Author: Erin Penn

Book Review (SERIES): Dungeon Crawler Carl (books 4-6)

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I made it through three more amazing Dungeon Crawler Carl books!!!!

Why is Matt Dinniman making them larger and larger????? (I need sleep soooo badly now.)

Bonus for this series is the Storygraph BuddyRead Transcripts which I will drop during the rest of the week.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Series
Book 1: Dungeon Crawler Carl (levels 1 and 2 of the dungeon – 464 pages)
Book 2: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (level 3 – 384 pages)
Book 3: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (level 4 – 544 pages)
Book 4: The Gate of the Feral Gods (level 5 – 608 pages)
Book 5: The Butcher’s Masquerade (levels6 and 7 – 720 pages)
Book 6: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (level 8 – 832 pages)
Book 7: This Inevitable Run (level 9 – 880 pages)
Book 8: A Parade of Horribles (level 10 – forthcoming in June 2026)

Amazon Cover

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE GATE OF THE FERAL GODS

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Here’s the thing. It’s never easy. Carl and his team can’t go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can’t-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.

MY REVIEW for THE GATE OF THE FERAL GODS

Less than 200,000 left of the 8 billion, separated into small bubbles of teams between 40 and 200 people.

I loved the interacting storyline of the bubble. That particular bubble was well-written. I bet the options were rigged for the top-ten – they were matched up to the best storylines. Over 1,000 bubbles with four different puzzles each – you know over half of them were written by interns; Borton might have even done a High-School competition of “write a storyline and see it in action” to help boost numbers as parents proudly watch a story about bubbles and blood – “my kid wrote that!” for the lesser watched participants.

The fish-folk are beginning to cut back information from the outside, but they are too late with Carl. He is working two major things now: get as many crawlers networked together as possible and prepping for future levels. The networking was just beginning on paying off when everyone got chopped up into separate bubbles – but there is also a work-together needed to solve the bubble puzzles in order to get the staircase to the next level.

I love how Mr. Dinniman continues to give us so many layers to each story. We got the one puzzle in front of us within the dungeon. The interacting puzzle within the bubble. The bigger layer of the level and the Feral Gods. The interaction with other crawlers, some allies and some enemies and some just begging for help. The PR of the show. The politics beyond the show. The other dungeon levels upcoming with other problems.

This series can be a wild ride of adventure, a mystery puzzle with dozens of moving pieces, or a political statement about exploitation. Or all three. Read at whatever structure and entertainment you want.

Now it is time for me to sleep. I should not read 500+ page books in one sitting; I can’t help by read Dungeon Crawler Carl books in one sitting. These books refuse to be put down.

Read through the local library system.

 

Amazon Cover

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE BUTCHER’S MASQUERADE

Attention. Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose.
Run, Run, Run.

A lush jungle teeming with danger. Savage dinosaurs seeking blood. A fallen princess intent on vengeance. A mysterious, end-of-floor celebration for the top crawlers, dubbed “The Butcher’s Masquerade.”

The sixth floor. The Hunting Grounds.

As the remaining crawlers battle for their lives, a new, terrible threat looms. Outside tourists are finally allowed to enter the game, and they are here and ready to hunt. Among them is Vrah, a famed and veteran hunter, intent on collecting the biggest trophy of her career.

But their prey is far from harmless, and this season they are fighting back.

MY REVIEW for THE BUTCHER’S MASQUERADE

Each book of this series gets longer, with this installment over seven-hundred-page volume broken into four parts. Between side quests (the recital (new) and the elite storyline from level three being revisited), ongoing plans, dealing with being top crawlers and the chaos that brings, a con for the crawler fandom, and, of course, the themed challenge for level six, there are a LOT of moving parts and storylines needing building, climaxing, and resolving.

Mr. Dinniman continues to mesmerize with the fast-moving shuttle of the woven plotline. You will be mad and sad, laugh and cry and all the emotions in between with this fifth installment of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

I would like to compare this entire series to the short-story puns Isaac Asimov used to write – those things that were a little confusing at the beginning but you trusted that he would pull it all together to a very satisfying pun. Mr. Dinniman pulls everything together for some of the most epic final battles I’ve ever read while giving pathos and jokes in equal measure.

