By estherdidsang@gmail.com 
Whether you’re one of those people who think that listening to a book is the same as reading or one of those people who are wrong, audiobooks are a very popular way of consuming media. For a while now, I have struggled to read because of my eyesight. (Nothing terribly wrong. I just got old.) So I switched to audiobooks to get my most recent fix.
Books like The Martian and Project Hail Mary both have wonderful narrators, and that truly makes a huge difference in how much you enjoy an audiobook. But nothing quite compares to my latest obsession: the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I’ve enjoyed it so much, I went to the eye doctor and got glasses just so I could read and listen at the same time. It’s currently on sale for just $38 for the first seven Kindle books, and if you have an Audible account, it’s a great way to spend your credits.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, or DCC as it is known, has been around for about six years. Matt Dinniman, the author, has managed to kick out seven fairly hefty books in that time, with each one getting more in depth and well written as we go.
Book eight is also currently in the works. It’s in the LitRPG genre, which uses a lot of role-playing game terminology to explain the characters. If you have ever played a game like Baldur’s Gate or Dungeons and Dragons, you’ll know the type of stats I mean.
While I can’t say enough about how enjoyable reading these books has been, the experience pales in comparison to listening to them. The narrator, Jeff Hays, may be one of the best I’ve ever heard. His voice elevates the book off the pages and makes the story come alive.
The entire production is excellent, with a few small sound effects that help heighten your listening pleasure. Small details, like an echo when the characters are talking through a messaging system, help you get lost in this fantastical world that Dinniman has written.
Voiceover work is often overlooked, especially in audiobooks, but for me, it makes or breaks the immersion. When you listen to a book, it is often harder to fall under the spell, to see the story in your mind, than it would be if you were using your eyes.
Jeff Hays and his multitude of voices create a world of vivid color that punches you hard in your mind’s eye, forcing this chaotic world to be etched into your brain. It’s intense and gripping.
Princess Donut is an integral part of the story of Dungeon Crawler Carl.
DCC is set in the near present and features a man named (you guessed it) Carl. He’s a pretty normal guy who lives with his girlfriend and her prize-winning cat, Princess Donut, the Queen Anne Chonk. Everything is pretty mundane right up until the alien apocalypse happens in the middle of the night.
Carl and Princess Donut are thrown into a wild situation where a group of aliens turns the entire world into a televised game show. They are forced to fight through multiple layers of a dungeon filled with crazy monsters, traps and NPCs. I won’t go into too much detail, but the books offer up comedy, violence, video game references and genuine heart throughout.
Rarely has a book series gripped me like this. I bought the first book 10 days ago, and in that time, I’ve managed to read six of them. One of them I read in one epic Sunday from start to finish. I’m on book seven now, and soon I’ll be like the rest of the fans out there, patiently waiting for book eight to come along.
This was supposed to be a small post to let you know that the first seven books of Dungeon Crawler Carl are available on Kindle for a combined price of $38. While that remains true, I strongly urge you to buy or use your Audible credits on the audiobooks as well.
The Kindle app lets you listen to the Audible audiobook as you read. It’s really the best way to experience what could be a modern classic in the making.
Alternatively, if you like the feel of a physical thing, you can always pick up the paperbacks, though they are considerably more expensive at around $15 a piece.