The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3
Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal & Urban
The dungeon has changed—and survival just became more complicated. In *Dungeon Crawler Carl*, Carl and Princess Donut enter the fourth floor: the Iron Tangle, a massive underground labyrinth built from the world’s rail systems and twisted into a deadly maze. With monsters around every corner, confusing paths, and danger waiting at every stop, escape seems nearly impossible. But for the first time, the crawlers may have a chance as they unite, discover powerful loot, and uncover secrets that could change everything. Fast-paced, chaotic, and darkly hilarious, the dungeon’s next challenge begins.
- Release Date
- 2021
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Our Review
About the book
In the third Dungeon Crawler Carl book, Carl and Princess Donut continue their fight to survive the alien-run dungeon that replaced Earth’s surface. A new floor with a sprawling and dangerous layout tests their skills, while Carl’s growing defiance of the show’s producers puts targets on their backs.
Our review
The series finds its anarchic heart as Carl stops simply surviving the game and starts trying to break it.
The third book is where many readers say Dungeon Crawler Carl clicks, and it is easy to see why. The floor design is inventive, the set pieces are gleefully over the top, and Carl’s evolution from bewildered survivor to calculating saboteur gives the story a clear direction. Dinniman balances the absurdity, explosions and potty humor with flashes of genuine grief for the world that was lost.
It is still a LitRPG at heart, so expect stat updates, loot boxes and achievement notifications that some readers find tedious. The humor is relentlessly juvenile in places, and the book assumes full familiarity with the first two installments. But the momentum is terrific and the found-family bond between Carl, Donut and their allies is stronger, and more affecting, than ever.
What we loved
- Inventive floor design and set pieces
- Carl’s rebellion gives the series real direction
- Heart beneath the chaos
Keep in mind
- LitRPG menus and stats won’t suit everyone
- Crude humor is relentless
Read it if you like
Ready Player One, The Martian, fans of gaming-flavored comic sci-fi
The verdict
The installment where the series fully hits its stride: chaotic, funny and surprisingly affecting.
