This audiobook has it all. I’ve listened to a few different LitRPG adventure series now and Dungeon Crawler Carl has become one of my favorites. Imagine Hunger Games crossed with Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Instead of tweenybop sob stories, it’s a former Coastie and his ex-girlfriend’s prize-winning Persian cat, Donut. Oh, with an AI foot fetish and no pants.
The concept is fantastic, the characters are hilarious, the AI is snarky and pun-tastic, and the execution by the narrator is top-notch. Definitely turn the bass balance down on your equalizer, though because Jeff Hays has a deep voice.
LitRPG books are never going to rank up there with “To Kill a Mockingbird” or anything else in high-brow literature. But let’s face it… we already knew that going in. The whole purpose here is to be entertained on our long commutes to work or whatever we’re trying to make suck less by listening to audiobooks. This book does exactly that and more. I found myself actually laughing out loud on the brink of tears at some parts. The fact that we already know the main character is not going to die by the end of the book doesn’t detract from the feelings of suspense and intrigue for what’s coming next.
Overall, great book, I binged book 2 in just a few days, and I’m now on book 3. If you enjoy the LitRPG genre, this will NOT disappoint. If you’ve never listened to anything in the LitRPG genre, this might spoil other books for you.