Definitely check the Soundbooth Theater for their version. It takes it to a whole new level. Please at least consider this as Matt Dinniman and Soundbooth are the perfect combination. I truly would hate for you to miss out on this experience.
This was my gateway drug into LitRPG. LitRPG is like progression fantasy (or apocalypse, or portal fantasy) but with gamification. But it also has numbers--stats and levels and such. It's gamelit with numbers. But the strictness of the numbers (crunchiness, they call it) is softening. Soon gamelit and LitRPG will be the same thing.
Defiance of the Fall & Path of Ascension are great books that are mostly progression fantasy but also have LitRPG elements. Defiance of the Fall is my favorite series of all time. Beating out all of Brandon Sanderson stuff, not because it's the best writing, but the best world of all time.
This is Jeff Hays, narrator of Dungeon Crawler Carl and owner of Soundbooth Theater. Daniel, just cause you don't have Audible anymore, doesn't mean you can't listen to these damn audiobooks. Hit me up, I'll hook you up. Thanks for giving the best LitRPG out there a chance! You have touched the tip of the iceberg... just the tip...
Reading the book is great fun, however listening to the book is FANTASTIC! Jeff Hays is a narration wizard! Not just great at the narration but also adds just the right sound effects and has truly great comedic timing. Just listen to the sample on audible and you'll be sold on it.
Yeah, I picked up Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon from his app because of his amazing work in DCC. I also joined the Soundbooth Theater Discord and watch some of his UA-cam videos because I find it utterly surreal watching him talk and Donut's voice come out of his mouth.
I'm really not usually a medium elitist but this is one of the rare cases where you are directly doing yourself a dis service by not hearing it. I get the audible gripe with principals and all that. But it really elevates the book to a 10/10. I fully beleive with narration he would have given it an 8 or 9.
I do think the weird "book ends" pacing issue, and a bigger issue with LitRPG pacing as a whole, is that a lot of them started as web serials or "fan fiction style" works of releasing chapters week to week. Because of that, structuring them as books can sometimes be clunky
Progression Fantasy as a genre, tends to be an umbrella term for books where the main focus of the protagonist is to become more powerful through various means. That could mean through magic, cultivation (popular in Chinese novels and has been becoming more popular in the west. Cradle would fall under this), through video game systems, etc etc. The overall goal is for the main character to progressively become more and more strong over the course of the series to accomplish their goal, whatever that may be. Once you know that, then you can understand LITRPG as a method of progression for the protagonist, which involves using some sort of omnipotent system to govern the world, similar to a video game. It doesn't necessarily HAVE to be exactly like a game, but as long as the information can be quantified into numbers through some sort of character sheet, or status, then you'll have LITRPG. It is also common to use game logic that you'd see in stuff like RPGs.
I was going to say something similar. I think what sets apart progression fantasy (like the Cradle series) from LitRPG (like DCC or Arcane Ascension) is the use of stat blocks, or literal points into certain attributes.
@@DanielGreeneReviews To clarify, not all litrpgs are Progression Fantasies, though most are. E.g. A Budding Scientist in a Fantasy World has its focus on scientific discovery rather, though the protagonist does grow in power for safety reasons.
@@tmannickArcane Ascension actually rides pretty close to the line, but the authors of Arcane Ascension and Cradle are the two people who essentially coined the name “Progression Fantasy” because they didn’t think their books fully fit under the LitRPG umbrella.
I cannot recommend the audiobook more. And its not just on audible- Soundbooth Theater has its own app and store. Seriously, Jeff Hayes is an incredible voice actor who made the whole thing feel like a full cast despite being one guy.
I just devoured book one and need to wait 2 days for the next book to arrive, so I used my one audible credit sitting in my bank to get the audiobook. I'm not familiar with Soundbooth Theater, is it different in that app than what I got on Audible?
@@Agerock The audiobook is first produced on Soundbooth Theater, then carted off to Audible at a further time. The immersive experience is a separate recording that hasn't made it to Audible yet.
What I absolutely love about the Book and Carl specifically is how active of a protagonist he is. At first he's just trying to survive, but he quickly goes from just that to going forward and raally against the game and even the intergalactic powers involve in any way he can. Carl's not just looking to survive and win, Carl is there to flip the off the tables and break free from the game.
DCC YES! It’s such a unique and just fun series. I can wholeheartedly recommend the audiobooks too. It’s the best way to consume this series in my opinion
I got the audiobook after reading comments from your viewers and am so glad I did. The performance and production quality were fantastic, and elevated what would have been an interesting read into a really enjoyable listen. Will be continuing series when my next credit pops up.
Can't wait to see your review on the rest of the books! I am on Book 4, and I love this series! I get the same vibe from this series that I did from Dresden Files. Completely different stories, but that movie of the week vibe. I can say that a lot of assumptions made from the perspective of book 1, are really blown away by book 4. The world makes a lot more sense, the over arching story line becomes very clear, and the humanization of Carl and many of the characters really shines thru. I love this series.... I hope you come to love it too.
I would consider progression Fantasy as a way broader subgenre. To me it is fantasy in which a primary focus lies on the characters developing competence. Even things like Mistborn can be considered within that umbrella.
I got the book after I saw this video. Now I am on book3. Thanks to you I can't focus on anything else. This series is that good. You should have warned people about losing time with reality
DCC was the surprise breakout hit of the year for me. I had to put down the book I had planned to read next and finish DCC up through the latest release because I couldn't stop thinking about it.
DCC would be worth you getting back your audible subscription. The audio performance by Jeff Hays is remarkable! And I'm not really an audio booker myself. Seriously it's worth it!
This video, together with your 2023 awards video, convinced me to pick up the book yesterday and, man, it was great fun! I will definitely read the rest of them ASAP. thank you, Daniel!
I do not think you will be disappointed if you keep reading. A lot of the things you mentioned you wished there was more of (development regarding the impact of the apocalypse etc; Carl and Donut’s relationship etc) get interesting developments as it goes on
This is great to see - I love your channel, which encouraged me to really work through WoT (on book 12 now). DCC is one of my favourite light reads. This crossover is exactly what I needed
The books are good, but the Audiobooks are the BEST! Jeff Hayes really brings this series to life. You are almost doing yourself a disservice by reading the books as opposed to listening to them.
I have been waiting for this to hit your radar, I picked the first one up in September and burned through all 6 books before Halloween! This quickly became one of my favorite new series.
Just finished book six and can’t wait to find out how it all ends. This series has been ridiculously fun! I have to say though, with this series the audio books are the way to go. Jeff Hays does a fantastic over the top job and is the quintessential voice of DCC in the same way James Marsters is to the Dresden Files. I get the audible boycott but Soundbooth Theater can also get you the full audio experience.
Progression fantasy has characters which progressively get stronger throughout the story, not necessarily levels. Mother of Learning (please do read) is progression but not LitRPG since it has no 'game' elements.... Other than that, i have a very special recommendation in this genre--- Super Supportive. A book you wont hear about anywhere cause no ytuber read it yet, but its no.1 on Royal Road for months now and is pulling nearly 30k/monthly through Patreon alone. Its a super hero slick of life + action + slice of life + dark + slice of life + comedy, book. You wont read it right now, since we are all very busy people but do remember this for when this book spams your comment section in a few years...
LitRPG is my new guilty pleasure. Most books of the genre are long so using my free Audible credits for books of such length seem like a good bargain for me. The two I've really liked are He Who Fights with Monsters and Defiance of the Fall. Ill be picking up Dungeon Crawler Carl this month thanks to your review!
Have to agree with you on Defiance of the fall, still to this day one one of my favourites. Despite more than 10 books worth of material I'm still hooked, getting drip fed a chapter a day on RoyalRoad. I'd add Chrysalis in there as one of the most enjoyable, if a little slow to get going.
Nah He who fights with monsters is not for me i could not stand the main character Jason hes such a liberal virtue signalling becon. The rants he does i shut down and block it all. Too bad it ain't balanced
@@omgwerockhard I feel the issue is less the political views which are fairly harmless to the quality of the actual book but the sheer frequency of such a thing, when it otherwise wouldn't be a problem.
Love the series! It’s a wonderful way to just relax and laugh, amazing escapism. The audio EASILY adds half of the value, if there’s a way to listen it’s DEFINITELY worth it.
Matt Dinnaman creates an armory worth of “chekhov’s guns” and doles them out to keep the pace up in places this kind of story would normally stall out later on. Definitely excited to see what you think of the later books as I felt they really hit their stride and learned from book 1.
Totally understand reading over listening to the audio books due to it only being on audible. However, for those who are using audible, the audiobooks are definitely the way to go. The narrator, Jeff Hays, honest had me thinking it was a full cast of characters until well into the second book. Also soundbooth thearts produces the audiobooks and add in special effects to add to the already well laid out jokes in the series!
Answering your progfan vs litRPG question. Progfan is broad, and Stormlight fits the definition. Generally, if the norm of the series is that the main characters would comfortably defeat the person they were 400 pages ago in combat and it's fantasy - then it's progfan. Contrast: Game of Thrones, where Jaime Lannister powers down over the series, and most other characters not named Arya Stark are mostly the same power in early and late scenes. Or Lord of the Rings, where only Aragorn powers up during the series and not by much. litRPG is a story where video game like rules apply, characters are aware of these rules and may even metagame around them. "I'm level 6 and I get new spells at level 7, so I'll go and murder a bunch of goblins for XP" is a good example here. LitRPG is almost a subset of progfan. There are litRPG stories that aren't progression, but they are few and far between. But it's a small subset, as progfan is pretty big. Other good examples: progfan but not litRPG: Will Wight's Cradle series. Both progfan and litRPG: Defiance of the Fall, Azarinth Healer
One of my favourite books, and the audio book is PEAK narration l, can’t recommend enough. Also, you are right with the series building. Each book and the series as a whole starts to add stress and like a kettle building and I’m terrified for the characters when it finally boils over, again.
100% the audio book is an absolute must have. I often listen to the book and the reread it on my own terms due to how absolutely spectacular Jeff Hayes does with the voices. You're right on the litrpg VS progression fantasy parts. Cradle is progression fantasy.
Great review! I just finished binging all DCC books that are out and am utterly addicted. I may have just circled back and reread book 1 again. Maybe. Possibly. I’m so glad you hit on the depth in the worldbuilding going on outside the dungeon and the emotional depth and heaviness of what’s happening inside, as the books and Carl don’t just treat mobs and NPCs like non-sentient cannon fodder. The story continually drops hints about the outside as the series goes, plus the media appearances will always have Carl interacting with others outside the dungeon too-that aspect of the story I think will continue to delight!
DCC originally came out as a web series on RoyalRoad so the abrupt ending may be a artifact of that, it likely was not planned to be "cut" into books at the start of the series.
DCC is what happens when Dresden, Squid Game and Hitchhiker’s Guide have a baby. It’s dumb, but it knows it is - and it’s so bloody good. Hope you continue!
I'm on book 3. I enjoy them so far. I need to get back into them though. I finished book 2 so fast I had to wait almost a month for another credit on Audible.
This was my favorite read of last year! I get so excited trying to explain it. I blew through it. I’m rereading the series now and noticing little things! I could spend hours talking about this. Ready for the next book.
I think the litrpg progression lit sub genre is like any other sub genre where you have to find the author that fits you because there is a lot out there that I just can’t read but also a lot out there that I can’t get enough of! Another progression book I would recommend would be mark of the fool. It does a really good job of growing characters outside of combat I’d say
DCC is one of the very best LitRPGs. Noobtown is also very good, but anyway. It’s super easy to put this genre on in the background while you do manual labor (I’m a maintenance guy), and not get lost at all. I end up having to back-track 30 minutes for Garden of the Moon (Malazan)
We need an update video once you catch up to book 6. Book 7 should be out in the fall. Glurp Glurp! Nice to see and hear a book reviewer with decent lighting and mic audio.
Discovering this series has been fun. I like fast paced books that make me run through them like Dresden, but it had been a while since I came across anything new. I started after Fantasy Awards and on The Bedlam Bride already lol
I finally read something great before Daniel! hehe. So, I see people recommending the audiobook version of this and I completely concur, although I read the first book with Princess Donut having an old southern belle “lady” accent and Jeff uses a British accent… I like my interpretation much more. The southern lady accent really makes her sarcasms stand out and hit harder.
Um actually, callout to dropout, he didn't retire from the cost guard. Anyways love your content and thank you for finally getting to this i cant wait to see how you feel after book six. Please update us if you can.
Be back here for the second half after I listen to book 1 of DCC. Still, I can't fully describe my excitement in LitRPG's getting some love on a bigger booktuber channel! Longterm fellow goblin, that also understands the possible "volatility" of content of said genre 😅
As SBT's DoO, it's been pretty cool seeing how this particular title has become so popular with people who aren't even necessarily fans of the genre. Matt is a great writer. And there's no one else with Jeff's abilities.
The great thing about this series is that it starts good and develops into greatness. It also develops into more of a universe wide vide. It doesn't stay within the dungeon. As a person who never read a litRPG book either I love it from a Sci fi world building aspect and not just a video game aspect.
interesting that it's acronym is dcc since that is the common acronym for the role playing game Dungeon Crawl Classics, an 80's inspired Old school RPG inspired role playing game of randomness.
The audiobooks truly are on another level. The studio that did them is fantastic, so much so that while the DCC series isn't even in my top 50 series, it's my absolute favorite audiobook experience out of the 450+ audiobooks in my digital library.
A great point of comparison to understand the LitRPG vs Progression Fantasy distinction is the series Mother of Learning. A young mage at a magic school is trapped in a time loop uses the extra time to learn, advance his skills, and develop his magic to solve the bug mystery of the time loop and escape. No levels. No RPG elements, but very clearly focused on progression and growth (both in power and as a character). Compare to DCC where there are literal RPG elements like stats and levels. LitRPG are usually a subgenre of progression fantasy.
I just finished listening to book 2, and this series is by far the most fun reading experience I’ve had in quite a while. The humor is right up my alley: weird, dark, absurd, and hilarious. And Jeff Hays absolutely KILLED IT with the voice acting. Can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series, but unfortunately my library doesn’t have any of the other books 😢 I’d also really love to try out the new audio version with sound effects, as long as that doesn’t mean that the book is an abridged version, cause I personally hate that. I’d want the entire book, but with the full cast, music, sound effects, etc.
I’ve really got into LitRPGs lately. Loved Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe, and listened to all 8 books of Solo Leveling on audible, I’m so obsessed now. Started to read He who Fights Monsters, and it just did not grab me, so I moved onto The Primal Hunter by Zogarth, and that one hits so much better.
I find LitRPG to be an interesting genre. I've read my fair share of webnovels with that as the premise, along with the apocalypse survival genre they so often are linked to, and it's definitely a _type_ of story that could be told without the LitRPG elements (the concept of a hero gaining in power and ability as they go along is VERY common), but the LitRPG elements hit that 'numbers go up' part of our brains, giving us just that little extra amount of pleasure from seeing the hero become more. Another one of this type that you might be interested in is "Azarinth Healer"- especially since the author is taking significant time and effort to convert the serialized original story into better edited and paced book/novel format, and does many of the same sorts of "training is glossed over unless it's plot relevant" stuff you said you liked about this one.
I can kinda see the appeal of “book ends here” without a wrap up when the series is done and you are binging it. I’d assume a good chunk of the subsequent books doesn’t recap the previous book’s events. Kinda hate that when I’m binging a series
Rereading the series right now, one of my current favorites. Really love how the characters and their relationships develop, and the themes of the novel are right up my alley. And of course, it's hilarious af! Even if you've hated every other litrpg you've ever read, this could be the one you fall in love with. I'm almost anticipating the next DCC book moreso than the next Stormlight or John Dies at the End Novel.
So happy you reviewed this, one of my favourite audiobook series of all time! While Matt Diniman is amazing in how he balances the depths of horror of the circumstance to the satire and comedic relief and gallows humour is awesome! However, Jeff Hayes if Soundbooth Studios is one of if not the best narrator (after Pacey) that I’ve encountered. Just an amazing audio book production that only grows as the series does. Cannot recommend more!
