"Welcome to the Iron Tangle! Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have to team up with other contestants not just to survive, but to solve a deadly puzzle in this third, mind-twisting novel in the addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

Earth has been transformed into the set of the galaxy's most watched game show: Dungeon Crawler World, a nightmarish, multilevel, video game-like dungeon filled with traps, monsters, and mind-bending puzzles. Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds, from classic steam engines to sleek modern cars. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations aren't always what they seem, and the exit is perpetually just a few stops away.

The top ten list is populated, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price. They each now have a bounty on their head. They must work with other crawlers to solve the puzzle of the floor, but how can they do that when they don't know who to trust? The secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book.

Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.

Includes part three of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.""

Oh hell yes, especially to the bonus story, "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret!"

For book three of Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, we join our heroes as they journey across the fourth floor of the world dungeon. On this floor of the dungeon, also known as the Iron Tangle, Carl, Princess Donut, Mongo, and new party member Katia must find their way through the immense maze of rail lines connecting hundreds upon hundreds of stations while dealing with the requisite monsters and a mystery or two along the way. Not only is the strength and difficulty of the monsters increasing, but Carl and company must face this floor without access to their most valuable asset, their guide turned manager Mordecai, for the majority of the floor. Additionally, we start to see and learn much more about the different crawlers briefly mentioned in the recap episodes of the two previous novels as the various parties start mixing and communicating more with each other over the chat interface. The state of greater galactic affairs begins to play a much more prominent part in the dungeon level storylines and theming, as well, setting up for the (hopefully) eventual visits to the sixth and ninth floors.

The book continues with the hallmark irreverent attitude of the previous books in the series, but with fewer laugh out loud moments. This book feels like a turning point in the series as a more serious tone starts to emerge from what was previously a barely contained madcap scramble of all the most egregious RPG video game tropes. While the first two books felt like the crazed first run through of any RPG video game, this book feels more like a measured second or third run through the game where the goal is a little bit bigger than just getting through to the end. The real complexity of the characters and how they have adapted to this crazy situation start to shine through as well as the dynamics between Carl's party and the other groups (and even NPCs), particularly the other Top Ten crawlers. Now that the reader is well versed in the format, they can sit back and start to look more closely at what is going on.

While I definitely enjoyed the change in the tone, the execution of the level felt a little bit lacking. The confusion of the Iron Tangle was more of a distraction than anything else, and I think Dinniman knew this which is why he mentions up front in the forward to "not worry" about keeping it all straight. There are also fewer new monsters with their wonderfully cheeky descriptions and because of the entire "sameness" of the stations, the wonder of the setting falls off quickly (unless you are a train buff, I suppose). Still, the book presents a wild ride and earns a solid four-star rating.

This author is amazing! Absolutely love everything he writes. This book is thrilling and amazing and will keep you on your toes. Definitely another book to keep around for bad days and comfort reads!

Carl and Princess Donut traverse the elaborate train system of the fourth level in another rollicking installment of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. The story deftly combines over-the-top video game action, clever plotting, strong character development, and an impactful theme of survival. While I found some of the train world-building to be a bit too complex, the thrilling ending and the repartee between Carl and Princess Donut is delightful. I also enjoyed how their new companion Katia makes both re-evaluate how they relate to others. The resonant theme of Carl's personal focus on not losing what makes him human transitioning to care for larger groups of people elevates the series from guilty pleasure read to fulfilling narrative.

Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SI loved this continuation of the Dungeon Crawl game show with Carl, Katia, Mongo, and Princess Donut as they try to survive and reach the next level. The story perfectly balances humor, love, real-life issues, cuteness, danger, machinations, supernatural elements, surprises, and morality. This book continues precisely where the last book left off. Carl, Donut, and Mongo are now on level 4 of the Crawl - the Tangle. They continue to be very popular with the fans, Mordecai assists them, Carl comes up with crazy dangerous plans, and Donut continues to be Donut. I loved the interplay between Carl and Princess Donut and that Carl’s character is a sweet, snarky, messy, lucky, sarcastic, kind of dumb, angry, and awkward man who regularly screws up, which makes him a very likable and relatable hero. I especially love his mantra of “You will not break me.” The story includes what you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, supernatural creatures, evil entities, henchmen, loyal friends, tragic backstories, mystical coincidences, snark, plot twists, and laughs.

Ace Books/Berkley Publishing provided an early galley for review.

We're back again for book three in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I enjoyed book 1 and book 2, so I was ready for another run with our heroes.

By this point in the series, Dinniman's style and narrative rhythms are fairly well-established. We have the voices of the characters; we have the framework of the game and its elements. The new wrinkles are the layout of the level, the secrets behind them and what it will take for Carl and company to get through them. That is the where the freshness comes in each time, especially if each book is only going to give us one level of progression. There is a lot more story to go; Dinniman needs to be careful with how he doles it to avoid either boring or burning out the reader.

The first half of this one was a bit slower for me, for the reasons just noted. However, when the second half hit all of the pieces came together and proceeded at a breakneck pace. Hopefully future volumes will give less of the former and more of the latter.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Carl and Donut survived the third level and are back for more! Welcome to the Iron Tangle, a nighmare train station with hundreds, if not thousands of trains lines and stations.

