I adore this series and have not shut up about it since I began. I enthusiastically recommend to people and look forward to more. I have purchased every one available for my home library.

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.

Donut and Carl are trapped in a bubble, and to escape, they must capture 4 castles to unlock the stairwell. Easy, right? As if. They are in the bubble with a bunch of low-level crawlers that are lucky to be alive.

This book was much easier to follow than Book 3 was. I wasn't a huge fan of the Iron Tangle, so having an easier layout made this more enjoyable. However, the plots are becoming increasingly complex and dark the further into the dungeon we go - not that it wasn't already dark, but even some of the NPCs are getting fleshed out, and man, they got it rough. There were a lot of overlapping characters and quests, and Dinniman has a tendancy to leave out important conversations until just before the action, giving us the sense of added mystery and suspense.

I love Donut and Mongo's relationship, especially how Mongo gets bouncy every time Donut does. Not that I can imagine what a bouncy cat looks like, but it sounds adorable.

My main issue with these books are that they are getting HEFTY. Books 3 and 4 averaged 550 pages, but books 5, 6, and 7 are averaging 700 pages. I get that the floors take longer to get through, but there are definitely some moments, especially hanging out in the safe room, that feel like they drag.

In addition to loving these books, I do also own the audiobooks of them, which I cannot recommend enough. It adds so much to the LitRPG vibe, hearing the New Achievements and the descriptions read in a video game style.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, and probably will end up buying the hardcovers.

In the past six months, we at Kaiju & Gnome have become big fans of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Book Kaiju Ed has even met the author and presumably gotten something signed by him in that time frame. I’ve enjoyed my time with the series and with the hardback edition of The Gate of the Feral Gods coming out in a few weeks (March 11 in the US), this seems like the perfect time to jump in and review it.

This is the fourth book in Carl and Donut’s adventures in the realms of interplanetary warfare and things are getting increasingly complicated. They find themselves in the midst of a proxy war between various alien alliances and the cogs of intergalactic capitalism. They are also now the fifth level which is an escalation over the past levels. This one is divided up into a quadrant system. Each quadrant has to be complete for the stairwells to the next level to open up. Once one quadrant’s combatants defeat their dungeon, they are welcome to help or hinder those in the other quadrants.

One of my favorite parts of Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook was that level four was the most complicated one yet. The idea of increasing complexity was awesome to me and really spoke to the part of me that loves building dungeons in DnD. This book was appropriately complex but it did feel like a step back from the subway system in DAC. I liked that it encouraged alliances between the characters but at the same time we’ve spent three books learning that Carl likes building relationships and truces. In the end, it felt like some of the complexity was sacrificed to encourage that alliance building but in an unnecessary way.

Carl, Donut, and Katia remain great characters and they were on great display in this book. If you would have told me before I read Dungeon Crawler Carl that Carl would be one of my favorite fantasy/sci-fi characters, I would have probably said you were crazy but he’s definitely moving up my rankings. He’s so human and struggles between his desire to survive but also to bring as many other characters with him to survival. I love his relationship with Donut and Katia and it makes these books a joy to read.

Donut remains my favorite talking animal character in recent history. I love how much her character has developed over this series and seeing that continue is definitely a huge reason to keep reading. This book has her gain one of my favorite classes, that of Glass Cannon, and forces her to take a role that is more outside of her comfort zone. Dinniman continues to use these changing classes to put Donut in a lot of fun scenarios and I’m excited to see what he brings in subsequent levels of the dungeon. Katia’s powers, which were viewed as a liability by some characters earlier in this series, are also increasingly interesting and I love seeing the ways that Carl and her come up with new ways to use them on each subsequent floor.

Overall, this was another enjoyable read in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Dinniman keeps turning up the heat and I’m so excited to see what comes next. If you are looking for a fun, easy-to-read series then these books should definitely be on your radar.

