL; DR: A brutal lesson in fight, torture, and storytelling, Kaiju Battlefield Medic is an insane and inelegant stab through the gut.
This isn’t my vibe, nuh-uh. While I wasn’t as grossed out as some people were, this is an absolutely brutal read. Honestly, I’ve seen and read worse, but this stuff just doesn’t stop. There are so many scenes that either mess with your head or mess with your stomach. It’s a messy read that I don’t know if I’d recommend to most anyone, but dang if it isn’t effective.
Characters: Duke is pretty solid, though I noted some inconsistencies along the way. His moods or longing could shift unexpectedly sometimes; motivations were cloudy from time to time. It’s just hard to tell. Clara, hated her from day one, but I think I’m in the minority there. Banksy, also hated him, but that’s mostly his concept and dialogue…which I guess is like two-thirds of the character. Oh well, the Canadian was cool I guess. Mostly the characters just made me feel uncomfortable. Due to his other, superior work, I’m going to have to say that Dinniman learned how better to make side characters memorable in DCC. Here, I couldn’t keep names straight and honestly didn’t care to.
Setting: It’s brutal, it’s bloody, it’s the battlefield. It’s incredible how much Dinniman is always able to get done in his books, but here it’s not as smooth as it could be. There were a lot of times and places that just blurred together because the transition wasn’t anything spectacular.
Story: It’s good, not spectacular. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the pacing in particular. I get that there were a lot of time jumps based on specific instances needing to be sped up, but it honestly didn’t feel like there were any. It’s a strange conundrum that I was supposed to understand that we’d moved in time and our characters changed, but I didn’t even really notice. That’s my biggest issue of course, though there were a bunch of little ones.
Writing: Again, good, but not great. I don’t know, it never really drew me in to the characters. I sound like I’m complaining a lot more than this story honestly deserves, but I’ll finish with this: the ending is spectacular. It’s a little unexpected given what we as a society have come to expect from stories and characters, especially ones we’ve come to know over the course of a rather dense book, but I suppose in the end, it is expected when we confront not the devil, but the human in each one of us.
This was a hard read; there were a lot of times I was skimming the story and for a majority of the book, I was on 2.5x or faster for audio speed, which isn’t atypical, but moving past 2.5 is. It was enjoyable, but I just wanted to get as much of the story as possible, as fast as possible and I don’t regret it. I think this book is for a very specific genre of readers that enjoy trauma and grief and torture and violence in their stories. While I enjoy a good chunk of those topics, some just aren’t clicking. Either way, a good book, but definitely for the select few.
3.8 🌟
TL; DR: A brutal lesson in fight, torture, and storytelling, Kaiju Battlefield Medic is an insane and inelegant stab through the gut.
This isn’t my vibe, nuh-uh. While I wasn’t as grossed out as some people were, this is an absolutely brutal read. Honestly, I’ve seen and read worse, but this stuff just doesn’t stop. There are so many scenes that either mess with your head or mess with your stomach. It’s a messy read that I don’t know if I’d recommend to most anyone, but dang if it isn’t effective.
Characters: Duke is pretty solid, though I noted some inconsistencies along the way. His moods or longing could shift unexpectedly sometimes; motivations were cloudy from time to time. It’s just hard to tell. Clara, hated her from day one, but I think I’m in the minority there. Banksy, also hated him, but that’s mostly his concept and dialogue…which I guess is like two-thirds of the character. Oh well, the Canadian was cool I guess. Mostly the characters just made me feel uncomfortable. Due to his other, superior work, I’m going to have to say that Dinniman learned how better to make side characters memorable in DCC. Here, I couldn’t keep names straight and honestly didn’t care to.
Setting: It’s brutal, it’s bloody, it’s the battlefield. It’s incredible how much Dinniman is always able to get done in his books, but here it’s not as smooth as it could be. There were a lot of times and places that just blurred together because the transition wasn’t anything spectacular.
