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Dungeon Core Online: Remastered Edition #1
Dungeon Core Online: Remastered Edition - Book One
James thought he would be just another adventurer in the world’s most anticipated dungeon delving VRMMORPG. But when he logs in, he soon finds out that he won’t be diving the dungeon – he will be creating it. Pretty awesome right?
At least that was what he thought when he boldly chose ‘Random’ as his dungeon type…
Then he summoned his first mob. A fearsome, bloodthirsty demonic… Chicken.
Still, Demonic Farm Animals are the least of his worries. The person who is supposed to be teaching him the ropes is a weirdly advanced AI pixie who drinks too much and is overly fond of gambling. Oh and some mysterious figure seems to be watching and judging his every move – so signing that NDA is feeling like less and less of a solid choice.
Either way, James is up for the challenge. Even if it means building a dungeon around kamikaze sheep, enraged cows, unhygienic pigs and yes… Dickens.
At least his next randomly selected mob type can’t be worse… right?
This is the revised, edited and novelized retelling of the popular Royal Road web serial Dungeon Core Online by Glyax.
At least that was what he thought when he boldly chose ‘Random’ as his dungeon type…
Then he summoned his first mob. A fearsome, bloodthirsty demonic… Chicken.
Still, Demonic Farm Animals are the least of his worries. The person who is supposed to be teaching him the ropes is a weirdly advanced AI pixie who drinks too much and is overly fond of gambling. Oh and some mysterious figure seems to be watching and judging his every move – so signing that NDA is feeling like less and less of a solid choice.
Either way, James is up for the challenge. Even if it means building a dungeon around kamikaze sheep, enraged cows, unhygienic pigs and yes… Dickens.
At least his next randomly selected mob type can’t be worse… right?
This is the revised, edited and novelized retelling of the popular Royal Road web serial Dungeon Core Online by Glyax.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 23, 2021
199 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Smidt
15 books98 followersJonathan’s journey through life has been anything but slow. Being part of a military family, he moved across the world growing up, and having not learned his lesson, joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. This sent him on a whirlwind adventure, which even found him in the sands of Afghanistan. During all his travels, he found one thing always remained constant…he loved to read. Now, married and with life finally calming down a bit, he has begun to push his passion for literature even higher, aiming to give readers the kinds of books he has come to love with his own unique twist.
He has grown up in thousands of worlds, courtesy of not only literature and anime, but also his avid gaming life! Jonathan has spent countless hours on video games ranging from Final Fantasy to Pokémon to Guild Wars and WoW, while also enjoying tabletops such as D&D and Exalted.
Living in a game world isn’t enough for Jonathan though, and he has pushed to turn his own life into a classic RPG. On top of leveling up his writing and music abilities (he swears he is not a bard though!), he is currently learning the ancient art of blacksmithing, which places him at his forge working hot metal into blades on the weekends!
He has grown up in thousands of worlds, courtesy of not only literature and anime, but also his avid gaming life! Jonathan has spent countless hours on video games ranging from Final Fantasy to Pokémon to Guild Wars and WoW, while also enjoying tabletops such as D&D and Exalted.
Living in a game world isn’t enough for Jonathan though, and he has pushed to turn his own life into a classic RPG. On top of leveling up his writing and music abilities (he swears he is not a bard though!), he is currently learning the ancient art of blacksmithing, which places him at his forge working hot metal into blades on the weekends!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 7, 2021
Book one
I read this online at royalroadl and wanted to help the author out a bit.
While I enjoy the story, I don't really like James. He is spineless. What is it with authors making male characters into limp wristed, spineless, emotional wrecks, with blushing bride syndrome every time they see a female? We get strong, funny, kickass female characters. Why can't we have the same from male characters?
I skip a lot of the slice of life parts as I really dislike James outside his dungeon.
5/10
I read this online at royalroadl and wanted to help the author out a bit.
While I enjoy the story, I don't really like James. He is spineless. What is it with authors making male characters into limp wristed, spineless, emotional wrecks, with blushing bride syndrome every time they see a female? We get strong, funny, kickass female characters. Why can't we have the same from male characters?
I skip a lot of the slice of life parts as I really dislike James outside his dungeon.
5/10
August 27, 2021
Amazeballs
This story spoke to my soul. The humor is on point and the flow is just amazing. I highly reccomend this to anyone who is a fan of puns and other wordplay.
This story spoke to my soul. The humor is on point and the flow is just amazing. I highly reccomend this to anyone who is a fan of puns and other wordplay.
September 27, 2021
Beyond boring
This book is chock full of pop culture references and little to do with dungeon core stuff, tons more I could critique, but it's just not worth the effort.
It's beyond boring, it's garbage. Honestly i don't know how some of this shit gets through the publishing process but i guess Amazon publishes anything and has no standards.
This book is chock full of pop culture references and little to do with dungeon core stuff, tons more I could critique, but it's just not worth the effort.
It's beyond boring, it's garbage. Honestly i don't know how some of this shit gets through the publishing process but i guess Amazon publishes anything and has no standards.