I usually don't watch spoilers for a book I haven't read yet but I did with this one because the idea of it wasn't enough to hook me. After hearing where the first book goes I will be checking this out at some point
My understanding of LitRPG vs progression fantasy is pretty similar to yours. Progression fantasy is a catch all for books where there is a clear and explicit path of power increase, whereas litrpg is a specific type of progression fantasy that has stats, skills, and sometimes classes that have to be leveled up, usually (but not always) with the assistance of a “system”
For a non litRPG example of progression fantasy, take Xianxia Chinese fiction, where there are “stages” of power that are progressively reached, but they’re based on Taoist mysticism rather than game levels, and there isn’t a system (so no floating screen that tells you what level your skills are or gives you quests)
Progression fantasy is typically used as the umbrella term for fantasies where there is an understanding of the powers in the world that they can be quantified in some way and a part of the hero's journey is elevating through these realms of power. So unlike Dresden where there is an understanding that some wizards are more powerful than others, but what that actually means is somewhat vague; In progression fantasy the power level would be understood by the MC and possibly the world at large. Where this a known part of the world it is often a part of the culture. Where it is just the MC or a select few it give clear goal posts for the ability to challenge others; whether that is a classic big bad, rivals, or a local baking competition. Under that you have a couple subgenre's typically divided into LitRPG, Gamelit, and Cultivation. LitRPG is typically where there are numbers for class levels, character stats, and usually skill levels. There may be additional factors that affect these numbers or the potential for certain classes or skills. I have seen these called abilities, feats, and titles. Often they are something you are born with, select if the MC is new to the world, or earned for extraordinary feats. All of this information is typically available on a character sheet of some sort. Usually the mechanics are very RPG video game like, but can also be more D&D in inspiration. This tends to be the most concrete of the progression fantasies and theoretically you could sit down with a calculator and figure the MC's odds of success in almost any given scenario. Usually this have payoffs of ding number get bigger and, when well written, clever use of well defined powers. Often there is an experience mechanic. This might just be for the person, as a whole. There might be experience for stats and skills individually or tied in with the character levels. It leans very hard into Brandon Sanderson's idea of a hard magic systems, that the payoff for the reader when magic is used to solve problems is proportional to their understanding of that magic. This would include the Land, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Challengers Call, and Underverse Gamelit is usually seen as pretty similar to LitRPG but usually it is more vague or there is less of a focus on numbers. The dividing line can be a little blurry. It usually has the attitude of the classic Dragon Ball Z line, “He’s over 9000!” That is a big number and it sounds impressive but what does that actually mean in the world at large. Where LitRPG is more likely to have told you that every point of strength is the ability to life 10 pounds over your head or 10 points of strength is the average baseline for a human outside of this system. I put Sufficiently Advanced Magic and World Tree Online under this category. Cultivation is the typical term for progression fantasy involved the drawing in of external power into some form of core within. It is often not just people but animals, plants, and even natural forces like rocks or wind that have such a core. Typically this is accomplished through some form of meditation though it may be augmented through alchemy or the imbibing of natural treasures. Most directly this takes from Chinese Xianxia literature, but tropes from Japanese Manga/Anime and Korean Lite novels are also present. There are probably other influences as well, that I am not aware of. Some want to distinguish the more traditional stories and / or those written by Chinese authors through the use of the term Xianxia and use of the term Cultivation to distinguish westernized stories. I think the currently most popular cultivation story would be Cradle. Recently there have also been works that seek to hybridize Cultivation with the other 2. LitRPG hybrids are more common and popular with Defiance of the Fall, He Who Fights with Monsters, and System Misinterpret as examples. I would put Silver Fox and the Western Hero as a Cultivation / Gamelit hybrid.
15:00 Since I reread it recently I remember: Early in the book it's explained that the start out Intelligence stat doesn't really govern their real intelligence but more their start ability to interact with Dungeon Generated creatures and objects. The AI has a set number of points to assign per person (like in Fallout) and distributes them roughly on your real world self at that moment and it's idea what would be the most entertaining for the show.
I'm not the biggest LitRPG fan either and this one had dusted my Audible library for years now, but I am going to give it a go. The one LitRPG I have loved is Shadeslinger (The Ripple System) and it's sequels by Kyle Kirrin. It was truly a great reading experience and it definitely pokes fun at itself and the genre. For any reading, try it out!
Most lit rpgs and anything like them are started in a Webseries setting, which means a chapter a week or maybe two. Then after years they garner attention of some publisher who wants to make it a book. That makes the cut between books nearly an impossible mountain to get over in a traditional book setting.
Check out the book here: bookshop.org/a/89948/9798688591507
You got rid of audible but there's a audio-drama on the website.
Definitely check the Soundbooth Theater for their version. It takes it to a whole new level. Please at least consider this as Matt Dinniman and Soundbooth are the perfect combination. I truly would hate for you to miss out on this experience.
This was my gateway drug into LitRPG. LitRPG is like progression fantasy (or apocalypse, or portal fantasy) but with gamification. But it also has numbers--stats and levels and such. It's gamelit with numbers. But the strictness of the numbers (crunchiness, they call it) is softening. Soon gamelit and LitRPG will be the same thing.
Defiance of the Fall & Path of Ascension are great books that are mostly progression fantasy but also have LitRPG elements. Defiance of the Fall is my favorite series of all time. Beating out all of Brandon Sanderson stuff, not because it's the best writing, but the best world of all time.
The books get even better.
This is Jeff Hays, narrator of Dungeon Crawler Carl and owner of Soundbooth Theater. Daniel, just cause you don't have Audible anymore, doesn't mean you can't listen to these damn audiobooks. Hit me up, I'll hook you up.
Thanks for giving the best LitRPG out there a chance! You have touched the tip of the iceberg... just the tip...
Freaking love your work! I have been totally addicted and have listened to 3 books in the last two weeks so far heh
Saw recently a video I think on Insta with you doing FD Donut in all the other voices. So good. Cascadia was my fav for sure.
Fantastic book series
Jeff is the best!
Also ... Immersion Tunnel!
Reading the book is great fun, however listening to the book is FANTASTIC! Jeff Hays is a narration wizard! Not just great at the narration but also adds just the right sound effects and has truly great comedic timing. Just listen to the sample on audible and you'll be sold on it.
THIS! The audio books are amazing. I'm thinking of checking out the audio drama versions now.
Absolutely agree.
Yeah, I picked up Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon from his app because of his amazing work in DCC. I also joined the Soundbooth Theater Discord and watch some of his UA-cam videos because I find it utterly surreal watching him talk and Donut's voice come out of his mouth.
I'm really not usually a medium elitist but this is one of the rare cases where you are directly doing yourself a dis service by not hearing it.
I get the audible gripe with principals and all that. But it really elevates the book to a 10/10.
I fully beleive with narration he would have given it an 8 or 9.
The Butchers masquerade end of audio book is the best when princess donut sings a parody of wonderwall
I do think the weird "book ends" pacing issue, and a bigger issue with LitRPG pacing as a whole, is that a lot of them started as web serials or "fan fiction style" works of releasing chapters week to week. Because of that, structuring them as books can sometimes be clunky
Praying for the day he dives into web serials
@@DoctorWhoBlue If he gets into Wildbow we're never getting new videos again. Worm alone would take months.
don't inflict Worm on him
@@robbybevard8034 I'd prefer he look at Twig or Pale, lol. If you're worried about that though, hopefully he never finds Wandering Inn
I still need to read Pale. How is it? Twig is probably my favorite of all his works
Progression Fantasy as a genre, tends to be an umbrella term for books where the main focus of the protagonist is to become more powerful through various means. That could mean through magic, cultivation (popular in Chinese novels and has been becoming more popular in the west. Cradle would fall under this), through video game systems, etc etc. The overall goal is for the main character to progressively become more and more strong over the course of the series to accomplish their goal, whatever that may be.
Once you know that, then you can understand LITRPG as a method of progression for the protagonist, which involves using some sort of omnipotent system to govern the world, similar to a video game. It doesn't necessarily HAVE to be exactly like a game, but as long as the information can be quantified into numbers through some sort of character sheet, or status, then you'll have LITRPG. It is also common to use game logic that you'd see in stuff like RPGs.
Extremely well put! Thank you. 🙏
I was going to say something similar. I think what sets apart progression fantasy (like the Cradle series) from LitRPG (like DCC or Arcane Ascension) is the use of stat blocks, or literal points into certain attributes.
@@DanielGreeneReviews To clarify, not all litrpgs are Progression Fantasies, though most are. E.g. A Budding Scientist in a Fantasy World has its focus on scientific discovery rather, though the protagonist does grow in power for safety reasons.
Stormlight Archive technically would fall under Progression Fantasy
@@tmannickArcane Ascension actually rides pretty close to the line, but the authors of Arcane Ascension and Cradle are the two people who essentially coined the name “Progression Fantasy” because they didn’t think their books fully fit under the LitRPG umbrella.
I cannot recommend the audiobook more. And its not just on audible- Soundbooth Theater has its own app and store. Seriously, Jeff Hayes is an incredible voice actor who made the whole thing feel like a full cast despite being one guy.
Yes!! Also, they are doing an audio immersion experience that is available on Soundbooth Theatre. I highly, highly recommend this.
Honestly, I feel like the comedy in the book is like a 7/10, the delivery by the VA brings it to 9/10 for me.
The Voice Actor is great, he elevates the (really good) book on to the next level. Great Work.
I just devoured book one and need to wait 2 days for the next book to arrive, so I used my one audible credit sitting in my bank to get the audiobook. I'm not familiar with Soundbooth Theater, is it different in that app than what I got on Audible?
@@Agerock The audiobook is first produced on Soundbooth Theater, then carted off to Audible at a further time. The immersive experience is a separate recording that hasn't made it to Audible yet.
Love this series. The audio books are absolutely fantastic. Jeff Hays kills it, and Patrick Warburton even voices a character later in the series!
I’m on book 6… so awesome, best audio books I’ve listened to In a long time!
What I absolutely love about the Book and Carl specifically is how active of a protagonist he is. At first he's just trying to survive, but he quickly goes from just that to going forward and raally against the game and even the intergalactic powers involve in any way he can. Carl's not just looking to survive and win, Carl is there to flip the off the tables and break free from the game.
Oooh. As for the "why help people who wouldn't normally make it?" Floor Three, my friend. Floor Three.
I am getting this today. We see rarely praises this high.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the next books. I'm on book 6 and I'm incredibly invested and having so much fun!
DCC YES! It’s such a unique and just fun series. I can wholeheartedly recommend the audiobooks too. It’s the best way to consume this series in my opinion
Hello @the_fools_tale
At the end of Book 2 right now and loving the audiobooks.
I got the audiobook after reading comments from your viewers and am so glad I did. The performance and production quality were fantastic, and elevated what would have been an interesting read into a really enjoyable listen. Will be continuing series when my next credit pops up.
Just finished the audiobook of this it is awesome going to start book 2 tomorrow
Can't wait to see your review on the rest of the books! I am on Book 4, and I love this series! I get the same vibe from this series that I did from Dresden Files. Completely different stories, but that movie of the week vibe. I can say that a lot of assumptions made from the perspective of book 1, are really blown away by book 4. The world makes a lot more sense, the over arching story line becomes very clear, and the humanization of Carl and many of the characters really shines thru. I love this series.... I hope you come to love it too.
I would consider progression Fantasy as a way broader subgenre. To me it is fantasy in which a primary focus lies on the characters developing competence. Even things like Mistborn can be considered within that umbrella.
I got the book after I saw this video. Now I am on book3. Thanks to you I can't focus on anything else. This series is that good. You should have warned people about losing time with reality
Just finished this, and definitely echo your thoughts on it. Loved it and can't wait to continue reading through the rest of the books!
DCC was the surprise breakout hit of the year for me. I had to put down the book I had planned to read next and finish DCC up through the latest release because I couldn't stop thinking about it.
DCC would be worth you getting back your audible subscription. The audio performance by Jeff Hays is remarkable! And I'm not really an audio booker myself. Seriously it's worth it!
This video, together with your 2023 awards video, convinced me to pick up the book yesterday and, man, it was great fun! I will definitely read the rest of them ASAP. thank you, Daniel!
Perfect timing, I've been listening to this for a week and just finished book 6; I cannot tell you how madly I want an animated adaptation
I really hope you review the other books! I can't wait to see what else you think. The series keeps getting better and better.
I do not think you will be disappointed if you keep reading. A lot of the things you mentioned you wished there was more of (development regarding the impact of the apocalypse etc; Carl and Donut’s relationship etc) get interesting developments as it goes on
This is great to see - I love your channel, which encouraged me to really work through WoT (on book 12 now).
DCC is one of my favourite light reads.
This crossover is exactly what I needed
The books are good, but the Audiobooks are the BEST!
Jeff Hayes really brings this series to life. You are almost doing yourself a disservice by reading the books as opposed to listening to them.
I have been waiting for this to hit your radar, I picked the first one up in September and burned through all 6 books before Halloween! This quickly became one of my favorite new series.
Just finished book six and can’t wait to find out how it all ends. This series has been ridiculously fun! I have to say though, with this series the audio books are the way to go. Jeff Hays does a fantastic over the top job and is the quintessential voice of DCC in the same way James Marsters is to the Dresden Files. I get the audible boycott but Soundbooth Theater can also get you the full audio experience.