I would like to give a shout-out to everyone who loves Samantha, because I don’t like her that much but I know a lot of people do and situational jokes like her are one of the reason a lot of people are buying the Carl books. And those purchases encourages the author to keep writing them. So thank you.

Buy. Buy. Buy. (So he will write. write. write. and then we can read, read, read.)

(Book checked out through the local library.)

 

Amazon Cover

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE EYE OF THE BEDLAM BRIDE

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit.

Each team of crawlers is given a task: find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger, the deadlier, the better.

At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible.

But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed.

Her name is Shi Maria. She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

“Beware, beware. Beware the Eye of the Bedlam Bride”

MY REVIEW for THE EYE OF THE BEDLAM BRIDE

The ride continues. The best world-building and character building and complicated plot building and mac-gyvering I have ever seen.

Not my favorite book of the series, and it shows in the “long” read-time (over two weeks). When I collapsed at night, I could sometimes go a couple-few days without returning. The reason is the mechanics for this level is not my favorite.

Each level of the dungeon has a different challenge and storyline. For the 8th level, the mechanics is a card game. I bet my friend who did professional poker playing loved it, same with the Pokemon and the Magic: The Gathering players. I’ve played enough card games to understand the mechanics, but ducked out of getting addicted. Like the Iron Tangle level, the setup is slow. The emotions stops and challenges along the way all are important, but not a wild ride (except that the whole series is a Wild Ride) until the very end.

And with a 800 page book, the “wild end” is over 100 pages, but DO NOT SKIP to the end. You need everything inbetween.

The themes of this book are addiction, trauma (always), and the power of togetherness. Addiction makes you pull away, togetherness helps you survive. A book this crazy should not be tackling themes this deep, but here we are, Carl, and Mongo approves.

Read through the local library system.

Series of Transcripts for Dungeon Crawler Carl

  1. Book Review (SERIES): Dungeon Crawler Carl Books 1-3 (12/16/2025)
  2. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 1 (12/17/2025)
  3. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 2 (12/19/2025)
  4. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3 (12/20/2025)
  5. Book Review (SERIES): Dungeon Crawler Carl Books 4-6 (2/17/2026)
  6. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4 (2/18/2026)
  7. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5 (2/20/2026)
  8. BuddyRead Transcript: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 6 (2/21/2026)

Flash: Summer is Here

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Picture provided as Prompt for the Flash, Origin Unknown

The sign struggled with its messaging like the last autumn leaf clinging to an oak branch. “SuMmer IS heRe.” Merideth read the various sized letters on the ancient broken marquee below the faded blue paint and blinking neon motel sign. “I guess?”

“The autumnal equinox isn’t until tomorrow so we can roll with it,” Sabine said. She always knew things like when the moon cycle was and what zodiac sign went with which, and assured Merry that they would remain best friends forever with their Capricorn and Scorpio mix. “Although I think that sign hasn’t been changed in three years.”

“So, stop here?” The white compact had slowed as far as it could without actually stopping or turning into the gravel parking lot.

“You can’t drive any further, and I can’t drive after I take my meds.”

“Thank you.” Merideth’s gratitude was heartfelt. “I don’t think there is another motel for fifty miles and the mountain fog is getting bad now that the sun has completely set.” She angled Sabine’s car into the parking lot moving around two semis parked at the edge to get to the door marked office. “The semis are promising.”

“Nah, I can hear their engines running. The guys are sleeping in the trucks, not the motel.”

Once parked in the otherwise empty lot, they both fell out of the car, using it for support as they stretched in the rapidly darkening twilight. The gravel crunched under their feet once they regained their balance enough to make their way into the office for check-in.

Merry tapped the sign right under the office sign. “Newly remodeled.” She looked around at the two wings of the motel painted a sad mix of blue and peach visibly chipping and peeling in the blinking fluorescent lights. The sign itself had faded to barely visible gray lettering. “This one I don’t think I can stretch to any form of the truth.”

“If we go with remodeled this century, it might work. We are only twenty-five years into the new millennium.”