December 18, 2021
*audiobook review*
HOT GARBAGE and if you want a better description, please read on. The concept is pretty interesting but the characters are hollow and forgettable. Like all Litrpg with the MMORPG with a teenager MC; he is bullied and ignored by his friends and family. So he escapes to the VR world, which is fine. However, I cannot get over the fact that when he starts playing a dungeon core his pixie helper is just the worst. Try to imagine an A.I./pixie helper is drunk with a bipolar disorder. Who constantly try to flirt and verbally demeans the MC. The MC; being chicken shit teenager of course tries to please her. It was disgusting and very sad. Heck, the MC's parents being absent to a 16 year old is even worse. Stranger still, jocks who play VR games calls other gamers NERDS. Two hours into the audiobook and the MC was still in the tutorial getting verbally abused while being sexually suggestive to a teen is where I drew the line.
FYI: All of Jonathan Smidt's book are pretty much like this. Failure to launch. As in, interesting concept but poor execution. All the other reviewers, I question you love for the author with 5 starts.
HOT GARBAGE and if you want a better description, please read on. The concept is pretty interesting but the characters are hollow and forgettable. Like all Litrpg with the MMORPG with a teenager MC; he is bullied and ignored by his friends and family. So he escapes to the VR world, which is fine. However, I cannot get over the fact that when he starts playing a dungeon core his pixie helper is just the worst. Try to imagine an A.I./pixie helper is drunk with a bipolar disorder. Who constantly try to flirt and verbally demeans the MC. The MC; being chicken shit teenager of course tries to please her. It was disgusting and very sad. Heck, the MC's parents being absent to a 16 year old is even worse. Stranger still, jocks who play VR games calls other gamers NERDS. Two hours into the audiobook and the MC was still in the tutorial getting verbally abused while being sexually suggestive to a teen is where I drew the line.
FYI: All of Jonathan Smidt's book are pretty much like this. Failure to launch. As in, interesting concept but poor execution. All the other reviewers, I question you love for the author with 5 starts.
April 9, 2023
Such a great spin on dungeon core books. I know there is way more up on royal road but I'm glad this is making the leap to books.
August 30, 2021
Good idea with a poor main character.
This is a case of having a situation out out with no explanation. That is fine, it makes you rely on the characters and their interactions for entertainment. This is where the problem lies. The MC is mediocre at best. He is given the opportunity through nepotism. His "helper" leads him to the best advancements. His creatures are just random spawns, so no great insight or planning on his part. He is unremarkable at best. While I enjoy the dungeon, I do not care for, or about, the Main Character.
This is a case of having a situation out out with no explanation. That is fine, it makes you rely on the characters and their interactions for entertainment. This is where the problem lies. The MC is mediocre at best. He is given the opportunity through nepotism. His "helper" leads him to the best advancements. His creatures are just random spawns, so no great insight or planning on his part. He is unremarkable at best. While I enjoy the dungeon, I do not care for, or about, the Main Character.
February 28, 2022
Chapter 12 and still nothing (nothing!!) happened.
Main dude will be like "Wow! This thing that is happening is so cool and interesting". No, it is not!
You can't just say "Wow! This is awesome!" and expect a reader to think "Well, this guy seems trustworthy. I should probably change my mind about this tediously boring time waste of a book."
Main dude will be like "Wow! This thing that is happening is so cool and interesting". No, it is not!
You can't just say "Wow! This is awesome!" and expect a reader to think "Well, this guy seems trustworthy. I should probably change my mind about this tediously boring time waste of a book."
June 26, 2023
This is halfway between two and three stars for me. Part of me wants to say halfway between 2 and 4 just so I can average it out at 3 but that doesn't feel right. Leaving at two because of how annoying I found some of the decisions. It's a solid 2.5 rounded down.
Tldr; There is a ton of really good ideas and points in this story dragged down by a chunk of other points.
The good:
Random dungeon gives actually unique themes. This is incredibly solid. As absolutely annoying as gatcha mechanics are, being forced to commit to the random mob types makes for a fun dungeon. I really like being forced to 'make the mobs work' and designing the floor to take advantage or twist them.
The floors so far are each unique - not groundbreaking but entirely unique feeling in the genre.
The VRMMO is done in a great way - creating stakes and causing you to care about the stakes without tossing the entire VR premise and pulling out stupid "you die in the game, you die in real life" style stakes. One of the best premises for caring about the game I've read - props for not using the beaten horse that is "a sick family member needing lots of money for a complicated surgery". I do actually care for the MC to succeed.
The premise.
The bad:
Random dungeon/luck based portions. A huge chunk of what the MC has achieved is luck or situation based because of his parents. It really doesn't feel like he deserves his level after all the mentions of the game being fair. Sure he also has disadvantages with the developer hating him but a disadvantage+advantage doesn't cancel out in a satisfying way.
The vrmmo plotline is great but I found myself just sighing when dealing with the bullies. They are just tiring to deal with and I barely care about the IRL sections.