One of if not my favorite audio book. Love this series and can't wait for u to read the rest. Enjoy the ride
So Sound booth theater did do an audio drama of the first book. You can buy it from them directly. I would like to hear your thought on it.
Progression fantasy has characters which progressively get stronger throughout the story, not necessarily levels. Mother of Learning (please do read) is progression but not LitRPG since it has no 'game' elements....
Other than that, i have a very special recommendation in this genre--- Super Supportive. A book you wont hear about anywhere cause no ytuber read it yet, but its no.1 on Royal Road for months now and is pulling nearly 30k/monthly through Patreon alone. Its a super hero slick of life + action + slice of life + dark + slice of life + comedy, book. You wont read it right now, since we are all very busy people but do remember this for when this book spams your comment section in a few years...
I have to double down on reading mother of learning. Great all around.
I haven't checked Super Supportive, will put it in my tbr
@@scire105 Super Supportive is great, one of the best stories on RR In my opinion.
super supportive has passed mol for me but finding it so soon is a blessing and a curse for me 😅
LitRPG is my new guilty pleasure. Most books of the genre are long so using my free Audible credits for books of such length seem like a good bargain for me. The two I've really liked are He Who Fights with Monsters and Defiance of the Fall. Ill be picking up Dungeon Crawler Carl this month thanks to your review!
Have to agree with you on Defiance of the fall, still to this day one one of my favourites. Despite more than 10 books worth of material I'm still hooked, getting drip fed a chapter a day on RoyalRoad.
I'd add Chrysalis in there as one of the most enjoyable, if a little slow to get going.
Nah He who fights with monsters is not for me i could not stand the main character Jason hes such a liberal virtue signalling becon. The rants he does i shut down and block it all. Too bad it ain't balanced
@@omgwerockhard I feel the issue is less the political views which are fairly harmless to the quality of the actual book but the sheer frequency of such a thing, when it otherwise wouldn't be a problem.
Love the series! It’s a wonderful way to just relax and laugh, amazing escapism. The audio EASILY adds half of the value, if there’s a way to listen it’s DEFINITELY worth it.
Matt Dinnaman creates an armory worth of “chekhov’s guns” and doles them out to keep the pace up in places this kind of story would normally stall out later on. Definitely excited to see what you think of the later books as I felt they really hit their stride and learned from book 1.
Totally understand reading over listening to the audio books due to it only being on audible. However, for those who are using audible, the audiobooks are definitely the way to go. The narrator, Jeff Hays, honest had me thinking it was a full cast of characters until well into the second book. Also soundbooth thearts produces the audiobooks and add in special effects to add to the already well laid out jokes in the series!
Answering your progfan vs litRPG question.
Progfan is broad, and Stormlight fits the definition. Generally, if the norm of the series is that the main characters would comfortably defeat the person they were 400 pages ago in combat and it's fantasy - then it's progfan.
Contrast: Game of Thrones, where Jaime Lannister powers down over the series, and most other characters not named Arya Stark are mostly the same power in early and late scenes. Or Lord of the Rings, where only Aragorn powers up during the series and not by much.
litRPG is a story where video game like rules apply, characters are aware of these rules and may even metagame around them. "I'm level 6 and I get new spells at level 7, so I'll go and murder a bunch of goblins for XP" is a good example here.
LitRPG is almost a subset of progfan. There are litRPG stories that aren't progression, but they are few and far between. But it's a small subset, as progfan is pretty big.
Other good examples: progfan but not litRPG: Will Wight's Cradle series. Both progfan and litRPG: Defiance of the Fall, Azarinth Healer
I love the audiobook rendition of the book. It's hands down the most engaging audio performance I've heard yet
One of my favourite books, and the audio book is PEAK narration l, can’t recommend enough. Also, you are right with the series building. Each book and the series as a whole starts to add stress and like a kettle building and I’m terrified for the characters when it finally boils over, again.
This one didn't intrigue me before watching this video. Just got into litrpg and love it! The first and favorite is Primal Hunter.
100% the audio book is an absolute must have. I often listen to the book and the reread it on my own terms due to how absolutely spectacular Jeff Hayes does with the voices. You're right on the litrpg VS progression fantasy parts. Cradle is progression fantasy.
Great review! I just finished binging all DCC books that are out and am utterly addicted. I may have just circled back and reread book 1 again. Maybe. Possibly.
I’m so glad you hit on the depth in the worldbuilding going on outside the dungeon and the emotional depth and heaviness of what’s happening inside, as the books and Carl don’t just treat mobs and NPCs like non-sentient cannon fodder.
The story continually drops hints about the outside as the series goes, plus the media appearances will always have Carl interacting with others outside the dungeon too-that aspect of the story I think will continue to delight!
DCC originally came out as a web series on RoyalRoad so the abrupt ending may be a artifact of that, it likely was not planned to be "cut" into books at the start of the series.
DCC is what happens when Dresden, Squid Game and Hitchhiker’s Guide have a baby. It’s dumb, but it knows it is - and it’s so bloody good. Hope you continue!
Well since since I liked squid games and loved Hitchhikers guide I might have to read it.
@@stephennootens916highly recommend the audio version over print if you can do it. The narrator elevates the story to a whole new level.
The story gets so much deeper and a little darker as they progress and survive. You're in for a great ride.
This is also one where you HAVE to get the audio book. Completely different experience for the better.
I'm on book 3. I enjoy them so far. I need to get back into them though. I finished book 2 so fast I had to wait almost a month for another credit on Audible.
Southbooth also has the audiobook. Hayes is amazing and it’s worth the cost. The best way to consume
This was my favorite read of last year! I get so excited trying to explain it. I blew through it. I’m rereading the series now and noticing little things! I could spend hours talking about this. Ready for the next book.
3:08 Hearing Daniel say DCC referring to the book's title instead of the ttrpg Dungeon Crawl Classics was strangely jarring.
For those that do have audible, do give it a go there! It really takes it a clear step up. The narration is fantastic.
Been waiting on this one for a while! I binged the whole series in the past couple of months. The audio is fantastic
I love Dungeon Crawler Carl so much and the audiobooks read by Jeff Hays are AMAZING!!!! Like full cast but one person so the flow is so good.
I think the litrpg progression lit sub genre is like any other sub genre where you have to find the author that fits you because there is a lot out there that I just can’t read but also a lot out there that I can’t get enough of! Another progression book I would recommend would be mark of the fool. It does a really good job of growing characters outside of combat I’d say
DCC is one of the very best LitRPGs. Noobtown is also very good, but anyway. It’s super easy to put this genre on in the background while you do manual labor (I’m a maintenance guy), and not get lost at all. I end up having to back-track 30 minutes for Garden of the Moon (Malazan)
We need an update video once you catch up to book 6. Book 7 should be out in the fall. Glurp Glurp! Nice to see and hear a book reviewer with decent lighting and mic audio.
Discovering this series has been fun. I like fast paced books that make me run through them like Dresden, but it had been a while since I came across anything new. I started after Fantasy Awards and on The Bedlam Bride already lol
I finally read something great before Daniel! hehe. So, I see people recommending the audiobook version of this and I completely concur, although I read the first book with Princess Donut having an old southern belle “lady” accent and Jeff uses a British accent… I like my interpretation much more. The southern lady accent really makes her sarcasms stand out and hit harder.
Um actually, callout to dropout, he didn't retire from the cost guard. Anyways love your content and thank you for finally getting to this i cant wait to see how you feel after book six. Please update us if you can.
Be back here for the second half after I listen to book 1 of DCC.
Still, I can't fully describe my excitement in LitRPG's getting some love on a bigger booktuber channel!
Longterm fellow goblin, that also understands the possible "volatility" of content of said genre 😅
Can’t wait to see you get through this series! Every book is a banger! :)
i started the first book right after the awards, and im now at the end of book 3. Loving it.
You mention Orconomics twice so far in this review of a series I love. That's pushing it to the front of my TBR.
Love the audiobooks so much!
A lot of the pacing issues are due to the story original being a web serial, and the next book was just the next chapter release a few days later
Loved the review! I was freaking rolling at the LOTR story 😂
This is great! I literally started this series because you had it on your awards show twice, and now I'm hooked. Can't wait to hear your thoughts
As SBT's DoO, it's been pretty cool seeing how this particular title has become so popular with people who aren't even necessarily fans of the genre. Matt is a great writer. And there's no one else with Jeff's abilities.
Since you are reading a litrpg i would love if you gave defiance of the fall and primal hunter a chance they are some of the best litrpg avaliable
The great thing about this series is that it starts good and develops into greatness. It also develops into more of a universe wide vide. It doesn't stay within the dungeon. As a person who never read a litRPG book either I love it from a Sci fi world building aspect and not just a video game aspect.
interesting that it's acronym is dcc since that is the common acronym for the role playing game Dungeon Crawl Classics, an 80's inspired Old school RPG inspired role playing game of randomness.
Lit RPG has been my guilty pleasure genre for awhile now. DCC is definitely top tier in that space. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
He who fights monsters is bad litrpg too liberal
The audiobooks truly are on another level. The studio that did them is fantastic, so much so that while the DCC series isn't even in my top 50 series, it's my absolute favorite audiobook experience out of the 450+ audiobooks in my digital library.
daniel is so good at reviews
I love this series and so glad you are going to be reviewing it!!
A great point of comparison to understand the LitRPG vs Progression Fantasy distinction is the series Mother of Learning. A young mage at a magic school is trapped in a time loop uses the extra time to learn, advance his skills, and develop his magic to solve the bug mystery of the time loop and escape. No levels. No RPG elements, but very clearly focused on progression and growth (both in power and as a character). Compare to DCC where there are literal RPG elements like stats and levels. LitRPG are usually a subgenre of progression fantasy.
I just finished listening to book 2, and this series is by far the most fun reading experience I’ve had in quite a while. The humor is right up my alley: weird, dark, absurd, and hilarious.
And Jeff Hays absolutely KILLED IT with the voice acting. Can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series, but unfortunately my library doesn’t have any of the other books 😢
I’d also really love to try out the new audio version with sound effects, as long as that doesn’t mean that the book is an abridged version, cause I personally hate that. I’d want the entire book, but with the full cast, music, sound effects, etc.
I’ve really got into LitRPGs lately. Loved Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe, and listened to all 8 books of Solo Leveling on audible, I’m so obsessed now. Started to read He who Fights Monsters, and it just did not grab me, so I moved onto The Primal Hunter by Zogarth, and that one hits so much better.
He who fights monsters is terrible i agree
I read through 3 HWFM books, it seemed too much like egobation.
@@Hawkido tiresome getting lectured, Jason=virtue signal becon
@@omgwerockhardyeah I can see that. A lot of patting one's self upon one's back.
@@Hawkido and way too much going through abilities takes up hours
Daniel, DCC book is amazing, however the audiobook is the best audiobook I've ever heard and the voice acting was absolutely perfect! Goddamit Donut!
I find LitRPG to be an interesting genre. I've read my fair share of webnovels with that as the premise, along with the apocalypse survival genre they so often are linked to, and it's definitely a _type_ of story that could be told without the LitRPG elements (the concept of a hero gaining in power and ability as they go along is VERY common), but the LitRPG elements hit that 'numbers go up' part of our brains, giving us just that little extra amount of pleasure from seeing the hero become more.
Another one of this type that you might be interested in is "Azarinth Healer"- especially since the author is taking significant time and effort to convert the serialized original story into better edited and paced book/novel format, and does many of the same sorts of "training is glossed over unless it's plot relevant" stuff you said you liked about this one.
Always like watching ur review videos, u go in depth!! Happy reading 😊
The humanity of the monsters and beings of the dungeon become a key part of the story later on as well
This is my absolute favorite series ever! It just gets better and better--and, YES, the audiobooks are phenomenal!