4.5 Stars (rounded up) This book definitely bounced back for me compared to Book 3 (which I personally found a little too confusing but still very enjoyable). I’m really enjoying the snippets we’re getting of the underlining plot to the series. We got new characters, new quests, and a lot of great moments between our main characters. I also loved the idea of this dungeon level. Carl’s character development is really leading to some jaw dropping moments. That ending was just wow!

Thank you Berkley for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love this series! It's been the perfect series for a dark winter. Lighthearted and funny, action-packed and somewhat violent, it's such an escape read. I've been recommending the heck out of this series, starting with Dungeon Crawler Carl, ever since I got it from Netgalley. I've purchased the first book for my high school library. Gate of the Feral Gods continues the wild adventures of Carl and Donut, with more collaboration from other crawlers. Dinniman is always upping the stakes in every book, but I love the development of the characters throughout.

I loved this book so much. It might be my favorite of the series so far. A TON of crazy stuff happens. There’s a paragraph near the end that sort of summarizes some of what happens in this book and I wish I could share it just to give you a taste of how hilarious and bizarre this series is but it spoils too much so I won’t. But that paragraph had me cackling because it’s just so deliciously insane 😂🤩 Inject this series into my veins plz.

Editor’s note: This review and roundup appears in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines, including at https://cullmantimes.com/2025/03/11/review-a-sip-of-spring-fiction-with-a-bit-of-history-for-flavor/

A sip of spring fiction, with a bit of history for flavor

By Tom Mayer

On the cusp of the 80th anniversary of the atrocities ending with World War II’s VJ Day, comes an important reminder in the form of cinematic storytelling from the pen of best-selling author Robert Dugoni, assisted by fellow academic researchers Chris Crabtree and Jeff Langholz.

Five hundred-page novels that contain more than a hundred pages of afterword and notes aren’t typical fare for the type of thrillers Dugoni writes; and if cinema is used as an adjective for such tomes it generally implies “best documentary” rather than “best picture.” But this fictionalized re-telling of the end of the war is anything but documental, especially with its final 150 pages moving full steam ahead, filled with submarines, warships and Clancyesque code breaking.

“Hold Strong” (Lake Union) tells the story of Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber, young sweethearts from Eagle Grove, Minnesota. It’s the end of the Great Depression and looking for a way out of his and his parents’ misfortunes — the family farm has been repossessed — Sam joins the war effort. Finding that the Army life suits him, he rises through the ranks. In 1942, he’s taken prisoner by the Japanese and survives the worst that that experience can offer, including the Bataan Death March in the Philippines and captivity in the hold of a Japanese “hell ship,” the Arisan Maru.

Through this, Sarah, and Sam’s family, receive no word about him, and the Army records him as missing in action. Though the couple made a promise to each other but never cemented an engagement before he left, Sarah especially is left in limbo, loving a man who she knows could be dead.

But Sarah’s strong, independent character is coupled with a brilliant mathematical mind, and she’s recruited out of college by the Navy to become a code breaker in the service of the WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — helping to turn the tide of the war, and possibly even unknowingly, Sam’s fate. The upshot is that no one, not even their families, can know what the women are doing, even to the point of telling others if asked that they are nothing more than secretaries in the service of Uncle Sam.

The story of Sam and Sarah is just that, a story, but Dugoni and company get it right, opening new and little-known chapters on the hells of that war — and the critical roles of female recruits — with startling and stark reality.

“Hold Strong” works well as a novel, and its secondary characters, such as Father Tom with his unflappable faith and Grace Moretti with her unbounded optimism, are extraordinarily well-developed. But this is one book bound for the big screen, and with its historic foundation underpinning a captivating wartime love story, one that is sure to become the sleeper read of the year.

Another novel of potential sleeper status comes to us as a dream in the charming coming-of-age “The Rainfall Market” (Ace). Written by a young South Korean novelist, You Yeong-Gwang (whose own dream as a young author is this story), and translated by Slin Jung, this magical novel tells the story of the impoverished teenager Serin and an abandoned house on the outskirts of Rainbow Town.

