Dungeon Crawler Carl

2.8/5 - Audible Version

Dungeon Crawler Carl is an entertaining light read that i wanted more from. Absurd humor, action, and some genuinely creative world-building. The overall story of a deadly, corporate-run game show makes for a compelling setting combined with the great world building. The book avoids some of the pitfalls of the LitRPG genre by not bogging itself down with excessive stat screens, menu descriptions or mechanics.
The humor is definitely hit-or-miss though. The tone leans heavily into the juvenile, and the Dungeon AI definitely reminded me a lot of Claptrap from Borderlands which is definitely hit or miss just like the games.

Light Spoilers Below...

My biggest issue with the book is Carl himself. He comes across as obnoxious, and (my perceived) contradictions in his character aren't framed as flaws for him to overcome—they just exist, unaddressed. Two key areas stood out to me:

His Relationship with His Ex
Carl's former girlfriend is only ever described as an awful person—shallow, dumb, a cheater. Someone who loves trashy TV shows and would love to be in an Alien version of “Survivor” since she's so vapid and vain.
There's never any introspection or nuance; Carl is simply the wronged party. Given that we're seeing this through Carl's point of view, I was hoping for some challenge to this narrative by the end—some indication that Carl, too, had flaws in the relationship. The way i read the story is that Carl has a clear Attachment style for relationships. But no. The book never questions his stance, making this aspect of his character feel one-dimensional.


Carl's Actions vs. His Self-Perception
Throughout the book, Carl displays what i think are issues with anger (not anger issues necessarily), yet the story never really acknowledges this as a potential flaw. His temper flares repeatedly, but the narrative only has him recognize it once. This made me wonder—was the contradiction intentional? Was the author setting up Carl as an unreliable narrator who doesn't realize his own anger? The answer, by the end, seems to be no.

At times, Carl also seems to have knowledge he shouldn't. For example, during an interview show, he tells two contestants how to get around some wizards—despite us never seeing him fight them before. There's also a moment where he describes himself as naturally well-built and able to put on muscle easily, which just makes him feel more self-aggrandizing than endearing.


Final Thoughts

As my first introduction to the LitRPG genre, I enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl for what it was—a light, fast-paced, and occasionally funny listen while I did other things. While I wish the author had done more with Carl's character, I recognize that not every protagonist needs deep personal growth to make a story engaging.

I'm undecided on whether I'll continue the series. The world-building is strong, and the overall story has potential, but my dislike of Carl as a character is a major hurdle.