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greystory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I went into this expecting more humor than I got, I think, and that's not anyone's fault but mine. I went into this pretty blind and having never read any LitRPG before.
I hadn't anticipated how much the reader is reminded of just how shitty the circumstances are in this wild scenario. Our dungeon crawler Carl and therefore us as the reader are constantly reminded of how many lives have been lost as a direct result of this dungeon creation and people being forced to fight in the dungeon.
Between running into fellow dungeon crawlers and the publicly broadcasted show about the dungeon, Carl is faced with not only the horrors of the dungeon himself but how it's impacting others in the dungeon. Carl is arguably faced with some of the best and worst of humanity. I'm already dreading the day we hear about the loss of another dungeon crawler that's been featured prominently in the show but Carl has never met.
That doesn't even begin to unravel the additional layers of dystopia in this fucked up world, from the political power plays of the alien overlords running the dungeons to meeting and learning the mobs Carl is fighting in the dungeon have families and hopes and dreams. It's all pretty fucked up and while Carl gets time to rest, there isn't really time to process trauma - only survive.
There ARE humor bits threaded in that help to keep the story a bit more on the lighter side than it would be otherwise. Princess Donut's entire character feels purposeful in keeping things tempered.
Where I have some residual concerns is how some of the dungeon humor is intended. It's not always clear to me if some of the things said by the dungeon announcer, mobs, some other characters, are intended to be funny to the reader or not. Some times it's made clear Carl doesn't find it funny. Sometimes it's very clear that the dungeon or people observing the dungeon from the outside are enjoying something that is, in fact, really fucked up and not funny at all, but other times it's not clear and that's where I'm squinting and giving hella side eye.
I hadn't anticipated how much the reader is reminded of just how shitty the circumstances are in this wild scenario. Our dungeon crawler Carl and therefore us as the reader are constantly reminded of how many lives have been lost as a direct result of this dungeon creation and people being forced to fight in the dungeon.
Between running into fellow dungeon crawlers and the publicly broadcasted show about the dungeon, Carl is faced with not only the horrors of the dungeon himself but how it's impacting others in the dungeon. Carl is arguably faced with some of the best and worst of humanity. I'm already dreading the day we hear about the loss of another dungeon crawler that's been featured prominently in the show but Carl has never met.
That doesn't even begin to unravel the additional layers of dystopia in this fucked up world, from the political power plays of the alien overlords running the dungeons to meeting and learning the mobs Carl is fighting in the dungeon have families and hopes and dreams. It's all pretty fucked up and while Carl gets time to rest, there isn't really time to process trauma - only survive.
There ARE humor bits threaded in that help to keep the story a bit more on the lighter side than it would be otherwise. Princess Donut's entire character feels purposeful in keeping things tempered.
Where I have some residual concerns is how some of the dungeon humor is intended. It's not always clear to me if some of the things said by the dungeon announcer, mobs, some other characters, are intended to be funny to the reader or not. Some times it's made clear Carl doesn't find it funny. Sometimes it's very clear that the dungeon or people observing the dungeon from the outside are enjoying something that is, in fact, really fucked up and not funny at all, but other times it's not clear and that's where I'm squinting and giving hella side eye.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Gore, Death, Child death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death and Blood
Minor: Bullying and Abandonment
nick13's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
That was an absolute blast to read! Donut and Carl are a great combo, I just couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Suicide, Abandonment, Child death, and Child abuse
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