At every entry in this series I wonder what crazy things are going to happen this time. A Parade of Horribles doesn’t go as off the rails as other iterations, as it focuses its attention on providing answers to some longstanding questions for the series as a whole. The revelations about the situation outside of the dungeon and the general changes to how the game is being played, make this entry a fantastic one for the overarching narrative. Everything is marching towards an inevitable conclusion, that might be a doomsday of sorts, and I am just happy to be along for the ride.

This floor is a racetrack, well multiple racetracks with varying theming. From Satan’s waterpark (not the actual devil) to a cocaine factory, the setting changes with each “heat.” The crawlers have to race one another and whoever comes in last is eliminated. Luckily, the groups mostly consist of NPCs, but Carl’s conscience makes it difficult for him to take them out. He’s still one of the most human people I’ve ever seen in fiction. In video games, I find it difficult to make decisions that kill or disappoint the imaginary characters. Humanity is essentially in that situation, surrounded by individuals who many would consider to be fake. It really shows how much he cares and because of the rules of this floor, it makes crossing that line inevitable, causing him a lot of strife. Donut is leaning more in the opposite direction this time. She still follows Carl’s lead in a lot of ways, but her ability to compartmentalize is making her a more unique individual. They’re still an inseparable duo, and I love how they lean on each other for support.

I thought the story might falter, given the exit of Katia in the last entry, but it keeps on trucking. Imani really stepped into the spotlight in this story, and I really started to care about her more. Elle is always a treat, though I think Louis and Brittany being a duo could have been explored in further detail. With all the characters, I did find myself forgetting important things that happened to them. Brittany has something weird going on that affects her personality, but we don’t get to see her a lot, so it slipped my mind. This is somewhat addressed by Carl and Donut as they feel responsible for all humanity and are getting overwhelmed. It makes sense with this perspective, but I guess I’m always hungry for more DCC. Regardless, the events near the end of the book hint at some promising developments for other characters, so I’m already eager for the next one.

In addition to these developments, the Pineapple Cabaret is also brought to the forefront of the discussion. Its integration with the human narrative gives the story even more layers than it already has. From the gods to the corporations to the AI’s sanity, multiple levels of complexity steep this series in lore and depth. An in-plot exposition dump attempts to connect all the novels and storylines together, which I think it does so quite well. With all of these ideas, it can be a bit confusing, so an outline like what has been done here is actually warranted. It’s like a roadmap that shows the path to where we are and hints at where we’re going, so I didn’t find it out of place.

A Parade of Horribles hits the gas on the overarching plot, while also taking some time to stop and explore the mental health of multiple characters. Prepotente, Imani, Carl and Dong Quixote have some truly great moments. I found myself tearing up a couple times throughout the story. Even though we see a lot of exploration of the alien society, there are still many aspects to explore and the setup done here is pushing the narrative towards its conclusion at a great pace. From the laugh out loud moments to the contemplative tears, Dungeon Crawler Carl is one of my favorite series to date. If you’re in this deep, well fellow crawler, I’ll see you at the Pineapple Cabaret.