The legend says that if you send an essay explaining your misfortunes to that address, you could receive a ticket in return, and one that not only allows entrance to the Market beyond the house’s front door, but the offer to swap your life for another.

The odds are long but Serin sends off her letter and gets in return a ticket and an invitation to visit the Market for the duration of the rainy season — those who overstay the welcome are destined to never leave — with the total of its enchantments, including a magical cat companion named Issha.

Travels and travails follow Serin and Issha as they are plagued by Dokkaebi — goblin-like creatures taken from the pages of Korean folklore — who run the individual shops in the market, each offering a “happier story in our stock.”

With help from Issha and others that she befriends, Serin traverses the market’s allegorical landmines, comparing one life’s outcome with another until she comes to the end of her visit in this predictable but rewarding fairytale.

Other notable titles out this spring and worth the price of admission — no essay required — range from the fantastical to the feral with a number of big-hitting authors submitting some of their best work, including sequels:

“Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” (Berkley) by Grady Hendrix: 15-year-old Fern arrives alone and scared and pregnant at the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida — as are all the young woman and girls living at the home. Life is strictly regulated under the tyrannical control of the adults until Fern is gifted a book about witchcraft — and the power it contains to both create and destroy.

“The Ends of Things” (Blackstone) by Sandra Chwialkowska: A romantic lovers’ paradise is anything but idyllic for Laura Phillips and her boyfriend as shea becomes involved in the disappearance of the lone traveler befriended on the beach. An exotic getaway soon itself gets away from Laura as garnished cocktails and sumptuous suites turn into a murder investigation — and a fight for her innocence.

“Somewhere Toward Freedom” (Simon & Schuster) by Bennett Parten: Parten, a Georgia-native university professor with an expertise in the Civil War period, shines with storytelling as his reporting illuminates new, and unconventional, light on one of the most well-documented and well-known war episodes in our nation’s history — Sherman’s march to the sea. Subtitled “Sherman’s March and Story of America’s Largest Emancipation,” Parten re-tills well-trodden ground, telling the story of the thousands of enslaved people who followed Sherman and his army, turning a march of destruction into the launch of liberation in this meticulously researched book.

“Cupid on the Loose” (Blackstone) by John J. Jacobson: This timely novel that slipped into best-selling list early in February is nonetheless a timely tale for the ages, and especially for those who love a love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks, and the romantic mayhem of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — an author who incidentally plays a prominent role of his own in this fun read. Centered on a “kindred kind of romance” that needs a bit of tender to set it ablaze, enter a meddling grandmother whose intentions are as well-conceived as they are misguided.

“Destiny’s Way” (Berkley) by Jack Campbell: In this sequel to Campbell’s “In Our Stars,” the time traveling part-human, part-alien-DNA Selene Genji is thrust 30 years into the past, before the Universal Way destroyed the world, in an attempt to save Earth — excedpt those alive who want her dead after being declared a traitor by the Earth Guard. Assisted by at least one friend from the first part of the “Doomed Earth Duology,” Selene must find a way to save a prejudicial mankind that wants this independent and strong woman dead.

“The Secrets of Flowers” (Blackstone) by Sally Page: A story floating from the depths of the Titanic — and we never get tired of those — Page crafts a unique, heart-healing tale of Emma, who is bereft following her husband’s death. Told through the language of flowers, Emma discovers the lost story of a girl from the ship, one told in the arrangements of the flowers on board during the maiden, and final, voyage, that might just blossom into the healing of her own grief.

“The Memory Ward” (Blackstone) by Jon Bassoff: A seemingly Elysian small town is the scene of bizarre oddities, and postal worker Hank Davies isn’t the first to notice — he comes to realize he’s delivering mail filled with blank pages — but he’s the one whose willing to cry foul. A secreted story discovered beneath the walls of Hank’s bedroom touches off pages of alternate reality as Bassoff delivers a tale of trauma and altered identity, and one questioning the concept of humanity itself.

