What do you think?
Rate this book
Dungeon Core Online: Dicken Around - Book One
BEWARE OF SPOILERS! This story takes place on the same timeline as DCO 1, following the same key events but showing them from a different angle. As such it contains spoilers for the main series - you have been warned!
Alex can’t wait to dive into the latest cutting edge VRMMORPG; Dungeon Core Online. It boasts an ever-changing, ever-growing dungeon with an AI so advanced, it feels practically human. Funny huh? Forming a two-man dungeon party with his best friend Fel, Alex is keen to sample everything DCO has to offer. From delicious fried Dicken to a fiery whiskey brewed from demonic corn, the friends eat and drink their way through the chaos that is DCO. Gaming is supposed to be fun after all, and leveling is always a little better when you’re tipsy right?
It’s going to be a wild ride, with levels, achievements, bosses and more – but mostly there's going to be a lot of Dicken Around.
Ever wanted to see Dungeon Core Online from the players point of view? Well then pull up a chair, grab a piece of fried Dicken and get ready for DCO as you have never seen it before in this low-stakes, shenanigans filled buddy adventure!
Alex can’t wait to dive into the latest cutting edge VRMMORPG; Dungeon Core Online. It boasts an ever-changing, ever-growing dungeon with an AI so advanced, it feels practically human. Funny huh? Forming a two-man dungeon party with his best friend Fel, Alex is keen to sample everything DCO has to offer. From delicious fried Dicken to a fiery whiskey brewed from demonic corn, the friends eat and drink their way through the chaos that is DCO. Gaming is supposed to be fun after all, and leveling is always a little better when you’re tipsy right?
It’s going to be a wild ride, with levels, achievements, bosses and more – but mostly there's going to be a lot of Dicken Around.
Ever wanted to see Dungeon Core Online from the players point of view? Well then pull up a chair, grab a piece of fried Dicken and get ready for DCO as you have never seen it before in this low-stakes, shenanigans filled buddy adventure!
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
266 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2022
29 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Smidt
14 books96 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!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 19, 2022
After enjoying hell outta books one and two of Jonathan Smidt's Dungeon Core Online I found myself surprised and really curious about Dicken Around a direct spinoff series, a series told from a player's, Alex's perspective, as he plays in one of the most talked about VRMMORPG's. And he can hardly wait to dive into his character build, and the dungeon! Even his parents are playing!
I expected Dicken Around to be loads of fun and I was right, totally right. But I hadn't quite realized how closely it would be tied to the other series and that MC's (James) out of game adventure, or how it would impact Alex. Of course when looking back, I realized my naiveté, they would hafta live near each other in order to share space in The Dungeon, being in the same grade, same school! It would only be natural that their paths crossed... Ohhhh and Dwight the school bully is still a bully!
All I've got say is Jonathan Smidt write faster, Okay!
And no review is complete, without expounding on Travis Baldree's amazing narration! He's just the best!
I expected Dicken Around to be loads of fun and I was right, totally right. But I hadn't quite realized how closely it would be tied to the other series and that MC's (James) out of game adventure, or how it would impact Alex. Of course when looking back, I realized my naiveté, they would hafta live near each other in order to share space in The Dungeon, being in the same grade, same school! It would only be natural that their paths crossed... Ohhhh and Dwight the school bully is still a bully!
All I've got say is Jonathan Smidt write faster, Okay!
And no review is complete, without expounding on Travis Baldree's amazing narration! He's just the best!
May 12, 2023
I did love this book. I must admit the main DCO books are better, but this one is also good. The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger ending, but if you've already read the DCO series then you know what happened so it isn't as bad.
It was interesting to see the dungeon from the players pov, and especially the dungeon city and other things outside the dungeon influence. Alex is a great character. I did feel like Fel should have been fleshed out a bit more as their relationship expanded, but again the main DCO books expand on her nicely.
It was interesting to see the dungeon from the players pov, and especially the dungeon city and other things outside the dungeon influence. Alex is a great character. I did feel like Fel should have been fleshed out a bit more as their relationship expanded, but again the main DCO books expand on her nicely.
March 22, 2022
I received a free copy of this book from Portal Books.
If you like Jonathan Smidt, and I most definitely do, you'll really enjoy this new side series in the Dungeon Core books. There's a disclaimer about spoilers but I don't think it's anything to worry about. The overlap between this book and the main series adds some fun and zest to the narrative but certainly doesn't spoil anything. Of the 3 books so far, I like this one best though I wish it was a little longer.
So, the two published books in the Dungeon Core series have been from the perspective of the dungeon itself, as embodied by James, a nerdy HS student. In this book the perspective is that of two DCO players, Alex & Fel. Alex is a HS senior and vaguely knows James but has no idea that he's a dungeon core in DCO. The occasional intersects between the existing DCO series and this new one are fun and allow for additional insight into the game. Fel is an attractive University student that works as a waitress in Alex's parent's restaurant and teases Alex a lot--much to Alex's delight.
There's a big difference in how Smidt approached these two series. DCO focuses on building the dungeon and populating it with mobs as well as the dynamics of controlling the players. This new series doesn't involve as much direct game playing and instead focuses on the experiences of Alex & Fel as well as, to a lesser degree, that of Alex's parents and younger brother who are using DCO to start an in-game restaurant serving dicken (demonic chicken) as well as fire whiskey. It's a lot of fun.