The dungeon pixie. Hecking annoying - the trope exists to give the otherwise alone core someone to talk to but DCO lets dungeons communicate with one another so why aren't his companions just other dungeons? Why are they an afterthought just to give the MC some fame and show off how jealous others are?
And here's the main problem. The dungeon design and the lack of it.
This is a dungeon core story! I want to read about the design and theorycrafting and choices made! I want to feel like the dungeon is actually 'designing' itself. As it is, literally every section of design is timeskipped through. This series likes to show the end result without the process - say "spent the next 10 hours designing the floor" and then roll around and show off what has been made. Theres also a load of choices that arn't shown to the reader - "He looks over a dozen perks and then chooses the one that perfectly fits the current situation" or "Looking around there was one that stood out. 'the ranged option'.
Theres also tons of stuff that was chosen off screen and then suddenly pulled out in the middle of a fight or similar. If a decision is made and then shown off later, its fun being able to see the results of decisions. if its pulled out for the first time and wins a fight it feels like something that just happened for no reason.
Without being shown what the other options are, none of the choices feel like they matter. I think I saw someone say that sort of content was there in the RR version and then cut from the amazon release and I feel like its a bad edit. It removed the core part of dungeon core from a dungeon core story and left a husk of a good story. It feels like an edit designed to make it appeal to a more wide crowd that wouldn't want the 'grind' or 'repetition' while simultaneously making it worse for the actual hardcore dungeon fans.
Mixed with the random mechanics and this makes a huge portion of the story feel like it just doesn't matter. Its just a series of unconnected events. There's a mob or something. it looks like this and has a bunch of perks you don't know about. it has loot or something but you don't care about that. it's in a floor with this theme. there's some traps somewhere in the floor but you don't care about those. just know they are there don't worry. theres some NPCs in the floor and one of them trains pets another does a race or something don't worry theres actually thought being put into them I swear! -what do they look like? what are the others? They'll become relevant at some point later don't worry. Maybe a future book who knows at that point maybe we'll show one of them as it pops up and say "oh yeah this is the thing I did back then I'm upgrading it now".
I can't recommend this for dungeon core fans.
Tldr; There is a ton of really good ideas and points in this story dragged down by a chunk of other points.
The good:
Random dungeon gives actually unique themes. This is incredibly solid. As absolutely annoying as gatcha mechanics are, being forced to commit to the random mob types makes for a fun dungeon. I really like being forced to 'make the mobs work' and designing the floor to take advantage or twist them.
The floors so far are each unique - not groundbreaking but entirely unique feeling in the genre.
The VRMMO is done in a great way - creating stakes and causing you to care about the stakes without tossing the entire VR premise and pulling out stupid "you die in the game, you die in real life" style stakes. One of the best premises for caring about the game I've read - props for not using the beaten horse that is "a sick family member needing lots of money for a complicated surgery". I do actually care for the MC to succeed.
The premise.
The bad:
Random dungeon/luck based portions. A huge chunk of what the MC has achieved is luck or situation based because of his parents. It really doesn't feel like he deserves his level after all the mentions of the game being fair. Sure he also has disadvantages with the developer hating him but a disadvantage+advantage doesn't cancel out in a satisfying way.
The vrmmo plotline is great but I found myself just sighing when dealing with the bullies. They are just tiring to deal with and I barely care about the IRL sections.
The dungeon pixie. Hecking annoying - the trope exists to give the otherwise alone core someone to talk to but DCO lets dungeons communicate with one another so why aren't his companions just other dungeons? Why are they an afterthought just to give the MC some fame and show off how jealous others are?
And here's the main problem. The dungeon design and the lack of it.
This is a dungeon core story! I want to read about the design and theorycrafting and choices made! I want to feel like the dungeon is actually 'designing' itself. As it is, literally every section of design is timeskipped through. This series likes to show the end result without the process - say "spent the next 10 hours designing the floor" and then roll around and show off what has been made. Theres also a load of choices that arn't shown to the reader - "He looks over a dozen perks and then chooses the one that perfectly fits the current situation" or "Looking around there was one that stood out. 'the ranged option'.
Theres also tons of stuff that was chosen off screen and then suddenly pulled out in the middle of a fight or similar. If a decision is made and then shown off later, its fun being able to see the results of decisions. if its pulled out for the first time and wins a fight it feels like something that just happened for no reason.
Without being shown what the other options are, none of the choices feel like they matter. I think I saw someone say that sort of content was there in the RR version and then cut from the amazon release and I feel like its a bad edit. It removed the core part of dungeon core from a dungeon core story and left a husk of a good story. It feels like an edit designed to make it appeal to a more wide crowd that wouldn't want the 'grind' or 'repetition' while simultaneously making it worse for the actual hardcore dungeon fans.
Mixed with the random mechanics and this makes a huge portion of the story feel like it just doesn't matter. Its just a series of unconnected events. There's a mob or something. it looks like this and has a bunch of perks you don't know about. it has loot or something but you don't care about that. it's in a floor with this theme. there's some traps somewhere in the floor but you don't care about those. just know they are there don't worry. theres some NPCs in the floor and one of them trains pets another does a race or something don't worry theres actually thought being put into them I swear! -what do they look like? what are the others? They'll become relevant at some point later don't worry. Maybe a future book who knows at that point maybe we'll show one of them as it pops up and say "oh yeah this is the thing I did back then I'm upgrading it now".
