98 upvotes, 18 direct replies (showing 18)
View submission: Do NOT Sleep on Dungeon Crawler Carl
Is this book like good good, or just good for a litRPG? I've tried a few of those before and had to DNF every single one because they're so badly written.
Also I've been burned by "Reddit darling" genre fiction before that people on this sub fawn over only to find them incredibly mediocre like Stormlight Archives and Project Hail Mary...
Comment by fredditmakingmegeta at 24/02/2025 at 07:38 UTC
63 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I tried it because so many people were recommending it but it didn’t do much for me. The video game stats/leveling up stuff was killing me after awhile. It just went on and on. The writing was ok but didn’t wow or surprise me. The jokes were telegraphed. To me it felt like a book tailored for a really specific audience. When i was done i was mildly curious about what would happen in the series but definitely not enough to plow through hundreds more pages of leveling-up minutiae.
But a family member who doesn’t play many video games loved it. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just one of those books that either clicks with you or doesn’t. Maybe listening to the audiobook makes a huge difference.
Comment by GenTelGuy at 24/02/2025 at 06:55 UTC
47 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Yeah maybe I'm being too prejudiced but I got Ready Player One vibes
Comment by Ok_No_Go_Yo at 24/02/2025 at 09:29 UTC*
25 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Also I've been burned by "Reddit darling" genre fiction before that people on this sub fawn over only to find them incredibly mediocre like Stormlight Archives
So annoyingly true. Stormlight, Kingkiller, ready player one, Dresden files, etc. Basically YA books with some more mature themes thrown in.
Even worse is how defensive they all get when you suggest the book isn't that great. Main character in Kingkiller is a complete Mary Sue. Point that out and queue a dozen replies all pointing out "but he's telling the story and is an unreliable narrator", as if that somehow negates the utter tediousness of the entirety of two books being an absolute bore of a power fantasy.
Seriously, in the second book, the main character sleeps with a goddess of sex (or something like that), and is just so damn good in bed he blows her mind. Absolutely horrendous writing.
EDIT: Right on queue, people are defending Kingkiller. Can't make it up.
I definitely enjoy my share of trashy books, but I least have the self-awareness that what I'm reading is the equivalent of junk food.
Comment by Letitiaquakenbush at 24/02/2025 at 08:35 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I’ve started and stopped it twice. Barely into it though, so maybe it picks up, but it just did nothing for me. I couldn’t stay focused. I liked PHM better even though I think it’s extremely childish.
Comment by ranthalas at 24/02/2025 at 02:47 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My daughter is listening to it on audio book and anytime I happen to catch some of it I'm cracking up
Comment by arstin at 24/02/2025 at 19:58 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Is this book like good good
No, it's garbage.
Comment by Scalliwag1 at 24/02/2025 at 17:16 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Honestly as someone who enjoys a bit of LitRPG, i don't get the hype for Dungeon Crawler Carl. I read the first two books and the best analogy i have is that South Park episode making fun of Family Guy. DCC just mixes in random elements to make a joke but it doesn't fit. Once you see the setup and pattern, it repeats every chapter.
Comment by Iheartmypupper at 24/02/2025 at 20:28 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I’ve recommended the series to a bunch of folks who I was confident that they’d like it, and a handful I wasn’t sure on. But my usual go to is to suggest they snag it from the library. If you get 100 pages in and aren’t enjoying it, I’d stop there. Everything you don’t like will only get worse.
But if you get 100 pages in and do like it, then everything you like will only get better.
Comment by jessiemagill at 24/02/2025 at 21:41 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I've never read another litRPG and I think DCC is excellent.
Yes, the premise sounds ludicrous. But the story is masterful and as you move through the series, you get into some seriously phenomenal world building and political intrigue.
Comment by DependentOnIt at 24/02/2025 at 13:45 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's for people who can't stomach actual novels yes lol.
Comment by HappierShibe at 24/02/2025 at 15:21 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's bad. I'm not even sure it's good for litrpg....because that would require me to read more of these and everytime someone promises one of them is good and I try one it is just absolutely god awful.
Comment by River_Elysia at 24/02/2025 at 03:52 UTC
-2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you have an Audible membership, risk just one credit just one time for Carl. If you don't but aren't opposed, they run deals all year. I'm doing 3 months for 99¢ each rn.
Comment by BerksEngineer at 24/02/2025 at 05:32 UTC
-5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's a big step above literally everything else in the genre... or so I have gathered in my experience reading it, loving it, trying a bunch of the other top litRPGs, and finding them all severely lacking not only in comparison, but in general. DCC is good, period, not just good within the genre. The litRPG elements also take more and more of a back seat as the series progresses.
Comment by E4TclenTrenHardr at 24/02/2025 at 14:58 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It’s not very good.
Comment by Mounta1anmama at 24/02/2025 at 03:45 UTC
-10 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think it’s 10/10 entertaining. It is very niche.
Comment by facepoppies at 24/02/2025 at 21:08 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's good good. It's even got some literary elements in it. But above everything else, it's fun and funny.
Comment by Nightgasm at 25/02/2025 at 02:53 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I've done thousands of audiobooks over the last 30 yes and nothing comes close to this series IMO as the narration is so amazing and hilarious. I've listened to the series multiple times.
That said I'm physically reading it now for the first time and it's oddly disappointing. Maybe it's just the lack of audio but it definitely isn't hitting the same.
Basically, do it by audiobook.
Comment by xafimrev2 at 24/02/2025 at 18:31 UTC
-1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Its good good, and excellent for a litRPG.