“American Fever” (Arcade) by Dur e Aziz Amna: This engaging and humorous novel centers on a Pakistani exchange student in rural Oregon who finds herself between worlds — and entrenched in the navigation of first love, racism, Islamophobia and homesickness. When she finds herself quarantined after a diagnosis of tuberculosis, her world shrinks further as themes of religion, family and national identity take on increasingly larger proportions.

“Protecting Jess” (Arcade Crimewise) by Karna Small Bodman: A White House economist and rising star, Jessica Tanner, has both brains and beauty. Sent to Brazil to speak at an international conference on behalf of her boss, a planned exotic dream assignment descends into a dangerous and foreboding nightmare.

“Don’t Tell Me How to Die” (Blackstone) by Marshall Karp: Marshall Karp, of NYPD Red series (aka, co-conspirator of James Patterson) fame, offers a taut, sharp and on-target psychological thriller in “Don’t Tell Me How To Die” (Blackstone). Told in parts, past and present, Karp crafts a evolving storyline centered on 43-year-old Maggie, a woman who is not only diagnosed with the same deadly disease that claimed her mother but vows to not recreate the adolescent hell she endured because of the passing. Seeing firsthand her dying mother’s warning that, once she died, women would flock to 17-year-old Maggie and her sister’s father “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck” and that it would be up to girls to protect him. Which they do, admirably — until one slips through their gatekeeping. … Determined that the same thing won’t happen to her own family, Maggie devises a plan to find a perfect match as wife and mother … before she dies. If this were all to the plot, the storyline would be worth an afternoon, but in succeeding parts of the novel, Karp continuously turns everything upside down, projecting surprise after surprise in a trope-laden, over-blown style that works perfectly for a main course instead of the appetizer it would have been coming from a lesser pen. Karp is a veteran in keeping the cinematic action going and the shocks coming — both of which are abundantly on display in his latest.

“Cold Iron Task” (Berkley) by James J. Butcher: In this Book 3 of 3 in Butcher’s “The Unorthodox Chronicles,” Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby — one of the most notable names in literary history — has solved at least one case, but he’s still a beginner in Boston’s Department of Unorthodox Affairs. As he joins an unlikely partner in the heist of of an otherworldly vault, Grimsby touches off past and closely guarded secrets, freeing demons and monsters, Usual and Unorthodox, that could be his demise in this series finisher.

“The Gate of the Feral Gods” (Ace Hardcovers) by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl series): Welcome, Crawler, to the fifth floor of the dungeon in Book 4 of Dinniman’s quest series, and one filled with warrior gnomes, malfunctioning machines and a deadly, haunted crypt. On the eve of utter failure, Carl and his team find they must rely on the untrustworthy crawlers trapped in the bubble with them.

“The Summer Guests” (Thomas & Mercer) by Tess Gerritsen: In Book 2 of The Martini Club, retired covert agent Maggie Bird has “retired” to the seaside. In Purity, life is quiet, but it’s not without murder as a friendly neighbor of Maggies becomes embroiled in double homicide charges. It’s up to the Martini Club, a circle of ex-CIA friends book club, to find the truth behind the secrets that portend more murder on the horizon.

“Gothictown” (Kensington) by Emily Carpenter: What if you could purchase a Victorian home for $100 in a small Georgia town eager to spur its pandemic-riddled economy? So begins this story of Billie Hope’s dream of fleeing cramped and crimped New York City with her husband and daughter. Dreams, as they often do in the offerings from Carpenter — a Birmingham, Alabama, native now living in Georgia — descend from opportunities to devilish bargains, and “Gothictown” is part and parcel of the oeuvre. More than genteel charms lurks beneath the facade of Southern hospitality in this town. View a free 66-page teaser of the novel (“Gothictown: A Sneak Peek”) at online booksellers.