I can't recommend this for dungeon core fans.
August 25, 2023
James is recruited to play as the dungeon in a new VRMMORPG. During the day he attends high school (dealing with bullies and negligent teachers) and at night he hops in her emersion pod to manage his dungeon (dealing with bullying from the lead developer for some reason.) Time is experienced at an accelerated rate in the virtual world, one day for every hour in real world time, so while the real-virtual time is technically balanced, far more of the book is the video game. Being a dungeon is secret, so his only confident is a drunk, gambling addicted advanced AI fairy.
This first book is focused on dungeon building and watching players experience the dungeon. James's dungeon is "Random" type, so he doesn't know what kind of monsters he's working with until he starts building each floor, and his options are always weird.
DCO is set a few decades in the future. There are lots of references to other LitRPG books and pop culture throughout the years. James doesn't get all the references and sometimes looks them up but other times it's just an easter egg for the reader. If you don't get all the references, that's not going to hamper your enjoyment. But being familiar with "dungeon core" style books might help.
Audiobook performed by Travis Baldree, who is excellent as always.
This first book is focused on dungeon building and watching players experience the dungeon. James's dungeon is "Random" type, so he doesn't know what kind of monsters he's working with until he starts building each floor, and his options are always weird.
DCO is set a few decades in the future. There are lots of references to other LitRPG books and pop culture throughout the years. James doesn't get all the references and sometimes looks them up but other times it's just an easter egg for the reader. If you don't get all the references, that's not going to hamper your enjoyment. But being familiar with "dungeon core" style books might help.
Audiobook performed by Travis Baldree, who is excellent as always.
May 4, 2025
So I just discovered Litrpg as a genre about a year or so ago and it has become a favorite. I have read many variations and this one is great. This book was so much FUN. The main character is a young man who still has some ties to the real world which I appreciate. He wants to be the best but is not a jerk about it. He gets chosen to be the dungeon core of his city so he gets to build the dungeon but he tries to be fair to the players. There are a lot of references to classic movies and shows along with more recent ones as well that were fun and not overdone. My only complaint was that there were too many flirty interactions between the AI pixie and James.
The best thing though was that James chose a random dungeon so each floor the the dungeon is completely different . The first floor is a demonic farm with exploding sheep and mad cows. The second floor is even better.
The best thing though was that James chose a random dungeon so each floor the the dungeon is completely different . The first floor is a demonic farm with exploding sheep and mad cows. The second floor is even better.
June 30, 2023
Cool concept but ooooh sooooo boring
Wow it's official this is some very boring ars crap that I can't get through to the end, even with massive skimming. I am at almost at 90% and omg I can't do it, its just so lame. The main character who I can't even remember his name is just so stupid and he is suppose to be a big grammer and can't even think for himself and he is suppose to be 17. Honestly the core concept is interesting even though the author does not know what a robot is, there is cyborg (even if its just a human brain or human consciousness) or an android ( human like in either shape and or behavior) btw this is my guess but I think the kid is a (cyborg) of sorts.
Wow it's official this is some very boring ars crap that I can't get through to the end, even with massive skimming. I am at almost at 90% and omg I can't do it, its just so lame. The main character who I can't even remember his name is just so stupid and he is suppose to be a big grammer and can't even think for himself and he is suppose to be 17. Honestly the core concept is interesting even though the author does not know what a robot is, there is cyborg (even if its just a human brain or human consciousness) or an android ( human like in either shape and or behavior) btw this is my guess but I think the kid is a (cyborg) of sorts.
March 7, 2025
1-Boring. Apparently "nothing happening" is like a gas. It will expand to fill whatever volume you put it in. The banter is just mediocre. The sexual thoughts of a 17yo..that's just cringe.
2-References do not a book make. This is not a wiki. It's just annoying. Stop dropping names and titles. Nobody cares. Nobody at a l l.
3-Your imagined society has, literally, a mandatory log off period, a curfue, from VR. EVERYONE in it is a gamer. So you can't just declare someone a "gamer" as if that gave them some sort of esoteric knowledge no one else has. Gamers are the majority.
Two stars only because I just endured some Russian litrpg and there has to be a bonus for the lack of misogyny and homophobia.
2-References do not a book make. This is not a wiki. It's just annoying. Stop dropping names and titles. Nobody cares. Nobody at a l l.
3-Your imagined society has, literally, a mandatory log off period, a curfue, from VR. EVERYONE in it is a gamer. So you can't just declare someone a "gamer" as if that gave them some sort of esoteric knowledge no one else has. Gamers are the majority.
Two stars only because I just endured some Russian litrpg and there has to be a bonus for the lack of misogyny and homophobia.
May 17, 2023
This ebook was very well written!
