Once again, this is not a first impression of this book. I’ve listened to it MANY times and it’s part of one of my favorite series.
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I don’t think I’ve talked about this yet publicly, but those who know me should be familiar with my thoughts on the second book of a series. Second books are hard, and at least to my perception and experience, a lot of that is because of the nature of story structure. The beginning setup is exciting, the buildup to and crux of the climax are cathartic. But between those two areas, it’s hit or miss on how much excitement you can really manage. There’s a fine balance between boring and keeping things too tense and high-emotion for too long. Make things too exciting early, and you don’t leave yourself anywhere to grow to for the ending, and it becomes disappointing.

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario doesn’t have those problems.

I honestly don’t know how Dinniman does it. This is only book 2 of the series, and it’s just as exciting, fresh, and involved as book 1. The stakes are higher, the micro and macro plots all chug along at good paces, and the character growth is steady but still contained. He’s got a tight rein on the story and character growth, which I almost can’t even fathom. The road map this man must have, even of just the basics of things like abilities and stat growth, must be insane. It’s my understanding that Dinniman is largely a pantser, which I respect immensely. Not planning for me is a huge disaster when it comes to actually finishing projects, so I need a detailed idea about where I’m going, if not also how I’ll get there.

Anyway, a quick shakedown of what this book’s about. Now through the “tutorial” floors of the dungeon, Carl and Donut get to go through the game’s race and class selection before starting the third floor, the first of the regular themed floors. In the dungeon, floors 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 all share a common overarcing form and storyline, based off an old fable or child’s tale. Floor 3 is the Overcity, and it’s also the first time players are randomly spawned, so it opens up the character list to people from all over the world, not just the geographic location we started in.

The game has gone open world, baby! Even so, each book being its own setting change (yeah, that’s kind of the format of the series, not a spoiler) is a great tool in his belt for this. Each floor is self-contained, so there’s a lot of freshness with the problems of each area, with really only interpersonal issues being what’s carried over. Any floor issues are cast away with the ending of the floor. And there’s still the greater universe outside the dungeon in play, but that’s semi-intangible.

In this book, we also get introduced to quests, elite mobs, a day/night cycle, all kinds of things. New skills, spells, and gear abound.

And yet, Dinniman controls everything to a ridiculous degree. Sure, every single living player has moved far beyond the capabilities of a normal human, but there are still limits to what is possible.

For example, Carl doesn’t really have any good way to ascend or descend unless there are like… stairs or ladders.

That’s something I can really say for Dinniman. He’s great at pointing out small weaknesses and flaws in his characters and making them bigger than they seem to be or even should be.

There’s a lot to learn from Dinniman in this book about pacing, growth, and exploiting the failures and flaws of your characters. And I gotta say, what a climax and denouement to this one!

I’ll come out upfront and say this is not a first impression of this book. I’ve listened to it MANY times and consider it one of my favorite series.
Ah, Dungeon Crawler Carl. This is an irreverent, humorous-but-heartfelt LitRPG novel that very perfectly fits in with the gamer mentality.
At least in my personal opinion.
It’s cliche to say this, but it really feels like this is a book that was written for me. I’m definitely right smack in the target demographic (nerdy lifelong gamer/reader), but it’s not as niche as that might seem. Seriously. The fan base is vast and varied, but all as passionate about the themes, characters, and memes that make up this fantastic series.
Anyway, this particular book. To sum up, our main character is Carl, a mid-20s man who just broke up with his girlfriend and still has her pampered show cat in his apartment. Everything’s fine until the world ends.
You heard right. Aliens have claim to all the resources on Earth, and the time has come to harvest. However, intergalactic policy states that if a resident of the planet successfully navigates all 18 floors of a dungeon, they can lay claim to the planet and save it.
Enter the Dungeon.
This book covers floors 1 and 2 of the dungeon, bringing readers along with Carl as he learns how the game works and sees how people adjust to literally living in a televised game where magic is real, goblins are addicted to meth, and when you die, you die. I’d love to go into the plot, but to be totally serious, it’s best taken with no expectations to allow the insanity and joy of it all to just wash over you and take you by surprise.
Just know there’s no gratuitous sex, but there is a lot of really strong language, gore, more gore, and MORE GORE. There is sexual innuendo and suggestive stuff, but nothing explicit there. Not for the faint of heart.
Dinniman is a master of the unexpected but logical. Some of the unexpected twists and events seem to hit out of left field, but in retrospect (or a second or millionth read/listen), they are telegraphed well and subtly. Even better, he very deftly introduces the reader to the intricacies of the game along with Carl.
So, I mentioned relistening/rereading. This book is well worth multiple intakes. I probably listen to the series 2-3 times a year since I first discovered it, and I’m always finding something new about it: some new hint, detail, or just straight up something that I missed previously due to a momentary lapse in attention or memory.
I want to discuss the audiobooks primarily, mostly because they are so wonderfully done. The majority of that is at the hands of the narrator, the incredible Jeff Hayes. This man, guys… This man is so spectacular at voices and deliver that it surprises a lot of people to realize he does ALL THE VOICES. With a couple exceptions, Hayes does them all. If he isn’t doing a character, it’s because there was a guest voice actor brought in for someone particular— sometimes to great effect, sometimes not so much coughCriticalDrinkercough
I have not read the paper or ebook versions of this book, though I do own an autographed copy of this one. I’ve only listened to the audio, and it’s a hoot in and of itself. It truly brings the story alive, and that’s not even counting the fact that there are AUDIO IMMERSION TUNNELS happening, where the books are full audio dramas. I’ve heard snippets of those, and they’re one step further into really making the books real.
I plan to do reviews of each book as I work my way through the series again. Naturally, as we progress, the number of times I’ve consumed the later books will be less than the first few. When I first got introduced to the series, I believe book 5 had just been released. So I’ve been around for the releases of books 6 and 7, and am eagerly awaiting book 8. But book 6 I’ve only listened to 3 or 4 times, and book 7 twice. So I’ll be reviewing that after my third listen. Keep your eyes out for my impressions of the books, and seriously, grab a copy. You won’t regret it!