If you like Jonathan Smidt, and I most definitely do, you'll really enjoy this new side series in the Dungeon Core books. There's a disclaimer about spoilers but I don't think it's anything to worry about. The overlap between this book and the main series adds some fun and zest to the narrative but certainly doesn't spoil anything. Of the 3 books so far, I like this one best though I wish it was a little longer.
So, the two published books in the Dungeon Core series have been from the perspective of the dungeon itself, as embodied by James, a nerdy HS student. In this book the perspective is that of two DCO players, Alex & Fel. Alex is a HS senior and vaguely knows James but has no idea that he's a dungeon core in DCO. The occasional intersects between the existing DCO series and this new one are fun and allow for additional insight into the game. Fel is an attractive University student that works as a waitress in Alex's parent's restaurant and teases Alex a lot--much to Alex's delight.
There's a big difference in how Smidt approached these two series. DCO focuses on building the dungeon and populating it with mobs as well as the dynamics of controlling the players. This new series doesn't involve as much direct game playing and instead focuses on the experiences of Alex & Fel as well as, to a lesser degree, that of Alex's parents and younger brother who are using DCO to start an in-game restaurant serving dicken (demonic chicken) as well as fire whiskey. It's a lot of fun.
April 30, 2022
Dungeon Core Online: Dicken Around
Like everyone else, Alex is incredibly excited about the new immersion game that will be releasing shortly, Dungeon Core Online. It is said to have some of the most realistic experiences that you can have in a MMO game. Even better, he is planning on spending all of this time with Fel. She is his best friend and hopefully more soon.
Dicken around is a story set in the Dungeon Core Online universe. It is a stand alone that you do not have to have read DCO: Remastered to understand or enjoy. You will definitely enjoy it! What a fun series! Alex is a far more confident character than James. It is also really fun to see the events from a player’s perspective. Even more so for me, this story focuses on two pet classes. My only complaint is that I wanted the book to be a lot longer!
Content warning: Language and fade to black sex
Like everyone else, Alex is incredibly excited about the new immersion game that will be releasing shortly, Dungeon Core Online. It is said to have some of the most realistic experiences that you can have in a MMO game. Even better, he is planning on spending all of this time with Fel. She is his best friend and hopefully more soon.
Dicken around is a story set in the Dungeon Core Online universe. It is a stand alone that you do not have to have read DCO: Remastered to understand or enjoy. You will definitely enjoy it! What a fun series! Alex is a far more confident character than James. It is also really fun to see the events from a player’s perspective. Even more so for me, this story focuses on two pet classes. My only complaint is that I wanted the book to be a lot longer!
Content warning: Language and fade to black sex
April 1, 2022
Good side novel without bogging in details
This was a good read, it gave insight into some more classes from a new perspective, connected some of the characters, and had a cute/funny love story. All without feeling like you were reading the same details and events. The backstory on the game and mechanics was brief enough to refresh without it just being glossed over
This was a good read, it gave insight into some more classes from a new perspective, connected some of the characters, and had a cute/funny love story. All without feeling like you were reading the same details and events. The backstory on the game and mechanics was brief enough to refresh without it just being glossed over
April 23, 2022
Fantastic story
Absolutely love the alternate point of view! We get to see more about the larger world and the player experience. Absolutely love it, and the characters it's focused on. Smidt does a fantastic job of character development, they feel like people I actually want to know.
Absolutely love the alternate point of view! We get to see more about the larger world and the player experience. Absolutely love it, and the characters it's focused on. Smidt does a fantastic job of character development, they feel like people I actually want to know.
January 29, 2023
DNF ~20%
Started the book without knowing that it was a spinoff in another series since it says book one. It certainly explains the rating, if it's from readers who already know and love the series. It started off with about two hours of explanations about the games systems and I got bored. Nothing really there that hooks you with an original setup or gets you emotionally invested.
Started the book without knowing that it was a spinoff in another series since it says book one. It certainly explains the rating, if it's from readers who already know and love the series. It started off with about two hours of explanations about the games systems and I got bored. Nothing really there that hooks you with an original setup or gets you emotionally invested.
September 15, 2023
I love the main series but this is a very unnecessary spinoff. We hear Alex's side of events second hand in DCO, so the only things this book adds are a little detail about his family setting up the Dicken Shack and how crafting and gathering skills work in DCO. If the story was from the perspective of Alex's parents or even his little brother I'd be a lot more interested.
October 17, 2024
Make sure you read the first four DCO books or you might hit a couple of spoilers.
This is a great addition to the DCO books. It provides a different perspective and flushes out a few more characters.
I cannot wait for the second book.
This is a great addition to the DCO books. It provides a different perspective and flushes out a few more characters.
I cannot wait for the second book.
August 29, 2022
This is a fun and enjoyable book…makes me laugh the constant references to great comedy, games and fantasy worlds brings me back to my childhood ….. I am a big fan of DCO, I have read all of Jonathan Smidt books, but DCO is my favourite. Now I am a bit bias as I know the story and seeing another side of the story, is fantastic. After reading this I am going back and reread DCO book 1 to tie both books together. Can’t get enough of the puns and of course ‘dickins’
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews