Just finished this one today and I love how the characters and world are continuing to develop. Still laughing at dialogue between Carl and Donut, still in suspense waiting to see how each new trial will be overcome. Loving the work of Matt Dinniman and grateful for the opportunity to read this one from NetGalley!

I am absolutely plowing through these books because I am hooked. I think book three may suffer a bit from third book syndrome because it seemed to just throw everything and everyone into the plot and go here, damn.

This one has higher stakes than the previous two and it felt like it. Dinniman really built up the tension here and the battles felt much better built out even if they were maybe too long.

New achievement: you've binged three books in a row.

This is such an entertaining series! I love how Carl and Donut are slowing increasing their posse while also working with the other crawlers to face the challenges together. Even the game’s AI is getting involved. As ever, the narration is the best part of this series. Jeff Hays is a genius!
I did bump it down to 4 stars though as the sexist language has been ramping up each book. I hope that doesn’t continue to be more prevalent as the series continues.

Another amazing book in the DCC series. I will admit the trains had me in a chokehold for the first good 30/40% of the book but once it all clicked that the trains were meant to confuse you, distract you from what was really happening it all made sense. Full of action, the banter is still a 10/10 Princess Donut the queen herself dove in to say Carl no questions asked and they are the Duo that I don’t think will ever split. Katai really stepped up, she went from this shy girl to a bad ass woman. She really fits the group and I’m loving the three of them and lingo together honestly!

That floor was a doozy but I’m so excited to see what the other books bring! This one gave me many late nights, Odette and this new PR manager have got many flags raised for me lol, how does this new manager know Odettes been giving advice on the back end of these interviews…. Still want to know what’s happening with our favorite manager and Odettes squabble, very much looking forward to this Samantha’s girl? And also do Carl and Katai end up together?

Truly love this series with my entire heart, I’m hooked and cannot stop talking about it lol!

A huge thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in return of an honest review!

Onto book 4 Glurp Glurp!

Carl, Donut, Katia and Mongo are stuck in the Iron Tangle, a bizarro train system with, know, monsters the size of buildings, blondes named Madison, and employees whose memories seem to get erased. They are also without the help of Mordecai who has basically be iced for the majority of the time they are in there. Getting off this floor requires some feats that reinforce time and time again that Carl and the gang can’t save everyone. Oh and there is some backstabbing too and Donut gets PISSED.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not an hour of this audio goes by where I’m fully confident I understand everything that is going on yet I’m delightfully entertained. This one was hard to keep track of all the monsters and the different train lines. The heat is cranking on our heroes who are now potentially being chased by other Crawlers, which yikes. You can see that Carl is getting more rebellious as we go and it’s fun. We weren’t sold on Katia in this one but she is a good balancing personality to round out this crew. Donut yelling “you fucking bitch” at someone was a peak moment in this book.

This series is fucking awesome. Enough said.

"The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook" (Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 3) is a solid 3-star read for fans of the series, diving deeper into the absurd and dangerous dungeon.

It shines with its highly creative and mind-bending new level, the Iron Tangle, a chaotic subway system that's a puzzle in itself. The book continues to deliver on the hilarious banter between Carl and Princess Donut, and Carl's clever, often outrageous, solutions to impossible problems are a highlight. The introduction of the "Anarchist's Cookbook" itself provides a fascinating new layer to the dungeon's lore and offers unique twists.

Matt Dinniman does it again! I enjoyed this book, especially because of its callout/shout out to video games. It just gets more outlandish and more fun to read. I highly recommend this book (and the series so far).

Did I understand the Iron Tangle? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy being dragged along for the ride on these rails? Absolutely. I so desperately want to see Carl and Donut (and everyone else) out of the dungeon, but I know that if they're out of the dungeon, the wild adventures don't work quite the same. Dinniman has managed to make every floor different enough to keep reader interest and yet stay true to the premise that originally drew us all in. I continue to want to binge this series and I'm so glad I have 4 more sitting on my kindle.

Welcome to the Iron Tangle.

Another amazing installment to the series. The forth floor comes out of no where and hits you like a freight train. Literally. While I did find this book more confusing then the previous ones I think that was on purpose. The book and the floor were meant to be a puzzle that was not so easily solved and because it was convoluted it gave all the crawlers an excuse to start teaming up.

