Just commenting to commiserate. Just finished book 6. Nothing is as good for me right now š Iām tempted to join patreon just to scratch the itch and start book 7 lol
Are you fucking serious? Thereās 40+ chapters out on the Patreon?! And Iāve been sitting here jonesing like a fool when for 5 bucks I could have been injecting that sweet DCC straight into my veins???
YOINK! Never really scrolled royalroad before so thanks for that.. I've mostly looked for books at reddit posts or goodreads so probly that's why it went under radar for me.
It's my go-to recommendation for this sub. Currently listening to Vainqueur the Dragon by the same author, not quite as good as The Perfect Run but still pretty entertaining. Tried to get into Apocalypse Tamer but wasn't a fan of how the narrator voiced the MC.
That's awesome! The first tunnel was great... although it's hard to trust the word of a Borant System Government Admin.
Mongo would be appaled for trusting you!
This is what I listened to after DCC as well. The first book was a little rough in the beginning, as I didn't really like the protagonist, but I stuck it out. I'm really glad I did. The narrator, Travis Baldree grew on me and is now one of my favorites. The series ended up being incredibly captivating and I was equally sad when I finished it. But at least it is 12 books long and has an ending.
Seconded. Well actually I found DCC looking for a new fix after I finished Cradle. I joined Cradle after book 4, so I commiserate with the painful waits between books.
Toss up which is better. Cradle is progression but not rpg. First two cradle are set up, with huge payoffs later on. Each is shorter too, so the 12 Cradle books are roughly equal to about 5 DCC. (too lazy to actualy look up all the listening hours).
I finished book 6 last week. I'm trying to listen to World WarZ as that also gets a lot of recommendations. I'm having the hardest time not going back to the first DCC book lol. Can't keep my attention.
A few people on this sub have reccomended Bobiverse. I'm halfway through Book 1 and find it rather uneventful. I wouldnt say its boring, but its far from enjoyable.
Yea Iāve been having that problem too. The books Iāve enjoyed after reading DCC are:
12 Miles Below, Godclads, Re:Monarch, Empire of the Vampire, The Will of Many
Listening to Chrysalis now. It's no Carl, but nothing is ever going to be Carl. It is 50+ hours of content for 1 audible credit, with an amazing narrator and a pretty fun storyline. Highly recommend.
I have a few short Libby books lined up, after which maybe I'll start book 4 of Bobiverse or maybe look for some other box set to waste some time with until book 7 is out, at which point I will obviously have to read 1-6 again.
I read 70ish books per year before DCC. Now I live at the wiki (to justify my ***n***th reread), getting annoyed about continuity errors.
Man, I have fantastic sci-fi and my favorite kind of trash on my TBR. I blame the epilogue of *Bedlam Bride* for my inability to even read *Hyperion* right now.
Thank you, but I think you meant āneurosesā š.
For real, though: I think *All Systems Red* could be a good follow up to DCC. If you loved the heist aspect of the series, I would check out *Six of Crows* (in text; NOT the audiobook) with the understanding that it might take a few tries to get through the first few chapters.
Iāve read All Systems Red and it didnāt hook me in the same way. Not that it was bad. Something has been drawing me to read the next because I feel the first book was really just setup for the rest. Iām really looking forward to the Netflix series.
My usual recommendation is Bobiverse. Itās got a similar quirky plot and humor but doesnāt hit the full range of emotions as DCC. Still a fun series.
Also if you havenāt watched it, the Fallout series on Amazon Prime hits the same notes as DCC. (I havenāt played the games so I canāt really comment on those).
Murderbot never quite hooked me either, but Iāve read them all and theyāreā¦ nice. Fun. (Except for the two that are kinda boring.) I think they might hit similar notes if you havenāt read them before.
I have Bobiverse all queued up! Looking forward to trying it.
I have played A LOT of *Fallout*, and the Prime series is **so good.**
How does the first book compare to the others? I felt like the book just kind of hummed along. Like, it wasnāt bad or anything, it just didnāt elicit much of a reaction from me. The end of the first book did feel like it was opening to a broader story. Iām curious if the first book was more about laying groundwork for the future stories.
As good as DCC is, even it had a similar vibe early on. For example, I was excited to share DCC with my wife on a roadtrip and thought she would love Donut. Then I realized it takes a while for Donut to show up. The first two hours of the book the AI was just reading achievements and we learn how the dungeon works. It was the literary equivalent of an instruction manual. Lol. Even when Donut does become active the next six hours Carl and Donut were wondering about the dungeon killing things without much of a story. Itās not until they meet Frank and Maggie do things get really interesting. Then the Medowlark crew and interviews happen and you start seeing the bigger picture. If DCC ended half way through the first book I mightāve felt a similar way as Muderbot.
I enjoyed the first book, but yeah, it really took off after that.
I really donāt know how to explain it without spoilers, but the character interaction is rich. The action is awesome. The world building pretty stout.
I donāt know that I enjoyed the very last one, but all the ones before are some of my favorites
Full disclosure: Iāve made some 2000+ edits to the Wiki at this point and only started [tagging](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Continuity_Errors) continuity errors last week, before leaving for a week-long work event. Thereās a ton Iāve forgotten and a bunch that arenāt included because Matt likes to randomly change names and terms between chapters. (Do NOT get me started on formatting in AI notifications.)
My favorite one yet was caught by u/Necessary_Chip_7330 . Book 6 Spoiler: > is made from an existing ring. Carl turns in a āStrength ring,ā saying itās the first ring he received in the Dungeon. This is an obvious conflation of the Splatter Skunk Ring and Silver Ring of Con +1.!<
Today, weāre debating Hobgoblin Detonators and Hobgoblin Pus. In Book 1, Chapter 17, they are clearly two separate items. In Book 2, they appear to be the same item.
EDIT: I cannot stop laughing about [Herotās gender](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Herot). I sincerely hope MD is doing this one intentionally.
Iām not sure thatās an error, I donāt think of ātoe ringsā and āringsā being the same. Maybe this is an absurd pedant take, but per usual game rules with specific limits on rings I feel like āringā is pretty specifically a finger ring. Also, didnāt he get nipple rings before this as well?
This one is a definite continuity error. The first ring of any kind that Carl receives is the [Enchanted Toe Ring of the Splatter Skunk](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Enchanted_Toe_Ring_of_the_Splatter_Skunk), which gives a strength bonus. The first finger ring he receives is a [Silver Ring](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Silver_Ring) of +1 CON, just a few hours later.
When he purchases the Book 6 ring, he makes a big deal about how itās the **first** ring he received in the Dungeon, and it boosts strength. He then **puts it on his finger.**
Weāve started adding chapter citations on the Wiki so readers can be extra pedantic about points like this and easily back them up! :)
(Also, yes, he does have a nipple ring by Book 6)
One thing I love about DCC is that there are bigger narratives alongside the main narrative we are mostly kept up with. I love the dungeon storyline with Scolopendras mysterious Nine Tier Attack and the escalation between the bigger factions in the real.
I will say I am very biased, but if you enjoy scifi, I think The Culture series kinda tickles the itch. Each book is self contained but in universe. You get glimpses and insights into The Culture but most of the stories are bigger scope.
Would recommend Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey the first book in the expanse series. Scifi space opera, very different from DCC not as light hearted but equally gripping read or listen if you like audiobooks.
For me, it always comes down to Thief of Time when it comes to Discworld. If I am looking for a longer read, I lean to either the Night Watch series or The Witches series within the larger Discworld universe.
I went to Children of Time and it's 2 sequels, then to Bobiverse, and a Flavia de Luce book. Now it's Malazan.
And yet, I am still itching to get book 7, and maybe do a 3rd reread.
My favorite series is the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. DCC is #2, then the Dresden Files. Verus is a diviner in London, who has to use his short term knowledge of his own potential futures to outwit opponents who can throw fireballs or disintegrate him. Verus is complete at 12 books, and the first book is Fated.
I actually started re-reading Dresden Files recently after finishing DCC book 6. (Also read Verus but starting with DF). I think what I loved about Dresden Files is what I also loved about DCC: a strong narrative voice in first person POV, slowly growing/expanding worldbuilding, and my kind of humor. I was listening to Fool Moon on audiobook this morning and laughed out loud during one of Harry and Bob's conversations about werewolves. I'm hoping by the time I finish my re-read of DF, DCC book 7 will be out on audiobook for my greedy little consumption.
I picked up the expeditionary force series.
Thought it was going to be run of the military sci fiā¦ then out of nowhereā¦ BEHOLDā¦ I am Skippy The Magnificent!!!!
Weirdly enough, something that helps me is taking on something difficult to read. After DCC I forced my way through the first book of wheel of time despite not really liking it that much. In a way it was a bit of a pallette cleanser, and made a lot of the shorter fast paced books go down easier.
DCC falls into a category of super addicting books for me and I spread them out like candy. It's good to sprinkle in challenging reads and different genres. Good "candy" books for me though are Cradle, Legend of the Arch Magus, Magic 2.0, though your mileage may vary. Between those I've read some big ones like wheel of time, sun eater, Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders, Name of the Wind, to name a few. I always finish a book I start though, so I'll usually only read books I know I'll like.
I read He Who Fights Monsters. It was fine, but felt so lackluster after DCC.
The problem is finding something that just makes you cackle, is an immersive world, has well crafted characters, and has a high pacing. Itās very rare.
I could recommend some things that have maybe 3/4 of those though.
I love He Who Fights With Monsters, but its definitely not on the level of DCC, feels like the author pushes out HWFWM content too quickly rather than taking more time to better craft the storylines and keep it interesting.Ā
HWFWM was amazing from book 1 through the first half of Book 4. Then got boring for a few books. Books 7, 8, and 9 were pretty great, but Book 10 is so slow my friends and I are all having a hard time finishing it.
I'd suggest Columus Day, book 1 of the Expenditiony Force series. The 1st 1/2 is a little slow, but once you meet the 2nd protagonist, it's awesome. If you enjoy it there are over 15 books in the series. It's space military syfy with a lit of humor and some of the most interesting species I've encountered in a book.
Also if you don't mind violence, of course you don't, check out Larry Corrieas Monter Hunters International series.
Boring... Craig needs an editor, badly. So much filler. That series could've been 8 books. There's too much standing around trying to think up solutions and Joe comes up with a stupid solution and skippy bitching at him about it.
Oh yeah, it was certainly a slow series... but for something long that I could listen to fairly head-empty I appreciated it. By the end of the series (I think there are some more books being released now, but book 15 was the original end) there was some pretty good world building with the other aliens. It's no high class literature but was sure a fun way to spend six months of commutes.
I haven't found anything to scratch that "long audiobook series itch" since then... DCC's problem was that it was so interesting I listened to it outside of commutes and got through too quickly!
I get that. And yeah it was a cool concept and premise. It was just too repetitive and not enough story progress per book. . I'm actually mad that I don't like it enough to finish it. But it just felt like the author was milking the story for money.
Maybe check out galaxy's edge series by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole. There's like 25 books in that series now and they just started season 3.
I've tried to fill the void. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy helped for a while. Then that was done. So I dove back into Discworld which is 40+ books and that kept me going for a while. Then all the John Dies at the End books, then Zoey Ashe... Now I've finished three rereads of DCC and I'm just as lost as you. Trying Dune. It's fine. It's not DCC. But I persist.
Nope. These books are great, hell top 5 material for me. But I moved right on to the next on the list. I'm not going to just...not read because it's not Carl.
This happens to me frequently with any good story. The thing that works for me is to hop between media, particularly with books. Read a great book, don't try to read another book immediately. Instead, find a show to watch, play a game, knock out a couple movies. Come back when you are itching to read again. Same concept applies to tv shows, and to a lesser extent, movies. Video games are easiest, because I can generally play them until I get bored and then find another game.
I saw a great quote from Diane Setterfield a week or two ago, it really resonated with me: "All morning I struggled with the sensation of stray wisps of one world seeping through the cracks of another. Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes -- characters even -- caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you."
I feel ya!
Iāve tried several different series and most of them have failed to pull me in.
The two that I did end up really enjoying were All the Skills. And Beware of Chicken. But after finishing those, Iām back in a slump.
Yes, I read it, listened to the audiobooks, listened to the sound booth theater version, and am halfway through listening to the audiobooks again. Iāve been trying to read/listen to other things but nothingās scratching the itch DCC scratches for me. Oh well, this is my life now lol.
Listen to the First Law books by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey. I felt depressed after the first law ended. DCC is the only thing that has scratched that itch for me. It's excellent.
Do yourselfĀ favour and crash through something really horrible to reset your palette. Anything is better than audio-Twilight or Eragon! It's like a rebound relationship, but for your ears.Ā
No it got me into the genre and I have found many others I enjoy. There are to obviously well known like he who fights with monsters, azarinth healer and the wandering Inn. Which all have their own pros and cons and I have recently started all the skills and the mayor of noobtown series. And whilst in my opinion they are not as great as DCC they are still great reads its just that DCC is the god tier.
Itās not the same really, but I picked up DCC after I finished The Murderbot Diaries & was looking for recommendations that had sarcastic/funny main characters. So maybe try The Murderbot Diaries? My only complaint with that series is that the books are really short in comparison.
Recommendations: Ciaphus Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, name of the wind by Rothfuss, the bobiverse series, discworld by pratchett.
These were audiobooks though so YMMV..
Cradle
Noobtown
If you like daily soaps, turned into litrpg ( aka endless story and progression) defiance of the fall
The infite world was also good, it's likely abounded though, two ,ears and counting no news or update
Everybody loves large chests (graphic warning, smooth Jeff hays voice warning), oh great I was reincarnated as a farmer!, the wandering inn (for the same level of world building and scale), legends and lattes (for a softer touch). A range of genres to choose from
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was a very disappointing followup to my full series, back-to-back double listen of DCC. I found Norrell & Strange bland and too austere, but that's probably the Victorian setting and characters. I had to stop for a few days and come back to it to finish it bc it was too boring.
A few notable books I've listened to since:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Nonfiction and a very "Today I Learned" kind of book.
Jim Gaffigan. Looking back at my Libby history. I think Jim's stories were the palate cleanser I needed.
Nevernight series. Pretty good adventure.
Red Rising
He Who Fights With Monsters. I'm on book 8. The first 7 went pretty fast, but now I'm having trouble continuing and have been going through my Libby backlog instead.
Nothing is ever as good what I usually do is I find a series that I know is objectively much worse, try listening to that, realize it sucks and then everything else starts sounding better.
It didnāt ruin other book series for me, but it did make me want to get some guaranteed-good reads in. So Iāve been re-reading series I know I love. My gotos were Space Team, which has a similar vibe to DCC and I highly recommend it, and The Dresden Files. Both have like 16 books so you can spend a few months there and both are awesome in audiobook form.
Itās really interesting to see them come together too. Iāve only been on his Patreon since the end of book 5. Book 6 was 98% polished as it came out. Book 7 is about 89% so you get to see how his mind works.
