A Parade of Horribles – Book Review

A Parade of Horribles marks the eighth book in Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl book series, with two further books planned. The book continues the adventures of the Royal Court of Princess Donut, featuring Carl, Donut, and their merry band of misfits as they try to survive World Dungeon: Earth.

Catching Up

In case you need a refresher from the first seven books, here’s a quick catch-up. Earth has been flattened to harvest its resources. Survivors are allowed to participate in a galaxy-wide reality show called World Dungeon: Earth. Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s prize-winning Persian cat, Princess Donut, end up thrown into the lethal, multi-layered gauntlet of the World Dungeon. Chaos occurs early and often from the political intrigue of the upper levels to the Ninth Floor’s faction wars. Carl’s anti-authoritarian rage and explosives expertise have transformed him from just another desperate survivor into “The Anarchist”. Now recognized throughout the galaxy as an interstellar icon of revolution against Borant Corporation and those who subject planets to this sick game, Carl takes the battle to those responsible. Backed by the pet-turned-sentient Crawler Donut, her razor-sharp intellect, growing magical abilities, and her massive fanbase, the duo continue to shatter the showrunners’ plans. As the mechanics break and the cosmic elite’s favorite game show becomes an existential threat to the Syndicate itself, Carl and Donut descend into the Tenth floor not just seeking freedom, but aiming to bring the entire system down with them.

Review

While all of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books are unique, A Parade of Horribles marks what is perhaps the most mechanically creative and emotionally charged entry into the series so far. The book serves as a sort of structural reset for the series after the chaos of the Faction Wars in a way that just works. The mechanics used for Floor Ten create a brutal yet furious, momentum-focused narrative. It forces Carl and Donut to think on their toes in a Dungeon in which they have gotten increasingly comfortable and used to being one step ahead of the System AI. Forced to think only in terms of momentum, trajectory, and sabotage, the book spins traditional combat that had been so prevalent in the first seven books on its head.

One of the real treasures of A Parade of Horribles is the recentering of the story on Carl and Donut. While it’s been so fun in the previous books to expand the Royal Court of Princess Donut and see our merry band of misfits grow, centering the story on Carl and Donut was brilliant. It was a decision by Dinniman that provided the emotional anchor for the book. The core dynamic that drew many readers into the story in the first place takes center stage in this book. That doesn’t mean that the rest of the gang is far away. There’s still plenty of moments with your favorites, but A Parade of Horribles is definitively a Carl and Donut book.

The mystery that builds around the actual “Parade of Horribles” on the Eleventh Floor throughout the Tenth Floor resulted in a massive payoff once Carl and Donut finally made it there. Dinniman making the System AI increasingly unhinged, glitchy, and shifting its relationship with Carl like a roller coaster ride creates a constant feeling of almost paranoia for the reader. Dinniman also takes readers inside the mind of Carl. We get a glimpse of what the solitude of being “The Anarchist” means for Carl, how it affects his risk/reward matrix, and what it may mean for his relationship with everyone else. Ultimately, A Parade of Horribles is a stellar entry into the series that feels like a high-stakes, high-speed version of Mario Kart that quietly lays the groundwork for what promises to be an explosive endgame for the series.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

What did you think of A Parade of Horribles? Let me know in the comments below.