“Home Is Where the Bodies Are” (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose: Questions and secrets arise when three estranged siblings begin to sort their mother’s estate — and discover a VHS recording of their blood-soaked father involved in a death of which none of them have any recollection. Revive the past or leave it buried with their mother? That becomes the question … with no easy, or safe, answers.

Reach Tom Mayer at tmayer@cullmantimes.com.

Is this finally the Dungeon Crawler Carl book that gets over a 4 star rating? Yes, yes it is. I feel like this story has been building up from a mere progression style fantasy to something with some solid character growth and plot arcs that go beyond the video game themes. The Gate of the Feral Gods seems to be where Carl and Donut (and Matt Dinniman) really hit their stride.
Carl, Donut, and company have just dropped into the fifth floor of the dungeon and this time they find themselves separated from the rest of the crawlers they allied with outside their party and in a bubble. Albeit a bubble filled with four different sections with four different keeps they have to take before they can generate a stairwell to the sixth floor. They’re stuck with a small number of other crawlers with lower levels, lower skill levels, and much less of a reputation than the two have built for themselves. The kicker is, the crawlers are split into the four areas and they can’t cross over until their section is cleared. And all four must be cleared. This means Carl and Donut have to defeat a group of dirigible flying gnomes, while the others clear underwater sections, abandoned ruins, and … geez, I can’t quite remember the last one. A keep made of sand with an angry wizard inside?
Knowing there are at least three more books in the series (currently), I felt assured that the two would progress and survive but it was nonetheless a perilous and exciting journey to the end. I vastly preferred the scenery of this installment over that of the fourth floor, which was a giant subway station. Sorry, but trains really get boring after a while, even if they’re full of monsters trying to kill everyone. Even the NPCs were more interesting this time around and had a solid backstory going along with them - various humanoid camels and shapeshifters battling the dirigible gnomes while also undertaking their own mysterious tasks.
Even though our wildly popular dungeon crawling duo were separated from most of their friends, I really didn’t miss them much because 1.) Carl and Donut were quite busy and 2.) they were able to stay in the loop via text chat, so even though they were in separate bubbles things felt coordinated in a way. Carl is also out for his vengeance against the groups running the dungeon and is making good use of the Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook. He’s got big plans, especially once he finds out what the titular Gate of the Feral Gods does. That certainly made for an explosive ending!
Overall, I think this may be the most solid all around installment of the series yet. The books are getting progressively longer, and the next one comes in at around 800 pages, so my feelings may swing onto the opposite end of the spectrum. Only time and one more floor of the dungeon can tell. I’m still having a great time with this series and it really keeps me guessing thanks to the absurdity of it all and the manic pacing. I do think this series is a fun way to try out the LitRPG subgenre and see if perhaps it's for you!

The Gate Of The Feral Gods is the fourth book in The Dungeon Crawler Carl series, by Matt Dinniman and oh boy is this one a doozy. My favorite thing to do when starting these books is be on the lookout for where the title comes from and although this one wasn’t clever, it sure became useful the further into this very long story we got. like all of these books there’s so much in it it’s hard to give a summary just know Carl, Princess Doughnut and their enclave is trying to get to the sixth floor. While fighting their way through they will make new friends including a possessed sex doll watch Gods fight. This inclueds a building sized Godzilla who’s into S&M. Carl finally see something in the dungeon crawler whirl that amazes him they become friends with a prostitute who’s also a loving mom to a brewd of changelings and Carl princess doughnut in the gang make history in the galaxy. Last but not least, the most important thing someone that Carl kind of trusted turns out to be not trustworthy at all. This book unlike the other books which we know is going to be the predecessor to a future book this is an absolute cliffhanger and I cannot wait to start the next book because OMG this book ended with me saying oh what the F just happened, OMG what the hell just happened? So I need to read the next book to find out what the actual F happened to my favorite galaxy game show and my favorite contestants. It seems this storyline just gets better and better in the author even recall things from Books before that I’m like OMG he’s talking about… This is such a great series and I cannot wait to start the next one anyone wanting a great reality game show type story needs to read this cause it includes the whole galaxy and it’s so freaking good! #NetGalley, #BerkeleyBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #MikeDinnimen, #DungeonCrawlerCarl, #TheGateOfTheFerrilGods,

