The sixth book of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and somehow I'm still absolutely enthralled! Carl, Donut and the rest of the crawlers start the eighth floor, which is an "Earth" made from memories before the collapse. The constant rule-changing keeps this series refreshing, and I'm so excited to listen to the audiobook of this one (HIGHLY recommended if you haven't yet!!)

I was a fan of this series long before Matt decided to include me as a character, er, stripper (Author Steve Rowland), and each book has been consistently better than the last. They're filled with humor and action, and despite this being one of the craziest premises I've ever read, there are so many thought-provoking, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching moments throughout.

I can't wait to see where it all goes.

Glurp glurp!

Another Wild, Brilliant Ride – 5 Stars

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride is yet another thrilling, hilarious, and unexpectedly emotional installment in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Matt Dinniman continues to prove he’s an absolute genius when it comes to blending chaotic action, laugh-out-loud humor, and genuine heart.

This book dives deeper into the political complexities of the Dungeon universe, adding even more intrigue to the nonstop adventure. We also get to see even more growth and depth from our favorite duo, Carl and Princess Donut. Their dynamic continues to be one of the best parts of the series.

I found myself laughing constantly, but also completely riveted by the action—and even wiping away a few tears during some surprisingly poignant moments. Dinniman masterfully balances all the emotions in a way that keeps the story fresh and endlessly engaging.

I’m already counting down the days until the next installment. Huge thanks to Ace Books and Berkley Publishing for the gifted ARC!

"Carl and Princess Donut journey into insanity in the wildly entertaining sixth book in the New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition!

Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have survived longer and leveled up higher than anyone ever thought they could in the galaxy's most popular reality show, but after the shocking conclusion of the seventh level, it's now anyone's game.

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

The crawlers are given a new task: Find and capture six monsters, each of which will be turned into a card. The stronger, the deadlier, the better. At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, made of some of the most powerful cards available. So it's crucial for crawlers to assemble the toughest squad possible. But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

If Carl and Donut want a winning hand, they'll have to capture the most lethal and terrifying monster of them all: Shi Maria. She was once married to a now-missing god. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

But even if Carl and Donut can capture her, they know all too well that just because someone has been captured, it doesn't mean they have been tamed.

Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the eighth floor of the dungeon."

Oh, can your monster cards turn against you?

🕸️ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔼𝕪𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝔹𝕖𝕕𝕝𝕒𝕞 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖 🕸️

After the abrupt end of the seventh floor, Carl, Donut, and the rest of the crawlers find themselves scattered across a reconstructed Earth—an Earth made from memories of life before its collapse. Now, they must face monsters inspired by the legends of each area, and capture them as playing cards for the level’s combat system

The catch? The crawlers must be able to control the creatures they catch. If they can’t, they risk losing control in battle—and facing the devastating consequences that come with failure.

Meanwhile, the game’s AI grows increasingly unstable, becoming less willing to follow the rules. Behind the scenes, different factions are hell bent on using Carl and Donut to settle old grudges and further their own agendas. With so much at stake, Carl and Donut are not just fighting to survive—they’re also struggling to avoid becoming anyone’s pawn in the process.

Out of all the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, this one probably made me the most emotional. A big focus of this book facing your past and there were several heartbreaking moments, especially as you e leaned more about Carl’s family history.

There was also a major found family element that had me tearing up, too.

This is the sixth book in the series. Book seven came out in November, with the rest of the series TBD. I absolutely love these books, and as excited as I am to be caught up with the series, I’m a little heartbroken I’ll have to wait for book eight.

Y’all should know by now, I’m obsessed with these books, and if you haven’t given them a try, you should! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (Rounded up for NegGalley)

Another five star read. I will be purchasing for my library and am eagerly awaiting more Carl. I’m so glad this book was picked up and shared with the world. Keep them coming.

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman, a good sequel in the series. I look forward to seeing what else this author pens, If you are a fan of Dungeon Dive books and haven't discovered this series yet, don't give it a miss!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for me.

While it may be a bit disheartening to have the dungeonmasters continually changing up the rules just so that it's more difficult for our intrepid questers, it is still great fun to see how Carl and Princess Donut manage to overcome the various obstacles. They do lose some friends and allies along the way, but they also gain some behind-the-scenes allies who can give them the occasional boost. And their sometime teammate who is always threatening everybody's families while trying regain her body is a source of continuous amusement. I mean, who wouldn't want a teammate who is literally just the head of a department store dummy that has been possessed by a demon while talking smack to anyone and everyone? That's entertainment.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to continue reading this fantastic series via ARC.

Welcome, crawlers, to the eighth floor and welcome, Princess Posse fans, to Cuba just weeks before the collapse. In Book SIx, "The Eye of the Bedlam Bride", we find our intrepid duo of Carl and Princess Donut on a floor which is a "memory" recording of Earth in the weeks leading up to the Christmas just prior to the start of Book One. The floor is populated this time with monsters based on various regional folklore creatures (mostly wrongly interpreted by lazy alien observers and the evolving AI) and memory "images" of the people who were going about their everyday lives in the weeks prior to the collapse. This floor also has a series of three phases to be completed as part of a new combat wrinkle, a form of card-based combat that is a mixture of various CCG/TCG tropes. The first phase is standard combat similar to every other floor except crawlers have the option to "flag" nearly defeated monsters to turn them into "totem" cards to be used in the deck-combat which will make up the other two phases. There is one catch, however; while strong monsters would obviously be the best choice, deckmasters without sufficient Charisma might be unable to control their summoned totems. In addition, deckmasters cannot use any of their personal spells, attacks, or inventory items as long as they have cards in their decks.

I will freely admit, I was originally concerned about this deck-combat adding a confusing new layer of complexity, but it absolutely grew on me, making this book one of my favorites, second only to the absolute insanity of Book One that brought this series to life. The crazy AI/alien take on the monsters is what originally drew me in to the series, and on this floor it returns en masse. At the same time, we continue to learn more about the galactic state of affairs, the levels of intrigues within intrigues both inside and outside the dungeon, and the history of the Crawl. The story has started to work on so many levels that you can enjoy it simply as mindless fantasy fun, a political thriller, or a damning commentary of a crazy end-stage capitalism. And the stage is set for the Ninth Floor and the Faction Wars where the never-say-die human Crawlers led by Carl will provide even more mayhem. I absolutely cannot wait.

Matt Dinniman is a genius! I am convinced of this! Every book in the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" serious is somehow better than the last. Each book is so inventive and interesting, and nothing ever feels repetitive. Dinniman is also carrying a larger plot through out each book, which leaves me on the edge of my seat. He somehow manages to transition thoughtfully from laugh out loud funny scenes to scenes in which I am tearing up. I cannot wait for this series to continue!