DCC 3: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook Book Review
Hi everyone and welcome back to the blog! I’m sure everyone has heard of Dungeon Crawler Carl by now, and I can confirm the series is worth the hype. It’s been such an easy and fun read, and honestly, I’m surprised I like it so much. I just finished book three, so let’s get into it!
In The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, Carl, Princess Donut, and their friends tackle the fourth floor of the dungeon: the Iron Tangle, a massive, confusing subway system filled with deadly monsters and dangerous train routes.
As they struggle to find the exit, Carl discovers a mysterious book containing secrets and strategies. With bounties on top-ranked players, unexpected alliances, and deadly betrayals, the group must use their wits and teamwork to survive. The third installment raises the stakes as Carl gets closer to uncovering the truth behind the dungeon.
To be honest, when I first started this book, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of the Iron Tangle. I thought the train system would be boring and repetitive, but it’s not. There was a little bit of a drag in the middle of the book, but there was a lot of action and fast-paced sequences that made up for the lag.
Without giving too much away, the cookbook has made things extremely interesting because now I feel like we’re getting into more of a Hunger Games type vibe. Hunger Games meets Dungeons and Dragons.
Book three was such a good world building and character building book. We get to see more into the politics behind the dungeon and Borant. Then of course, there’s everything with the cookbook which I won’t get too much into, but that adds a whole other layer of complexity. The walls are coming down.
Carl and Donut are still going strong in the dungeon especially with the addition of Katia. I wasn’t sure about her at first, but she fits with their duo so well. I like it. All three of them have such different personalities but they work so well together.
I truly love the writing of these books so much. I didn’t think I would because of the video game aspect to it, but it’s so easy to understand. Matt Dinniman’s humor throughout the books is unmatched; I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud this much while reading. I’m amazed at how he thought of all of this. Everything is named so uniquely. I mean heck, even the whole Iron Tangle had to be mapped out because of all the different colored lines, the named trains, and the fact that there are 4oo+ stations.
Overall, I gave book three 4/5 stars, and I highly recommend it! At least giving it a shot. I know people say they know they’re not going to like it, but you never know. I didn’t think I was going to like it, and I ended up loving it. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Alright folks, that is all I have for this week! Come back next week for another blog post. As always, thank you for reading :)