As a general books columnist with a related gig of recommending what other people should read, I feel a certain obligation to at least sample new trends or rising genres in literature.
So, when I saw a stack of multiple volumes of what appeared to be a series of novels with bold color covers and titles like “Dungeon Crawler Carl” and “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario,” I sensed this was something I should know about. The sheer size of the display suggested this was something very popular that I, a longstanding books columnist of sterling reputation, had never heard of.
Doing a little quick research on my phone revealed that this series of books (named after the first installment, “Dungeon Crawler Carl”) by author Matt Dinniman is indeed very popular, with seven volumes and an eighth coming imminently, selling over 6 million copies. I also learned that there is a name for this type of book, LitRPG, as in role-playing game literature.
I found a review by Slate’s chief book critic, Laura Miller, a reviewer who has steered me toward dozens of deeply pleasurable books over the years, in which she recognizes the “sophomoric” humor, but also praises the depth of character and poignancy of an approach to storytelling that illustrates the “perils of treating real life like a game.”
Alright, I decided, I’m checking this out for myself.
I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. I mean, I think I get it in that I understand the roots of pleasure for the legions that have been enjoying the series, but it does not connect with me.
In theory, I could be a promising candidate. LitRPG takes on the structure of a video game where characters face a series of challenges through which they either die or level up, solving dilemmas and acquiring new powers or deployable items along the way. I was weaned on video games, starting with Super Mario Brothers, and I’m well-versed in the mechanics of this kind of storytelling.
Aliens have essentially destroyed human civilization and most of the planet’s inhabitants, with those left standing trapped inside a seemingly infinite dungeon that they must try to escape while the rest of the galaxy watches as a kind of entertainment. The main characters of Carl and Princess Donut, a prima donna Persian cat belonging to Carl’s ex-girlfriend, have the makings of a charming odd couple.The scenario is bleak, but the delivery is ostensibly comic. While I often got the joke, I rarely laughed. This is, I think, the challenge of humor, where even a few degrees of mismatch cause the reader and the text to pass each other in silence.
If you know these sorts of games, you know the mechanics of the plot, a series of escalating challenges that Carl and Donut must try to navigate, he with his relatively high strength and constitution, Donut with her off-the-charts charisma.
For a time, I was carried along by the novelty of the approach, and as I describe the elements, I feel warmly toward the book — it’s inventive and clever and Dinniman writes without inhibitions — but I could not get invested in a way that had me turning the pages out of anything more than duty.
Miller listened to the audiobooks, narrated by Jeff Hayes, who brings the characters to life with an array of voices, so maybe the printed text was the wrong choice for me.In the end, I couldn’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something, something millions of other people are enjoying. while it may be for thee, it seems like LitRPG is not for me.
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt
2. “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt
3. “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach
4. “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell
5. “Bleak House” by Charles Dickens
— Diane P., Chicago
I’m always fascinated by the lists where there’s mostly pretty new books with one classic thrown in. I wonder if any of the pretty new books today will show up in a reading list 150 years from now. My recommendation: “Dream State” by Eric Puchner.
1. “White Noise” by Don DeLillo
2. “Amazons” by Don DeLillo
3. “The Fortress of Solitude” by Jonathan Lethem
4. “Vintage Contemporaries” by Dan Kois
5. “The Material” by Camille Bordas
— Daniel N., Northbrook
Daniel doesn’t seem to mind a book that can get a little weird. Here’s one: “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu.
1. “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell
2. “Isola” by Allegra Goodman
3. “This Is Not About Us” by Allegra Goodman
4. “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry
5. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah
— Vicky R., Oak Park
I think Vicky will enjoy the quiet warmth and depth of Michelle Huneven’s “Search.”
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com.
John Warner is the author of books including “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.” You can find him at biblioracle.com.
