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Caverns and Creatures #9
Critical Failures IX
After being scattered across the globe, our heroes seek to reunite with each other. But the consequences of recent events continue to plague them.Cooper enters the Fertile Desert in search of Nabi. Katherine seeks to escape the drow island and take back her ship. Julian tries to placate Akane while keeping Chaz out of trouble. Stacy, having deemed Dave a lost cause, vows revenge on the ettins who continue their destructive rampage in the Cedar Wilds. Dave, finally free of Stacy's yoke, sets his sights on power and wealth. And Tim... What the hell is Tim up to?Meanwhile, Mordred's army of brainwashed Knights spread ever farther in their search for his dice.
566 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2021
74 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 6, 2022
I had really high hopes when I started this series. Now it’s just something I look back on with disappointment. I actually can’t believe I got this far in the series. The self-destructive tendencies all the characters started out with in the beginning have been highlighted so far that it’s the only thing they have left. Every joke will be repeated. Every character will make the same mistakes. Your favorite character will continue to be treated as a gag, and this series will never even have an end in sight.
February 1, 2022
The humor is the same as always (which by book 9 is a good thing, if you've liked it this far you'll like it here), but the plot is moving so slowly it's hard for me to really enjoy anymore.
April 5, 2022
Finally! Showing that bards are not useless! But also kind of gross and I cringed in disgust a bit more this time. Still laughed a lot and genuinely enjoyed it.
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November 14, 2021Holy ......smokes, these keep getting better
One thing I hate about these books, especially the last few including this one, is that the dang book ends when there is so much good stuff going on.
Or at least exciting stuff amongst the quagmire of questionable choices, but this time there really is a bunch of good stuff too! And then that last chapter...whoa ohmygosh whaaat?!!!!?!?!!! If you're reading this than you've probably read at least some of this series. It started out seeming like a fun lark,,...there are a number of good stories out there of people getting stuck in a game world, and usually it's a heroic struggle of their characters against various difficulties and dangers. Whereas this series as you know is more like What if a bunch of degenerates got stuck in a game world?, and a hilarious string of bad decisions full of unending vulgarity ensued. There were a few redeeming moments , mostly when some new people got tossed into the mix, and I was starting to wonder how much more of the filth I could endure for the sake of the fun story when a couple of books back things in C&C started to get amazing, especially with Cooper. And man was it great to see the way he came thru that. As I was thoroughly enjoying the grand romp this book takes us on I was planning to just enjoy this one and not do another review, but there was so much Hooray in my mind from the ways things and the group were coming together after spending so long on scattered adventures plus the smackaroo ending that did that typically-female movie-martial-arts-character move of sweep-kicking the back of the legs so my brain plans flopped suddenly flat on their back , and it was so Cool....
And now the dang book is over and and can't just start the next one b'c it's not out yet gosh dangit. Gah!! I need to know what happens! Will Akane join them? I thot she's great, but is she going to end up a foe? And what the bleepity blank is Tim doing? Andandand (🎶..and all the rest, here on Caverns and Creatures!🎵 )
One thing I hate about these books, especially the last few including this one, is that the dang book ends when there is so much good stuff going on.
Or at least exciting stuff amongst the quagmire of questionable choices, but this time there really is a bunch of good stuff too! And then that last chapter...whoa ohmygosh whaaat?!!!!?!?!!! If you're reading this than you've probably read at least some of this series. It started out seeming like a fun lark,,...there are a number of good stories out there of people getting stuck in a game world, and usually it's a heroic struggle of their characters against various difficulties and dangers. Whereas this series as you know is more like What if a bunch of degenerates got stuck in a game world?, and a hilarious string of bad decisions full of unending vulgarity ensued. There were a few redeeming moments , mostly when some new people got tossed into the mix, and I was starting to wonder how much more of the filth I could endure for the sake of the fun story when a couple of books back things in C&C started to get amazing, especially with Cooper. And man was it great to see the way he came thru that. As I was thoroughly enjoying the grand romp this book takes us on I was planning to just enjoy this one and not do another review, but there was so much Hooray in my mind from the ways things and the group were coming together after spending so long on scattered adventures plus the smackaroo ending that did that typically-female movie-martial-arts-character move of sweep-kicking the back of the legs so my brain plans flopped suddenly flat on their back , and it was so Cool....