I really enjoyed the camaraderie that is starting to form. We still follow Carl and Donut but the world gets more filled out when we here from an impressive cast of characters outside the core team.

Overall while I did spend a chunk of time confused by the floor, and missing Mordecai I had a lot of fun with this book.

The world of Book 3 is so interesting and creative, I keep thinking about it long after I finished. I did appreciate the author's note at the beginning that reassured readers that the world was going to be *a lot* and that we didn't need to keep track of everything. I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride on the Iron Tangle. Love that we got to spend more time with Katia in this book and, of course, love any scene with Mongo in it.

Wow the ride continues! This series is fun a bit confusing but total fun! Don’t pass it by read or listen

Oh my, I think the plot finally showed up. The train environment gives us plenty of metaphors for the larger plot starting to pick up with this book, and slowly picking up speed as we get new elements to the run. The plot element is the title of the book, and now that we know we're going to get into trying to survive and fuck up the system as much as they can as they descent, I'm in for the wider ride. There's still some weird gender stuff going on (not the fun kind, more toxic masculinity and Carl being subjected to the average daily experience of a woman online re his feet), but I'm officially in for the full ride. (And, as it turns out, Kindle Unlimited currently has the books to this point due to exclusive licensing, so that's why you don't see it at libraries with the exception of hardcover copies.) Also Princess Donut forever and ever amen.

This is book 2, so if you've enjoyed the first one, you'll love this one! The third floor is open, we select races and start purchasing items, DOING SIDE QUESTS :D :D and...going on guest shows??? Brilliant fun!

Carl and Donut are back again in the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook! This was a 4 star for me, purely because I had a hard time following along at first. The Iron Tangle was confusing for me to follow. I felt like I needed a map of my own to make sense of some of what was happening. I can't imagine how confusing it would be to actually be in it! Our found family is growing in this novel, and we see some old characters return, which was nice. I still had a lot of laugh out loud moments, and I love that we are starting to see deeper into the workings behind Dungeon Crawler World. Matt Dinniman is lining SOMETHING up, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out!

Carl only gets zanier, and so does Donut. The universe is fleshed out even more as we see the inner workings of the different corporations and houses.

The found family is coming in strong in this one. Level 4 kept our contestants in a twisty, tangle of trains. Early on the trains were super confusing but at the end the lessons learned from the trains are definitely lined up and you just know it’s going to be relevant in future levels. I love that Princess Donut is getting even sassier (if you can even believe it’s possible). And I’m so glad we got to catch up with Ellie and some of the others from the nursing home.

The more of the books I read in this series, the more I love it as a whole. I’m ready to see where Level 5 takes us!

Hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming. Carl and Donut are the perfect duo in this post alien apocalyptic worl.d.

By book three, you might think you’ve got a handle on the madness that is Dungeon Crawler Carl—but The Dungeon Archivist’s Cookbook laughs in your face and throws you headfirst into the "Iron Tangle'" a floor so surreal it practically defies physics and logic. And it’s glorious!

*The Dungeon Archivist’s Cookbook* is clever, chaotic, and emotionally satisfying, proving this series isn't just surviving level by level—it’s leveling up in every way. Buckle up. The Iron Tangle doesn’t care if you get motion sick.

This is the book where the series truly levels up.

Still packed with chaos, carnage, and Carl’s signature sarcasm—but now with deeper stakes, richer worldbuilding, and some seriously emotional gut-punches. Carl’s evolution from reluctant contestant to reluctant revolutionary is gripping, and Donut? She continues to be the high-maintenance murder queen of my heart.

The action is relentless, the humor lands hard, and the plot twists hit like a hammer to the skull (in the best way). But it’s the underlying heart—Carl’s loyalty, rage, and stubborn humanity—that really shines through the madness.

Hilarious. Horrifying. Surprisingly heartfelt.

If book 1 pulled you in, book 3 will make you stay.

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group

Carl and Donut have survived the first three levels of the dungeon, but now they are in for the ride of their lives - on a train! Will they be able to figure out the jumble of train lines to find the next stairwell? And if they do, who will be there waiting?

These just keep pulling you in deeper and deeper! The additional characters really came to life in this one as our two MCs gain popularity not only among the viewers outside the dungeon, but also with their fellow crawlers. There's also an emotional depth to the different interactions that is a little unexpected, but brings a lot to the storyline.

Can't wait to get to the next installment!