Being a mainly sci-fi type reader, at first I wasn't sure that I would like LitRPG genre books but I have found myself enjoying them immensely!
I don't believe that I have read any stories by Jonathan Smidt before this book but he has kept me looking forward to coming back to read more of this story as well as continuing to read more of his work!
If anyone who has never "tasted" LitRPG before, you could download a free sample of the book to see if it might peak your interest?
A few last words to the author ... well done Jonathan Smidt! 👏👏👏🏆👏👏👏
Being a mainly sci-fi type reader, at first I wasn't sure that I would like LitRPG genre books but I have found myself enjoying them immensely!
I don't believe that I have read any stories by Jonathan Smidt before this book but he has kept me looking forward to coming back to read more of this story as well as continuing to read more of his work!
If anyone who has never "tasted" LitRPG before, you could download a free sample of the book to see if it might peak your interest?
A few last words to the author ... well done Jonathan Smidt! 👏👏👏🏆👏👏👏
March 3, 2025
bullies, bullies, bullies
Bullies online, bullies at school, seemingly uncaring parents (which is put into question later in the book - maybe they care in their own way). The gaming culture references are 5 star, on-point, might be better than any other book I’ve read. But this type of story is just not for me. Main character has exactly zero real relationships. Hungers for parent’s approval. And everyone takes advantage of him because of this fact. I’m sure by the end of the series he comes out on top but by the end of the first book I just have a stomach ache.
Bullies online, bullies at school, seemingly uncaring parents (which is put into question later in the book - maybe they care in their own way). The gaming culture references are 5 star, on-point, might be better than any other book I’ve read. But this type of story is just not for me. Main character has exactly zero real relationships. Hungers for parent’s approval. And everyone takes advantage of him because of this fact. I’m sure by the end of the series he comes out on top but by the end of the first book I just have a stomach ache.
March 26, 2025
Jonathan Smidt has written a funny rpg fantasy--where the main character is not a player, but a dungeon core, or as I would say, a dungeon master.
He selects the 'Random' category for his dungeon type and gets demonic farm animals: the Dickens and suicide sheep and mad cows. Wait till you get to the final boss: Farmer Jenkins. When he says E-I-E-I-O, look out!
The book's a delight as a parody of other rpg/progressive fantasies and on its own punny merits.
He selects the 'Random' category for his dungeon type and gets demonic farm animals: the Dickens and suicide sheep and mad cows. Wait till you get to the final boss: Farmer Jenkins. When he says E-I-E-I-O, look out!
The book's a delight as a parody of other rpg/progressive fantasies and on its own punny merits.
August 26, 2023
When I saw the cover, i thought the chicken is the MC. Well he is a damn dungeon core. At first floor, its fun especially the "lambicide" part but as the story going there is nothing new.
November 26, 2023
Funny concept but lame wimpy protagonist. Unfortunately, the dungeon building documentary gets old quick and the OP enemies are rather ridiculous...
April 16, 2024
Extremely entertaining. I fell in love with the Dickenson and Rue. I was captivated from start to finish. I will definitely recommend this book.
October 17, 2024
This is a great book series. It is well written and will draw you into the story. Characters are well developed.
May 12, 2023
I thought this was like the battlemage farmer book, by the looks of the cover and the whole farm thing, but help me god, this is some top tier waste of space and energy, this is what writers talk about when they say that world is unfair, i mean if shit like this gets published, then no wonder people would avoid books of this category , the dungeon core series are such a great opportunity to fo something unique, and yet, seriously who thought this was 5 star, and even the dungeon born series with that shit know as cal was shit yet people love it, but that one was bearable atleast, this how ever is shit.
I truly feel bad for people who thought this was anything better that 2 star at most.
I truly feel bad for people who thought this was anything better that 2 star at most.
October 10, 2021
Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
I admit that I was drawn to this book purely due to the cover, after all, it's a flipping giant, fire breathing Rooster!
What I found was a story full of recognisable references from bygone years of gaming through to more recent OPs. I see a lot of reviews referring to this in a negative light but I for one enjoyed spotting these and it made me like the protagonist more for it.
Story-eise, while I applaud the story for avoiding the cliché 'trapped in a game- shenanigans, I did find James' reasons for becoming involved in DCO rather weak and this side of the story needed a lot more fleshing out to explain his motivations. Considering the perceived threats and dangers he fa es, I felt his justification for continuing with the game very weak.
In game I did enjoy the play between Rue and Glyax but the sexual tension really did feel unnecessary and shoe-horned in to tick some mental checkbox for Gamelit stories. Besides that, the I terplay was great and given real chops thanks to the narration by Travis Beldree which was faultless throughout the story.
Meanwhile the mobs were interesting and fun and the names given to their abilities (both for the mobs and players) really made me chuckle at times and made me want to install a Worms game to start unleashing exploding sheep on one another.
The story ended at a suitable strong cliff-hanger but I generally like some sense of fulfillment or success for the MC prior to the end but this didn't happen and it made the end rather jarring.
