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re_saxy 's review for:
Dungeon Crawler Carl
by Matt Dinniman
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a fast, pulpy romp through a dungeon... Well, the first couple floors of a dungeon. If I turned off my critical thinking, this would have been a fun read. There were definitely moments of self-aware humor (a heads-up-display and arguments about the relative benefits of finite/infinite inventory systems).
However, most of the female characters are based on tropes that are too common in the gaming world – the cheating girlfriend, the demanding princess, the fat & gross hoarder, the oversexualized talk show host, the marketing chick who loves reality TV… there are few female characters who seem well-rounded or deep.
I found that the attempts at satire edged far too close to providing a platform for actual racist and misogynist talking points for my liking. It seemed like the author *might be* trying to use satire to point out that racism and misogyny are bad… but instead, just continued to normalize the existence of prejudice in the gaming community. I think gaming bros could read this book and come away feeling even more justified in their own misogyny and other problematic viewpoints.
All in all, the idea of the book was fun, but I am not planning to read the rest of the series.
However, most of the female characters are based on tropes that are too common in the gaming world – the cheating girlfriend, the demanding princess, the fat & gross hoarder, the oversexualized talk show host, the marketing chick who loves reality TV… there are few female characters who seem well-rounded or deep.
I found that the attempts at satire edged far too close to providing a platform for actual racist and misogynist talking points for my liking. It seemed like the author *might be* trying to use satire to point out that racism and misogyny are bad… but instead, just continued to normalize the existence of prejudice in the gaming community. I think gaming bros could read this book and come away feeling even more justified in their own misogyny and other problematic viewpoints.
All in all, the idea of the book was fun, but I am not planning to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide