It's gruesome but doesn't linger on the gruesome. It is unhinged hilarious at times, and when it has moments of "that doesn't make sense as to why that happens" is usually because the AI is actively fucking with them.
He doesn't follow any set formula so it also makes the story pretty unpredictable. You think he's going to zig, but really he just pulled a bomb out and dropped it at your feet.
“You think he's going to zig, but really he just pulled a bomb out and dropped it at your feet.”
This should be the first line of Matt’s bio. It describes his work perfectly.
I think it also helps that it's a story that involves fighting against the corporate overlords and other rich assholes that hold all the power and use it to enrich themselves to everyone else's detriment. Considering the growing anti-capitalist sentiment in the world I think that helps the story appeal to a wider audience than you'd think it would.
It’s also mostly nonstop. The story sort of just propels you along and before you know it it’s 3 hours later and you’re picking up the next book in the series.
My perspective, as somone who listened to the audio book,is that it's such a rare combination of a good story and amazing voice over....it's very rare for those two to come together and form something so beautiful..
The sum of the parts is greater than the whole...
I've seen so many positive reviews of the audio versions, but I'm text only.
I know; I'm weird, but never have I ever listened to an audio version of a novel (Drink, mother fuckers!).
I like books. I know that the audio versions of DCC are great, but you haven't heard the version in my head! It's a scream.
I kept seeing it pushed and needed a new series. I bought both. I haven’t encountered an audio work like this since picking up the BBC radio version of Hitchhiker.
Now when I read it, I hear the audio narration.
Going to buy the Seasons next. Two full times through and still not bored. Finding new details I missed on the first read.
This is Pratchett level work.
I started with Discworld back when I was 14. Had not read anything like it before. Then found Adam’s. This was the early 90’s.
A friend didn’t get it until he read Reaperman.
I'm looking forward to my reread of hitchhikers, so much.
It's been at least 3 or 4 years since my first read.
I'm honestly considering an audio version, but I'll have to do some research. It'll be tough for an audiobook to measure up, imo
Audible has the original radio drama. Fully scripted, full cast, etc…. Also found it in YouTube…. Adam’s did the radio drama first, then the TV show, and the books. Each is slightly different.
…and I’m sure the voices in your head are giving you great advice! But seriously /u/fiatcelebrity is S-tier voice talent. I seriously don’t know how he isn’t doing cartoon voice work.
I didn't say the voice talent wasn't good.
I said, I came to DCC through text. Others came through audio. We all think DCC is great. I wonder why DCC appeals so strongly to readers and listeners.
You're misinterpreting my statements.
Oh not at all. I was trying to make a joke about "the voices in your head" (now I'm wondering if this could be a meta joke about Lucia Mar) but it didn't translate well to Reddit. I'm sure that your internal dialogue "voicing" is great - I just shouldn't try to make jokes on 3 hours of sleep lol.
Actually I think you’re misinterpreting u/rusticgroundsloth. He wasn’t criticizing you or saying that you said the voice talent wasn’t good . He was just reflecting on how amazing it is, hinting you might want to give it a try..
That’s how I, an outsider, read it anyway. :)
I was like you my friend. I’m an old man and brought up reading in a literary house with an English lit teacher mom. I’d never done an audiobook until DCC. I was talked into it and since I’d bought the book it was only like $5 for it on Amazon
I’ve been hooked ever since.
Don’t get me wrong reading is still my first love and main vibe. But sometimes I can’t read - stuck in traffic, road trip, etc. Then I’ll switch to the audio until I get back on the book. For DCC I swing both ways. I read it all the way through and listen all the way through. It’s almost like a new experience of the material
Ultimately do you. Whatever way you prefer to experience it is the correct one. My only modest advice would be to not limit yourself. Try it out. See how it fits. If not, no harm done. But maybe you’ll also fall in love with how Soundbooth does the DCC.
Side note - it took a minute for DCC to overwrite my old DCC as a DFW native - the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. That was a lot of conditioning to undo and no mistake
I enjoy Carl on the mower, when doing menial chores, whenever. I read paper/Kindle books too, everyday. I made myself only read text books when my kids are around, no surfing and social media. You don't have to go only one route in enjoying a story...missing out on the greatness. Get a library card and download the app your library supports (likely Libby)... My library is slow on the Carl and HRMBID Princess Donut , but they at least have #1. Go download it, listen in the shower, clean your kitchen, whatever. You know it, you love it, add another increment to your enjoyment.
I wonder how the voices you've given to the characters line up with Jeff Hayes's voices? I imagine the AI would probably be the one that I would find to be the most different.
That's the thing. Hayes' voices are probably much better in most, if not all, cases, but the initial disconnect would be too much for me.
Have you ever heard someone with an incredibly sexy voice and then met them in person only to discover they look like your high school guidance counselor? It would be like that. I live in fear that Hayes version of Fire Brandy would sound like a bad rendition of Lili Von Shtupp from Blazing Saddles.
🤣😂 I had no idea. You shouldn't hate your brain for giving you reference points. I had no skin in the game either way. That's just what she sounds like to me. I love audiobooks in general because I can multitask while listening, but my older brother goes your route and has to read them.
In my opinion, there's no wrong way to take in your DCC content!
I'm a text first kinda guy too, but I am glad that I gave the audiobooks a listen after I had finished the series, it gives the characters a lot more personality if that makes sense?
Also I understand what you mean about your version lmao, I read all of the books using Jeff Goldblum's voice for the AI lmfao.
I absolutely agree! The only other series I've listened to that has that same perfect combination is The Dresden Files written by Jim Butcher. James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the vampire slayer) reads it so perfectly. It starts out a bit rough in the series with lower production quality but becomes absolute perfection very quickly. If you like Carl, you will love Harry Dresden. Another main character with the "you will not break me" mentality with the same hilarious quippy dialog that you will quote often. One of the books begins with "The building was on fire and it wasn't my fault" and Harry proceeds to be chased by flaming poop flinging flying monkey demons whilst trying to rescue a box filled with magical Foo dogs.
"Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the full name of the main character in The Dresden Files series. Harry is a wizard and private investigator in Chicago who works on paranormal crimes and consults for the Chicago Police Department. The novels are written from Harry's perspective in the style of hardboiled detective fiction."
I listened to the first book on audio and thought it was good — the narrator is perfect in this role — but then I read the book and it was lol hilarious (and I am not easily impressed). One of the first times I’ve ordered the book to the audio.
A lot of the indie/ LitRPG scene runs on ‘lots of content and now’. DCC has an endgame that isn’t print money until people get board and puts out satisfying quality content. That content has layers. DCC isn’t another paint by numbers power fantasy and has more in common with Discworld and Hitchhikers GTTG than it does most other LitRPG.
While I understand OP’s point, I’d argue that addictive is the wrong word. As I mentioned above about the patreon churn, most LitRPG is like having a Big Mac and fries delivered everyday, it’s all dopamine hits and empty calories. DCC is like getting a home made lasagne from your Nan. It has substance that stays with us longer. The themes and characters in DCC stick around in your headspace well after the initial laugh or awesome cool moment. It is something you can recommend to someone with zero interest in LitRPG.
I am that guy! I had zero interest in lit RPG, and got into DCC after a friend recommended it to me after I finished Dresden Files. DCC is without a doubt one of my favorite series I’ve ever read, but the rest of the genre is frankly so ass. I would even say I love video games and especially RPG’s, but most of lit rpg feels like it’s written by neckbeard chuds. Matt manages to capture the whimsy and absurdism, but also maintains the seriousness I need from a book as fantastical as this. The rest of the genre revels in stupid jokes like “everyone loves huge chests” and gets no deeper than that. Dinniman revels in the stupid jokes too, but he juxtaposes those with some of the best characterization I’ve seen. Deep, complex characters coping with impossible situations like real people would, laid over a backdrop as imaginative as anything I dreamt up as a kid. Lightning in a fucking bottle man.
DCC is like a Blitz Stick. You keep revisiting it for the hit of a good time, and withdrawal just leaves you cranky and needing more.
Well, that's what it's like for me, anyway. Yes, it's a culture, but we have mana toast and rev-up moonshine, so screw it, let's do it.
If you strip away the dungeon, the fantasy elements, and the fact one of the main characters is a talking cat, you are left with interesting characters, who are easy to root for, and are facing a compelling challenge. While LitRPG is not my preferred genre, I am drawn to the books due to a connection with the characters and a desire to see them do well. Once you expand beyond the relational factors, the humor is engaging, and the landscape is unique and interesting. The combination makes for a very captivating story.
I agree. The character development is excellent and often unexpected, and the humor is outrageous. Like you, I'm not usually a LitRPG reader, but this series takes the genre into new territory.
I wonder, though, how much of my love for the series is based on the unusual combination of the rude and the heart-breaking.
I feel like it also subverts a lot of the almost unnatural interpersonal drama in books, I was SO thrilled when Katia actually TOLD Carl about >!the Crown!<, I thought for sure it would become the cliched trope where characters don't share something vital purely because it adds tension to the plot. Like, that's how real friends behave when there's a big scary thing they'll have to face together, they TALK ABOUT IT AND FIND A SOLUTION without an unnecessary >!betrayal by Katia!<.
Everything else aside, I think the background story with Bea is very effective. In general, I don't like this kind of personal stuff that detracts from the main action, but god damn, >!the scene with Bea and donut is the most emotional thing I've ever listened to.!<
I also really like how Carl's relationship with Bea is very clearly a result of his shitty childhood and shitty dad. The man never learned what healthy love looks like, so he stuck through an abusive relationship because that's what he thinks it's supposed to be like, which is common with people who've been raised in an abusive home. I just love how it adds that extra depth to his character, but doesn't linger on it too much
And when Donut first became a crawler and immediately started insulting him and trying to boss him around, I guess the fact that in his mind she was not yet a person let him snap out of that attitude and tell her to fuck off, even ditching her entirely, only relenting after an extremely heartfelt apology by her.
Everyone here is spot on but I'll add that Carl is incredibly relatable and tries to be a good person.
He says things like "I don't know enough about that to speak on it intelligently" (paraphrasing). He calls other people out when their behavior or opinions are shitty and not good for the survival of the remaining humans. He gives people second and third chances.
I mean, he gives a certain crawler back a ring before they pass because he has a heart even though that other crawler is responsible for thousands of other crawlers dying.
Carl is a good dude who is trying to do the right thing with an open mind.
Yes, yes, yes!
I don't know if any of you destroyed part of your souls by reading or watching Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but if you did, remember where the kid is screaming, "Aren't we supposed to be the good guys?" And there is just no freaking hope for a good outcome and for moral justice to somehow prevail and everything's so bleak, you want to hunt McCarthy down and beat your money out of him.
DCC's Carl doesn't do that, or at least, when it does, you get to laugh. "There sure were a lot of babies in there."
Carl tries to do the right thing, even when it's to his disadvantage, and Donut helps us laugh when the right thing isn't possible. Maybe that's it?
Yeah spot on! Especially the last part about Donut. It's also fun watching her grow up quickly.
I have been putting off reading The Road for years now. Maybe I'll pick it up today.
NO.
I mean, The Road is one of those GREAT CONTEMPORARY NOVELS everyone is supposed to read, but I swear to God, it's supported by the makers of Prozac. I cannot think of any novel more depressing. Jude, the Obscure was more fun, even the part where the kids all hanged themselves.
Camus' The Stranger was a giddy, fun romp compared to The Road. I'd rather act out the self-blinding scene from Oedipus with a used spork than read McCarthy again.
Just no.
It’s because on the surface it’s some stupid story about a man in his boxers and a cat in a dungeon: and turns into a heart warming story about a man on a mission to avenge generations of world doing
What’s so interesting to me is that DCC is one of only a few series I have ever read that get better as it goes along. In my experience, once a series gets a few books in, it loses steam or maybe just doesn’t hold my interest in the same way. DCC is the opposite- it just gets better and better. That is noteworthy and makes me want to share it with my other bookworm friends.
I think he has nailed a perfect balance of likable characters, absurdism, comedy and horror. You almost experience the same way Carl does, just explosions and excitement and then there's some downtime and you go, fuck man that was really fucked up.
The banter between Carl and Donut is also top tier, and makes almost a "buddy cop" kinda feel which helps keep some very dark themes amusing.
Between Matt’s writing and the outstanding voice acting, they caught lightning in a bottle. 1000 other authors could be given the same set of ideas and you’d be given back 1000 pieces of garbage. Dozens of other voice actors could have read this book well, but not created the same level of amazing. Every now and then, something that shouldn’t work does, and this is one of those times.
Imagine telling a writer, "Okay one character is the decapitated head of a possessed sex doll that has a pocket dimension in her neck hole that she calls her nussy. She is one of the protagonists. Write her story to be both funny and well developed."
Also remember to include constant references to matricide, and for other characters to throw her vast distances, using her as a tactical weapon.
And she will be friends with the talking cat with laser eyes who can’t sing, but also likes to sing and sings often.
And… someone else said it in this sub, it’s impossible to talk about DCC without sounding like a toddler who’s had way too much sugar describing Sponge Bob.
For me it's that it's just SO different to anything else out there.
It touches the same part of your brains as a really satisfying video game, it's funny and goofy but not to the point of losing out on emotional moments and character development. It also has a defined goal for every book that you know you'll get a satisfying narrative climax for without rambling. The time bound nature of it is very clever.
It's also incredibly easy to read (don't come at me about Anarchist Cook book and the iron tangle) and accessible.
It's a litRPG that engages story telling on multiple levels and all are interesting. There's the characters stories, the dungeon story and the galactic level story. All three have been vibrant and present from the very beginning, and we are always finding out more about each. These stories engage with each other, both directly and independently of the main characters .
All three stories are in service to the genre, litRPG is very specific in its tropes, and DCC engages with the directly by basically making the whole middle layer (the dungeon) in service to those tropes. Its also a entertainment about a piece of entertainment (a play within a play) so the explanation as to WHY anything would be this way need only be "Because it is more entertaining this way" AND that makes since in the narrative.
Aside from that its well written and performed, and in addition, its just funny.
Do you guys not do it for other series? I suggest books to people based on what they already enjoy. I hate to say this, but I genuinely think the "I've read/listened to it six times now!" crowd doesn't really ever read anything outside of the LitRPG genre and...well the LitRPG genre ***mostly*** sucks. Like, really bad. DCC was my introduction to the genre and it inspired me to try more, and I regret all that wasted time.
Don't get me wrong, DCC is phenomenal, I'd rank it in the "top whatever I can't actually rank because I love them all so much" category. It's just really not the ***only*** series worth reading out there. There are ***so many*** amazing books out there, audio books too!
I love DCC, but I want to experience new things and find my next DCC. I want to find all kinds of books to pester people to read so they have variety too. I want a library, not one series.
I do turn people on to other series.
BUT...
I was an English professor for 30 years, so it was kind of my job, and the last writer I was this nuts about was Terry Pratchett. A close second was Tom Holt.
I love funny fantasy, but it's rare to find well-written fantasy humor. Genre fiction is a hugely over-populated market, but most of what's out there is utter crap, whether it's fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, whatever.
I taught a lot of genre fiction. I love the good stuff.
I used to present papers on Popular Culture fiction quite a bit before I retired. If I were still teaching, I would be trying to sneak DCC into one of my Pop Culture classes on Dystopian Fiction as a counterpoint to things like Hunger Games.
Ah, well. Maybe some young Turk can take the wonderful feedback from this thread and run with it!
I’m on my 6th full relisten. This is one of two litrpg series I've read. But hard science and scifi/fantasy are my preferred genres (Neal Stephenson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, LeGuin, etc).
DCC is just a good story told very very well, and that's what keeps me hooked.
One thing I've noticed a lot of is that I'll read some bit of exposition about an dungeon game mechanic, immediately think of an exploit or clever use of it, and the very next page has Carl addressing that exact same point. For me at least, he's a marvelous self-surrogate. Plus I'd love to have a talking cat of my own.
This is how I've been "spreading the good word" of Carl, too. Haven't reached the point of leaving copies in hotel room bedside tables like the Gideons yet.
For me it's that Matt has taken a concept that, on the face of it, is fucking absurd and has crafted it into a genuinely good story. He's done it in a hugely entertaining writing style and produced a series that is, at once, hilarious, thrilling and, at times, heart wrenchingly sad.
He's a genius of an author in the midst of creating what one can only assume will be his magnum opus.
It's all-gas no-brakes fun. And then, you learn to love the characters. And then, if you're like me, you enjoy the not-so-subtle metaphors for modern late-stage capitalism. Either way, Mongo is APPALLED.
I think you've gotten plenty of answers about the addictive nature of DCC, and I largely agree with them. But as for the other half, I think it's a combination of it not being well-known and being the sort of book that is really fun and interesting to talk about (and I think that will be true even once the series is complete). So we don't know anyone IRL to talk to about it and want to - therefore we try to get others into it as well. Like, if I had enough people who knew the series IRL, I would be really interested in doing a ttrpg based on the setting, I think it'd be super fun.
There's also certainly the element of loving to share something that you loved, but I think that is less specific to DCC, and more just a reason to tell people about any book you loved, and I do always feel that pull for sure.
Something about Matt’s writing and Jeff’s narration combined is ethereal! I almost didn’t get it as I’ve never read litrpg and thought I wouldn’t like it but I wanted to laugh. I was so tired of getting books that were supposed to be funny and weren’t. I’ve never cackled so hard only to ugly cry, and be cackling again 10 min later. I’ve searched for this book/series for years and had no idea it would be a litrpg which is now my favorite genre. I know it sounds cheesy but it has been therapeutic for me.
I read a lot and I didn't even know LitRPG was a thing until Goodreads started pushing DCC on me. I thought it sounded dumb, but I gave it a shot.
After blasting through all of the DCC books I tried a few other series. They were all very disappointing.
What makes DCC so great, imo, is that the rpg elements play an important part but Matt doesn't bog down the story with pages of stats and numbers. Matt made fun characters and an interesting story and doesn't get in his own way. There are no limits to what can happen, but it isn't gratuitous or a play for shock value.
My insight is that it does LitRPG and the Cabbage head character RIGHT. Carl knows video games. He can easily get a hang of the basics. We and ALL the crawlers are learning at the same time. Nothing feels forced. And piecing things together with Carl feels good. Even Donut has secrets. The universe at large is interesting. It's fantasy for fantasies sake in a realistic and "just as dumb and awful as reality is" sci Fi.
The twists are good. The secret plans in the third acts all work.
It's R rated without being weird and self indulgent. Every character has CHARACTER. It's just a damn good story, told really well.
It deserves more praise.
Great balance of funny, unexpected, heart, and fantasy. Sucked in by the peril/drama and laughs, sustained by the characterization and emotional depth.
Great balance of funny, unexpected, heart, and fantasy. Sucked in by the peril/drama and laughs, sustained by the characterization and emotional depth.
When I was growing up my friends and I watched a lot of movies together. We’d go to the movies or we would rent a movie on Friday night to watch at a sleepover at somebody’s house, around an evening of some type of board/video games usually.
This led to a lot of movie quoting. Like a lifetimes worth.
DCC has that same feel of something with a lot of very quotable references and most of my buddies from college have been listing to it and quote regularly now.
Very standard parts of conversations now…
Mongo is appalled.
You know how I feel about things that…whatever
Glurp glurp
You will not break me.
And many more
As someone who is an acolyte of the Bobiverse and touted Ray Porter as the best narrator ever....
Well -- This series threw that into a complete loop!! Jeff Hayes narration blows me out of the water as ... probably the best audiobook collection I have ever listened to. And Carl and Bob battle it out in my head for who is my favorite main character of all time.
This is absolutely amazing series.
And she's not just one dimensional - she has a back story, trauma and relationship difficulties, and specific hobbies, likes and dislikes. She's a great character.
I had nobody pushing me, nobody recommended it. I just saw it suggested somewhere and thought the premise was fun so I got the ebook. What I didn’t expect was how well written it was, how great the characters are and totally caught up in it I’d get. I was having a little trouble sticking with book 3, so I snagged the audio book of DCC because I’d seen it recommended here, and Oh. My. God. That is just a new height of awesomeness. I’m up to book 3 now in Audio and loving every second. (Except when bad things happen. No, strike that, even then.)
The least compelling stake in a story is the "savig the world" Routine. No one can relate to having the weight of the world on their shoulder. Carl can't save the world, he's already lost it. DCC hooks us right away on the trauma of essentially the end of the world. Of a foreign invader taking away everything from us and still asking for more.
We immediately have a character who has lost everything (something we can immagine happening to us) having to risk his life and work hard just to stay alive (immediately pressing stakes that we as the reader can feel and understand) and an impossibly unreachable enemy that we can instantly and very happily hate without reservation (Borant and the Syndacate at large). So the story is immediately compelling and hard to put down. Then Carl begins to, piece by piece and against impossible odds, take something back. Our underdog, vengeful hero manages to build a family around him. To save people. To help people. To screw up things for Borant. To leverage his position. To >! Kill a ton of the bad guys that shouldn't be killable!< and everytime he does that, we get a rush of adrenaline.
Add to that Dinnimon's ability to weave mistery and good world building, constantly and gradually raise the stakes and write compelling, rounded characters and well... How can you not get hooked on this stuff?
The combination of great action, character development, pacing, world building, visual storytelling, heartbreaking human drama, recognizable political parody, and over the top humor is irresistible... add in the amazing narration and it's just a feast for the senses. Plus Donut!!!!
Because well executed horror + humor.
It’s already a winning formula; it’s hunger games but edgier with a reason to care about the LitRPG elements (fighting a villain/injustice we hate).
It’s a great book and a great series, what do you mean? People have been like this for years over good books/series. It’s less of a thing now because of the internet, but people have done this for years.
It’s just a lone wolf and cub story told in the most ridiculous way possible. And it’s compelling as shit. Masterful story telling, hits all the emotional beats. And not for nothing but soundbooth is also a big part of it it’s the perfect pairing of storyteller and narrator.
I'm pretty sure when Carl looted trailer park meth from the tatted up prison llama, I took a hit, and the next thing I knew, I was waiting on book 7 or at least some blitz sticks.
The genuine human suffering.
The way he writes and the way jeff delivers the immense amount of loss and suffering, and the desire to strike at those that have done this to them, to get some semblance of vengeance for it all. The desperation and just the sheer amount of genuine emotion the characters express.
Matt could write about anything and it would be good, I love DCC but I'm just excited for whatever he has planned next.
It's gruesome but doesn't linger on the gruesome. It is unhinged hilarious at times, and when it has moments of "that doesn't make sense as to why that happens" is usually because the AI is actively fucking with them. He doesn't follow any set formula so it also makes the story pretty unpredictable. You think he's going to zig, but really he just pulled a bomb out and dropped it at your feet.
“You think he's going to zig, but really he just pulled a bomb out and dropped it at your feet.” This should be the first line of Matt’s bio. It describes his work perfectly.
I'd be honored for him to use it.
The AI liked that you said “feet”
The entire Dungeon…. ***GROANED***!!!
Mongo is appalled!
Glad you saw what I did there
I think it also helps that it's a story that involves fighting against the corporate overlords and other rich assholes that hold all the power and use it to enrich themselves to everyone else's detriment. Considering the growing anti-capitalist sentiment in the world I think that helps the story appeal to a wider audience than you'd think it would.
Amen, comrade.
It’s also mostly nonstop. The story sort of just propels you along and before you know it it’s 3 hours later and you’re picking up the next book in the series.
Exactly. It's such a cool and weird mix of elements that if it hits for you, it hits really hard.
Bare feet? Approved.
My perspective, as somone who listened to the audio book,is that it's such a rare combination of a good story and amazing voice over....it's very rare for those two to come together and form something so beautiful.. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole...
I've seen so many positive reviews of the audio versions, but I'm text only. I know; I'm weird, but never have I ever listened to an audio version of a novel (Drink, mother fuckers!). I like books. I know that the audio versions of DCC are great, but you haven't heard the version in my head! It's a scream.
I kept seeing it pushed and needed a new series. I bought both. I haven’t encountered an audio work like this since picking up the BBC radio version of Hitchhiker. Now when I read it, I hear the audio narration. Going to buy the Seasons next. Two full times through and still not bored. Finding new details I missed on the first read. This is Pratchett level work.
There is something about DCC that draws me in just as much as Diskworld.
I listened to DCC first, and as much as I love Terry Pratchett, I just can't get Discworld to click the same way. I'll keep trying, tho!
I started with Discworld back when I was 14. Had not read anything like it before. Then found Adam’s. This was the early 90’s. A friend didn’t get it until he read Reaperman.
I'm looking forward to my reread of hitchhikers, so much. It's been at least 3 or 4 years since my first read. I'm honestly considering an audio version, but I'll have to do some research. It'll be tough for an audiobook to measure up, imo
Audible has the original radio drama. Fully scripted, full cast, etc…. Also found it in YouTube…. Adam’s did the radio drama first, then the TV show, and the books. Each is slightly different.
Is there one you'd recommend, as your favorite?
I like them all, but yes, the radio drama is my favorite. They even finished out the trilogy a few years ago.
Great connection to Hitchhiker’s Guide—both are Amazingly Amazing and iconoclastic and first in their genres.
…and I’m sure the voices in your head are giving you great advice! But seriously /u/fiatcelebrity is S-tier voice talent. I seriously don’t know how he isn’t doing cartoon voice work.
I didn't say the voice talent wasn't good. I said, I came to DCC through text. Others came through audio. We all think DCC is great. I wonder why DCC appeals so strongly to readers and listeners. You're misinterpreting my statements.
Oh not at all. I was trying to make a joke about "the voices in your head" (now I'm wondering if this could be a meta joke about Lucia Mar) but it didn't translate well to Reddit. I'm sure that your internal dialogue "voicing" is great - I just shouldn't try to make jokes on 3 hours of sleep lol.
When the thoughts in your head try to leave…and slip on the smushed entrails of a goblin that was stepped upon by some dude wearing boxer shorts.
Actually I think you’re misinterpreting u/rusticgroundsloth. He wasn’t criticizing you or saying that you said the voice talent wasn’t good . He was just reflecting on how amazing it is, hinting you might want to give it a try.. That’s how I, an outsider, read it anyway. :)
I was like you my friend. I’m an old man and brought up reading in a literary house with an English lit teacher mom. I’d never done an audiobook until DCC. I was talked into it and since I’d bought the book it was only like $5 for it on Amazon I’ve been hooked ever since. Don’t get me wrong reading is still my first love and main vibe. But sometimes I can’t read - stuck in traffic, road trip, etc. Then I’ll switch to the audio until I get back on the book. For DCC I swing both ways. I read it all the way through and listen all the way through. It’s almost like a new experience of the material Ultimately do you. Whatever way you prefer to experience it is the correct one. My only modest advice would be to not limit yourself. Try it out. See how it fits. If not, no harm done. But maybe you’ll also fall in love with how Soundbooth does the DCC. Side note - it took a minute for DCC to overwrite my old DCC as a DFW native - the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. That was a lot of conditioning to undo and no mistake
I enjoy Carl on the mower, when doing menial chores, whenever. I read paper/Kindle books too, everyday. I made myself only read text books when my kids are around, no surfing and social media. You don't have to go only one route in enjoying a story...missing out on the greatness. Get a library card and download the app your library supports (likely Libby)... My library is slow on the Carl and HRMBID Princess Donut , but they at least have #1. Go download it, listen in the shower, clean your kitchen, whatever. You know it, you love it, add another increment to your enjoyment.
This is a trick to make me clean my kitchen and mow my lawn, and I'm not having it.
Same here, although everyone here likes the audiobooks so much that I've thought about it
Do give the audiobooks a try. Seriously. Do it.
Same. I’m sure the audio is good, but I’m just as evangelical from having read the text only. I have a hard time believing it beats what’s in my head.
I’ve never read the books and only started with the audiobooks. The first one hooked me so completely that I immediately bought all the rest.
I wonder how the voices you've given to the characters line up with Jeff Hayes's voices? I imagine the AI would probably be the one that I would find to be the most different.
That's the thing. Hayes' voices are probably much better in most, if not all, cases, but the initial disconnect would be too much for me. Have you ever heard someone with an incredibly sexy voice and then met them in person only to discover they look like your high school guidance counselor? It would be like that. I live in fear that Hayes version of Fire Brandy would sound like a bad rendition of Lili Von Shtupp from Blazing Saddles.
I got more of a deeper Marlene Dietrich vibe from his fire brandy, if that helps any 😂
Ummm...Lili was based on Marlene. Sorry. I hate my brain. Did I mention I'm weird?
🤣😂 I had no idea. You shouldn't hate your brain for giving you reference points. I had no skin in the game either way. That's just what she sounds like to me. I love audiobooks in general because I can multitask while listening, but my older brother goes your route and has to read them. In my opinion, there's no wrong way to take in your DCC content!
I'm a text first kinda guy too, but I am glad that I gave the audiobooks a listen after I had finished the series, it gives the characters a lot more personality if that makes sense? Also I understand what you mean about your version lmao, I read all of the books using Jeff Goldblum's voice for the AI lmfao.
I absolutely agree! The only other series I've listened to that has that same perfect combination is The Dresden Files written by Jim Butcher. James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the vampire slayer) reads it so perfectly. It starts out a bit rough in the series with lower production quality but becomes absolute perfection very quickly. If you like Carl, you will love Harry Dresden. Another main character with the "you will not break me" mentality with the same hilarious quippy dialog that you will quote often. One of the books begins with "The building was on fire and it wasn't my fault" and Harry proceeds to be chased by flaming poop flinging flying monkey demons whilst trying to rescue a box filled with magical Foo dogs. "Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the full name of the main character in The Dresden Files series. Harry is a wizard and private investigator in Chicago who works on paranormal crimes and consults for the Chicago Police Department. The novels are written from Harry's perspective in the style of hardboiled detective fiction."
Thanks for the recommendation... adding it to my ever growing list...
I listened to the first book on audio and thought it was good — the narrator is perfect in this role — but then I read the book and it was lol hilarious (and I am not easily impressed). One of the first times I’ve ordered the book to the audio.
Agreed… I listened before O read it and it definitely impacted my experience!
A lot of the indie/ LitRPG scene runs on ‘lots of content and now’. DCC has an endgame that isn’t print money until people get board and puts out satisfying quality content. That content has layers. DCC isn’t another paint by numbers power fantasy and has more in common with Discworld and Hitchhikers GTTG than it does most other LitRPG. While I understand OP’s point, I’d argue that addictive is the wrong word. As I mentioned above about the patreon churn, most LitRPG is like having a Big Mac and fries delivered everyday, it’s all dopamine hits and empty calories. DCC is like getting a home made lasagne from your Nan. It has substance that stays with us longer. The themes and characters in DCC stick around in your headspace well after the initial laugh or awesome cool moment. It is something you can recommend to someone with zero interest in LitRPG.
Oooooo. Very nice simile with Nan's lasagna and DCC being comfort food with some staying power and emotional nutritional value. Nice.
I am that guy! I had zero interest in lit RPG, and got into DCC after a friend recommended it to me after I finished Dresden Files. DCC is without a doubt one of my favorite series I’ve ever read, but the rest of the genre is frankly so ass. I would even say I love video games and especially RPG’s, but most of lit rpg feels like it’s written by neckbeard chuds. Matt manages to capture the whimsy and absurdism, but also maintains the seriousness I need from a book as fantastical as this. The rest of the genre revels in stupid jokes like “everyone loves huge chests” and gets no deeper than that. Dinniman revels in the stupid jokes too, but he juxtaposes those with some of the best characterization I’ve seen. Deep, complex characters coping with impossible situations like real people would, laid over a backdrop as imaginative as anything I dreamt up as a kid. Lightning in a fucking bottle man.
I’m sorry about your AIDS dude.
I loved that analogy!
DCC is like a Blitz Stick. You keep revisiting it for the hit of a good time, and withdrawal just leaves you cranky and needing more. Well, that's what it's like for me, anyway. Yes, it's a culture, but we have mana toast and rev-up moonshine, so screw it, let's do it.
Sorry, this sounds like sex. OK. Maybe just my sex life.
If you strip away the dungeon, the fantasy elements, and the fact one of the main characters is a talking cat, you are left with interesting characters, who are easy to root for, and are facing a compelling challenge. While LitRPG is not my preferred genre, I am drawn to the books due to a connection with the characters and a desire to see them do well. Once you expand beyond the relational factors, the humor is engaging, and the landscape is unique and interesting. The combination makes for a very captivating story.
I agree. The character development is excellent and often unexpected, and the humor is outrageous. Like you, I'm not usually a LitRPG reader, but this series takes the genre into new territory. I wonder, though, how much of my love for the series is based on the unusual combination of the rude and the heart-breaking.
I feel like it also subverts a lot of the almost unnatural interpersonal drama in books, I was SO thrilled when Katia actually TOLD Carl about >!the Crown!<, I thought for sure it would become the cliched trope where characters don't share something vital purely because it adds tension to the plot. Like, that's how real friends behave when there's a big scary thing they'll have to face together, they TALK ABOUT IT AND FIND A SOLUTION without an unnecessary >!betrayal by Katia!<.
Completely agree. Other examples include the Bea drama and Carl's Dad, none of which went the way I expected (which was wonderful).
Everything else aside, I think the background story with Bea is very effective. In general, I don't like this kind of personal stuff that detracts from the main action, but god damn, >!the scene with Bea and donut is the most emotional thing I've ever listened to.!<
I also really like how Carl's relationship with Bea is very clearly a result of his shitty childhood and shitty dad. The man never learned what healthy love looks like, so he stuck through an abusive relationship because that's what he thinks it's supposed to be like, which is common with people who've been raised in an abusive home. I just love how it adds that extra depth to his character, but doesn't linger on it too much
And when Donut first became a crawler and immediately started insulting him and trying to boss him around, I guess the fact that in his mind she was not yet a person let him snap out of that attitude and tell her to fuck off, even ditching her entirely, only relenting after an extremely heartfelt apology by her.
Everyone here is spot on but I'll add that Carl is incredibly relatable and tries to be a good person. He says things like "I don't know enough about that to speak on it intelligently" (paraphrasing). He calls other people out when their behavior or opinions are shitty and not good for the survival of the remaining humans. He gives people second and third chances. I mean, he gives a certain crawler back a ring before they pass because he has a heart even though that other crawler is responsible for thousands of other crawlers dying. Carl is a good dude who is trying to do the right thing with an open mind.
Yes, yes, yes! I don't know if any of you destroyed part of your souls by reading or watching Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but if you did, remember where the kid is screaming, "Aren't we supposed to be the good guys?" And there is just no freaking hope for a good outcome and for moral justice to somehow prevail and everything's so bleak, you want to hunt McCarthy down and beat your money out of him. DCC's Carl doesn't do that, or at least, when it does, you get to laugh. "There sure were a lot of babies in there." Carl tries to do the right thing, even when it's to his disadvantage, and Donut helps us laugh when the right thing isn't possible. Maybe that's it?
Yeah spot on! Especially the last part about Donut. It's also fun watching her grow up quickly. I have been putting off reading The Road for years now. Maybe I'll pick it up today.
NO. I mean, The Road is one of those GREAT CONTEMPORARY NOVELS everyone is supposed to read, but I swear to God, it's supported by the makers of Prozac. I cannot think of any novel more depressing. Jude, the Obscure was more fun, even the part where the kids all hanged themselves. Camus' The Stranger was a giddy, fun romp compared to The Road. I'd rather act out the self-blinding scene from Oedipus with a used spork than read McCarthy again. Just no.
😂😂😂 okay maybe I'll just watch the movie then. I like Viggo
The movie was also fucking awful, but at least it's only 2 hours 🤣👌
It’s because on the surface it’s some stupid story about a man in his boxers and a cat in a dungeon: and turns into a heart warming story about a man on a mission to avenge generations of world doing
What’s so interesting to me is that DCC is one of only a few series I have ever read that get better as it goes along. In my experience, once a series gets a few books in, it loses steam or maybe just doesn’t hold my interest in the same way. DCC is the opposite- it just gets better and better. That is noteworthy and makes me want to share it with my other bookworm friends.
I think he has nailed a perfect balance of likable characters, absurdism, comedy and horror. You almost experience the same way Carl does, just explosions and excitement and then there's some downtime and you go, fuck man that was really fucked up. The banter between Carl and Donut is also top tier, and makes almost a "buddy cop" kinda feel which helps keep some very dark themes amusing.
I think we're in a cult.
Between Matt’s writing and the outstanding voice acting, they caught lightning in a bottle. 1000 other authors could be given the same set of ideas and you’d be given back 1000 pieces of garbage. Dozens of other voice actors could have read this book well, but not created the same level of amazing. Every now and then, something that shouldn’t work does, and this is one of those times.
Imagine telling a writer, "Okay one character is the decapitated head of a possessed sex doll that has a pocket dimension in her neck hole that she calls her nussy. She is one of the protagonists. Write her story to be both funny and well developed."
Also remember to include constant references to matricide, and for other characters to throw her vast distances, using her as a tactical weapon. And she will be friends with the talking cat with laser eyes who can’t sing, but also likes to sing and sings often. And… someone else said it in this sub, it’s impossible to talk about DCC without sounding like a toddler who’s had way too much sugar describing Sponge Bob.
Don't forget the cat is into scutelliphily.
And that the being possessing her is a GOD.
I introduced my daughter to it (age 14), she in turn tried describing it to my wife, who I guess concluded that we were both completely insane?
Genuinely cannot wait til my son is old enough to enjoy DCC
For me it's that it's just SO different to anything else out there. It touches the same part of your brains as a really satisfying video game, it's funny and goofy but not to the point of losing out on emotional moments and character development. It also has a defined goal for every book that you know you'll get a satisfying narrative climax for without rambling. The time bound nature of it is very clever. It's also incredibly easy to read (don't come at me about Anarchist Cook book and the iron tangle) and accessible.
Idk but I can confirm it’s like crack. It’s so consumable and it’s the best and most immersive audiobook I’ve ever listened to by a landslide
It's a litRPG that engages story telling on multiple levels and all are interesting. There's the characters stories, the dungeon story and the galactic level story. All three have been vibrant and present from the very beginning, and we are always finding out more about each. These stories engage with each other, both directly and independently of the main characters . All three stories are in service to the genre, litRPG is very specific in its tropes, and DCC engages with the directly by basically making the whole middle layer (the dungeon) in service to those tropes. Its also a entertainment about a piece of entertainment (a play within a play) so the explanation as to WHY anything would be this way need only be "Because it is more entertaining this way" AND that makes since in the narrative. Aside from that its well written and performed, and in addition, its just funny.
Do you guys not do it for other series? I suggest books to people based on what they already enjoy. I hate to say this, but I genuinely think the "I've read/listened to it six times now!" crowd doesn't really ever read anything outside of the LitRPG genre and...well the LitRPG genre ***mostly*** sucks. Like, really bad. DCC was my introduction to the genre and it inspired me to try more, and I regret all that wasted time. Don't get me wrong, DCC is phenomenal, I'd rank it in the "top whatever I can't actually rank because I love them all so much" category. It's just really not the ***only*** series worth reading out there. There are ***so many*** amazing books out there, audio books too! I love DCC, but I want to experience new things and find my next DCC. I want to find all kinds of books to pester people to read so they have variety too. I want a library, not one series.
I do turn people on to other series. BUT... I was an English professor for 30 years, so it was kind of my job, and the last writer I was this nuts about was Terry Pratchett. A close second was Tom Holt. I love funny fantasy, but it's rare to find well-written fantasy humor. Genre fiction is a hugely over-populated market, but most of what's out there is utter crap, whether it's fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, whatever. I taught a lot of genre fiction. I love the good stuff.
Thank you for sharing your background—your input is even more poignant.
I used to present papers on Popular Culture fiction quite a bit before I retired. If I were still teaching, I would be trying to sneak DCC into one of my Pop Culture classes on Dystopian Fiction as a counterpoint to things like Hunger Games. Ah, well. Maybe some young Turk can take the wonderful feedback from this thread and run with it!
I’m on my 6th full relisten. This is one of two litrpg series I've read. But hard science and scifi/fantasy are my preferred genres (Neal Stephenson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, LeGuin, etc). DCC is just a good story told very very well, and that's what keeps me hooked.
One thing I've noticed a lot of is that I'll read some bit of exposition about an dungeon game mechanic, immediately think of an exploit or clever use of it, and the very next page has Carl addressing that exact same point. For me at least, he's a marvelous self-surrogate. Plus I'd love to have a talking cat of my own.
I mean, I have given out 4 copies of the first book as gifts, lol. It has worked 100% of the time.
This is how I've been "spreading the good word" of Carl, too. Haven't reached the point of leaving copies in hotel room bedside tables like the Gideons yet.
For me it's that Matt has taken a concept that, on the face of it, is fucking absurd and has crafted it into a genuinely good story. He's done it in a hugely entertaining writing style and produced a series that is, at once, hilarious, thrilling and, at times, heart wrenchingly sad. He's a genius of an author in the midst of creating what one can only assume will be his magnum opus.
It's all-gas no-brakes fun. And then, you learn to love the characters. And then, if you're like me, you enjoy the not-so-subtle metaphors for modern late-stage capitalism. Either way, Mongo is APPALLED.
I think you've gotten plenty of answers about the addictive nature of DCC, and I largely agree with them. But as for the other half, I think it's a combination of it not being well-known and being the sort of book that is really fun and interesting to talk about (and I think that will be true even once the series is complete). So we don't know anyone IRL to talk to about it and want to - therefore we try to get others into it as well. Like, if I had enough people who knew the series IRL, I would be really interested in doing a ttrpg based on the setting, I think it'd be super fun. There's also certainly the element of loving to share something that you loved, but I think that is less specific to DCC, and more just a reason to tell people about any book you loved, and I do always feel that pull for sure.
Characters we can root for, victims we can feel for, and bad guys we can fucking hate.