Merry nailed Sabine with a look of overdramatic disbelief, then they both laughed as they entered the office, the door jingling as it hit a bell above the entrance. Inside smelled of air conditioning mildew, forgotten cigarettes from when people smoked indoors, and bleach. Behind what looked like bulletproof glass with a small passthrough underneath sat a largish woman knitting a brown something. The space on the customer side was chipped tiled floor, a plastic tree with more leaves on the tile than the outside autumn leaves had dropped for tomorrow’s beginning of fall, and two chairs with their pretend leather seats cracked from age.

“Welcome to The Grand Sleeps Motor Lodge. How can I help you girls?” the woman asked as she set aside her knitting needles.

“Room for two. Separate beds if possible.” Sabine said, moving her purse to pull out her wallet. “Just for the one night. You take Visa, right?”

“Sure thing. We accept all major credit cards. I will also need a driver’s license.” The woman tapped the pass-through in front of her. The white linoleum had been worn down to wood in the valley.

Sabine shoved the two requested pieces of plastic through the dip.

Pulling out the computer tray from under the computer desk covered with yarn, the woman tapped a couple of keys and then ran the back of Sabine’s driver’s license under the red beam of a scanner after which she knocked the credit card against a second machine in the typical tap to pay manner before returning them. “All set,” she said before passing an actual set of keys through the passthrough with a large faded blue plastic number attached. “I set you up for room nine, just four doors down on your left. That one got freshened today so you should be all good.”

“That was fast, thanks.”

“Yep, we are all modernized here. Enjoy your stay. Put the keys into the key drop in the morning and we should be square.”

(words 672; first published 3/11/2026)

Created for a writer’s guild meeting off a visual prompt of a landscape picture.

Editing Rant: Building not Repeating

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Photo by Massimo Adami on Unsplash

THIS! THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY BUILDING!!!

Okay, let me start from the beginning. A common issue with authors getting their first (or fifty-first) edit is repeating information. Now, repeating information isn’t necessarily bad, but it shouldn’t be the same as what has appeared before.

Places to repeat information include (1) at the beginning of each book in a series or serial. (a) The series needs a recap, but it doesn’t need to be more complicated than the normal background information drops; it just so happens that this time you have an actual book with the background information, not just something in the character’s head that needs to be let out slowly. (b) For a serial (where the characters don’t change (much) between stories and the books can be read in any order – for example cozy mystery “series”), just need to quickly reintroduce the characters.

Do not do the serial introduction with a cut-and-paste of previous information (for the love of everything, please don’t do this!!!). Maybe introduce them through the eyes of a different character, or by having us get to know them through observing the new murder mystery.

(2) When there is a mystery or something unfurling like it, such as a political thriller, and a recap is needed periodically to keep the reader on the same page with the character.

(3) Just the general making sure the reader doesn’t forget an important aspect of what is happening.

When not to repeat EVER – you just said the information not two paragraphs ago. (SECONDARY RANT!!!)

I need to tell him to bathe before we leave, Martha thinks as she rushes upstairs.

John, being the teenager that he is, is still struggling to get out of bed. His younger brother is tying his shoes.

“Don’t forget to shower. Hop to it or we will be late.” Martha tells John before heading down the hall to change her clothes.

You think I am joking that this sort of thing happens all the time, but it does. Don’t repeat. Build.

Options

One) Have a different character say the information so the perspective is different.

I need to tell him to take a bath before we leave, Martha thinks as she rushes upstairs.

John, being the teenager that he is, is still struggling to get out of bed. His younger brother is tying his shoes.

“Hurry up, we are going to be late. And shower!” Martha tells John before heading down the hall to change her clothes.

“Yeah John, shower. You are stinky,” says Rafe. With the skill developed over a lifetime of being the younger brother, he dodges the pillow thrown at him.

(Two) Different information. Each time the repeat is done (three times to make something real), reveal different details An example is describing the character’s car each time they get in: (a) the red sports car; (b) he loved the remote heating seats in winter; (c) the white interior fortunately was leather so the mud would clean out. This works like background information, don’t reveal certain details unless they are needed. No need for a one-page character / item description when you can drop details in throughout the book.

(Three) Build. Each time something is repeated, reveal something more. Make it richer.

Back to the THIS! THIS!

