Summary
Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman continues the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, combining fantasy and LitRPG elements. Carl, along with his feline partner Princess Donut, navigates a complex game-world. The duo faces challenges within a labyrinth containing clowns and existential questions. Throughout their adventures, Dinniman incorporates dark humor and explores themes of survival and morality.
Plot
In Carl's Doomsday Scenario, the second book in Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl and his companion Princess Donut, a talking cat, enter the third level of an apocalyptic dungeon. They arrive at the Over City, situated on a volcano, and encounter dangerous challenges.
Carl and Donut must make strategic decisions about their race and class. Donut remains a cat with the unique class, Former Child Actor. Carl becomes part of the Primal race and adopts the role of Compensated Anarchist, while maintaining a human appearance. Their former guildmaster, Mordecai, reappears as their guide and manager.
The duo embarks on a quest involving Grimaldi’s circus, led by undead clowns and a vengeful plant. The quest begins when Signet, an NPC, kidnaps Donut. Carl negotiates with the dungeon's overseers to secure her release. Simultaneously, Carl and Donut become involved in a subplot with a necromancer and a cult of city elves. They discover a conspiracy affecting sex workers and unmask Madame Quill, posing as a secretary, as the mastermind behind this plot. Quill's death triggers events that endanger the city. Carl captures a volatile soul crystal, inadvertently creating a doomsday device hidden among his possessions.
As the story reaches its climax, Carl and Donut attempt to escape imminent destruction. Carl devises a plan involving Katia, their new ally, to detonate set explosives. Amid the chaos, they narrowly escape, continuing their journey through the dungeon.
Characters
Carl: Protagonist and former Coast Guard veteran. Carl's journey centers on navigating increasingly dangerous scenarios driven by a strong moral compass.
Princess Donut: Feline ally to Carl. Initially a show cat, Donut becomes more strategic and emotionally complex, transitioning from impulsive actions to calculated decisions.
Mordecai: NPC and guildmaster. Originally a passive, drunken skyfowl, Mordecai becomes a crucial guide to Carl and Donut, evolving beyond comic relief and revealing more depth.
Mongo: Carl’s pet dinosaur, who provides comedic chaos and support. His role underscores the unpredictability of the dungeon’s challenges.
Hekla: Crawler leader. Her cunning nature creates tension and significantly influences Carl’s decisions throughout the narrative.
Lucia Mar: Antagonist. Motivated by revenge against Donut, her elaborate schemes introduce conflict and intricacy to the story.
Katia: New party member. A doppelganger with a Monster Truck Driver class known for resilience. She contributes her combat skills, though precision can be an issue.
Signet: Elite NPC. Central to a quest involving undead circus performers. This character underscores themes of friendship and manipulation.
Mrs. Quill: Minor antagonist. Disguised as a secretary, she harbors nefarious intentions. Her actions involving necromancy bring grim consequences.
Setting
In Carl's Doomsday Scenario, Matt Dinniman combines RPG mechanics with detailed world-building to create a layered dungeon experience. The novel transforms Earth into a video game-inspired system, using role-playing elements within the narrative. The plot advances through the third level, known as the Over City, an open-world setting with NPC settlements, training guilds, and side quests. This setup resembles a classic MMORPG and includes various challenges.
Themes
Carl's Doomsday Scenario explores human survival alongside ethical and socio-political themes through dark humor. Absurdity and existential despair combine to satirize the volatile Dungeon Crawler World. Characters like Carl face ethical dilemmas within the dungeon's manufactured reality, inviting examination of human behavior in extreme conditions. Carl's sardonic perspective and interactions provide insights into both capitalist critiques in the dungeon's setting and deeper thoughts on human nature.
Quick facts
Released in 2021, Carl's Doomsday Scenario is the second book in Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series of LitRPG adventures.
The story transitions from a dungeon-crawler to an open-world MMORPG environment on the third dungeon level.
Main characters Carl and his cat Princess Donut navigate an intergalactic game show, entertaining alien spectators.
Carl's Doomsday Scenario introduces advanced RPG mechanics including character race, class selection, and expanded magical gear.
The Over City, set atop a volcano, and features unique elements such as undead circuses and monster-infested ruins.
Carl's class, Compensated Anarchist, enhances his explosive abilities, while Donut's Former Child Actor class brings comedic and strategic dynamics.
Mordecai evolves from a minor NPC to a crucial character who influences the storyline considerably.
Princess Donut matures emotionally, showcasing surprising depth as a character through her quirky personality.
Carl's Doomsday Scenario includes darker themes, using humor strategically to handle tense moments and critique socio-economic concepts.
Carl discovers NPCs and high-level mobs are actually organic sentient beings re-purposed by alien game masters.
The audiobook, narrated by Jeff Hays, is widely praised for its immersive effects.
About the author
Matt Dinniman is a writer of inventive fantasy fiction integrating character development with role-playing game (RPG) components and humor. Carl’s Doomsday Scenario reflects this approach, blending humor with emotional depth. He has attracted a wide fanbase for his Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which includes Carl's Doomsday Scenario. Dinniman is based in Gig Harbor, Washington.