Overall I did enjoy it. There is a lot to like here with the camaraderie between characters and the novel and amusing mobs and abilities all brilliant presented by the narrator but the real-world side is very lacking and does let an otherwise excellent story down somewhat.
I admit that I was drawn to this book purely due to the cover, after all, it's a flipping giant, fire breathing Rooster!
What I found was a story full of recognisable references from bygone years of gaming through to more recent OPs. I see a lot of reviews referring to this in a negative light but I for one enjoyed spotting these and it made me like the protagonist more for it.
Story-eise, while I applaud the story for avoiding the cliché 'trapped in a game- shenanigans, I did find James' reasons for becoming involved in DCO rather weak and this side of the story needed a lot more fleshing out to explain his motivations. Considering the perceived threats and dangers he fa es, I felt his justification for continuing with the game very weak.
In game I did enjoy the play between Rue and Glyax but the sexual tension really did feel unnecessary and shoe-horned in to tick some mental checkbox for Gamelit stories. Besides that, the I terplay was great and given real chops thanks to the narration by Travis Beldree which was faultless throughout the story.
Meanwhile the mobs were interesting and fun and the names given to their abilities (both for the mobs and players) really made me chuckle at times and made me want to install a Worms game to start unleashing exploding sheep on one another.
The story ended at a suitable strong cliff-hanger but I generally like some sense of fulfillment or success for the MC prior to the end but this didn't happen and it made the end rather jarring.
Overall I did enjoy it. There is a lot to like here with the camaraderie between characters and the novel and amusing mobs and abilities all brilliant presented by the narrator but the real-world side is very lacking and does let an otherwise excellent story down somewhat.
September 24, 2021
This is a very solid first book into a new series. The level designs are interesting so far and the random mob types for each floor keep every level feeling very fresh and unique. It will be interesting to keep following a dungeon that has brand new types on each floor instead of the usual mechanic of getting more advanced versions of what the first floor already has.
The pacing is done very well and I enjoy seeing how all the players interact with the dungeon. The ability to constantly adapt dungeon mechanics based on how the players are handling the challenges is a rather interesting game design as well.
The biggest drawback is the MC needs some serious character growth. He's in a perpetual existence of being walked all over by everyone. He's bullied in school outside of the game, he's harassed by a developer inside the game, and it looks like book 2 is going to revolve around yet another bully attacking him. He seriously needs to grow a spine and start fighting back instead of just passively accepting everything that's happening to him.
The humor is somewhat immersion-breaking as well. The book is also set roughly a hundred years in the future, yet every single pun and meme reference is based on memes that we have today. It's as if not only did no new memes come into existence in the last hundred years, but somehow hundred-year-old memes are still widely known and haven't been overused yet.
It would make more sense if the setting was closer to our current time and there just happened to be rapid advancement in technology. Placing the setting forwards a hundred years yet keeping all the references relevant to the current day is a little jarring.
The pacing is done very well and I enjoy seeing how all the players interact with the dungeon. The ability to constantly adapt dungeon mechanics based on how the players are handling the challenges is a rather interesting game design as well.
The biggest drawback is the MC needs some serious character growth. He's in a perpetual existence of being walked all over by everyone. He's bullied in school outside of the game, he's harassed by a developer inside the game, and it looks like book 2 is going to revolve around yet another bully attacking him. He seriously needs to grow a spine and start fighting back instead of just passively accepting everything that's happening to him.
The humor is somewhat immersion-breaking as well. The book is also set roughly a hundred years in the future, yet every single pun and meme reference is based on memes that we have today. It's as if not only did no new memes come into existence in the last hundred years, but somehow hundred-year-old memes are still widely known and haven't been overused yet.
It would make more sense if the setting was closer to our current time and there just happened to be rapid advancement in technology. Placing the setting forwards a hundred years yet keeping all the references relevant to the current day is a little jarring.
June 1, 2022
This could be described as an atypical gamer making random choices to come up with one hell of a different Dungeon. Most people go into Dungeon Delving (exploring and conquering labyrinths), but the really weird ones, I guess write about them. The main character of this story, James, by his "random" choices selects to become a strange Dungeon Core, with hellish farm animal monsters. I've just read Bone Dungeon, which I thought was a Dungeon Core book written for young adults. This one, I'm not sure who it is written for, author thinks that by making social references to comedy and comedic movies, and sayings is making his novel series about Dungeon Core, somehow funny.
I guess this could be one of those "easy difficulty" weird games that people play on their mobile phones.
I got to read the "remastered edition" which makes me think that the original version must have had a lot of "mistakes" and a lot more "quirks and geeky game related references".
This book novel has 84 chapters and 500+ pages. Although it is fast to read, the movement and plot arcs are slow going. Author places too much emphasis on style and details than real action. Places more commentary than action. I've always been a fan of actions speak louder than words. The explanations, the commentaries are excessive while the real action is less.
I guess this could be one of those "easy difficulty" weird games that people play on their mobile phones.
I got to read the "remastered edition" which makes me think that the original version must have had a lot of "mistakes" and a lot more "quirks and geeky game related references".