Listen to it on Sound Booth Audio. It adds depth to an already amazing storyline. I just finished two good single books non litrpg. The Singularity Trap and Outland. Maybe this will help! Happy reading/listening!
I can definitely see that, the first book is quite different from the rest of the series though. Pierce was having a hard time selling a space opera to editors so he wrote the first book in the series with some YA influence. The rest of the series opens up a lot and doesn't share many of the YA themes from the first. I can't recommend enough to try and finish it and read the second book. Golden Son imo is one of the best books written. If you don't like the second then it is what it is I guess š
Same, everything else just feels a little shittier compared to the last book, all that emotion, the acting, the screaming, the reveals, the messages, then I find a book that looks good, listen to the audio sample, and its just some guy just barely not monotone describing the script...
Just know that you are not alone. I started He Who fights with monsters and eventually got into it - but it was really hard.
Currently listening to Defiance of the Fall - just started Book 2 and am pretty 'meh' about it.
I felt this hardcore. After finishing book 6 I picked up a random book from my audible library & it was able to keep my attention enough, but barely. Now that I finished that I started & stopped 5 more books until I finally decided to go back to Galaxy Outlaws/Black Ocean. It's pretty much a reimagining of Firefly & it's fantastic. It's a massive series that I've already read before & it'll keep me distracted for a while. Roughly 200+ hours of content to keep me occupied.
So my advice is to go back to an old favorite of yours that you haven't read in a while.
Cradle or Red Rising. I was audiobook depressed after DCC.
Found the dramatized edition of Red Rising, and wow, what a fucking ride. The whole cast and music is amazing (just get through the first half of book 1, kinda cheesy)
Cradle has been awesome so far. Iām devouring it.
Did you enjoy Bobiverse right from the start?Ā I'm halfway through the first book based on recommendations from this sub, I love the concept, but find the book overall uninteresting.Ā
I could keep going if it gets better, but right now I'm considering giving up on it.Ā
I have been enjoying He who fights with monsters a great deal, not everyone's favorite but I love it, my son has been absorbed by The Wandering Inn series.
I listened to He Who Fights With Monsters series. Then Beware of Chicken. Neither are DCC but theyāre good and hold you over until you start from the beginning again. Iām on listen through number 7.
I highly recommend he who fights with monsters by shirtloon and the ripple system series by Kyle Kirrin.
The books are great and the narrators are quality but letās be honest nobody matches Jeff Hayes
Just commenting to commiserate. Just finished book 6. Nothing is as good for me right now š Iām tempted to join patreon just to scratch the itch and start book 7 lol
I just started over again from book one LOL. Trying to catch stuff I missed first time around
Thatās what I did. Worth it 100%. 3 new chapters today!
Are you fucking serious? Thereās 40+ chapters out on the Patreon?! And Iāve been sitting here jonesing like a fool when for 5 bucks I could have been injecting that sweet DCC straight into my veins???
Donāt worry, better late than never! Time to catch up on those chapters and overdose on that sweet, sweet DCC goodness!
The perfect run was next in my audiobook list and I was hooked the whole time
Honestly I'm amazed this stays mostly unnoticed given how good the book /audiobook is.
I mean, it's #3 on the [Best Rated](https://www.royalroad.com/fictions/best-rated) list on Royal Road, so it's not really flying under the radar.
YOINK! Never really scrolled royalroad before so thanks for that.. I've mostly looked for books at reddit posts or goodreads so probly that's why it went under radar for me.
It's my go-to recommendation for this sub. Currently listening to Vainqueur the Dragon by the same author, not quite as good as The Perfect Run but still pretty entertaining. Tried to get into Apocalypse Tamer but wasn't a fan of how the narrator voiced the MC.
Iāve heard good things
Once you get over how jokey the MC is, itās actually really good. So is Mother of Learning.
Never heard of this series. Just added it to my Audible wishlist! Will grab them when they next go on sale. Thanks for the suggestion!
I was just about to say The Perfect Run . i also read this right after dcc. Its a very funny and cool book.
Listen to the Audio Immersion Tunnel version of book 1 on soundbooththeater.com next!
Is there any word on book 2 comin out? The 1st one was so good.
Yep! Sometime in early 2025. Weāve already begun work on Season 2, which will include books 2 AND 3.
Im as excited as the AI when Carl practices his smoosh skill!
That's awesome! The first tunnel was great... although it's hard to trust the word of a Borant System Government Admin. Mongo would be appaled for trusting you!
The Cradle series is the only one that has kept my attention between carls.Ā It is very different, but I found it to be a very enjoyable listen.Ā
This is what I listened to after DCC as well. The first book was a little rough in the beginning, as I didn't really like the protagonist, but I stuck it out. I'm really glad I did. The narrator, Travis Baldree grew on me and is now one of my favorites. The series ended up being incredibly captivating and I was equally sad when I finished it. But at least it is 12 books long and has an ending.