And now the dang book is over and and can't just start the next one b'c it's not out yet gosh dangit. Gah!! I need to know what happens! Will Akane join them? I thot she's great, but is she going to end up a foe? And what the bleepity blank is Tim doing? Andandand (🎶..and all the rest, here on Caverns and Creatures!🎵 )
November 11, 2021
I wanted more
First, I love Critical Failures. Second, this book felt like 75% filler. Robert Bevan has an almost GRRM problem. Too many storylines that need to be brought to some sort of satisfying conclusion.
First, I love Critical Failures. Second, this book felt like 75% filler. Robert Bevan has an almost GRRM problem. Too many storylines that need to be brought to some sort of satisfying conclusion.
November 8, 2021
Vile, disgusting, funny, and the closest thing you will get to D&D in book form.
Feel free to take this as a review for the entire series.
Yep, it's gross. It is on the ragged, crumbling edge of too gross for me, and definitly too gross for anybody even slightly less degenerate, which is most folks. Even Rick Sanchez would call this mess gross.
It is also clever, funny, and gross. I realize I said gross again, but it could do with repeating. It is most kinds of gross nearly all the time. If gross bothers you, look elsewhere.
It also follows Dungeons and Dragons third edition rules very closely. Not exactly, but closer than anything other than the core rulebooks themselves. You would have to be extremely well versed in the rules to catch mistakes, or a big enough nerd to go look it up when something rings a bell, which is what I had to do...and I have an official dungeon master ID direct from Wizards of the Coast circa 2001. Before that I calculated my player's hits with THAC0, and before that I weighed my player's belongings in coins.
What I'm saying is I've been around the block, and so has this author. C&C is more D&D than 5E.
I give it five stars because it is the only series of it's kind of which I am aware, so it is the best example of that format. I suppose it is also the worst example of that format, but I'm sticking with five stars.
You may be wondering how it can simultaniously be the best and worst. Well, this review might make more sense after you've read the books, so you should probably do that. Just be prepaired for a lot of gross.
Feel free to take this as a review for the entire series.
Yep, it's gross. It is on the ragged, crumbling edge of too gross for me, and definitly too gross for anybody even slightly less degenerate, which is most folks. Even Rick Sanchez would call this mess gross.
It is also clever, funny, and gross. I realize I said gross again, but it could do with repeating. It is most kinds of gross nearly all the time. If gross bothers you, look elsewhere.
It also follows Dungeons and Dragons third edition rules very closely. Not exactly, but closer than anything other than the core rulebooks themselves. You would have to be extremely well versed in the rules to catch mistakes, or a big enough nerd to go look it up when something rings a bell, which is what I had to do...and I have an official dungeon master ID direct from Wizards of the Coast circa 2001. Before that I calculated my player's hits with THAC0, and before that I weighed my player's belongings in coins.
What I'm saying is I've been around the block, and so has this author. C&C is more D&D than 5E.
I give it five stars because it is the only series of it's kind of which I am aware, so it is the best example of that format. I suppose it is also the worst example of that format, but I'm sticking with five stars.
You may be wondering how it can simultaniously be the best and worst. Well, this review might make more sense after you've read the books, so you should probably do that. Just be prepaired for a lot of gross.
December 28, 2021
Really loving this series, just keeps getting better - Robert Bevan has created a D&D world then sent a bunch of rednecks from Mississippi of all places to upset everything.
Love the story, love the characters, the holes these folk dig themselves into and the ways they try to get themselves out. - I actually rewrote this as realized comments about Mississippi could also apply to Georgia.
The authors writing is as close to the edge as you can get (bulges the edge out in parts), definitely not for the easily offended,
Recommendation: grab a beer and enjoy the ride. Can't wait for the next - 5 stars is not enough.
Love the story, love the characters, the holes these folk dig themselves into and the ways they try to get themselves out. - I actually rewrote this as realized comments about Mississippi could also apply to Georgia.
The authors writing is as close to the edge as you can get (bulges the edge out in parts), definitely not for the easily offended,
Recommendation: grab a beer and enjoy the ride. Can't wait for the next - 5 stars is not enough.