I can kinda see the appeal of “book ends here” without a wrap up when the series is done and you are binging it. I’d assume a good chunk of the subsequent books doesn’t recap the previous book’s events. Kinda hate that when I’m binging a series
Good criticisms. I hope you do more of DCC reviews especially once you get to book 4.
Rereading the series right now, one of my current favorites. Really love how the characters and their relationships develop, and the themes of the novel are right up my alley. And of course, it's hilarious af! Even if you've hated every other litrpg you've ever read, this could be the one you fall in love with. I'm almost anticipating the next DCC book moreso than the next Stormlight or John Dies at the End Novel.
So happy you reviewed this, one of my favourite audiobook series of all time! While Matt Diniman is amazing in how he balances the depths of horror of the circumstance to the satire and comedic relief and gallows humour is awesome! However, Jeff Hayes if Soundbooth Studios is one of if not the best narrator (after Pacey) that I’ve encountered. Just an amazing audio book production that only grows as the series does. Cannot recommend more!
I'm happy you liked the book, but I highly recommend the audiobook because its the best I have ever listened to
This video made me read the series and now I'm on the sixth books bro
I usually don't watch spoilers for a book I haven't read yet but I did with this one because the idea of it wasn't enough to hook me. After hearing where the first book goes I will be checking this out at some point
I love these books so much. The more I get to know Carl and Donut, the more I love them. ❤
i dont know if you have ever read the awaken online, series its alot of fun following the villain and final boss around.
Yesss! One of my favorites LITRPG books! I'm glad you're reviewing it!
My understanding of LitRPG vs progression fantasy is pretty similar to yours. Progression fantasy is a catch all for books where there is a clear and explicit path of power increase, whereas litrpg is a specific type of progression fantasy that has stats, skills, and sometimes classes that have to be leveled up, usually (but not always) with the assistance of a “system”
For a non litRPG example of progression fantasy, take Xianxia Chinese fiction, where there are “stages” of power that are progressively reached, but they’re based on Taoist mysticism rather than game levels, and there isn’t a system (so no floating screen that tells you what level your skills are or gives you quests)
Progression fantasy is typically used as the umbrella term for fantasies where there is an understanding of the powers in the world that they can be quantified in some way and a part of the hero's journey is elevating through these realms of power. So unlike Dresden where there is an understanding that some wizards are more powerful than others, but what that actually means is somewhat vague; In progression fantasy the power level would be understood by the MC and possibly the world at large. Where this a known part of the world it is often a part of the culture. Where it is just the MC or a select few it give clear goal posts for the ability to challenge others; whether that is a classic big bad, rivals, or a local baking competition. Under that you have a couple subgenre's typically divided into LitRPG, Gamelit, and Cultivation.
LitRPG is typically where there are numbers for class levels, character stats, and usually skill levels. There may be additional factors that affect these numbers or the potential for certain classes or skills. I have seen these called abilities, feats, and titles. Often they are something you are born with, select if the MC is new to the world, or earned for extraordinary feats. All of this information is typically available on a character sheet of some sort. Usually the mechanics are very RPG video game like, but can also be more D&D in inspiration. This tends to be the most concrete of the progression fantasies and theoretically you could sit down with a calculator and figure the MC's odds of success in almost any given scenario. Usually this have payoffs of ding number get bigger and, when well written, clever use of well defined powers. Often there is an experience mechanic. This might just be for the person, as a whole. There might be experience for stats and skills individually or tied in with the character levels. It leans very hard into Brandon Sanderson's idea of a hard magic systems, that the payoff for the reader when magic is used to solve problems is proportional to their understanding of that magic. This would include the Land, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Challengers Call, and Underverse
Gamelit is usually seen as pretty similar to LitRPG but usually it is more vague or there is less of a focus on numbers. The dividing line can be a little blurry. It usually has the attitude of the classic Dragon Ball Z line, “He’s over 9000!” That is a big number and it sounds impressive but what does that actually mean in the world at large. Where LitRPG is more likely to have told you that every point of strength is the ability to life 10 pounds over your head or 10 points of strength is the average baseline for a human outside of this system. I put Sufficiently Advanced Magic and World Tree Online under this category.
Cultivation is the typical term for progression fantasy involved the drawing in of external power into some form of core within. It is often not just people but animals, plants, and even natural forces like rocks or wind that have such a core. Typically this is accomplished through some form of meditation though it may be augmented through alchemy or the imbibing of natural treasures. Most directly this takes from Chinese Xianxia literature, but tropes from Japanese Manga/Anime and Korean Lite novels are also present. There are probably other influences as well, that I am not aware of. Some want to distinguish the more traditional stories and / or those written by Chinese authors through the use of the term Xianxia and use of the term Cultivation to distinguish westernized stories. I think the currently most popular cultivation story would be Cradle.
Recently there have also been works that seek to hybridize Cultivation with the other 2. LitRPG hybrids are more common and popular with Defiance of the Fall, He Who Fights with Monsters, and System Misinterpret as examples. I would put Silver Fox and the Western Hero as a Cultivation / Gamelit hybrid.
15:00 Since I reread it recently I remember:
Early in the book it's explained that the start out Intelligence stat doesn't really govern their real intelligence but more their start ability to interact with Dungeon Generated creatures and objects.
The AI has a set number of points to assign per person (like in Fallout) and distributes them roughly on your real world self at that moment and it's idea what would be the most entertaining for the show.
I'm not the biggest LitRPG fan either and this one had dusted my Audible library for years now, but I am going to give it a go. The one LitRPG I have loved is Shadeslinger (The Ripple System) and it's sequels by Kyle Kirrin. It was truly a great reading experience and it definitely pokes fun at itself and the genre. For any reading, try it out!
I am so happy you got around to this. Its a fun book.
Most lit rpgs and anything like them are started in a Webseries setting, which means a chapter a week or maybe two. Then after years they garner attention of some publisher who wants to make it a book. That makes the cut between books nearly an impossible mountain to get over in a traditional book setting.