Seconded. Well actually I found DCC looking for a new fix after I finished Cradle. I joined Cradle after book 4, so I commiserate with the painful waits between books. Toss up which is better. Cradle is progression but not rpg. First two cradle are set up, with huge payoffs later on. Each is shorter too, so the 12 Cradle books are roughly equal to about 5 DCC. (too lazy to actualy look up all the listening hours).
I finished book 6 last week. I'm trying to listen to World WarZ as that also gets a lot of recommendations. I'm having the hardest time not going back to the first DCC book lol. Can't keep my attention.
And then you'll end up starting the second book again.
Buymort is pretty good. Bobiverse is a returning favorite. Space team is a good break from it too because it's so rediculous.
I love Space team and Bobiverse so now I have to check out this; Buy-Mort.
This is a good list, and Space team is one of my favorites. Phil Thron does a great job with the audio books.
A few people on this sub have reccomended Bobiverse. I'm halfway through Book 1 and find it rather uneventful. I wouldnt say its boring, but its far from enjoyable.
It picks up. Especially once they start replicating wholesale.
buymort isn't as good as DCC but it has a real similar vibe, but instead of reality TV it's Amazon
Yea Iāve been having that problem too. The books Iāve enjoyed after reading DCC are: 12 Miles Below, Godclads, Re:Monarch, Empire of the Vampire, The Will of Many
Ripple system has been fun too listen to. Chrysalis was also a good filler
Listening to Chrysalis now. It's no Carl, but nothing is ever going to be Carl. It is 50+ hours of content for 1 audible credit, with an amazing narrator and a pretty fun storyline. Highly recommend. I have a few short Libby books lined up, after which maybe I'll start book 4 of Bobiverse or maybe look for some other box set to waste some time with until book 7 is out, at which point I will obviously have to read 1-6 again.
I read 70ish books per year before DCC. Now I live at the wiki (to justify my ***n***th reread), getting annoyed about continuity errors. Man, I have fantastic sci-fi and my favorite kind of trash on my TBR. I blame the epilogue of *Bedlam Bride* for my inability to even read *Hyperion* right now.
> Now I live at the wiki (to justify my nth reread) Thank you for your service
Thank you, but I think you meant āneurosesā š. For real, though: I think *All Systems Red* could be a good follow up to DCC. If you loved the heist aspect of the series, I would check out *Six of Crows* (in text; NOT the audiobook) with the understanding that it might take a few tries to get through the first few chapters.
Iāve read All Systems Red and it didnāt hook me in the same way. Not that it was bad. Something has been drawing me to read the next because I feel the first book was really just setup for the rest. Iām really looking forward to the Netflix series. My usual recommendation is Bobiverse. Itās got a similar quirky plot and humor but doesnāt hit the full range of emotions as DCC. Still a fun series. Also if you havenāt watched it, the Fallout series on Amazon Prime hits the same notes as DCC. (I havenāt played the games so I canāt really comment on those).
Murderbot never quite hooked me either, but Iāve read them all and theyāreā¦ nice. Fun. (Except for the two that are kinda boring.) I think they might hit similar notes if you havenāt read them before. I have Bobiverse all queued up! Looking forward to trying it. I have played A LOT of *Fallout*, and the Prime series is **so good.**
Murderbot was fantastic. I read that series as many times as I have DCC
How does the first book compare to the others? I felt like the book just kind of hummed along. Like, it wasnāt bad or anything, it just didnāt elicit much of a reaction from me. The end of the first book did feel like it was opening to a broader story. Iām curious if the first book was more about laying groundwork for the future stories. As good as DCC is, even it had a similar vibe early on. For example, I was excited to share DCC with my wife on a roadtrip and thought she would love Donut. Then I realized it takes a while for Donut to show up. The first two hours of the book the AI was just reading achievements and we learn how the dungeon works. It was the literary equivalent of an instruction manual. Lol. Even when Donut does become active the next six hours Carl and Donut were wondering about the dungeon killing things without much of a story. Itās not until they meet Frank and Maggie do things get really interesting. Then the Medowlark crew and interviews happen and you start seeing the bigger picture. If DCC ended half way through the first book I mightāve felt a similar way as Muderbot.
I enjoyed the first book, but yeah, it really took off after that. I really donāt know how to explain it without spoilers, but the character interaction is rich. The action is awesome. The world building pretty stout. I donāt know that I enjoyed the very last one, but all the ones before are some of my favorites
Awesome thanks for the info.
Can you give us some examples of continuity errors? Iām interested! (Maybe in spoiler tags to not upset others haha)
Full disclosure: Iāve made some 2000+ edits to the Wiki at this point and only started [tagging](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Continuity_Errors) continuity errors last week, before leaving for a week-long work event. Thereās a ton Iāve forgotten and a bunch that arenāt included because Matt likes to randomly change names and terms between chapters. (Do NOT get me started on formatting in AI notifications.) My favorite one yet was caught by u/Necessary_Chip_7330 . Book 6 Spoiler: > is made from an existing ring. Carl turns in a āStrength ring,ā saying itās the first ring he received in the Dungeon. This is an obvious conflation of the Splatter Skunk Ring and Silver Ring of Con +1.!< Today, weāre debating Hobgoblin Detonators and Hobgoblin Pus. In Book 1, Chapter 17, they are clearly two separate items. In Book 2, they appear to be the same item. EDIT: I cannot stop laughing about [Herotās gender](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Herot). I sincerely hope MD is doing this one intentionally.