April 26, 2022
What you need to know about this series is that it contains a lot of dick jokes. I will never stop finding this brand of humor amusing, and Bevan is at least a Five Dan Black Belt in it. I think there is a little less than the previous couple of books, though. Probably because there was a lot less of Tim in this book, which was a refreshing change.
Jonathan Sleep did another amazing job narrating this book. He has been adding more and more sound effects, which add another dimension to it. And every time I hear Denise, I still crack up.
Jonathan Sleep did another amazing job narrating this book. He has been adding more and more sound effects, which add another dimension to it. And every time I hear Denise, I still crack up.
October 21, 2021
Critical Failures
Robert Bevan has created a world that I want to live in! Even with all the death, and horrible things people do to each other, he makes it sound fun, and exciting! Can't wait for the Audible, Jonathon Sleep brings these characters alive!
Robert Bevan has created a world that I want to live in! Even with all the death, and horrible things people do to each other, he makes it sound fun, and exciting! Can't wait for the Audible, Jonathon Sleep brings these characters alive!
February 25, 2022
This continues to be a wonderfully hilarious and filthy series! The looks I got at work when I would randomly bust out laughing and cackling at seemingly nothing while listening to this audiobook! Wonderful stuff! 👍🏾👍🏾
March 2, 2022
This book is unfortunately just a long slog that does not seem to go anywhere. The last chapter or two are interesting but it seems like just filler, could have been a short story for all that happened.
May 7, 2022
I really don't know how Bevan keeps these characters fresh and exciting. This book really advances the story quite well and shows some deep philosophical conundrums for the characters. I'm really excited to see where he goes next.
July 28, 2023
It had been a little while since I read VIII, so it was a little hard to follow where everyone was at first, and the storylines were a little scattered, which I guess is understandable since the characters are scattered across the world, but I did end up enjoying it for the most part.
November 2, 2021
Fantasy and low brow humor
Bevan churns out great low brow fantasy novels that is sure to leave you laughing. It is a great departure from the mold of classic fantasy novels.
Bevan churns out great low brow fantasy novels that is sure to leave you laughing. It is a great departure from the mold of classic fantasy novels.
December 5, 2021
Pretty good installment. Tim is barely in the book, which is a good thing. Too much Dave. The right amount of Cooper and Stacy. Overall it was good.
December 16, 2021
Another winner
Great continuation of the story, can't wait to read the next one. This is the funniest LitRPG out there, hands down.
Great continuation of the story, can't wait to read the next one. This is the funniest LitRPG out there, hands down.
January 20, 2022
Better than the last one
Characters really develop, and they aren't all a bunch of evil turds. Its like the writing leveled up a few grades.
Characters really develop, and they aren't all a bunch of evil turds. Its like the writing leveled up a few grades.
March 20, 2022
Not long enough. Things were just coming together as the book finished and I'm now frustrated I don't get a better conclusion. At the same time, dang, these are so fun!
April 11, 2022
Wow the first Bevan book I gave more than 3 stars to. He has improved his writing a lot in the last couple books and is much less reliant on cheap toilet humor gags now.
April 18, 2022
more fun than a barrel of monkeys
This series keeps getting better. I fear that the end is near unfortunately. I cannot wait until the next book!
This series keeps getting better. I fear that the end is near unfortunately. I cannot wait until the next book!
June 2, 2022
Not bad
October 16, 2022
The absurd adventures of a group of RPG players that don't know what the hell they are doing.
I love this series and can't wait to see what gross situation they get into next.
I love this series and can't wait to see what gross situation they get into next.
October 31, 2023
It's much, much redder... Redder... REDder... REDDER!!!
November 26, 2023
One of the better ones. If we could move past Red Flags Dave and Tim, that would be great. Cooper was able to have character growth, it’s depressing Dave and Tim haven’t.
June 22, 2024
Just brilliant!
Cracking series ! I enjoyed book 1 so much I bought all of them! And now I need book 10 please.....!!!
Cracking series ! I enjoyed book 1 so much I bought all of them! And now I need book 10 please.....!!!
October 12, 2024
Once I got to the part where a dwarf and an elf were jerking off together in the woods, I knew that Robert Bevan had run out of good material...
May 14, 2025
I love this series. I'm sad that I've come to the end of the available audiobooks. Onto the short stories! I love these characters so much.
October 15, 2022
Excellent addition to the series.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews