The fourth entry in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series does not slow down. You would think a series like this would run out of ideas at some point soon, but Dinniman shows his exceptional levels of creativity here. While the slew of information can be overwhelming at times and the details can be lost, the author ensures to remind you of key items and plot points from earlier in the narrative before moving forward. The sheer insanity of the series and the struggle for humanity’s survival keeps me going. It’s difficult to have a serious undertone when the entire story is filled with insanity, but somehow Dinniman walks that line.

In this floor, crawlers are separated into groups within giant bubbles. In each are four quadrants that the group within has to conquer. All they have to do is claim the castle, once they do, they are free to go to other quadrants. Once all castles within a bubble are conquered, all crawlers can move to the next floor. Carl, Donut and Katia have to hijack a floating castle crawling with gnomes that are feuding with dromedarians (camel people). The floating castle has bombs hanging below that can decimate entire cities, so the camels are under constant threat of extinction. Luckily they have a hostage preventing the gnomes from dropping the boom. The scenario presents Carl and company with many ways to tackle it leading to some unexpected outcomes. He still comes up with ridiculous plans that slowly unfold to the reader in a satisfying way. Much of the structure is the same but it’s still an enjoyable ride. The difference with this floor is that it requires a lot more teamwork because no one in the bubble can access the stairs until all quadrants are conquered. In Carl’s quadrant, a sandstorm passes by every few days and they have to step lightly around the politics of the dromedarians and the gnomes. Other quadrants feature even more diverse stories that intertwine with others in the bubble. Weaving a plotline involving the politics of this city, an ancient god (in ghost form) haunting a tomb and a plotline dedicated to a guy who tried to make his waifu real, sounds like an impossible task. Somehow Dinniman makes most of these ideas connect. Not always in the way you think they would though. This entry in the series jumps from one crazy storyline to another and it’s constantly stimulating. You’ll never be bored with this series.

Donut and Carl’s dynamic is mostly set at this point but Donut’s character is still developing in subtle ways. She’s more aware of the situation and is capable of nuance to hide her true feelings and communicate with discretion. Katia starts to believe in herself more and understands what she really wants to do. The three, and Mordecai, are a great crew, but the injection of new characters into their dynamic really helps this entry in the series stand out. Louis and Firas are drunks that somehow made it this far and their personalities contrasted our party’s completely. They didn’t care at all and were just skating by as long as they could. After meeting Carl and crew, they learn how to be more, somewhat begrudgingly at first. It was interesting to see Carl’s influence on the other crawlers and how most held him with reverence. There was little friction with him and the others when they had to work together. Minus Gwen, who makes her disagreements known, everyone followed Carl’s lead. I would’ve liked to see more heads butting, but since they’re all humans just trying to survive an alien gameshow, it makes sense that they’d work together well. We don’t get to know many of them, but I still felt bad for any that didn’t survive. That must be how most of them feel, so I could relate. It’s a certain level of kinship I have with these fictional humans that makes me upset when they fail. I still celebrate Carl’s acts of rebellion when he sticks it to the “man” (aka Borant) though.

This entry doesn’t have as many big reveals as the previous ones but it does show how far the party has come. Carl’s resolve falters here and there under the pressure of Borant and the other crawlers’ faith in him, but he soldiers on. I’ve become a cheerleader for the crew at this point. Any time they plan to do something crazy I get excited and can’t stop reading. It’s still surprising the scenarios they get into, but I’m not sure how much longer the novelty of nonsense will last. For now I’m still along for the ride, but there are three more books as of now, so we’ll see how well the momentum carries me. If you’re already this far in, let me know what you think so far! I’m curious if anyone else is as invested as I still am at this point.