✨ Review ✨ The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

Thanks to Berkley, Ace, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Yet again, Dinniman mixes things up in this series as he returns with Book #3. On this level, the dungeon crawlers are tackling a set of trains and subways and tunnels in a very subterranean space. They've got to figure out the pattern to get to the stairs before the level collapses.

This is less all-out brawling like in Book 1 and less of contained quests like Book 2, and becomes something all-together more massive. This book, for me, wasn't quite as good as the first two, but still really good. I still flew through it, dying to know what happens. Our favorite characters again are scheming, and Dinniman brings twists galore!

Pet peeve is every time Mordecai says "I'll explain that later" but needs must.

Bring along your conductors hat and get ready to chug along through this level!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: action / adventure
Setting: a subway/train true subterranean level
Pub Date: 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ trains and subways
⭕️ mazes
⭕️ smart-talking cats
⭕️ mysterious books

Still obsessed with this series. I think what intrigued me the most about this third book was the strategy that needed to be applied to the Iron Tangle and this floor. As a gaming girlie, I love blowing through a game so I can unravel the story, but in doing that, you miss out on leveling up skills that you need to succeed, and this book tackles that dilemma. The addition of the anarchist cookbook was my favorite, though. It brings back a level of humanity to this insane scenario Earth has been thrust into against its will.

I was mostly unimpressed with the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and I enjoyed the second well enough, so whether or not I’d like The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook was truly a mystery. Unfortunately, I think this is the last one I’ll be reading.

The description promises the third floor of the dungeon will be more intense, but mostly it all feels recycled, for lack of a better word. Maybe it would be better if I’d read them as they were released instead of back-to-back, but I felt like I was reading the same jokes in a less evenly paced version of the other books. It makes me feel like I could just skip everything and read the very last book if I want to know how it ends, because everything that happens between now and then just going to be more of the same.

I will always love Donut though, and I wish her luck in the future books.

I love Carl and Donut. And the addition of Katia to the team really works! While this isn’t my favorite of the series I still loved it. I can’t wait to start the next book!

Kayla, my beloved, I’m sorry I ever disliked you.

This one was better than the 2nd! This level consisted of a complex train system and stations. It was slightly confusing but not impossible to follow.

Again you have the humor, the action, the stakes. Again the continued story of making the NPCs have backstories really adds to the villainy of the people broadcasting this game and when this comes to a head, I know it’s going to be good.

This one also focused a lot more on teamwork amongst other groups which was a nice change compared to the last 2 novels. Carl is an amazing person, every single decision he makes shows his character and it’s nice to read about someone like that. I’m glad he found his family, although wish it wasn’t in a game that is actively trying to kill him and his family.

Also the when the title of this book comes into play within the novel, it’s a really cool and exciting moment.


‼️ SLIGHT SPOILER ‼️
Mordecai disappeared for the majority of this book because of an aggressive outburst towards someone he met in the past. So Carl and crew were left without him to figure out the intricacies of this level. And as much as I love Mordecai, it was fun to see them work through it on their own.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Another book, another level and even more laughs and hijinks. I think Princess Donut is fast becoming one of my favorite characters of all time! If you've enjoyed the first two books of this series, this one is even better!!! The characters embrace their humanity a bit more, and show more vulnerability in this book which is great. 5 stars, and I'm already off to book 4!!!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley / Ace for a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. Full disclosure, I'm also listening to these on Audible and HIGHLY recommend the audiobook format!

This book was a harder read for me than the first two in the series. It felt overly long and complicated, and I’ll admit I skimmed big chunks just to keep moving. The complexity made it less fun than the earlier books, and I had to take a lot of breaks to get through it.

I love this series. Thank you so much for the arc


This book is a non stop action thrill ride until about the last 25%. It realllllly slows down and becomes a bit of a slog. But it’s made up for with everything leading up to that point, and the last 10% is iconic.

Is the subway system is confusing? Yes, but I believe it’s supposed to be.

We see much more development of the over arching storyline in this book and it is JUICY.

