Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC #1)

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a spectacular experience because of its determination to have fun.

Some people say it's better consumed as audio to enhance the seat-of-the-pants experience, although I personally read it as text.

It's also crude, filthy, immature and childish, like a literary version of Borderlands by Take-Two Interactive set in a dungeon, copying ideas from every video game you've ever heard of, with an opening scene from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the disarray of Arthur Dent, until you realize Carl is essentially a thug - not quite a bully - but an uncompromising and decisive brute and tactical genius.

In video games you die and re-spawn, but in DDC it's your one and only chance, meaning Carl and Donut have to get it right first time every time, which leads to my first minor criticism.

This series has entered its eighth volume, meaning that Carl and Donut can't possibly die, which drastically reduces any built up peril or tension. This makes battle scenes, especially against big bosses, a bit pointless. Do it first time or re-spawn a hundred times until you eventually get through - that's the long-term repetitive nature of Dungeon Crawler Carl - rinse and repeat leveling up and get to the next level.

This could be a bit boring for some people, but everything else is seriously gold.

Some of the most interesting aspects of this RPG system are the power ups and inventorying of items, with all the addictive fun of checking out your new achievements, armor, weapons, stats and spells. This definitely enhances the experience as you spend more time mentally analyzing menus than playing the game!

Although the action gets a bit samey at times, the most surprising part of the book is the fabulous humor - just when you think you've heard it all before - suddenly cackling out loud because of a silly quip or retrospective insight.

It's a fearless approach to writing novels and deserves respect.

Matt Dinniman cleverly uses role-playing classes: human, elf, warrior, warlock, etc., as a connecting parallel to alien species in the universe, mixes of crab/octopus/human/animal, to emphasize how diverse we all are, more than just gender-based orientations of men and women - but a million possibilities.

Donut is the talking cat, and her charm, sensitivity and intelligence over Carl's tactical brawn demonstrates a carefully thought out feminist consideration that could easily be overlooked if you're reading rapidly for action and frolics. This is a clever balance between bravado and caution, brawn and elegance, brash tactics and deference, which totally works!

Another strong point is the all-inclusive nature of video games, enabling us to be whoever or whatever we want regardless of age, gender, social status, or outward appearance. Being able to forget immediate woes and worries to indulge in fantasy is an absolute must for many people.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is incredibly fun, withering and rebellious and a tremendous antidote to serious literature that sometimes grinds you down, and if approached in the right way can be enjoyed for what it is - fun, silly and total entertainment.

Now to decide whether to read book 2 - I'm not sure yet - but what a great option to have going forward. Marvelous characters, imagination, bravado and wit - sure it's overly crude in places and stalls with repetitions, but if you grind video games even just a little bit, what's not to love?

Let's go back to the future, Marty, and call up Pixar on the way, hoping they don't Disneyfy the inevitable movies and remove all the marvelous filth.