The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3)[August 9, 2025]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman starting on August 9, 2025.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

1. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Jun 9) [link]
2. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Jul 9) [link]
3. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Aug 9)
4. The Gate of the Feral Gods (Sept 9) [link]
5. The Butcher's Masquerade (Oct 9) [linkTBD]
6. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Nov 9)
7. This Inevitable Ruin (Dec 9)
8. Carl's Book of Boom (expected late 2025 probably more like 2026)

[Mitali]

Started this, just 40 pages in and.. (view spoiler)[ooh the train scene at the beginning. Love Carl's creativity in killing things :D. They finally have a home to sleep in.. Donut doing donut things. The day she stops being excited about jewellery and naming things.. would be a sad day. So adorable!!! (hide spoiler)]

[RachelG.]

I've finished Chapter 3: Question (view spoiler)[ What is the purpose of the crafting area? Is this for Carl to make his bombs and stuff? (hide spoiler)]

Also, (view spoiler)[ I was so sad to see Brandon died. I felt Carl's grief when he realized that the folder said the message was from a dead crawler. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

RachelG. wrote: "I've finished Chapter 3: Question [spoilers removed]

Also, [spoilers removed]"

Re Question: (view spoiler)[Yes, Carl can craft explosives and Mordecai can craft potions and as the table levels up they can make more advanced items. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

One more note about that Question--(view spoiler)[Crafting Stations are safer too, for crafting explosives or potions with volatile ingredients. Things that would decay when out of inventory do not if done at a Crafting Table. Like how the stability/integrity of some of the bombs Carl made or picked up would start ticking down as soon as they were out of inventory.

Crafting Tables are also a pretty common feature in RPGs too--both World of Warcraft and Elder Scrolls use them--and there are recipes that are restricted to being made at crafting tables, or bonuses like you use up less crafting materials if at a crafting table, or the possibility of getting extra stats on an item you craft etc. I don't remember if any of those apply in the book. (hide spoiler)]

[RachelG.]

Thanks Ann-Marie and Nirkatze. I was also thinking of the crafting tables from the game Animal Crossing but wasn't sure that was the same idea.

[RachelG.]

Chapter 18: (view spoiler)[ I'm starting to not trust Katia more and more. I think that Carl should be concerned about the daughters and my hope is they cut ties with Katia soon. Elle and Imani are still a couple of my favorite characters. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Damn but you have me hyped for this... it's next week at least for me though.

[RachelG.]

Finished: (view spoiler)[ It was a welcome surprise with how things turned out with Katia. I was sure she was going to betray Carl and Donut yet she was the one who was being used. I really enjoyed how Donut got angry with Hekla. (hide spoiler)]

I like how each story has a focus on a particular level but also reveals more about the overall politics of the people behind the event.

[Nirkatze]

Ditto that. Each level is so unique and interesting--but Carl has to keep reminding himself who the real enemies are...

[Nirkatze]

Finally started! I'm dual eye & audio reading. I remember the first time I read this, I thought the (view spoiler)[train (hide spoiler)] level was so unique and inventive. I still think that.

Through Chapter 10 and mostly just enjoying. Not a ton of thoughts, though I love reading @Rachel's thoughts! (view spoiler)[Donut using her persuasion skill on everyone... Carl recognizing the horrible plight of the NPCs, like Vernon the Train Conductor... I wonder if he's dead-dead, or will reset when the train starts its cycle again, with his memory wiped... There's so much horror in this world, and the human brain only has capacity for so much...

Brandon's death hit so hard. I really like how the author wrote that scene. A hard hit--but they are always in the public eye. The couldn't give it the outburst and time it deserved. Carl channels it through his mantra... You will not break me.

I love the Cookbook. It is such a great storyline--and gives Carl what he needs to hit back against the real enemies. It also hits hard emotionally too--the likelihood that any of the commenters in the book are still alive is low, and it's a place where they could safely record their real thoughts, so any excerpt has the potential for a powerful hit...

And Mordecai out of the game!! It's like... playing a video game and having the internet go out so you can't look things up anymore. Dangerous...

I was really glad we've gotten to check in with Imani and Elle--what a firecracker--and that we're still hearing from Bautista. It's interesting how every Crawler we've met so far has chosen a non-human race, when the statistics in the previous book said most folks had chosen Human. Those're probably the dead ones.

Also first mention of Prepotente! Just as a name in the top 10 list and recap episode, but I'm excited. He's pretty important, and I love that goat.

Katia's situation is tough... away from her first mentor group. Not sure where her loyalties lie. Having to tank when she hates violence. Learning she's not interesting enough to hang out with the Stars, and needing an image makeover.... I'm glad she has Donut and Carl but... all of the stuff with the crafting tables and personal space etc is underlining that at some point she's going to have to make a choice. The bounties are only making that worse. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 18 as well and (view spoiler)[Meeting Brandy, and the train that literally runs on baby corpses is such a huge WTF moment. When I think of how to describe/promote/warn people off the book, I often think of this scene... Audacious. Insane. I can't believe a story would go there. And it does. And goes further.

The train system on this level is so convoluted. When Carl starts the chat web, and realizes that most folks haven't figured anything out yet--I would have been one of those folks. It's really impressive how much Carl & co have been able to figure out. And then I remember that each floor escalates. Wow.

The pvp coupon, added to the bounties--the corporations are really trying to up the friction. No one's going to drive a wedge between Donut and Carl. I like that Donut reached out to Imani about it--it kind of feels like reaching out to another woman about relationship questions. And shows Donut's growth. But yeah, Hekla & co for sure are starting to come across as super suspicious... and it's still a question of where Katia will fall. I don't see her as being duplicitous though. Carl points out how earnest and straightforward she is. But manipulatable? Yeah.

Fun note--there've been several... I think at least three? maybe more, notes about strange accents. The most recent is the gremlin engineer (poor guy), who had a mix of creole with cockney. I swear this is Dinniman poking at Jeff Hayes, and he just enjoys throwing those out to see how far he can yank him. It's nice to see that they have that kind of friendly relationship (I hope in real life and it's not just for promotional stuff)... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I love these guys! Turn up the audio and enjoy:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonCrawl...

[Nirkatze]

That is such a great clip. I'm totally going to show that when I teach DCC for a Book Club class in Nov.

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 22 and this is one of those OMG WTF sequences that make this series so special... (view spoiler)[OMG Katia is the frickin' FRONT OF A TRAIN and they are mowing down mobs. And in the midst of all that--betrayal most foul! Hekla shows her true colors! But why? The mystery remains.

The Province Boss/Festering Ghoul mass sounds like the Maw Mouths from Scholomance. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 27 (view spoiler)[Man, Growler Gary's got the worst deal. I'm glad that Carl stopped and talked to him though, and that Gary got a choice. Brave man indeed.

The end of the book in the hardcover has another chapter of Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret. This one features Growler Gary.

I like how Carl &co care about the NPCs too. Other crawlers--especially thinking of Hekla--would just see them as game pieces instead of people being cruelly used by the system.

Even Zev, part of the system, but in the same way as Mordecai and Odette... being used even if they're in safer situations... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 33 (view spoiler)[Hah! We finally meet Prepotente & Miriam face to face--and if you're doing audio, you get to hear his aaah! shrieks. Jeff Hays makes something that could be really annoying into something rather hilarious.

Maestro, that little shit, is alive! Man, what a crazy plan, and even with hiccups, Carl & co get it to work. It's s heartwarming to see everyone banding together to save him--to save one crawler, who wouldn't accept that he couldn't save them all. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! This was my favorite reread so far.

Also, I noticed that there's an author's note at the beginning of the ebook that isn't in the audio:

Hey, Matt the author guy here. A quick note about this particular book. The fourth floor of the dungeon is set up as a massive, deliberately-confusing puzzle. Carl, Donut, and the rest of the team have to work really hard to figure out the dungeon’s layout. You, the super awesome reader, do not need to understand the floor’s intricacies in order to understand or fully enjoy what is happening. Platform names and numbers and colors are gonna be flying by. It’s okay not to remember them. It only becomes important at the end.

There will be a map near the end of the book to help you understand the endgame. Until then, enjoy the ride and mind the gap.

And, yes, “zomp” is really a color.

So of course I had to look up Zomp. It looks like a 1970s kitchen color:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Also, I love how hints about a specific character were set up this early, and I think they don't come to light for another 2-3 books... I could be wrong, it could be the next book. But (spoilers) (view spoiler)[the comments about Chris... and the mention of Maggie My... there was big hint I think when Carl runs into Frank, but I can't remember the specific. Maybe that Frank didn't know what race Maggie had chosen... and maybe something about how Chris could not respond to chats... not to mention some more talk about the Valtay... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I learned something new today. Zomp is a color lol

[Nirkatze]

There were a few weird colors in there. I meant to look them up but didn't take note. At least we learned one thing!