Thank you @MattDinniman and @AceBooksPub for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 4) by Matt Dinniman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 586 / Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Hardback Release Date: March 11, 2025

If you haven’t started this series yet, I highly recommend starting with the first book to fully understand the brilliance of this series. In this fourth installment, Carl and his talking cat Donut are still fighting for their survival through the fifth level of a reality game show created for the amusement of all the aliens in the universe.

I loved this level because Carl finally starts fighting back. Rather than just focusing on survival for himself and his team, he starts fighting for all the humans. We get to meet more contestants and NPCs. Carl starts using the game’s own rules against them and it’s glorious. And this one ended with a surprise that will have you clamoring for Book 5.

This installment of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series feels more bridge and expository, and less developmental, than the first three. Carl, Princess Donut, and Katia develop only incrementally, and similar to the previous book, a great deal of time is spent on world-building. Dialog remains sharp, and several new characters are introduced--with promising story implications. The core of the series remains the delightful dialog between Carl and Donut. The ending is cinematic to the core, with sharp imagery, epic deeds, and witticisms galore. While this isn't my favorite volume in the series, I felt it both necessary and an excellent appetizer for the remainder of the series.

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

I have been flying through this series!! There is something about Carl and Princess Donut that has me in its grips!!! I would definitely recommend starting at the first book for this series.
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Honestly, I'm not sure how to describe this series except that it's just like a role-playing game. But if you die here, there is no starting over, and the stakes are as high as can be with the fate of not only the other players but Earth, too.
.This series has me laughing out loud, and continually on the edge of my seat waiting to see how our MC's are going to get out of each new horrible situation, and how they are going to make it to the next level of the Dungeon.
I can't wait to continue on and see how Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are going to mess stuff up for the game runners and how they'll manage to survive the horrors to come.
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A continuation of the adventures of Carl and Donut. Nonstop action, banter, comedy. These books are such a fun read. Great world building, great characters. Excellent installment. On to the next one!

If you’re not reading this post apocalyptic book series where the main characters (including a talking cat) are fighting for survival in a dungeon controlled by an AI with a foot fetish, what are you waiting for?

The Gate of the Feral Gods is book 4 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know I’m completely obsessed with this series. This book introduces some of my favorite side characters - Juicebox and Samantha. I can’t talk too much about this book without spoilers, but I will say this series just keeps getting better with each release, and I truly believe if you’re not reading it, you’re missing out. I was provided this ARC for review, however I love this series I have already purchased both the audiobook and a signed copy of this book from @signedpage

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gate of the Feral Gods will be released March 11! Thank you to @netgalley and @acebookspub for the Advanced Reader Copy for review.

"Follow Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo as they fight their way to the next level in the USA Today bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition!

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that's talent.

Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy's most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, that there's only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what's coming next. And this floor is no exception.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked. Here's the thing. It's never easy. Going it alone is not an option this time, so Carl and his team must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

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

Oh, I remember several quests I'm had that ended in less than five minutes with total failure. None were this entertaining though.

If you’re hooked on the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, you’ll enjoy this installment: Gate of the Feral Gods, the fourth in this darkly hilarious series. The book continues to deliver everything I love—non-stop action, humor, and even the some emotional depth from our heroes.

As usual, we're thrown into a new world with new challenges for our heroes. Carl and Donut's journey remains a wild, chaotic ride, but we also see more of Carl's fierce determination and empathy shine through, even when his choices seem reckless or borderline insane. Also, this time around, the story starts to peel back the curtain on what’s happening outside the dungeon, introducing new mysteries that deepen the world and raise the stakes for our team and the rest of the crawlers.