The NPC character development is heartbreaking.

We see a true found family trope emerge with an addition to the group. We find friendship and loyalty in even the worst of times.


I’ve seen a few reviews where people say they don’t like these books and that the humour is crude. I think they’re missing the point.

This series has many underlying themes.its not just Carl walking around killing over sexualized NPCS

One theme being, the brash humour is intentional.

The universe is looking in from the outside and seeing the worst of humanity via reality tv, past celebrity scandals and misinformation. The syndicate is feeding the universe the worst of humanity for their own gain and greed.

The syndicates strategy is to convey that this is all humanity is. This feeds into their capitalist narrative, that earth deserves to be squashed and humans deserve to be forced to dungeon crawl for entertainment. That humanity is nothing more than scum.

They will not fucking break Carl.




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211721809

Wow, wow, wow. This floor was so much fun too! I really enjoyed the idea of a train station dungeon level! The tracks being connected in different ways and all being named after colors was both fun and confusing. I liked that the ones with actual names were deadlier too. It made a lot of sense to me actually. What got really confusing was when Katia started explaining to Carl how there was a mirrored version of the train system. The book lost me there. I felt like Carl in that scene wondering why I should care lol. I grew to love Katia even more in this book too! she's so fun and has really come into her own in here. I was FLOORED with what happened between her Eva, and Hekla. I was so stunned, jaw on the floor. I didn't think that would happen. I thought something bad might go down but not that! I also loved how Carl was able to save so many people! It always seems like his hair brained ideas work to some degree and then kind of spectacularly fail at the end. The realization that Maestro was actually alive was also a really big surprise. I didn't anticipate that he'd lived! I guess that means he's going to come back into play again on the 9th (?) floor. I forget when he's actually meant to appear. Maybe it'll be sooner! I loved that Imani, Elle, Li Jun and co., and Brutus were seen quite often in this book too. I'd be wondering about all of them and how they fight so it was great to see them all in action together. I was also so proud of Donut and Mongo for racing in to try and save Carl and then seeing the rest of the crew follow suit. It was really endearing. I am worried about Zev though. I really want her to stay their PR manager. I'm also interesting in Odette and Mordecai and the story that's there. I feel like there's so much lore happening underneath the surface that the reader doesn't know about. I want to learn it all!!! I'm really glad that Katia is staying on Carl and Donut's team. I'm exctied to see what the next floor holds for them!!!

After finishing book 3 (TDAC) of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I am still having a great time. I liked this book about as much as book 2- maybe 4/5. I liked that TDAC had more of a traditional dungeon format as opposed to book 2, but I experienced some pacing issues that made it hard to pick up during the middle section. There is a LOT of confusing info dumping, and even though the author’s note does state that you don’t need to remember the train line names, I was having a vey hard time picturing the level’s layout as a whole. It wasn’t clear how much of the layout I was supposed to be comprehending, but in any event there was too much info-dumping there. In the last two books, the teams’ clever strategizing was one of my favorite parts, but many times in TDAC I ended up skimming or rereading sections that discussed strategies I could barely grasp.

Another reviewer mentioned something I didn’t even consider till now, but I agree with- in this book more than before, Carl starts to take an active role in rebelling against the Dungeon’s creators- he’s become something of a, well, anarchist. I liked this development and of course I still love Carl’s and Donut’s relationship. The dynamic between those two and Hekla was very interesting. Katia continues to grow on me and I love how the team is utilizing her powers.

Wow! I am hooked. Star Wars has Spaceballs, Frankenstein has Young Frankenstein, and now D&D or LOTR fans have Carl. Of course you will love this no matter what you like to read. I have such respect for Matt Dinniman and the process he must have gone through to outline this wild adventure. So many things are mentioned but can’t come into the story until several levels (books) are finished. I can’t wait to dive into the next one

In the succinct words of the game narrator - Choo Choo, Motherfucker!