This being the first of the book reviews I’ve done in quite a while, I suppose I should clarify what my intentions are with them. In the past, I have written book reviews mostly with the intent of supporting author friends. I see no reason why I shouldn’t continue to support authorly friends, so if you have a book you’d like me to read and review for you, please contact me. I will warn that physical reading take a lot longer for me these days. Audio is better, mostly because of time and attention constraints. I have drive time that I can dedicate to listening where I can’t read a physical book while doing that. That’s a good 5 hours a week just listening to books. I also listen while cleaning, eating, cooking, that sort of thing. I can try physical reading again too, so please don’t let that deter you if you want my thoughts on your work.
I digress, as I so often do. What I intend with these book reviews: my own thoughts, such as they may be. Sometimes, it may be a lot of focus on plot and character. It could be on craft, voice, even setting. Knowing me, a lot will just be general thoughts. Anyway, in short, just know that I read widely and enjoy talking about books in general. So expect that from these reviews.
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This is not a first impression of The Handmaid’s Tale. No, I first listened to this audiobook probably 10-ish years ago. But I just finished a re-listen and it was better than I remember. And I remember liking it a lot then. That said, here are my thoughts on it as it sits fresh on my mind.
Atwood writes beautifully. Simply put, it’s wonderful prose that, at least in my opinion, perfectly encapsulates the protagonist’s mindset. It isn’t until the epilogue that we discover this story was “discovered” as a series of audio cassettes, but that one revelation makes the whole thing make so much more sense to me, from a technical standpoint. The fact that I have absorbed it through audiobook only drives that further home. The delivery of the version I have, read by Claire Danes, truly feels like half of a conversation, like the oral passing down of stories from elder to child a generation or two removed.
That’s what so much of this feels like to me: like a story told, not one written. Obviously I don’t know if Atwood intended that to be its format from the beginning, or if it came along during the process somewhere, but I like to believe it is intended to be heard more than read, in general.
I’m writing this on October 13, 2025 in the United States, and it goes without saying that this book very much hits hard right now. It’s well-documented that Atwood took a lot of inspiration from Orwell’s 1984, another dystopian fascist novel. It’s far too clear to see the parallels in Atwood’s prose and the current living situation of every human demographic other than rich, white, male Evangelical. What’s even more terrifying is that the things Atwood describes not only could happen, they are happening in the U.S. even as I type this. Speaking as someone who falls into a number of minority categories (being trans for one), it really struck my nerves and fears in a way it didn’t ten years ago.
What Atwood really nailed, at least to my listening this time through, is all the small ways so many people break the rules. The intense strictures of everyday life in the Republic of Gilead are no way for people to live. Even those who benefit from the rules know that. Even they: the Commander, Serena Joy, the aunts, they all have their own small breaks that give them more reason to go on. The Commander with something as simple as playing Scrabble, one of the Marthas (I forget which one, Rita maybe) cutting radishes into rosettes and other shapes, all the people with cigarettes, mentions of the black market, all these things build up. They are proof of humanity’s survival and constant desire to be more than a basic nothingness.
Yet somehow, Atwood always managed to capture the sense of hope. Hope buried, lost, found again, shared, kept, coveted, reveled in. Even at its darkest moments, those where the writings and rules of the government of Gilead are at their worst, Offred and other characters demonstrate that they are still people. At their basest, most primal state, they are still people with wants and needs and the drive to find ways to survive and achieve those wants. Something as small as a single match hidden in a bed frame is a symbol of something strong waiting to break free.
I can’t help but compare it to another media tale of “the beforetimes” transitioning to the current horrific situation, told in a horrid way from one sufferer to the next: Valerie’s autobiography in V for Vendetta. The single match being hope, Valerie’s “one inch” being the last thing that cannot be taken from us.
Seeing the country I grew up in turning into a world where threat of my being disappeared is very real makes those small hopes mean a lot more. That one inch of self is critical. That one shred of being unapologetically who you are, in whatever small ways you can, is a valuable way to fight back. It might not be a lot, but then, it might be everything.