Matt Dinniman's signature humor that made the first three books so addictive is still front and center—expect plenty of laugh-out-loud moments amid the madness. And just when you think you can take a breather, our team is in trouble again and the relentless action will pull you back in. This one, like the others, left me eager to see what the next floor has in store.

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
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I mean what is there to say about Carl and Princess Donut at this point that hasn’t already been said?

They are awesome. The end.

Ok BUT I loved, loved, loved the scene were they went on the pet toy commercial. 😈😈😈

Absolutely adored that Carl is out there saving NPCs now.

There is a flying house. Think Up, come on.

Mongo is still awesome.

Carl and Donut make new friends. And they’re still awesome.
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I mean the only way I can think of that would make this series better is if there were a scene where Carl has to fly an alicorn, but there are three more books so I still have hope.

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman. This book is a masterpiece! This whole series is absolutely amazing—packed with action, humor, and surprisingly tender, emotional moments. And that epilogue?! Shocking. Jaw-dropping. I’m still recovering.

I’ve already started the next book because I just can’t get enough of Carl, Princess Donut, and the crew. You never know what Carl will do next, and the journey and character development are truly top-notch. This book is action-packed—and I mean nonstop action. It’s hilarious (I laughed out loud so many times), emotional (yes, I cried), and full of twists that left me speechless.

I will never stop recommending this series to anyone who will listen. If you haven’t started it yet—go read it now!

The Gate of the Feral Gods is the fourth book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The most addictive book series of the decade!

Coast Guard veteran Carl enters the fifth floor with Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend's cat. Their friends are scattered across bubbles. Each bubble consists of four different environments each with a castle to be conquered.

Matt Dinniman's worldbuilding is incredible! This is the most creative and fun floor yet. The level feels like a video game and reminded me of navigating Mario through oceans, air fortresses, and deserts. The bosses that show up are insane! This is a page-turner that I could not put down!

The greatest strength of these books is the characters. While the thought of a man in his underwear and a talking showcat sounds absurd, Dinniman writes them with surprising depth. Carl is an easy hero to root for and as much as Donut makes me laugh out loud, she also tugs at my heartstrings.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this advanced review copy. I previously read the first edition and listened to the audiobook, and I am thrilled to see this series gain recognition. The new editions are fantastic! I have the first three in hardback and have already placed my preorders for the next three. The covers are gorgeous! I love the colors and artwork, and I am also enjoying the bonus stories added to the end of each book.

This new edition is a perfect opportunity for fans to revisit the series. They look incredible on the shelf and hold up on rereads. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a fun fantasy adventure with heart. For fans, these new editions are a must-buy!

“And it reminded me that Ife wasn’t the only one. That there is good in this world. There is something left to fight for. I might die tomorrow, but it won’t be because I’ve given up.”

Oh man did I get lucky when @netgalley and @acebookspub gave me the chance to check out @mattdinniman’s fourth book in his #DungeonCrawlerCarl series, #TheGateOfTheFeralGods. I kicked the year off by binging the first three, and here we are diving into the next two. This series has quickly become a favorite of mine as Dinniman’s world building is exciting and fresh each book/floor.

Book 4 finds Carl, Donut, and Katia on floor 5 of the dungeon facing a new mystery to solve to get to the next floor. Stuck in a desert arena, they must take down the goblin stronghold - one of four in their world that has to be destroyed to move on. Getting other crawlers to work with them, however, might be a little hard as their friends inside find themselves in other parts of different worlds.

Where the last book had a sort of confusing puzzle to follow as a reader, Dinniman lays out this floor clearly and very much in line with the fantasy element of the story; it felt like a quest you’d play in a video game or TTRPG game. Of all four books so far, this one felt there was some real character development in relation to the system they’re in, and the end of the book kind of blows open the world setting up for a great direction of where the next books will go.

I find it hard to put these down, even when I have video games that I should/need to be playing, I just want to find out what happens next with Carl and Donut. Excited for the continued adventures!

Rating: 4/5