Story: It’s good, not spectacular. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the pacing in particular. I get that there were a lot of time jumps based on specific instances needing to be sped up, but it honestly didn’t feel like there were any. It’s a strange conundrum that I was supposed to understand that we’d moved in time and our characters changed, but I didn’t even really notice. That’s my biggest issue of course, though there were a bunch of little ones.
Writing: Again, good, but not great. I don’t know, it never really drew me in to the characters. I sound like I’m complaining a lot more than this story honestly deserves, but I’ll finish with this: the ending is spectacular. It’s a little unexpected given what we as a society have come to expect from stories and characters, especially ones we’ve come to know over the course of a rather dense book, but I suppose in the end, it is expected when we confront not the devil, but the human in each one of us.
This was a hard read; there were a lot of times I was skimming the story and for a majority of the book, I was on 2.5x or faster for audio speed, which isn’t atypical, but moving past 2.5 is. It was enjoyable, but I just wanted to get as much of the story as possible, as fast as possible and I don’t regret it. I think this book is for a very specific genre of readers that enjoy trauma and grief and torture and violence in their stories. While I enjoy a good chunk of those topics, some just aren’t clicking. Either way, a good book, but definitely for the select few.
3.8 🌟
August 9, 2024
3.5 stars
I was put off of reading Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon for a long time because of the reviews. The book seems to be somewhat infamous due to the excessive gore, violence, and horror in it. Estimating the intensity of that kind of content in media can sometimes be very subjective, so I eventually decided to take the plunge to form my own opinion.
The book is certainly dark and lacks the levity of Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. However, if you’re more or less desensitized to violence and gore (or written violence and gore at least), the book isn’t that bad. The stuff that happens is gross for sure – player bases exist literally inside the monsters, and the characters often have to move through intestines and whatnot to get around lol. For me personally, the violence and gore would’ve felt more intense if the pain and sensation descriptions had been more visceral. That being said, the milk scene did make me gag lmao.
Overall, I think Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon is a pretty solid and unique LitRPG standalone with a convincing set-up (though the whole serial killer business felt a bit shaky) and a relatively interesting plot that balances "gameplay" and outside conflict. The book is certainly not perfect, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to. The ending is bleak and therefore probably divisive, but I don’t think the story could’ve ended much differently, considering everything that the MC went through.
I was put off of reading Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon for a long time because of the reviews. The book seems to be somewhat infamous due to the excessive gore, violence, and horror in it. Estimating the intensity of that kind of content in media can sometimes be very subjective, so I eventually decided to take the plunge to form my own opinion.
The book is certainly dark and lacks the levity of Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. However, if you’re more or less desensitized to violence and gore (or written violence and gore at least), the book isn’t that bad. The stuff that happens is gross for sure – player bases exist literally inside the monsters, and the characters often have to move through intestines and whatnot to get around lol. For me personally, the violence and gore would’ve felt more intense if the pain and sensation descriptions had been more visceral. That being said, the milk scene did make me gag lmao.
Overall, I think Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon is a pretty solid and unique LitRPG standalone with a convincing set-up (though the whole serial killer business felt a bit shaky) and a relatively interesting plot that balances "gameplay" and outside conflict. The book is certainly not perfect, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to. The ending is bleak and therefore probably divisive, but I don’t think the story could’ve ended much differently, considering everything that the MC went through.
December 15, 2025
Hey! You! Do you like game/LitRPG, but hate happiness? Then I have the book for you.
Jokes aside, I really did enjoy this. After reading all of the DCC series to date, as well as The Grinding, I am very used to how Dinniman writes. While he does rely on many of the same story telling tricks over and over, he gets massive points for creativity in his concepts and characters. The lore in the book is so fascinating that I found myself getting sucked two layers down into the story of the fictional game.
It has been said in other reviews, and as a DCC fan I feel like I should repeat it: this is not a lighthearted fun romp. This is rough and there is no hope for relief.
