Summer 2025 - "Goddammit, Donut."

Thanks to another great recommendation from Orag, I found my Summer binge. After having had trouble focusing on anything for some time, I breezed right through the first book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and immediately bought the second. Think Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets Hunger Games for the Discord-Tik Tok generation, with a healthy dose of 80s D&D nostalgia for good measure. The story is silly and accessible and genuinely engaging. The relationship between Carl and Princess Donut (his cat) is the heart of the series, but there's so much more going on here. Matt Dinniman writes well-paced action sequences, provides bucket-loads of pop culture commentary, and invests his characters with surprising emotional depth with uncanny ease. While reading, if I'm not giggling, I'm shaking my head in admiration. I can't wipe the goofy smile off my face.