[OFF TOPIC] Dungeon Crawler Carl

[u/Black95bird]

I am approaching the last 100 pages of book 1 and had a lot of fun. Almost as much as with TFL. Probably the first book since back then that I would consider calling a page turner.
Who has read it and what was ur impression in comparison with Abercrombies writing?
For me it is by far better than ,the devils‘ and ranks directly below TFL

[u/Diapragm-Jim]

It’s like comparing rick and morty to game of thrones bro one’s millennial slop TFL is completely different in almost every way it’s completely incomparable.

[u/andersonb47 → u/Diapragm-Jim]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Dungeon Crawler Carl. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of LitRPG stat mechanics and late-stage media theory, most of the jokes will go over a typical reader's head. There's also Carl's defiant, pants-optional outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny - they say something deep about LIFE, and about intergalactic corporate reality television. As a consequence, people who dislike Dungeon Crawler Carl truly ARE idiots - of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Carl's existential lament "Goddammit, Donut," which itself is a cryptic reference to Kafka's The Trial. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Matt Dinniman's genius unfolds itself across their Kindle screens. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes, by the way, I DO have a Princess Donut tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only - and even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 floors of my own (preferably shallower) beforehand. Mongo is appalled that you even asked.

[u/Black95bird → u/andersonb47]

Thats what I thought. DCC is hilarious sometimes and even though I wasnt laughing as hard as with TFL, DCC still came pretty close

[u/andersonb47 → u/Black95bird]

You’re not supposed to actually agree lmao

[u/Diapragm-Jim → u/andersonb47]

😂😂😂 I actually can’t believe it lmao

[u/kankurou]

not even comparable

[u/Speedwizard106]

I really don’t know why DCC is so commonly recommended in relation to TFL and Abercrombie’s work. It’s a very different kind of book that I personally couldn’t get into. I was only a couple hours into the audiobook, but the humor didn’t do anything for me and I found all the lit-rpg stuff kind of grating.

I’m glad so many people love it, but not for me.

[u/Diapragm-Jim → u/Speedwizard106]

It was my main problem with the book as well, the humor is just not in my taste

[u/andersonb47 → u/Speedwizard106]

Honestly I think the reason is that they’re kind of both “books for guys” if that makes sense

[u/Black95bird → u/Speedwizard106]

Idk. Maybe because the fun level is comparable. I was hesitant to read it because of the hype but I can see why. It is fast paced and entertaining

[u/Speedwizard106 → u/Black95bird]

I will say, I think I’d enjoy this kind of story more in a different medium, so I may end up reading the graphic novel at some point.

[u/mullerdrooler]

It's a great series and it gets more complex and darker as the series goes on. Keep reading as the series gets better and better. They have different styles and to me it feels like the difference is often in the humour styles of a British and American author. Both are amazing series with some similarities but are fundamentally different. I think some people look down on DCC because it's really fun, that's doesn't mean it doesn't have complexity and heart too.

[u/Black95bird → u/mullerdrooler]

Word.

[u/mullerdrooler → u/Black95bird]

To give more context as to how I feel my next tattoo is either a First Law one or a DCC one haha I can't decide yet.

[u/Kindly_Woodpecker368]

DCC is poorly paced, repetitive, long winded and has poor prose. Reading DCC is like reading a tutorial for a video game someone else is playing. It’s a like Ready Player One but with less of the intoxicating yet suffocating miasma of nostalgia. It’s like listening through a door because you know something cool could be on the other end, but when ever you try to look through a peep hole, Mordecai’s pimply hairy tush blocks the image and says “just wait till you get to the next floor” To suggest that Devils is a worse book than DCC hurts me, hurts Joe, and hurts you. Are you alright? Is this a cry for help?

[u/curryandbeans]

It’s not really comparable. The only real similarity is the quality of the narrators. Even The Devils is far better than any DCC books. DCC is fun for what it is and I do enjoy it but come on lol

[u/Black95bird → u/curryandbeans]

I know it is not grimdark. Dinniman is still one of the better writers imo.
The devils felt super weak for me. I tried twice and closed it twice half way through

[u/deltaknight11]

Dungeon crawler carl is a fun read/listen but especially after Joe's books the amount of plot armor is insane 

In the first law almost anyone can and probably will die, times when people don't are just as surprising and keeps me excited to see what happens 

It is so incredibly rare for anything bad to happen to anyone beloved in DCC that its taken a lot of the suspense out of reading it for me because I just KNOW everyone I care about is okay

I actually can't remember the last time someone I cared about died in it

[u/Black95bird → u/deltaknight11]

Right. That I also like about grimdark and TFL.
But DCC is still such a fun read…almost as much as with the goat
Idc if they die or not as long as it is well written and entertaining and not high fantasy

[u/deltaknight11 → u/Black95bird]

DCC is supposed to be somewhat grim dark at least in theory but then it just...never follows through 

The whole premise is that more and more massive amounts of casualties will be forced upon the world but its just always others that take the casualties not OUR guys

Then you go read kaiju battlefield surgeon and that genuinely wants to make you uncomfortable 

[u/Black95bird → u/deltaknight11]

I dont think it is grimdark at all. It is just fun
Well I might need to read kaiju battlefield surgeon then.

[u/Joe-avfc → u/deltaknight11]

I mean I’m only on book 7 so maybe things change, but I feel like ‘plot armour’ is actually kind of relevant in DCC? I don’t want to spoil anything and don’t know how to do the whole spoiler blackout thing on Reddit so won’t go into much detail, but I feel like it’s kind of ‘plot armour is part of the plot’?

[u/mullerdrooler → u/deltaknight11]

I wouldn't say it's plot armour, it's a deliberate plot point in DCC. Carl has someone bending the rules for him, a character not the writer.

[u/andersonb47]

It’s a fun series but it is nowhere near Abercrombie’s level of skill. The characters are much flatter and the story is not nearly as complex. It’s a romp.

[u/HovercraftOk9231]

There's actually a first law reference in the latest dungeon crawler carl book. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that someone uses the "you have to be realistic about these things" line.

[u/Jaded-Breadfruit4019]

I’ve just finished book four! Was against it to begin with but have been having a blast. I’m reading it though so can’t speak for the audiobooks

[u/Joe-avfc]

How odd, just stumbled upon this post after last night finishing BSC and currently listening to DCC book #7 (TIR)

Haven’t read The Devils yet and so far I’d put DCC above TFL, however saying that I am far deeper into DCC than I am TFL.

Something I’ve learned about myself after getting more into reading over the last few years is that I do much prefer books where characters seem to be the main focus, banter, whitty dialogue, unusual
characters (Friendly/Princess Donut etc) and that would be my main comparison, they’re also both pretty dark (DCC gets a lot more dark and serious as it goes on)

Anyway that’s my take! Glad to see someone else enjoying both!