Jessica
Chaos, Comedy, and Chosen Family: The Dystopian Adventure You Didn't Know You Needed
This book takes place after Dungeon Crawler Carl. In this installment, Carl, Princess Donut, and her pet Mongo (yes, Princess Donut, the cat, has her own pet, a dinosaur, of all things) go to the third level (which is called Over City) of the dungeon game.
On the third floor, they get to choose a race and class. Carl and Princess Donut realize they need to be careful because whatever they choose can affect how the audience supports them in the game. After some thought, Carl chose to become a Primal. Not much is known about them, and no one knows what they look like, so he still appears human. He chooses the Compensated Anachist class, which helps him find important markers on the floor. Princess Donut decided to remain a cat because she believes they are perfect. However, Carl convinces her to take the class of Former Child Actor because it would force Mordecai to be her manager. They did this so they could exploit his knowledge of the game, and so he could be summoned to any safe room they are in.
And the trio definitely needs help on this level. The stakes are up now that they are in Over City. The trio discovers that the game has side quests (or storylines) that players can be drawn into against their will. And those storylines don’t necessarily end just on that floor either. They also have to participate in different talk shows, which pit players against each other. They also discover that the audience has a way to distort their images as well (poor Carl has a deepfake video of him floating around across the universe, and Princess Donut is caught drinking, of all things). Will Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo survive all the chaos in this level?
It was interesting to see the trio fight their way through Over City. I like that Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are a found family. You see a lot of scenes where Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo support each other (even with Mongo being a wild card at times). Given the direness of their situation, it reiterates the importance of having a tribe to support you. I also like how Carl slowly realizes Princess Donut’s emotional and mental intelligence. She is not just a show cat that she portrays herself to be. She has lots of independent thoughts and observations to share.
I have several predictions of what comes next in the books. I think we might learn more about the Primal species. So little is known about them. I wondered if they will make an emergence in the universe. Or I wonder if Carl will find more information about them from a mysterious source. Odette, a TV talk show host, has been offering Carl bits and pieces of information because she is invested in Carl and Princess Donut for her own self-interests. I wonder if others in the universe will become invested in them as well.
Another prediction that I have is that we will learn more about the outside world. Every time the group gets transported to the interview trailer, Carl gets glimpses of the ocean and other interview trailers. I am curious to see if other surviving humans who opted not to participate in the game will make an appearance, or if we will see what the Earth looks like now that the aliens are mining it for materials.
Overall, I really like the book and look forward to reading the next book in the series. If you like a dystopian comedy adventure that has reality show elements, this is definitely the book for you. Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are a riot together. You will definitely be entertained and eager to finish the book quickly.
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.
Chaos, Comedy, and Chosen Family: The Dystopian Adventure You Didn't Know You Needed
This book takes place after Dungeon Crawler Carl. In this installment, Carl, Princess Donut, and her pet Mongo (yes, Princess Donut, the cat, has her own pet, a dinosaur, of all things) go to the third level (which is called Over City) of the dungeon game.
On the third floor, they get to choose a race and class. Carl and Princess Donut realize they need to be careful because whatever they choose can affect how the audience supports them in the game. After some thought, Carl chose to become a Primal. Not much is known about them, and no one knows what they look like, so he still appears human. He chooses the Compensated Anachist class, which helps him find important markers on the floor. Princess Donut decided to remain a cat because she believes they are perfect. However, Carl convinces her to take the class of Former Child Actor because it would force Mordecai to be her manager. They did this so they could exploit his knowledge of the game, and so he could be summoned to any safe room they are in.
And the trio definitely needs help on this level. The stakes are up now that they are in Over City. The trio discovers that the game has side quests (or storylines) that players can be drawn into against their will. And those storylines don’t necessarily end just on that floor either. They also have to participate in different talk shows, which pit players against each other. They also discover that the audience has a way to distort their images as well (poor Carl has a deepfake video of him floating around across the universe, and Princess Donut is caught drinking, of all things). Will Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo survive all the chaos in this level?
It was interesting to see the trio fight their way through Over City. I like that Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are a found family. You see a lot of scenes where Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo support each other (even with Mongo being a wild card at times). Given the direness of their situation, it reiterates the importance of having a tribe to support you. I also like how Carl slowly realizes Princess Donut’s emotional and mental intelligence. She is not just a show cat that she portrays herself to be. She has lots of independent thoughts and observations to share.
I have several predictions of what comes next in the books. I think we might learn more about the Primal species. So little is known about them. I wondered if they will make an emergence in the universe. Or I wonder if Carl will find more information about them from a mysterious source. Odette, a TV talk show host, has been offering Carl bits and pieces of information because she is invested in Carl and Princess Donut for her own self-interests. I wonder if others in the universe will become invested in them as well.
Another prediction that I have is that we will learn more about the outside world. Every time the group gets transported to the interview trailer, Carl gets glimpses of the ocean and other interview trailers. I am curious to see if other surviving humans who opted not to participate in the game will make an appearance, or if we will see what the Earth looks like now that the aliens are mining it for materials.
Overall, I really like the book and look forward to reading the next book in the series. If you like a dystopian comedy adventure that has reality show elements, this is definitely the book for you. Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are a riot together. You will definitely be entertained and eager to finish the book quickly.
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.