This book novel has 84 chapters and 500+ pages. Although it is fast to read, the movement and plot arcs are slow going. Author places too much emphasis on style and details than real action. Places more commentary than action. I've always been a fan of actions speak louder than words. The explanations, the commentaries are excessive while the real action is less.
January 5, 2024
VR MMO LitRPG always needs more oomf to grab my attention (the stakes are lower when the characters are simply playing a game, so the story needs something else - strong characterization for example - to make it stand out). On top of the usual VR MMO LitRPG challenges, DCO is a Dungeon Core series, where the MC plays as the dungeon, so he's mostly alone / observing others / with the Dungeon Pixie. Indeed, The Dreaded Dungeon Pixie - a common Dungeon Core trope, where the MC relies on some kind of Being with knowledge about the system - is deeply unpleasant, and her dynamic with the MC in high school is questionable at best (cringe, off-putting, etc).
It's just Not Good. It's poorly written, has dull characters, unfunny pop culture references (it's like 2075 and everyone keeps commenting on how much they love these things from 100 years ago, like Monty Python), and social media has not evolved in any way.
Also... the dungeon levels up with the players, so new players basically can't play the game anymore? It's not like some other Dungeon Core novels (including this author's much better Elemental Dungeon series), where the difficulty grows the deeper someone goes. Not for me.
It's just Not Good. It's poorly written, has dull characters, unfunny pop culture references (it's like 2075 and everyone keeps commenting on how much they love these things from 100 years ago, like Monty Python), and social media has not evolved in any way.
Also... the dungeon levels up with the players, so new players basically can't play the game anymore? It's not like some other Dungeon Core novels (including this author's much better Elemental Dungeon series), where the difficulty grows the deeper someone goes. Not for me.
August 28, 2021
Love this book. Once I started reading it, not even a herd of galloping coconuts could tear me away. Um, a Holy Grail reference in keeping with the theme of the book.
I received a copy of Dungeon Core Online from Portal Books for review purposes.
This takes place around 50 years in the future when a new dungeon core game hits the Internet with a free for everyone debut. The MC, a teen gamer of some repute, does research by reading Bone Dungeon from the Elemental Dungeon series. Gotta love self referential plugs! In that vein, the MC goes by the game name Glyax which is Smidt's handle as well. There's lots of Monty Python references and nods to lots of movies and books. A lot of fun all around--and I love the second tier of the dungeon. Don't get me wrong, the first tier is funny and punny with all the demonic farm animals but Tier 2 is where it gets serious!
There's a few typos but they're often fun. Clamor instead of clamber for example. And I'm not sure why there's a preference for "cosmetic" when "aesthetic" would work better but it all just adds atmosphere to the start of a great new dungeon series. I loved the Elemental Dungeon series and the skeletal fight club, Dungeon Core Online is just as good.
I received a copy of Dungeon Core Online from Portal Books for review purposes.
This takes place around 50 years in the future when a new dungeon core game hits the Internet with a free for everyone debut. The MC, a teen gamer of some repute, does research by reading Bone Dungeon from the Elemental Dungeon series. Gotta love self referential plugs! In that vein, the MC goes by the game name Glyax which is Smidt's handle as well. There's lots of Monty Python references and nods to lots of movies and books. A lot of fun all around--and I love the second tier of the dungeon. Don't get me wrong, the first tier is funny and punny with all the demonic farm animals but Tier 2 is where it gets serious!
There's a few typos but they're often fun. Clamor instead of clamber for example. And I'm not sure why there's a preference for "cosmetic" when "aesthetic" would work better but it all just adds atmosphere to the start of a great new dungeon series. I loved the Elemental Dungeon series and the skeletal fight club, Dungeon Core Online is just as good.
April 2, 2023
This was One Helluva FUN book to read, and as soon as I finished Dungeon Core Online, I bought my daughter a copy!!! Yeah, it's just that good... and who knows, I may get her hooked on gamelit!!!! 🤣
I loved James (our protagonist)! He was so excited to log into one of the most hyped VRMMORPG to be released online ever! And now, he's ready... logged in, waiting, watching the timer count down to the game's release! But instead of starting his gamer build as anticipated (in order to start his dungeon crawl), James was given the opportunity to be the dungeon! It was an opportunity he simply couldn't refuse, and that changes everything! First off, James must sign a NDA, and thus began the most eye-opening tutorial that he's ever experienced. James is only 17 years old, but really, he's played LOTS of games! He finds his AI assistant is the most personable and sentient one that he's ever worked with, so he figures that the game devopers simply stepped-up the realism in their game (LOL)!!!
The book is also chock full of pop-cultural references and there's plenty of action too... and that's just the way I like it!!! Perfect!