[Mitali]

Finished! I hadn't read anything for a month... :'( catching up now.
Colors that stuck with me are Mindaro and chartreuse due to the explanation... color of the liquer :D
(view spoiler)[I loved it when Donut just shot Hekla in the face with a missile (even though she was in awe of Hekla untill the betrayal). This book sees the transformation of Katia.. she's still shy and slowly gaining confidence. Donut and Carl are great with her. I can't wait to see when they introduce Bea.. with so much backstory, pretty sure she's not dead and I hope Donut and she would have a face off.. would be fun.
Poor Gary indeed.. that scene was painful...

I got a bit confused with the train system in the middle.. but then continued reading and it sorted itself out. The initial 2 were easier to follow.. it's getting interesting..

(hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Mindaro!!! That was the other one I couldn't think of! And I remember that explanation about chartreuse--Katya dusting off her art major... I've always hated chartreuse... when I bought my house, my kitchen was chartreuse (still is, actually ugh) and I was thinking--why would anyone paint a kitchen the color of neon vomit??? I guess that means I also hate Mindaro... my kitchen might actually be closer to Mindaro:
(view spoiler)[ [image error] (hide spoiler)]
It's too green to be cheery. It just looks sick. Someday I will paint it a nice periwinkle.

[Nirkatze]

Are you eye or ear reading, Mitali? My physical and ebook copies have a map of the train system in the book right when it starts getting really complicated, but I *still* don't get how everything works. :)

Your favorite moment is also probably my favorite though there are other great high moments--(view spoiler)[and especially the timing is so good! Carl telling Donut to calm down, let's pretend we didn't see anything so that we can defuse the situation and find out what's happening--"VILE TRAITOR" BAM! I love Donut.

And the note on Bea--I love how we see some of Donut's trauma too in this... how Carl realizes--but it isn't explicitly explained, we just have to pick it up--that Donut's anger of Hekla's willingness to just throw Katya away stems from her trauma over Beatrice being willing to throw Donut away for a younger model... Carl's been trying to hide that from her, keeping his mouth shut every time Donut gushes about Bea, but she already knows--she's just in denial...

You just know the Corporations and AI aren't going to let such a great emotional card go unplayed. (hide spoiler)]

[Mitali]

Nirkatze wrote: "Mindaro!!! That was the other one I couldn't think of! And I remember that explanation about chartreuse--Katya dusting off her art major... I've always hated chartreuse... when I bought my house, m..."

Hahaha. I don't know why people do that! I have even come across study rooms with that color.. and i wonder how people read with it blinding you..

[Mitali]

Nirkatze wrote: "Are you eye or ear reading, Mitali? My physical and ebook copies have a map of the train system in the book right when it starts getting really complicated, but I *still* don't get how everything w..."

I gave ear reading one last shot with this in the beginning. Not my thing, even with great narration.. i fall asleep or zone out and have to rewind. So, eye read the rest of it. Yes, it had a map. I was just confused earlier.. specially as i read half the book a month ago and then picked it back up this weeked and finished. But, all good. (view spoiler)[ the audio with prepotente showing up must have been hilarious. I like that I stumbled across Dungeon Crawler Carl and Kate Daniels series due to this group gushing about both. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Oh man, Prepotente is so awesome... I wish I could find a clip of him and his scream for you from this book...

There's an amazing rant in book 7 that there's a clip of out there--skip about the 50 second mark to the 1:07 mark or so to avoid large spoilers--or even just skip to the 1:07 mark to hear the end of the rant...
https://www.tiktok.com/@shinyumbreon3...

This one has Jeff Hays saying "This is Audible" in various character voices--the last one is Prepotente and has the Aaaah!
https://www.tiktok.com/@audible/video...

Glad to know I wasn't the only one who still didn't get it even with maps. :)

Same on group recs! I love everything that this group has gotten me to read. Even when I want to gouge my eyes out from being slapped in the face with sex scenes.

[Nirkatze]

Hey y'all! I asked in the next book thread, but folks reminded me that people often don't check next book threads until reading and I should come ask in these threads if I have general questions.

I'm doing my end-of-year blitz requesting (sorry @Yanique), so how're y'all feeling for the schedule for the series? Do you want to keep going at the 1/month rate, take a break, or what?

I'm ok with whatever y'all desire, but I'd prefer to keep going 1/month personally. I need my monthly dose of Donut & Carl. So much so Ann-Marie and I are doing a series blitz in the middle of this series read, lol.

Thank you to Tom & Mitali for already responding in the other thread.

[Paula]

I have yet to read book three but these books are very quick, so i can keep up with the one per month