Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario is the second book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and this book takes us deeper into the dungeon, onto level three. As a result, the stakes are greater, the views are higher, and Carl and Donut are learning the political structure of this dungeon and all its affiliations. And while there are definitely comedic laugh-out-loud moments, this book is darker than the previous one as certain themes are explored and developed.

Carl is an interesting character as at first, he seems to comply with the challenges and quests that are set for him and Donut. But as he races through the levels and learns about the political structure, you realize it is far deeper and more complex than you first thought. I have to give show more the author credit for developing these subtle story lines, and while Carl seems to take everything at face value, he turns it all upside down by doing things his way and utter chaos ensues. It’s fun to see the characters learn to rely on each other as they go through some dangerous things, and you get some emotional conversations at the end of some of it which helps you understand them better and what they are thinking. Personally, I have enjoyed all the characters and I like the fact the author gives a ‘voice’ to a lot of them so even if you don’t necessarily agree with their actions, you can sympathize with what they are going through, what happened to them, or what they are being forced to do for entertainment.

The author weaves all of this bonding and character development into some very entertaining story lines. Carl is grasping a lot of the political structures of the dungeon, but there is still so much he does not know which is why he inadvertently turns everything on its head quite often because he doesn’t understand. As a result, the powers that be are left floundering, and in one case, almost went bankrupt because of his actions and had to act decisively. Carl does the challenges, but he does them his way. And this is where the philosophical parts of the novel come into play, something I really like. You know, just because someone tells you to do something, should you? What are the consequences? Are there other things one can do instead? Will I destroy an entire world government if I do this? The reader is learning the political structures with Carl and Donut, so I find it fascinating when something unexpected happens; the discussions at the ‘round tables’ are always fun.

Verdict
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario was a worthy sequel and I really appreciated the comedy, the humour, the fun characters (including a really weird AI with a foot fetish), and the unique plot. For a novel that seems rather light-hearted, there are some interesting themes running through it that I think will get darker as the series progresses. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. show less

These continue to a ton of fun and well written meta-fantasy. I'm also starting to feel like, with the occasional flashbacks to Carl's childhood and pre-dungeon life there's an unreliable narrator reading here where everything can be in his head. I know that's *not* overall what's going on, but definitely potential for a reading in that direction.

I love this world. In the first book I think everything is so shocking and outlandish that it’s hilarious. Poor Carl is shocked at every turn. He doesn’t know what’s going on and that adds a layer of humor to the book that keeps you laughing and thinking WTF?!

There were so many moments I laughed out loud but as the book progresses Carl realizes more and more the level of shit he’s been dumped into which makes the book take on a more serious tone. Carl is definitely feeling the toll of the dungeon and the cost of having to constantly kill.

I loved that Donut is actually smarter than she appears. It’s all an act and I think she has more than proven that she’s an exceptional actress. In the end, when they thought they were show more going to die, I love how the two came together and held each other saying their last words and in the end, surviving.

In this book, Carl starts a lot of shit with different nations. Insults the Skull Empire, causes the wrongful death of Manasa from the Valtay Corporation, they fire back and kill the Skull Queen and the Maestro and later on he got the AI to shell out expensive Celestial boxes that Borant can’t afford…. And all of that will come back to haunt him….

There’s still so much to learn about Borant and the Syndicate. Will Carl and Donut have issues with Hekla? Will they run into Lucia Mar? Will Mongo grow big enough that Carl can ride him? Whats the relationship with Moreno’s and Odette? Who knows but I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the next book. show less

As is usual with these serial stories, this picks up right where the first book left off, with no real effort made to remind readers of what happened earlier. Even though it wasn't that long ago that I read the first book, it still took me a bit to orient myself, and there were references to characters and events in Book 1 that I couldn't always recall well. For the most part, this wasn't too much of an issue for me.

This entire book takes place on the third floor of Dungeon Crawler World. At the start of it, Carl and Princess Donut are faced with decisions about their race and class, with an overwhelming (to me) number of options available to both of them. After that, it's time to deal with the floor itself, which is more dangerous and show more has a few new game mechanics added to it. Carl and Donut have only eight days to find an exit to the fourth floor before they're flattened.

This time around, in addition to regular enemies and bosses, Carl and Donut have to deal with the additional complication of quests and NPCs called "elites."

Carl continues to struggle with the disconnect between the actions that would be best for him and Donut as players of this game and his emotional reaction to the NPCs as individuals. Most of the NPCs Carl encounters have no existence outside of Dungeon Crawler World and never will have one - they and their memories are created solely to add some color to the game and keep players and viewers engaged. That doesn't stop Carl (and Donut) from feeling, on a gut level, that they're like real people.

Dungeon Crawler World really and truly sucks for everyone unwillingly involved in it. Yes, the players (and former players, like Mordecai) have had the world and people they loved suddenly destroyed and now find themselves constantly facing the possibility of death, but the NPCs had my sympathy too, especially when I read the "Backstage and the Pineapple Cabaret" extra (since my copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl was the original self-published version, I hadn't realized that the trad publisher version had a bonus story - interlibrary loan helped solve that problem for me).

As in the first book, Dinniman handled the balance between the humor and deadly circumstances in a way that worked well for me. The villains/enemies continued to be written with more empathy than I sometimes expected - that circus was surprisingly tragic.

I love Carl and Donut as a pair. I absolutely plan to continue this series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Dungeon Crawler Carl and Princess Donut have descended to the third level, picked their classes and races, and are learning about the overcity. And quests! And the good hearing of hobgoblins! Carl is exploding his way through the storyline while Donut's charisma is negotiating them great deals while shopping.

I love Carl and Princess Donut and I like the streak of humanity that they both share in compassion for fellow crawlers and even NPCs. This level was lots of fun and leveling up.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite series!

Carl's Doomsday Scenario builds on what was established in the first book: characters gain experience, learn, grow, and develop bonds; the roles of NPCs are further developed; and we start to see how much off-screen politics affect how the Dungeon runs.

On to book three!

Received via NetGalley.

Engaged me slightly more than the first, as the "one thing after another" feeling is reduced a bit. Still feels a bit like being forced to watch someone do the fight scenes in a videogame when all you're interested in is the cut scenes, but I will say that Dinniman is saying some stuff about living under late-capitalism in a world dominated by the digital that's pretty interesting. I'll carry on.