While I still loved this book, it was my least favorite so far (not saying much, it's still easily a 4-star book). I loved the characters, the new party member, the achievements, but I got a bit bored at the descriptions anytime they discussed the train lines. It was meant to be super confusing to all of us and to them, but that did mean I zoned out everytime they tried to figure out the layout of the system. I had trouble following it. I really loved the backstory we're starting to see in the NPCs lives, it's very sad, but something I think about whenever I play games, so it felt very realistic.

I still love this series and already started book 4.

🚂 Dungeon Anarchist Cookbook 🚂

Carl and Donut are back in the third book of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. They’ve officially reached the fourth floor, The Iron Tangle. The Iron Tangle is a maze of complex railways featuring every type of train, and monster, you can imagine. Joined by Katia, the newest member of the team, the three have to unravel the mystery of the rails in time to reach the stairway to the fifth floor.

However, this is made all the more complicated when Mordecai, their Manager, mentor, and guide, is put into a “time out” for breaking game rules. With the game clock ticking down, the trio must figure out how to survive the rails, the monsters, and each other in order to save themselves and the other crawlers on this floor.

The most noticeable difference between this book and the others in the series is how much more interaction there is between the crew and other crawlers, especially the more notorious ones in the Top Ten. One thing I always find fascinating about post-apocalyptic stories is how events and circumstances change people, and there was plenty of that included in this storyline.

Ok, full disclosure time: while I still had fun, this was my least favorite book I’ve read in this series so far. The Iron Tangle was complicated on its own and made even more so by several different portals. It had trouble following it all, and eventually gave up. Also, there was a tendency to over explain certain aspects, while neglecting others, that left the pacing a little off for me.
Eventually, I gave up trying to understand and just went along with it.

This is one of those books that’s makes me wish I used a 1-10 scale instead of 1-5. I had a lot of fun with this book, but that’s what I expect when I read them, to have fun. I don’t expect to feel confused or even a wee bit frustrated with the plot. Wee bit frustrated = a wee bit off of my rating. Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
(Rounded up for NetGalley)

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley publishing for my free e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

One-word review: Fascinating
Emojis: 🤭🫣😏
Rating: 5 🌟s

Favorite Character: In this third book in the series, I have to say my favorite character wasn’t Carl or Donut. It was actually Katia, who I loved seeing grow and become a force in her own right. I met her in book 2, where she was a bit of a wallflower - unsure how to use her powers, stand up to others, and what her role should be. In book 3, she learns to embrace her power with inner strength and self-confidence. Her transformation is truly inspiring, even if it meant Donut had to take a back seat.

My Top-Five-style Review:

5. I loved the overall tone of this installment. There were many positives to counter the increasing challenges, and the floor was extra fascinating—much more puzzle-like.

4. I didn’t learn as much about the aliens as I hoped to in this installment. I felt like that part of the world-building stalled, but not completely.

3. This is a story of survival, and the way it is portrayed is a testament to the author's skill. The themes that play into survival are covered so artfully that a reader might not even realize they are there. The resilience of the human spirit is a strong undercurrent, and I predict it will take the aliens by even more surprise than it already has.

2. There is still plenty of snark to make my sarcastic heart happy. However, it has died down primarily because Donut is a less prominent character. The achievements still make me laugh every time they are read.

1. The progression of humanity and Carl’s pivotal role in it was a narrative I particularly enjoyed. The question of whether they would succumb to the 'Lord of the Flies' route or be convinced to take a more Quixotic/Three Musketeers approach was a compelling one. The aliens' desire to see humanity turn against each other was a constant threat, but the potential for humanity to rise above it is a powerful theme.

Summary
Carl, Donut, and Mongo, now saddled with the shy Katia, are trapped in a level that's a commuter's worst nightmare, with dozens of underground and train lines traveling between nearly indistinguishable stations. And naturally all filled with monsters.
Review

I’ve taken to reading at least one unrelated book between series entries, but this time a) I found my chosen intervening book very slow going, and b) I was eager to get back to Carl and his adventures; it was just a lot more fun to read.

At this point, I do think the central conceit is starting to show its age a bit. We all know how these things are broadly going to go, and Carl and crew have received so many special items that Dinniman has to go out of his way to invent reasons not to use them. The seams are beginning to show.

It’s not helped by a level so complex that Dinniman starts the book with an author’s note saying “you won’t understand it, but don’t worry”. I haven’t cared too much about how the levels actually work in the past, but this one did seem a special level of ‘lacking a toehold’. Carl and crew get up to their usual shenanigans of killing monsters, etc., but the fun is starting to pall.

We do see the introduction of a new characters, some interesting player developments, and more development of the NPCs, which is welcome. I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp on where the series is headed, and it looks good and Dinniman has done a nice, reasonably subtle job of setup.

I do think the series is going to need to do something a little different in the coming books to ensure it doesn’t fall into an ever more predictable rut, but so far, so good.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The wild ride continues in the 3rd book of Dungeon Crawler Carl!
The set up of the level is even more complicated than the previous ones. Honestly I didn't follow a lot of the train related references and the floor plan. But it doesn't diminish the fun and chaos of the dungeon and Carl's crazy solutions to each problem he faced!
In this book, we see more of the other crawlers and how everyone comes together. It's super enjoyable and look forward to more of Carl and Princess Donut's adventures!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!