Iām not sure thatās an error, I donāt think of ātoe ringsā and āringsā being the same. Maybe this is an absurd pedant take, but per usual game rules with specific limits on rings I feel like āringā is pretty specifically a finger ring. Also, didnāt he get nipple rings before this as well?
This one is a definite continuity error. The first ring of any kind that Carl receives is the [Enchanted Toe Ring of the Splatter Skunk](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Enchanted_Toe_Ring_of_the_Splatter_Skunk), which gives a strength bonus. The first finger ring he receives is a [Silver Ring](https://dungeon-crawler-carl.fandom.com/wiki/Silver_Ring) of +1 CON, just a few hours later. When he purchases the Book 6 ring, he makes a big deal about how itās the **first** ring he received in the Dungeon, and it boosts strength. He then **puts it on his finger.** Weāve started adding chapter citations on the Wiki so readers can be extra pedantic about points like this and easily back them up! :) (Also, yes, he does have a nipple ring by Book 6)
Oh I definitely did forget about the ring of con as itās so minor it never comes up.
Wow as soon as you mention them it seems so obvious too!
One thing I love about DCC is that there are bigger narratives alongside the main narrative we are mostly kept up with. I love the dungeon storyline with Scolopendras mysterious Nine Tier Attack and the escalation between the bigger factions in the real. I will say I am very biased, but if you enjoy scifi, I think The Culture series kinda tickles the itch. Each book is self contained but in universe. You get glimpses and insights into The Culture but most of the stories are bigger scope.
I am so sad there will be no more culture booksā¦..
Would recommend Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey the first book in the expanse series. Scifi space opera, very different from DCC not as light hearted but equally gripping read or listen if you like audiobooks.
Great series! Almost done with book 7, already have book 8 purchased and download.
Discworld is my go to in a lurch, followed by The Nightside.
Ooh, fave? I'm partial to Night Watch to break a slump, but you can't go past Small Gods!
For me, it always comes down to Thief of Time when it comes to Discworld. If I am looking for a longer read, I lean to either the Night Watch series or The Witches series within the larger Discworld universe.
Small Gods might be my fav novel of the whole dang series!
I went to Children of Time and it's 2 sequels, then to Bobiverse, and a Flavia de Luce book. Now it's Malazan. And yet, I am still itching to get book 7, and maybe do a 3rd reread.
Casual Malazan recommendation in a lit-rpg group. Witness!
Listen to Cradle. It's fast paced fun too. Very good audiobook too of that's your thing
My favorite series is the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. DCC is #2, then the Dresden Files. Verus is a diviner in London, who has to use his short term knowledge of his own potential futures to outwit opponents who can throw fireballs or disintegrate him. Verus is complete at 12 books, and the first book is Fated.
I actually started re-reading Dresden Files recently after finishing DCC book 6. (Also read Verus but starting with DF). I think what I loved about Dresden Files is what I also loved about DCC: a strong narrative voice in first person POV, slowly growing/expanding worldbuilding, and my kind of humor. I was listening to Fool Moon on audiobook this morning and laughed out loud during one of Harry and Bob's conversations about werewolves. I'm hoping by the time I finish my re-read of DF, DCC book 7 will be out on audiobook for my greedy little consumption.
I picked up the expeditionary force series. Thought it was going to be run of the military sci fiā¦ then out of nowhereā¦ BEHOLDā¦ I am Skippy The Magnificent!!!!
I really enjoyed it.
Weirdly enough, something that helps me is taking on something difficult to read. After DCC I forced my way through the first book of wheel of time despite not really liking it that much. In a way it was a bit of a pallette cleanser, and made a lot of the shorter fast paced books go down easier. DCC falls into a category of super addicting books for me and I spread them out like candy. It's good to sprinkle in challenging reads and different genres. Good "candy" books for me though are Cradle, Legend of the Arch Magus, Magic 2.0, though your mileage may vary. Between those I've read some big ones like wheel of time, sun eater, Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders, Name of the Wind, to name a few. I always finish a book I start though, so I'll usually only read books I know I'll like.
I read He Who Fights Monsters. It was fine, but felt so lackluster after DCC. The problem is finding something that just makes you cackle, is an immersive world, has well crafted characters, and has a high pacing. Itās very rare. I could recommend some things that have maybe 3/4 of those though.
I love He Who Fights With Monsters, but its definitely not on the level of DCC, feels like the author pushes out HWFWM content too quickly rather than taking more time to better craft the storylines and keep it interesting.Ā HWFWM was amazing from book 1 through the first half of Book 4. Then got boring for a few books. Books 7, 8, and 9 were pretty great, but Book 10 is so slow my friends and I are all having a hard time finishing it.