As for Travis Baldree? Well, he's Travis Baldree, and he delivered yet another Stellar performance as narrator (seriously, did we expect any different?) 😊👍
I loved James (our protagonist)! He was so excited to log into one of the most hyped VRMMORPG to be released online ever! And now, he's ready... logged in, waiting, watching the timer count down to the game's release! But instead of starting his gamer build as anticipated (in order to start his dungeon crawl), James was given the opportunity to be the dungeon! It was an opportunity he simply couldn't refuse, and that changes everything! First off, James must sign a NDA, and thus began the most eye-opening tutorial that he's ever experienced. James is only 17 years old, but really, he's played LOTS of games! He finds his AI assistant is the most personable and sentient one that he's ever worked with, so he figures that the game devopers simply stepped-up the realism in their game (LOL)!!!
The book is also chock full of pop-cultural references and there's plenty of action too... and that's just the way I like it!!! Perfect!
As for Travis Baldree? Well, he's Travis Baldree, and he delivered yet another Stellar performance as narrator (seriously, did we expect any different?) 😊👍
November 21, 2021
I enjoy the actual dungeon/ game play content but the larger plot is kind of weak. At around the 2/3 point of the novel the villain shows up and delivers exposition for an entire chapter. It's supposed to up the stakes but the villain is so comically evil and the stakes are so outsized compared to the slice of life video game story up to that point that it falls flat for me. Some other thoughts/ criticisms below:
I think that there's a little too much telling and not showing with how good our MC is at video games. He claims to be a legendary raider in a bunch of MMOs but he doesn't actually do much as a dungeon core. Success seems too fall in his lap at random as he is continually given advantages that other players don't have.
The MC's life outside of the game seems a little underdeveloped as the only person he interacts with is a school bully. He doesn't seem to have a single friend and even his family is totally absent.
Too much of the humor in the book is just "hey remember this monty python bit" or "hey the pixie is drunk again lol".
There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book and it's pretty well written by RR/ dungeon core story standards but I feel it's squandering some of it's potential.
I think that there's a little too much telling and not showing with how good our MC is at video games. He claims to be a legendary raider in a bunch of MMOs but he doesn't actually do much as a dungeon core. Success seems too fall in his lap at random as he is continually given advantages that other players don't have.
The MC's life outside of the game seems a little underdeveloped as the only person he interacts with is a school bully. He doesn't seem to have a single friend and even his family is totally absent.
Too much of the humor in the book is just "hey remember this monty python bit" or "hey the pixie is drunk again lol".
There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book and it's pretty well written by RR/ dungeon core story standards but I feel it's squandering some of it's potential.
December 29, 2021
This was a great dungeon core novel. I love the puns that are used for the mobs in the dungeon, as well as the intrigue surrounding James. Why is the main developer so antagonistic to him? What is really going on with his parents? (I'm inclined to some negative views about his parents, but James seems to maintain a very high opinion of them, so maybe something will be revealed in upcoming books) Just what kind of AI is running his pixie?
These questions and more kept running through my head while reading this book. Some questions have been answered (sort of), while others have only grown. I look forward to reading more of this series, especially with the upcoming tournament.
Plus, dickens! The mobs that James/Glyax is able to use are just so funny, and I can't wait to see what he's going to end up with as he adds more floors to his dungeon.
These questions and more kept running through my head while reading this book. Some questions have been answered (sort of), while others have only grown. I look forward to reading more of this series, especially with the upcoming tournament.
Plus, dickens! The mobs that James/Glyax is able to use are just so funny, and I can't wait to see what he's going to end up with as he adds more floors to his dungeon.
December 31, 2021
Pretty good
I enjoyed the change of pace with this story. I read the elemental series from the author first and really enjoyed it, and I still do. It has a more serious and darker plot line which is right up my alley. That said this book was excellent in it's own way, the humor was excellent, and the extremely frequent tie ins and references were all understood at my age (32).
However, either because of the less serious nature, or the writting style, I don't feel as much as a "pull" to rush and buy the next book in the series. The plot does advance in a more serious manner at the end, however it seems very cliched and tropey to me, and just didn't have that same level of tension as Bone Dungeon did. I do believe I will eventually purchase more DCO books, but not at the moment. Though there's no major faults in the book.
I enjoyed the change of pace with this story. I read the elemental series from the author first and really enjoyed it, and I still do. It has a more serious and darker plot line which is right up my alley. That said this book was excellent in it's own way, the humor was excellent, and the extremely frequent tie ins and references were all understood at my age (32).
However, either because of the less serious nature, or the writting style, I don't feel as much as a "pull" to rush and buy the next book in the series. The plot does advance in a more serious manner at the end, however it seems very cliched and tropey to me, and just didn't have that same level of tension as Bone Dungeon did. I do believe I will eventually purchase more DCO books, but not at the moment. Though there's no major faults in the book.
December 20, 2021
I read both of these back to back so they get the same review. I'm not a fan of dungeon core books but I enjoyed both of these immensely. The random nature of the dungeon gives it a great shake up each level and is something different to offer in terms of strategy and mob design. The overall narrative does take a little bit to get to, mostly in book two and more towards the end. But it's not a huge deal imo. There are tons and tons of pop culture references that are both hilarious and unimaginative, I enjoyed every one. Overall, they're worth a read/listen if you want to try out Dungeon Core for the first time.
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