So in Dungeon Crawler Carl, one of his catch phrases is “You will not break me.” But Matt Dinniman is amazing, he only has Carl say this once per book. It is a defining line, but it is said differently each time. (Another catch phrase is “Damnit Donut.” If you are reading this series, watch this line evolve.)

Book One is the standard: “You’re not going to break me,” I said. “You might hurt me, or kill me, but you’re not going to break me.”

The wonderful confidence, knowing death is likely, but he will mentally fight them with everything he has and hold it together. He won’t become what they want. A wonderfully innocent thought.

Book Two, the sentiment builds emotionally: You will not break me. You will not break me. (Fuck you all.)

Book Three, the words are written out with planning and intent, a mental commitment: They will not break me. Fuck them all. They will not break me. But I will break them. This is my promise to myself, to my friends, and to you, anyone who reads these words. I will break them all. – Crawler Carl, 25th Edition of The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook

This is what I mean by, “if you must repeat, build.” Matt Dinniman builds.

Writing Exercise: Reintroduction

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Photo by dole777 on Unsplash

Just ran across a wonderful post about why reintroducing yourself on your various social media is IMPORTANT. It isn’t about starting over, but about defining where you are now. If you have been on any app, or just plugging along on your own blog for decades, every now and again you need to say “hi” to the people you interact with. Let them know about changes, tell them how what you do on this social media works NOW (not the original intent), let them know if your life has changed, touch base with the people who haven’t been there since the beginning and let the people who haven’t been around in a while know what is happening.

Look at “What a Reintroduction Really Is (an Why It Matters More Than You Think) by Jon Marie Pearson (direct link is: https://www.genealogyandthesocialsphere.com/post/what-a-reintroduction-really-is-and-why-it-matters-more-than-you-think ) normally what she writes about is genealogy, but this particular post is very relevant to content creators: artists, writers, actors, etc. If you are on the world-wide-web, touch base here and then touch base with the people who follow you.

WRITING EXERCISE: On each of the platforms where you are active (or semi-active or mean to be reactive again), do a reintroduction post.

READING EXERCISE: If you follow creators on various platforms, cull your list to those that are still creating what you want to follow. If they have gone off the path you want to follow, choose new people to follow.

My attempt:

Well, let’s start with the blog. I’ve been blogging since November 11, 2012. The original blog was on a wordpress site – we all start there, don’t we? I activated erinpenn.com (Erin Penn’s Second Base – because, get it, it is my second attempt at a blog and at the time I was mostly interested in romance) sometime in late 2016 or early 2017 and moved everything over that was still relevant. Wow, over 8 year on this site and over 13 years overall.

Originally a little flashes and a little ranting, the blog as grown to a three-times-a-week posting in three groups of topics:

  1. Original Storytelling – These are a mix of Visual flashes (inspired by a picture), Text flashes (inspired by something read or heard), expansion on previous flashes, and flat out something I am writing.
  2. Book Reviews and Interacting with Books (A) Book reviews twice a month, one a solo book and one a series, curated from the 120 or so books I read annually. (If you want them ALL, befriend me over on on GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4918831.Erin_Penn) or StoryGraph (https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/erin_penn). (B) Bookquotes inspired by books I read that I have created and put on my TikTok account (https://www.tiktok.com/@erinpennbooks).  (C) And the big thing particular to me, Editing Rants. I edit books, which is heavily interactive, and there are…problems…with books in the process of becoming published.
  3. Learning stuff and crawling around on the web: (A) Writing Exercises, (B) Other Cool Blogs, (C) Geeking Science, (D) Cool pictures I have found on the web.
  4. On fifth weeks of Tuesday-Thursday I talk about the blog or art or encourage people to vote.

My social media footprint also includes the previously mentioned GoodRead and StoryGraph, plus TikTok. Also YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@erinpenn7745) which right now is reprints of the TikTok, but might eventually hold other topics. It had started out with some editing rants and I would like to return to them. On Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ErinPenn1/meme-created-by-erin-penn-i-made-these/), I post memes I have created – these are both bookquotes and writing encouragement. My Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/ErinPennBooks/) is just posts letting people know when I drop stuff on the blog.

I’m thinking hard about adding a Substack, which will mostly be reposts from the blog. I tried Pateron but that didn’t work well for me. 

Anyway, welcome. Glad you are here!