Jokes aside, I really did enjoy this. After reading all of the DCC series to date, as well as The Grinding, I am very used to how Dinniman writes. While he does rely on many of the same story telling tricks over and over, he gets massive points for creativity in his concepts and characters. The lore in the book is so fascinating that I found myself getting sucked two layers down into the story of the fictional game.
It has been said in other reviews, and as a DCC fan I feel like I should repeat it: this is not a lighthearted fun romp. This is rough and there is no hope for relief.
April 21, 2024
What a wild ride from start to finish. An intestinal parasite sidekick named Banksy, a Donkey demon queen who lays eggs, a robotic grappling hook arm for the main character, the list goes on. But the crazy part is that this is absolutely not a comedy. It’s dark and fucked up and not for the squeamish. It’s not a book about happy endings or justice or character growth. But it is wildly entertaining. My main complaint was the amount of game lore that became important to the story. I found those parts of the book kind of boring because I had already decided early on that the lore and story of the game itself was not important. Just a part of the ridiculous setting that had to be dealt with by the main character occasionally. But then it became a big part of the story and I was not invested.
Overall, 3.75 / 5
Check it out if you want something really out there
Overall, 3.75 / 5
Check it out if you want something really out there
November 14, 2025
Not for the faint of heart - SERIOUSLY. Holy cow was this a rollercoaster. Truly a book you can’t really try to explain to someone without sounding like a whack job. My first dip into LitRPG, but this was truly a deep dive as a first try.
Disgusting, funny, sad, but mainly disgusting. After 20+ hours of the Soundbooth audio book (highly recommend if you’re brave enough to try this one out) I started to have nightmares.
5 out of 5. Some sort of restructuring of my brain happened during this listen/read.
Disgusting, funny, sad, but mainly disgusting. After 20+ hours of the Soundbooth audio book (highly recommend if you’re brave enough to try this one out) I started to have nightmares.
5 out of 5. Some sort of restructuring of my brain happened during this listen/read.
July 3, 2025
It's no Dungeon Crawler Carl, but I still enjoyed the ride
July 5, 2025
This was better than I expected. I had read a lot of reviews that this book was only horror and gore non stop, but I didnt think it was gore ever just for the sake of it, it always felt like an important part of the story telling experience.
I really enjoyed the ending as well. I listened after DCC, and have to say I was generally pleasantly surprised.
I really enjoyed the ending as well. I listened after DCC, and have to say I was generally pleasantly surprised.
July 29, 2025
Not for everyone. It's intense, cruel and sadistic. Lots of errors in the text, weirdly. But I liked it.
August 13, 2025
Wasn't my thing
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August 11, 2025Man... In a similar way that Bloodborne is really about childbirth and motherhood, this book is about grieving and parenthood. And like Bloodborne, it does it with copious amounts of blood, gore and flesh.
I don't know how to feel about this book but I will say it is shockingly poignant for the subject matter and despite being gratuitous and absurd, the gore feels like it serves a narrative purpose. It is a hard read. Everything about it is bleak and unsettling and uncomfortable. Sometimes I think though that the grief of losing a child is something that can never be truly described, but boy oh boy does Matt Dinniman have a go at building a world based on the anguish and pain that would come from that.
I think this is unrateable for me for now. Not for the faint of heart. But I think it was good. My feeling is that this book is more for Matt than it is for us. Not sure I recommend it.
I don't know how to feel about this book but I will say it is shockingly poignant for the subject matter and despite being gratuitous and absurd, the gore feels like it serves a narrative purpose. It is a hard read. Everything about it is bleak and unsettling and uncomfortable. Sometimes I think though that the grief of losing a child is something that can never be truly described, but boy oh boy does Matt Dinniman have a go at building a world based on the anguish and pain that would come from that.
I think this is unrateable for me for now. Not for the faint of heart. But I think it was good. My feeling is that this book is more for Matt than it is for us. Not sure I recommend it.
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