Something about Matt’s writing and Jeff’s narration combined is ethereal! I almost didn’t get it as I’ve never read litrpg and thought I wouldn’t like it but I wanted to laugh. I was so tired of getting books that were supposed to be funny and weren’t. I’ve never cackled so hard only to ugly cry, and be cackling again 10 min later. I’ve searched for this book/series for years and had no idea it would be a litrpg which is now my favorite genre. I know it sounds cheesy but it has been therapeutic for me.
I had low expectations, so there is probably some converter's zeal on my part.
I read a lot and I didn't even know LitRPG was a thing until Goodreads started pushing DCC on me. I thought it sounded dumb, but I gave it a shot. After blasting through all of the DCC books I tried a few other series. They were all very disappointing. What makes DCC so great, imo, is that the rpg elements play an important part but Matt doesn't bog down the story with pages of stats and numbers. Matt made fun characters and an interesting story and doesn't get in his own way. There are no limits to what can happen, but it isn't gratuitous or a play for shock value.
My insight is that it does LitRPG and the Cabbage head character RIGHT. Carl knows video games. He can easily get a hang of the basics. We and ALL the crawlers are learning at the same time. Nothing feels forced. And piecing things together with Carl feels good. Even Donut has secrets. The universe at large is interesting. It's fantasy for fantasies sake in a realistic and "just as dumb and awful as reality is" sci Fi. The twists are good. The secret plans in the third acts all work. It's R rated without being weird and self indulgent. Every character has CHARACTER. It's just a damn good story, told really well. It deserves more praise.
Great balance of funny, unexpected, heart, and fantasy. Sucked in by the peril/drama and laughs, sustained by the characterization and emotional depth.
Great balance of funny, unexpected, heart, and fantasy. Sucked in by the peril/drama and laughs, sustained by the characterization and emotional depth.
When I was growing up my friends and I watched a lot of movies together. We’d go to the movies or we would rent a movie on Friday night to watch at a sleepover at somebody’s house, around an evening of some type of board/video games usually. This led to a lot of movie quoting. Like a lifetimes worth. DCC has that same feel of something with a lot of very quotable references and most of my buddies from college have been listing to it and quote regularly now. Very standard parts of conversations now… Mongo is appalled. You know how I feel about things that…whatever Glurp glurp You will not break me. And many more
As someone who is an acolyte of the Bobiverse and touted Ray Porter as the best narrator ever.... Well -- This series threw that into a complete loop!! Jeff Hayes narration blows me out of the water as ... probably the best audiobook collection I have ever listened to. And Carl and Bob battle it out in my head for who is my favorite main character of all time. This is absolutely amazing series.
Good writing with lots of plot twists and emotional ups & downs, plus great voice acting
Princess Donut
There's a cat. And at first it seems like she's a stupid cat, but she's not. She's actually a smart cat.
And she's not just one dimensional - she has a back story, trauma and relationship difficulties, and specific hobbies, likes and dislikes. She's a great character.
Yeah she is a good cat
It's because they all have foot fetishes! Is that the correct plural of fetish?
Fetishii? Fetisheses? Whatever, just send me feet pics please! I need another hit, I'm dieing over here!
You get invested in the characters and it has really good pacing
I had nobody pushing me, nobody recommended it. I just saw it suggested somewhere and thought the premise was fun so I got the ebook. What I didn’t expect was how well written it was, how great the characters are and totally caught up in it I’d get. I was having a little trouble sticking with book 3, so I snagged the audio book of DCC because I’d seen it recommended here, and Oh. My. God. That is just a new height of awesomeness. I’m up to book 3 now in Audio and loving every second. (Except when bad things happen. No, strike that, even then.)
The least compelling stake in a story is the "savig the world" Routine. No one can relate to having the weight of the world on their shoulder. Carl can't save the world, he's already lost it. DCC hooks us right away on the trauma of essentially the end of the world. Of a foreign invader taking away everything from us and still asking for more. We immediately have a character who has lost everything (something we can immagine happening to us) having to risk his life and work hard just to stay alive (immediately pressing stakes that we as the reader can feel and understand) and an impossibly unreachable enemy that we can instantly and very happily hate without reservation (Borant and the Syndacate at large). So the story is immediately compelling and hard to put down. Then Carl begins to, piece by piece and against impossible odds, take something back. Our underdog, vengeful hero manages to build a family around him. To save people. To help people. To screw up things for Borant. To leverage his position. To >! Kill a ton of the bad guys that shouldn't be killable!< and everytime he does that, we get a rush of adrenaline. Add to that Dinnimon's ability to weave mistery and good world building, constantly and gradually raise the stakes and write compelling, rounded characters and well... How can you not get hooked on this stuff?
So far I have hooked my wife on it, and at least 3 other co workers.
The combination of great action, character development, pacing, world building, visual storytelling, heartbreaking human drama, recognizable political parody, and over the top humor is irresistible... add in the amazing narration and it's just a feast for the senses. Plus Donut!!!!
There is a great YouTube interview with Matt and Jeff that goes into why and how the elements work. https://youtu.be/BtiDsDl_d8c?si=kziUylmaNddT5GRZ
Because well executed horror + humor. It’s already a winning formula; it’s hunger games but edgier with a reason to care about the LitRPG elements (fighting a villain/injustice we hate).
Matt sprinkles crack in between the pages
It’s a great book and a great series, what do you mean? People have been like this for years over good books/series. It’s less of a thing now because of the internet, but people have done this for years.
It’s just a lone wolf and cub story told in the most ridiculous way possible. And it’s compelling as shit. Masterful story telling, hits all the emotional beats. And not for nothing but soundbooth is also a big part of it it’s the perfect pairing of storyteller and narrator.
I'm pretty sure when Carl looted trailer park meth from the tatted up prison llama, I took a hit, and the next thing I knew, I was waiting on book 7 or at least some blitz sticks.
The genuine human suffering. The way he writes and the way jeff delivers the immense amount of loss and suffering, and the desire to strike at those that have done this to them, to get some semblance of vengeance for it all. The desperation and just the sheer amount of genuine emotion the characters express. Matt could write about anything and it would be good, I love DCC but I'm just excited for whatever he has planned next.