4:01 i pretty purposefully don’t interact with fandoms online but “my husband is the author & i love him so there can’t be misogyny in his writing” is certainly… a take

Its always hard to be the desenting voice for a popular book especially when people treat you like a monster for not liking their favourite book

Also Dinniman's wife's response is hillarious. As we all know every man with a mother, wife, and child can't possibly write something misogynistic. 😂

I just want to say I really appreciate yours and Rachel's review of DCC. As a reader I believe it's important to listen to reviewers who don't like a book as much as I do and point out where it falls short. The engagement helps me become more insightful with what I'm reading and expand on my own thoughts and possibly change them, especially on the reread. And in a book space where it feels like it's growing easier to just rip a book a part (figuratively) when you don't like it and call it a day or be absolutely in love with an iron grip, these types of in-depth book reviews are valuable.

Edit to Add Additional Thought:
It's also okay to not like or feel neutral towards something with no greater reason attached to it. Don't get me wrong, I love learning the details of why someone dislikes or loves something, but sometimes books simply don't click with a person or there's no innate interest. Same goes for enjoying a thing because you just do. To demonize a person for either doesn't foster much curiosity. This is all purely my opinion, but it felt relevant to include.

I, too, was immediately turned off by the writing style and narrative voice and could not continue. When a few friends tried to explain that it was written in Carl's voice, I was almost insulted: "Do you think I don't know what narrative voice is?" If I'm going to be stuck in a character's head for 300 pages, I want to know what about the character's unique perception of the world makes it interesting to be there, and DCC just wasn't giving me a reason to stay.

3:40 insulting someone’s intelligence over not liking…..Dungeon Crawler Carl is like insulting someone’s taste in food because they don’t like McDonald’s.

From what Rachel said in her review, I thought it sounded like we could have gotten a much better sense of Carl as a person and the person he’s determined to continue being if he’d started out with a few companions from his neighborhood.  Like, maybe he’s got the nice grandma from down the street, the guy across the street who only glares at him, and the teen from a couple doors down who bags his groceries on the weekend.  Some actual people to talk to and fight with, in addition to the cat.

“A cat written by a man” is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. And this review was amazing! You hit on everything people have mentioned to me, but said it so much clearer!

The fact that my coworkers recommended this book to me told me all I needed to know it was not gonna be for me.

As someone who does love this series as a whole, i think this review is completely valid, honestly. As the series has become more and more popular, I feel both happy that more people are experiencing it, but also dismayed that it now has become a work with one of "those" fandoms.

Trying to end any possible discussion about this book by saying "oh it's just satire" as if that completely writes off the flaws is an extremely lazy way to engage with other people and also the book itself, in my opinion. I also strongly feel that most of the people who say that, don't truly understand what satire looks like and what it's supposed to do.

As far as arguing for "oh it gets better at Chapter One Million" or whatever, I definitely get what people mean; Matt Dinniman does seem to really find his footing with the plot and the writing gets better over time, I will admit. The first book feels more like a trashy popcorn read compared to the rest of the series where the themes are more clearly explored. There's a heavy reliance on humor and references to keep people engaged in book 1, and thankfully that shifts in the following books. BUT, expecting someone to continue a series (especially one as long as this) because there's a chance they might start to enjoy it is just silly. I understand why people make that argument, but it's like you've said, the first book is its own reading experience. It can be difficult to avoid letting the "first impression" of book 1 shape your experience with the rest of the series, and it's a huge ask to expect someone to sink so much time for something that's already left a bad taste in their mouth.

This is simply my opinion, but after watching this review, I don't believe you'll get much (if any) enjoyment out of the following books in the series. It still has that "male author" vibe that carries throughout, which I'm just used to at this point 😂 I didn't come to this series for its prose, but it's still grating at times.

I don't want to be seen as a pick-me fan, but I did just want to say that I appreciate hearing your take on this. I found it insightful and refreshing, since most people thoughtlessly glaze it because "funny jokes and talking cat." I don't think you truly love any piece of media if you're unwilling to engage with critique on it or acknowledge its flaws. Hope you read this far; this was my introduction to your channel, and I'm definitely subscribing :)

I needed this video! (Currently fighting for my life on tiktok over my review) a recurring thing with fans is that they seem to believe there is only one way to view this book and every other opinion of themes or language used is objectively wrong and don’t get me started on the camp that believe you can’t discuss the first book unless you’ve read them all!

I was reading the first battle at work on my lunch break. I was shocked by the brutality, the odd stereotype, and the  entirety of the scene. It felt like such a stark contrast to the sillier feeling of everything leading up to it. It was just cruelly dark, and vile. And while I don't speak Spanish, I knew enough to have had the gist of what was happening except for what it was about her daughter. I asked a coworker who speaks spanish and even he was taken aback by just the Spanish in the book. He said "What is this? What's happening? That's sounds awful!" When I told him he was appalled, as someone who has also heard that the book was just a fun and hilarious little book. Overall I enjoyed the story but it has many glaring issues and is very clearly not edited closely.

As someone who's reading through the series right now and really loving it, I appreciate the way you present your opinion! I don't even disagree with your points, and it's just interesting to see how the negatives stand out a lot more for you (and others who don't like the book,) but I brushed them away without much thought.

Melania also claims her husband isn't misogynist.

The idea that some people think that just because you have a wife and daughters, you can't be misogynistic is wild. The same folks will also wonder how one can be married to a POC and hold abhorrent/racist views simultaneously

Thank you for suffering not just once but twice to thoroughly review and advise on the issues in this book!

I really appreciate your style of critique. It is crisp, professional, thorough, and compassionate to the fans who like the book. I was going to read this book a few months ago, but my friend mentioned to me that it was hollow, so I avoided it. I cannot imagine reading something I did not like twice. That is amazing dedication to the art of criticism. It seems to me that fandoms are similar to religious cults. Cults promote slop without critical thought, and cult leaders are only into it for self-aggrandizement. For that reason, I now tend to avoid cult hits that have not been time-tested. Art does not require a fandom if it's authentically good. This was a great review and you have earned a new subscriber. 😊

I hated being in Carl's head. He has the emotional range of a fly. Anything that twinges his conscience makes him feel "like an asshole" - regardless of the degree of severity or the nature of his misdeed, moral compromise, or war crime.

Hitting pause to thank you for pointing out the "door" issue. I haven't read this book (and won't after this!) but as an editor, I deeply appreciate you showing why the craft of writing matters and the value of meaningfully engaging with the author's decisions in that regard. Or lack thereof. And thanks for shouting out the need for editing, selfish though my motives may be for pointing that one out! Okay, back to watching, you're great.

Very informative breakdown!! I find myself being picky when it comes to humor in books and find this style really grating. hopefully you only read the 2nd if you and Rachel and having fun suffering together 😂 we don't need you to do that for our sake

I love your 1 Star reviews. They teach me so much about reviewing books, whether I like the book or not.