I promised it eventually, so here we are. I’ve been an avid reader since I learned to read, around age 4 or so, and well… I’m pushing 41 now. Many of my favorite books are ones I chose a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean I have stopped adding to the list. So, this is going to be a somewhat eclectic mix, but I’ll try to cover a variety and give some insight into why I love them. Don't be surprised if there are additional posts like this one in the future, detailing other books I love for various reasons. These are just some of the ones that have either spent a long time in my favor or exploded onto the scene so strongly I can't not love them.

Phantom (Susan Kay) - I found this book when I was in high school and fell in love. It’s a retelling of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera and goes into much more detail of the characters and creation of the Phantom himself. Those of you who know me know I love prequels and how-does-this-come-to-be stories, and this is very much one. The book is broken into sections from different points of view: the phantom’s mother, the phantom as a young boy, a companion, Christine, and others. I’ll admit that it’s a format I adopted myself for Starsigns, telling the story from different POVs.

Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card) - Yeah, I know this one is problematic. Not the book itself, but the author. As much as it sucks, I fell in love with Card’s writing over 25 years ago, well before the world was alerted to his horrible opinions on humanity outside his narrow view. I am proud to say he hasn’t gotten any money from me since I found out. The books are good, just buy them used so he’s not getting money for them.

Anyway, there is still a lot of this story (and the extended Enderverse) that gripped a young me. First of all, it’s centered around games, but it’s also got a varied cast (heavily male, but that’s explained in the book). The few female characters are very memorable and strong. 

But it’s largely the psychology of the whole book that’s its strongest draw. Through conversations, you get a lot more information on what’s going on in the greater world and insight into the minds of many of the younger characters. There’s also a big shock reveal towards the end that in retrospect, couldn’t have happened any other way. I know it’s sort of silly to attempt not to spoil a 40-year-old book that’s already been adapted to film, but I’d simply prefer not to risk it.

The Eyes of the Dragon (Stephen King) - I’m probably more attached to this book for nostalgia reasons than anything else. I’ve read a double handful of King’s books and generally, his stories are great, but I’m not overall a big fan of his writing style, and personally, I have yet to be truly satisfied with the ending of any of his books I’ve read. I love the premises he comes up with.
The Eyes of the Dragon is a fantasy novel he wrote for his daughter when she was young-ish. In many ways, it’s told as if it were a story being passed orally to the next generation, which I love. It reads like a bedtime story in a lot of ways. 

I think, at least as far as writing is concerned, I keep this book close because it’s a good reminder of the idea of small details meaning big things. There are a lot of early plot details that become critically important as the book develops to its climax, and the way so much is woven is is pretty great. But I can’t ignore how abruptly and somewhat unsatisfactorily the story ends. It does sort of lead into the greater body of King’s work, involving a villain that spreads across many of his works. Sadly, I lack the temperament to enjoy the other books the character is in, but that’s a me thing.

I still love this book. I have the audio version and listen to it probably once a year or so. It might be familiarity that breeds contempt, but what outgrowing of it I’ve done as a reader and writer is more aimed to dislike the last fifth or so of the book. Maybe even not that much. The climax is so darn good! It’s just the denouement that leaves me unsatisfied. 

Which is also something I recognize in my own works. I struggle with endings. Maybe this is part of why I’m so aware of it.

