Dicken Around

A Dungeon Core Online Side Story–Book One

By: Jonathan Smidt

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Beware of spoilers! This story takes place on the same timeline as DCO 1, following the same key events but showing them from a different angle. As such it contains spoilers for the main series—you have been warned!

Alex can’t wait to dive into the latest cutting-edge VRMMORPG: Dungeon Core Online. It boasts an ever-changing, ever-growing dungeon with an AI so advanced, it feels practically human. Funny huh?

Forming a two-man dungeon party with his best friend, Fel, Alex is keen to sample everything DCO has to offer. From delicious fried Dicken to a fiery whiskey brewed from demonic corn, the friends eat and drink their way through the chaos that is DCO. Gaming is supposed to be fun after all, and leveling is always a little better when you’re tipsy right?

It’s going to be a wild ride, with levels, achievements, bosses, and more–but mostly there's going to be a lot of Dicken around.

Ever wanted to see Dungeon Core Online from the players' point of view? Well then pull up a chair, grab a piece of fried Dicken, and get ready for DCO as you have never seen it before in this low-stakes, shenanigans-filled buddy adventure!

©2022 Jonathan Smidt (P)2023 Portal Books

Gosh Darn it, We Need More!

Awesome! Great story of Alex and Fels' adventure. I would dare say that it might have been even better then the main storyline! I can't wait for the next one in this series.

For the love of Dickens

Dungeon Core Online: Dicken Around

Like everyone else, Alex is incredibly excited about the new immersion game that will be releasing shortly, Dungeon Core Online. It is said to have some of the most realistic experiences that you can have in a MMO game. Even better, he is planning on spending all of this time with Fel. She is his best friend and hopefully more soon.

Dicken around is a story set in the Dungeon Core Online universe. It is a stand alone that you do not have to have read DCO: Remastered to understand or enjoy. You will definitely enjoy it! What a fun series! Alex is a far more confident character than James. It is also really fun to see the events from a player’s perspective. Even more so for me, this story focuses on two pet classes. My only complaint is that I wanted the book to be a lot longer!

Content warning: Language and fade to black sex

Great slice of player POV

Really like the POV but Teen angst - so tragic. I'm hooked on the DCO series. Hope there are more on the horizon for both the main & side series. There is a wider world in this aside line that neatly interconnects with the main story of the DCO world. Please keep writing.

A great read on it own

This takes place in the same universe, there are some minor interactions with already know characters, but this stands on its own. You don’t need to have read the other books. Reading one before the other will have spoilers for the other, of course, but they compliment each other well.

In response to another review, there is a budding romance here, but in my mind it adds to the overall story. If the romance wasn’t there, the story would be completely different as the interactions and emotions between the two would be wildly different. There is nothing like a harem or cringy sex scenes in this book, there is a romance between two people around their 20s and everything that goes with that… feeling and emotions and all that, but it’s also not a distraction from the story, it part of it.

Anyway, I’d recommend the book by itself and I’d recommend the book if you read the others as well.

Wow! This one is so much better than the name!

It's true, the title is a little tongue in cheek, but the story is good. Good character progression, romance, and world building. I enjoy the nod to newly launched games and their immediate updates and patches, it keeps the pacing correct and prevents the ever so popular, yet controversial, OP MC. If that's your shtick hey more power to you, but even you will enjoy this book.

The comedy is well timed to keep the book a fun read, balanced nicely with level and skill progression to keep the action interesting. There is a romantic relationship but nothing explicit, just a couple of fade to black scenes. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, it is a VR book, but even those that don't care for VR might still enjoy this one as the "real world" is just small slice of life moments and the majority of the book is in game.

I did receive a free copy of this book, but would never sully myself by being bought, my review is as honest as I know how to be.

---Joe Walling---