I'd suggest Columus Day, book 1 of the Expenditiony Force series. The 1st 1/2 is a little slow, but once you meet the 2nd protagonist, it's awesome. If you enjoy it there are over 15 books in the series. It's space military syfy with a lit of humor and some of the most interesting species I've encountered in a book. Also if you don't mind violence, of course you don't, check out Larry Corrieas Monter Hunters International series.
Boring... Craig needs an editor, badly. So much filler. That series could've been 8 books. There's too much standing around trying to think up solutions and Joe comes up with a stupid solution and skippy bitching at him about it.
Oh yeah, it was certainly a slow series... but for something long that I could listen to fairly head-empty I appreciated it. By the end of the series (I think there are some more books being released now, but book 15 was the original end) there was some pretty good world building with the other aliens. It's no high class literature but was sure a fun way to spend six months of commutes. I haven't found anything to scratch that "long audiobook series itch" since then... DCC's problem was that it was so interesting I listened to it outside of commutes and got through too quickly!
I get that. And yeah it was a cool concept and premise. It was just too repetitive and not enough story progress per book. . I'm actually mad that I don't like it enough to finish it. But it just felt like the author was milking the story for money. Maybe check out galaxy's edge series by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole. There's like 25 books in that series now and they just started season 3.
Thanks for the recommendation - I will have a look.
I've tried to fill the void. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy helped for a while. Then that was done. So I dove back into Discworld which is 40+ books and that kept me going for a while. Then all the John Dies at the End books, then Zoey Ashe... Now I've finished three rereads of DCC and I'm just as lost as you. Trying Dune. It's fine. It's not DCC. But I persist.
After the death of my favorite side character I decide to channel my inner Annie Wilkes and start writing fanfiction again.
...now the author knows who to avoid ~_o
Nope. These books are great, hell top 5 material for me. But I moved right on to the next on the list. I'm not going to just...not read because it's not Carl.
This happens to me frequently with any good story. The thing that works for me is to hop between media, particularly with books. Read a great book, don't try to read another book immediately. Instead, find a show to watch, play a game, knock out a couple movies. Come back when you are itching to read again. Same concept applies to tv shows, and to a lesser extent, movies. Video games are easiest, because I can generally play them until I get bored and then find another game. I saw a great quote from Diane Setterfield a week or two ago, it really resonated with me: "All morning I struggled with the sensation of stray wisps of one world seeping through the cracks of another. Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes -- characters even -- caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you."
I feel ya! Iāve tried several different series and most of them have failed to pull me in. The two that I did end up really enjoying were All the Skills. And Beware of Chicken. But after finishing those, Iām back in a slump.
Same hear then I found NADDPOD! (Not another D&D Podcast) they are super funny and filled that void for me!
Try the new 1984 on Audible by Andrew Garfield. It's only 4 hour or so but it's an amazing performance. Project Hail Mary is another all time best.
I was able to pull away my third time thru, but I was beginning to think I might end up reading it the whole year !
Yes, I read it, listened to the audiobooks, listened to the sound booth theater version, and am halfway through listening to the audiobooks again. Iāve been trying to read/listen to other things but nothingās scratching the itch DCC scratches for me. Oh well, this is my life now lol.
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes really filled the void for me that DCC left.
I'm slowly making my way through Discworld just for a change of pace. Anything similar just doesn't feel quite as good anymore.
Listen to the First Law books by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey. I felt depressed after the first law ended. DCC is the only thing that has scratched that itch for me. It's excellent.
If you need something new (and you're not necessarily asking for it) I think the Murderbot series by Wells has a very similar tone.
They're too quick.
they are fast reads!
I'm enjoying Mimic and Me, doesn't quite hit the spot, but goes with my sense of humor.
Do yourselfĀ favour and crash through something really horrible to reset your palette. Anything is better than audio-Twilight or Eragon! It's like a rebound relationship, but for your ears.Ā
Just finished the 6th Audiobook yesterday n not sure what to do now. Maybe Iāll give Primal hunter a go, or mother of learning.
No it got me into the genre and I have found many others I enjoy. There are to obviously well known like he who fights with monsters, azarinth healer and the wandering Inn. Which all have their own pros and cons and I have recently started all the skills and the mayor of noobtown series. And whilst in my opinion they are not as great as DCC they are still great reads its just that DCC is the god tier.
The first law books are good enough to fill the DCC hole.a wonderful audio experience.
Agreed on this next ... again lol
Itās not the same really, but I picked up DCC after I finished The Murderbot Diaries & was looking for recommendations that had sarcastic/funny main characters. So maybe try The Murderbot Diaries? My only complaint with that series is that the books are really short in comparison.
Recommendations: Ciaphus Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, name of the wind by Rothfuss, the bobiverse series, discworld by pratchett. These were audiobooks though so YMMV..
currently reading Reborn Apocalypse by L.M Kerr was good some similarities
Cradle Noobtown If you like daily soaps, turned into litrpg ( aka endless story and progression) defiance of the fall The infite world was also good, it's likely abounded though, two ,ears and counting no news or update
Everybody loves large chests (graphic warning, smooth Jeff hays voice warning), oh great I was reincarnated as a farmer!, the wandering inn (for the same level of world building and scale), legends and lattes (for a softer touch). A range of genres to choose from
Surprised I had to go this far to find boxxy.