That's right, the next level of the dungeon is on a train system. Carl, Donut, Mongo, and Katia are all back, fighting for survival. I don't know how this book manages to be so heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, but Matt Dinniman does a brilliant job of writing this series. New crawlers and creatures are introduced, as is the labyrinth of a railway system. You can't put too much thought into the system setup; just enjoy the ride! Now, onto book 4!

Recommended for everyone who liked/loved the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

Another win for me with Matt Dinniman. The story building and character growth, the lies and deception, the games people are willing to play to survive… all of that leads to an expertly crafted continuation of donut and Carl’s progress through the dungeon and I could not get enough. If you haven’t already read this series, you need to!! Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me this opportunity to read the first 3 in this series!

Well, I finished this one in two days and am now crawling up the walls waiting to get my hands on book four!

In <i>The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook</i> we have our main characters improving their skills and resources, as well as building alliances with other teams. I really like how Dinniman can focus on the main characters, but still develop supporting characters in a way that is neither overwhelmingly detailed nor slap-dash.

My one complaint about this entry is that the level's layout is crazy hard to visualize; my ARC didn't include a map, but I have a feeling that I still would have struggled if I'd seen it.

I can’t believe it, but the hype for this series was absolutely spot on! When I saw that NetGalley was offering 24 hours to download the Dungeon Crawler books, I figured, “Why not?” I’d heard so many glowing reviews and was in the mood for something different. I was not disappointed.

I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll just say this: if you’ve heard good things about this series, you heard correctly. These books are unlike anything I’ve read before. If, like me, you’re looking for something fresh—equal parts hilarious and unputdownable—do yourself a favor and pick up this series next.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and authors for the eARC.

Weird, funny, and way darker than it first appears—the Iron Tangle arc turns a dungeon crawl into something inventive and unsettling. The cookbook itself is a brilliant twist, adding both menace and momentum.

I got an ARC of this book.

This felt like the story was really going full tilt, instead of being an introduction to how things work. Doughnut and crew are still learning the world, since it drastically changes every floor and they have no idea how the future floors will play out. But this one was the first one where it felt like they were actually fighting back against the system, instead of just reacting to it.

Carl is really starting to plan and scheme. He is able to outsmart the system a few times, but clearly that will not be well received. The more Carl learns and grows, the more of a target he becomes and it makes the bigger and badder enemies feel more natural than just bumbling into them. This series is shaping up to have a pretty darn near perfect progression and build up. It doesn’t feel over the top. Well, it does. But over the top in the way that is actively fun and fits the ridiculousness of the premise.

The train world was a cool idea. Having to figure out the tracks and how they reset. Things got wild. I would not have figured out how things worked. I would have been relying on the tips that Carl shared with everyone. I am waiting for the repercussions from the system for Carl helping others. That can’t play well with ratings to have so many players survive and have less intense deaths.

The depth of this world and the characters is just downright impressive. I don’t know most of their backstories, but they don’t matter. They are being tested in such an intense way in the current moment that who they are now matters more than who they used to be. It really shows how a book full of action can have real characters. I am hooked.

Overall, I can’t wait for the next book. Doughnut and Mongo will continue to be my favorite characters I have no doubts.

I absolutely enjoyed this so much more than book 2! This felt like a fun and exciting read with some new things that made this series interesting. I did miss more of the interview shows, that's my only criticism.

What can I say? Another book in the series that knocks it out of the park. Even if you aren't into RPG's I'd pick this up if you are into weird crazy stupid crap that could happen at the end of our world!

Another excellent DCC book. I have enjoyed this series so much and the stories have gotten more complicated as with each book - between the complex train ‘tangle’, the politics outside of the game, and the competition/cooperation among the crawlers. Matt Dinniman has crafted an intriguing world and game setup. He throws in enough backstory to keep the characters interesting and he gives us some great (unexpected) surprises along the way. I look forward to continuing this series and I highly recommend it. As I have mentioned before, I have not been a fan of progression/LitRPG in the past, but this series has definitely changed my mind about the genre. Maybe it’s just Matt or Carl or Donut, or maybe it’s that the reader gets drawn into rooting for these characters and wants to know where they will end up.