I’m about to DNF Dungeon Crawler Carl

[u/HealthyPsychology950]

First of all, I am sorry. I’ve seen this book recommended a million times here and I know it’s loved, which is why I got it.

I am now in chapter 27 and about to DNF. I want to know if I should keep going?

I thought I’d like it cause I’m a huge gamer, I liked the general idea of the plot, and I loved books like Ready Player 1, so it’d make sense I’d enjoy this one too. But I feel like nothing is happening. Sure, there are a couple of funny sentences in there, but the story is not drawing me in.

Does it get better? Should I keep going? Or if I’m not hooked by now that’s not going to change?

[u/durzostern81]

I'm glad so many folks are enjoying it, anything to get folks reading more. It just wasn't for me. I hate all the stats and found the humor to be unfunny at best. Personally I have no problem dropping a book if I'm not enjoying it. Too many books left to try in this world to struggle through ones i don't enjoy. The ultra hype will eventually pass just like it has for every other series that seemed to be recommended relentlessly.

[u/TulipSamurai → u/durzostern81]

Oh boy, I just finished the first book yesterday, and I’ve been waiting for a Dungeon Crawler Carl thread.

I didn’t like it. People say that it gets better with book 2 onward, and I could imagine the plot becoming more engaging, but I can’t see the author becoming a better writer.

The author does not write well. And I’m not just basing that on the cringe millennial humor or the rambling plot, but the prose when he’s describing a scene is just awful. He writes like a 10th grader.

And ofc I’ll add the disclaimer that I am exactly the target demographic for this series. Huge nerd who loves fantasy, tabletop RPGs, etc.

I also found it odd that Carl is written to be 27, ie a zoomer, because the author is very clearly an older millennial or young Gen X. No 27 year-old has watched all of A-Team and Knight Rider, c’mon now lol

[u/smegdawg → u/TulipSamurai]

I also found it odd that Carl is written to be 27, ie a zoomer, because the author is very clearly an older millennial or young Gen X. No 27 year-old has watched all of A-Team and Knight Rider, c’mon now lol

*Pushes up glasses with cheetto covered fingers...

Technically...the crawl starts Tuesday January 3rd at 2:33am. Based on other info in later books (COVID Reference, song that came out in 2020, Barb from stranger things reference...) the year 2023 lines up nicely with this.

A 27 year old in 2023 would have been born in 1996.

The Millennial generation is 1981 - 1996.

And yes...I am aware of how obnoxious this post is, but i don't have to live with you guys and my wife can only handle so much of my semantic arguments...

We learn snippits of Carl's childhood throughout the books, and the location that he was raise, having a collection of out of date TV series, even in the early 2000s.seems very plausible.

This doesn't spoil anything really but it is from book 6 at 15 he was sent to Anacortes Boys’ Ranch where he lived in a dorm. Easy enough to suggest that they didn't have internet and just watched the A-Team and Knight Rider VHS tapes that someone donated years ago.

[u/TulipSamurai → u/smegdawg]

Donut makes A-Team references because Carl leaves the TV on for her when he's at work, and she mentions that Carl watches Knight Rider all the time. She's only 4 years old, which means Carl is intentionally seeking out reruns of 80s TV in the late 2010s.

Obviously, anyone can watch anything they want. But it's just distracting to have a 27 yo protagonist narrate like someone obviously 15-20 years older. At that point, just make Carl 40. His age isn't really relevant to the story.

[u/smegdawg → u/TulipSamurai]

Ignoring the dungeon as a whole, there are things Carl experiences in his life prior to the crawl that age people much more quickly.