Fuzzy Nation (John Scalzi) - Now we’re getting into books I discovered more recently than my late teens and early 20s. I found Fuzzy Nation when I was in my early 30s, but then again, this one was published in 2011, so it didn’t even exist until more recently than the previous three.
Fuzzy Nation is a reboot of a 1962 novel called Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Honestly, I think one of the biggest draws of it for me is that it has the same sort of woven ends effect as The Eyes of the Dragon does. The tiniest details from the beginning come back to build the climax in the most massively satisfying way, I can only hope one day I’ll be as skilled a wordsmith. It centers around a planet being mined for resources at the expense of the its natural flora and fauna, and it’s… it’s just a whole lot of legal corporate bullshit versus environmentalism and ethics and I am here for it. 

Again, I mostly consume it via audio format. Wil Wheaton does the narration and does a fantastic job, honestly. 

This book is witty and heartfelt on so many levels. The characters feel very fleshed out, layered just like actual people are. That’s something I can very much say Scalzi does well. I’ve read a few of his books, but Fuzzy Nation is one that brings me to laughter and tears (both joyous and sad) every time I read or listen to it.

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Dinniman) - Okay, I’m counting the whole series in this one, or at least what’s come out so far (up to book 7, This Inevitable Ruin). This is very much a new addition to my favorite book lists, as I’ve only been a fan for about two or maybe 3 years now (I honestly forget). But I've already talked about it on this blog, too. It's that good.

DCC is irreverent, gory, violent, absurd, and has made me cry more than I would have thought a series described that way could. Its premise is that Earth’s apocalypse is going to be televised; aliens have laid claim to Earth’s natural resources, but there is a slim chance humanity can regain its claim over our planet. If someone completes the 18-floor dungeon, they have a right to claim Earth. The dungeon is essentially one of the most popular reality shows in the greater universe, with quadrillions (or more) aliens of all types tuning in. Popularity and profitability are major draws, and the protagonist Carl (who get stuck with his ex-girlfriend’s show cat) has to navigate a universe much bigger than him while simply trying to stay alive in a video-game-like dungeon.

The characters, settings, and style Dinniman have cultivated for this series are absolutely enthralling. I eat these books up, but they’re ones I’m more than happy to wait for with each new installment. If you’re not sensitive to foul language and a hell of a lot of violence, blood, and gore, read these. The audio versions are brilliant (voice actor/narrator Jeff Hays is phenomenal). I also know there is a full audio immersion version  that I haven’t listened to yet. I need to.
This is the kind of book I wish I could write. The fan base Dinniman has cultivated is incredible. His writing is lean, descriptive, and… okay look, I don’t know how he did it, but the man managed to write an entire book where the actual setting cannot be fathomed… and it makes sense… somehow.

I’m just flat out in awe of Dinniman and this series. I need to read his other words, but based on what I’ve heard of Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon, I need to be very VERY mentally prepared for it.

I've realized I don't really talk about my favorite books or what I read much, so I thought this would be a good week to do so. I think favorite books will be a longer post some other time, but for now, here's what I've read recently or am reading now.

First off, I do want to talk briefly about how I consume books. The combination of age, time scarcity, physical restlessness, worsening vision, and mental focus changing have made me almost entirely an audiobook consumer. This has happened gradually over the last 13 years or so, but it's pretty solid now that I consume audiobooks more often than written fiction beyond short stories.

Anyway, recent and current reads:

• Sunrise on the Reaping - Susanne Collins - The latest Hunger Games novel, a series I'm a massive fan of, both the books and movies. This book did not disappoint in the slightest. I was caught up from start to finish. Prequels have always been a huge draw for me, since I'm always very interested in HOW things happen rather than WHAT actually happens, if that makes sense. Explanations and context, I suppose.
• Morning Star - Pierce Brown - This is the third book in Brown's Red Rising trilogy, after Red Rising and Golden Son. Futuristic dystopian class warfare with a remarkably strong and vibrant Roman Empire/mythology influence. This has been a re-listen, but it's been probably 5 or more years since I did one, and it's always great to reunite with old friends.
• Dungeon Crawler Carl (full series) - Matt Dinniman - This series is currently up to book 7, This Inevitable Ruin, which was released late last year and in audio back in February. The entire series is literary RPG, with it being the telling of Earth's destruction being televised as a dungeon-crawling game show using surviving humans as the players. It's irreverent, hilarious, emotional, and damn inspiring. If you're not sensitive to violence, language, all that stuff, I absolutely recommend this series.
  

I have a bunch of books in my to-read list, naturally, including the Percy Jackson series, Number the Stars, The Shadow of What Was Lost, All Systems Red, and Fourth Wing just to start. I also have done fairly recent relistens to The Blackwater Saga, and I listened to The Martian and Project Hail Mary last year and plan to listen again soon.

In short, read, my friends. Consume literature. It's there waiting for you.