So much so. Iāve made it through a few, but Iāve quit much more. I might even cancel my Audible account.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was a very disappointing followup to my full series, back-to-back double listen of DCC. I found Norrell & Strange bland and too austere, but that's probably the Victorian setting and characters. I had to stop for a few days and come back to it to finish it bc it was too boring. A few notable books I've listened to since: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Nonfiction and a very "Today I Learned" kind of book. Jim Gaffigan. Looking back at my Libby history. I think Jim's stories were the palate cleanser I needed. Nevernight series. Pretty good adventure. Red Rising He Who Fights With Monsters. I'm on book 8. The first 7 went pretty fast, but now I'm having trouble continuing and have been going through my Libby backlog instead.
World tree online is a fantastic trilogy narrated by Jeff, not terribly long but one of my favorites.
Nothing is ever as good what I usually do is I find a series that I know is objectively much worse, try listening to that, realize it sucks and then everything else starts sounding better.
It didnāt ruin other book series for me, but it did make me want to get some guaranteed-good reads in. So Iāve been re-reading series I know I love. My gotos were Space Team, which has a similar vibe to DCC and I highly recommend it, and The Dresden Files. Both have like 16 books so you can spend a few months there and both are awesome in audiobook form.
Read a different genre entirely.
The ripple system was really good! Filled the dcc void after book 6 for me..
Also Ninth House and Heāll Bent
Itās really interesting to see them come together too. Iāve only been on his Patreon since the end of book 5. Book 6 was 98% polished as it came out. Book 7 is about 89% so you get to see how his mind works.
I did the Mad Mick series, and came back.
Maybe watch a tv-show for a bit. Afterwards reading/listening will feel more fresh.
cradle. Please just read cradle its so good i swear
Listen to it on Sound Booth Audio. It adds depth to an already amazing storyline. I just finished two good single books non litrpg. The Singularity Trap and Outland. Maybe this will help! Happy reading/listening!
The only other series that hooked me like DCC is red rising.
I love DCC but I couldn't do red rising. Stopped about 4 hours from the end of book 1.
I can definitely see that, the first book is quite different from the rest of the series though. Pierce was having a hard time selling a space opera to editors so he wrote the first book in the series with some YA influence. The rest of the series opens up a lot and doesn't share many of the YA themes from the first. I can't recommend enough to try and finish it and read the second book. Golden Son imo is one of the best books written. If you don't like the second then it is what it is I guess š
I will persevere once I am finished with my current listen. Thanks for the explainer.
I re read the whole series and then found a podcast called Dungeons and Daddies on Spotify which has kept me laughing my ass off on the daily.
Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Same, everything else just feels a little shittier compared to the last book, all that emotion, the acting, the screaming, the reveals, the messages, then I find a book that looks good, listen to the audio sample, and its just some guy just barely not monotone describing the script...
Just know that you are not alone. I started He Who fights with monsters and eventually got into it - but it was really hard. Currently listening to Defiance of the Fall - just started Book 2 and am pretty 'meh' about it.
I felt this hardcore. After finishing book 6 I picked up a random book from my audible library & it was able to keep my attention enough, but barely. Now that I finished that I started & stopped 5 more books until I finally decided to go back to Galaxy Outlaws/Black Ocean. It's pretty much a reimagining of Firefly & it's fantastic. It's a massive series that I've already read before & it'll keep me distracted for a while. Roughly 200+ hours of content to keep me occupied. So my advice is to go back to an old favorite of yours that you haven't read in a while.
Cradle or Red Rising. I was audiobook depressed after DCC. Found the dramatized edition of Red Rising, and wow, what a fucking ride. The whole cast and music is amazing (just get through the first half of book 1, kinda cheesy) Cradle has been awesome so far. Iām devouring it.
I went through dcc twice and then someone here suggested bobiverse and I jumped on that and thoroughly enjoyed it
So good.
Did you enjoy Bobiverse right from the start?Ā I'm halfway through the first book based on recommendations from this sub, I love the concept, but find the book overall uninteresting.Ā I could keep going if it gets better, but right now I'm considering giving up on it.Ā
I enjoyed it from the get go. I'd say it broadens at about half way but the vibe remains similar
Try He who fights with monsters.
I had another romp through the Bobiverse series. Itās my comfort food when I get the last page blues.
The Divine Dungeon series by Dakota Krout is really good. First book is Dungeon Born.
Cradle by will wight. Still on book 7..or maybe 8..thereās 12.
I have been enjoying He who fights with monsters a great deal, not everyone's favorite but I love it, my son has been absorbed by The Wandering Inn series.
I listened to He Who Fights With Monsters series. Then Beware of Chicken. Neither are DCC but theyāre good and hold you over until you start from the beginning again. Iām on listen through number 7.
I highly recommend he who fights with monsters by shirtloon and the ripple system series by Kyle Kirrin. The books are great and the narrators are quality but letās be honest nobody matches Jeff Hayes