Dungeon Crawler Carl, Volume 1
A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure
Written by: Matt Dinniman
Honestly, does this one even need an introduction? It’s one of the most popular and beloved LitRPGs to date, and for good reason!
Right out of the gate, the expansive lore hits you like a truck. Unfortunately, truck-kun isn’t here to bring you to a new world—not your body anyway. But it’ll sure bring your mind! With one revelation after another thrown at you, it may seem like it’d be enough to overwhelm readers, yet that’s not the case. It’s so expertly weaved into the plot in a believable and grounded fashion that it all just seems to fit in place like a well-manufactured machine.
But that’s not the only great part about this series. No matter how solid the foundation, it really comes down to whether or not the one walking atop it can carry the story and lore—the protagonist. And man oh man can he ever.
He’s not some summoned hero, not a pro gamer, and he’s not even given any special skills or advantages over any else in the story—unless you include an admittedly overpowered talking cat companion as an advantage.
No, he’s not special. He’s just Carl, and he’s got to crawl through the dungeon if he wants to survive. And crawl he does, often surviving by the thinnest of margins. You’ll definitely be on the edge of your seat more than once.
That’s not really what drew me in though. Rather, it was his absolutely realistic personality. If some average Joe with just a bit of muscle and military training were dragged into an isekai, then Carl could definitely be the result. A healthy dose of life’s baggage mixed with a pinch of competency and a whole hell of a lot of snarky comments. That’s Carl, and it’s great.
This series deserves every bit of the praise it receives, and every LitRPG fan should give it a shot!