"Time is not a continuous line:
it's a loop, a trap,
a mirror that reflects other worlds."
A book you won’t easily forget!
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ArTicLes:
Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman
Rating: ★★★★☆
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is a novel that feels as if you have stepped into a gigantic video game: after the Earth is destroyed by an extraterrestrial civilization, the survivors must clear levels before the level they are on collapses and disappears. The story follows Carl, a classic antihero, as he tries to survive absurd challenges, monsters, and increasingly extreme situations. And, due to a series of circumstances beyond his control, he does it all barefoot. The novel’s other protagonist is Donut the cat, who accompanies Carl and possesses an almost human level of consciousness (she often seems to have more common sense—or at least likes to pretend she does—than Carl himself). The result is highly entertaining and imaginative, although the constant chaos and nonstop action can feel somewhat repetitive at times. A fun and original read for fans of video games and gamified fantasy.
The cover perfectly conveys the novel’s exaggerated and irreverent tone. The contrast between black, bright yellow, and vivid pink immediately catches the eye, while the oversized typography and the small action figures evoke the feeling of a frantic adventure inside a video game.
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DINNIMAN, MATT. Carl el mazmorrero. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, SAU. Barcelona, 2026. 462 pp.. (TO: Dungeon Crawler Carl. Traducción: David Tejera Expósito). ISBN: 978-84-10466-13-5