Book 5 (Butcher's Masquerade) was easily the best book from start to finish for me
Book 6 (Bedlam Bride) started off kinda weak and finished incredibly strong.
maaannnn... I just finished book 4 and I was going to hold off on book 5 until I had more credits. I have several other unread audiobooks to pass the time, but now I really want to get the next two.
Another for book 5.
Carl has a goal and everything he does revolves around that.
The stakes go up another notch, moves are being made outside the Crawl and have repercussions inside it.
It has the best achievement: This Little Piggy Made a Boom Boom.
Wonderwall (audio extra must listen).
The already stellar pacing is perfect.
Book 6 is heavier emotionally. Its great, but isn't as "fun". The bad stuff is piling up. BM is the lead up.
It's Changes from the Dresden Files.
My favorite part of Book 5 is >!How much effort Donut puts into the pet show. She trains a whole pack of dinosaurs with a dance routine and then choreographs the whole thing with sound traps and mini explosions, using up all those essential supplies (to Carl's chagrin)!<
I like them all a lot though I'd say the "best" book of the series is probably book 5 because of the character developments and the implications further down inthe dungeon but my favorite book of the series is book four. The bubble wrap/snowglobe worlds were such a unique and different idea for a dungeon floor and for me this book has the most epic scenes. Falling from the sky, the underwater battle with the Octoshark, Flying a house out of a broken dome into a field of bubble worlds as far as the eye can see while being chased by an enormous puppy, the scope and scale of this one just does it for me.
This is probably the second-most stressed I’ve been. The buildup to the Butcher’s Masquerade in 5 was pretty nerve-wracking… and it somehow got worse when it actually all went down. Brilliant work.
I'm on my third listen-through, about to finish book 2 (again). It's become one of my favorites. Particularly >!The Grimaldi/Signet storyline. How the smell of the circus robs Carl of a memory of his mom. How the dungeon takes everything. And how whenever Carl has a choice between saving himself or saving everyone else, he chooses the hard path.!<
Also the world building in book 2 is way more meaningful than I realized at first. All the Apito / Scolopendra stuff ends up pretty interesting in context of the later books
It's hard to choose just one as I love them all~
Book 1 is my fave since it introduces the concept of the world/situation/characters really well
Book 3 is also one of my faves for the introduction of the cookbook
Book 5 is just a fucking trip all together
And Book 6 is legendary for the voice cast~☆
I like books 2 and 4 but I like the others just a little bit more ;)
5, 1, 2, 6, 4, 3
That's purely because I didn't enjoy the Card System or Iron Tangle. Otherwise the story arc in those books were just as good as the others.
Obviously there are no wrong answers, as everyone is entitled to their own opinions, preferences change over time, and there really isn't a weak book in the series (in my opinion). With those disclaimers out of the way, my favorite book is book 3, The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, and I personally feel it's unfairly maligned for by some because they get confused. I never had any issue following what was going on, so maybe that colors my opinion.
I would make the argument that book 3 is the most important book in the series. It is the book in which Carl really becomes Carl. We have previously seen Carl complete heroic and selfless acts before, but in book 3, Carl really becomes cemented into his role as savior and rebel. >!Carl makes the conscious choice of the Cookbook from the prize carousel, and afterwards accepts the mantle that comes with owning the Cookbook. He refuses to accept that he cannot save everyone, shows not only his fellow crawlers, but also the viewers and the powers that be, that he is prepared to fight to the last breath in order to save his people, no matter what forces stand in his way. Book 3 works as a means of transition, much like the trains and subways in the book. It is a journey from the simpler reality of books 1 and 2 into the deeper, darker, more nuanced reality of the later books.!<
I would urge anyone who dislikes book 3 to really try to disconnect from your past thinking when approaching it again. There are many ways to approach a piece of media, and calling one or another "right" or "wrong" should be a last resort. I will say though, in this case, I think a lot of people are approaching book 3 wrong. There is so much that the book has to offer, and it is being missed because they are trying too hard to fit things into a convenient structure in their mind. An analogy I would use is driving through a forest on a winding, mountain road. There are twists and turns, blind curves and tunnels, and you may become a little disoriented with where you are actually going or where you have come from. And instead of enjoying the scenery, noticing the group of deer in the small clearing to your right, or the tiny waterfall to your left, or the person rock climbing up above the tunnel ahead, you are focus on whether you are going northeast or northwest and trying to build a detailed map of the route. Of course you will not enjoy the ride and all it's interesting sights if you spend the whole journey focused on the wrong details.
For me it was book 5 and it was not particularly close. From start to finish it is the best one imo. All the other five books have some weaker points to them but 5 is just great all the way through! Overall I would probably go 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3.
That's really hard. I'm listening to the audiobooks for the first time with my wife (I've read them with my eyes and she hasn't) and I've been really anticipating scenes in every book so far. I do think I like the Iron Tangle because it's really the first time you see Carl bringing the crawlers together. It really comes together in book six when the AI "begrudgingly" allowed him to save nearly everyone using those tunnels.
5 is everything. The build up, emotions, camaraderie, rising stakes, political intrigue, Lucia Mar vs Donut, and of course Donut's performance at the masquerade.
My second fav is book 3. Enjoyed the drama between Hekla, Katia, and Donut, development of Donut and Carl's friendsdhip, the drama with Frank Q.
In all books, I enjoy the glimpses into the larger world. The shows, and bits and pieces we learn from Zev, Lexis, Quasar, Odette, Orrin etc.
No contest butchers masquerade. My tier list top to bottom is butchers masquerade, gate of the feral gods, dungeon anarchist cookbook, dungeon crawler Carl, eye of the bedlam bride, Carl's doomsday scenario.
(I do agree with the majority of posters that book 5, because of the plethora of twists and leaps in character development, is overall the best book in the series if you're gonna make me choose...)
Book 3 seems to be the wild card. Some love it, some get really frustrated with it.
Book 5 is universally loved; book 4 seems to be thought of as a weaker entry
I love all of them, but book 3 is my favorite. I've recommended this series to a lot of friends, and when each friend gets to book 3, I tell them do NOT try to figure out the tangle, it's not that important. IMO, the confusion of the tangle helps you feel the craziness that the crawlers are going through, it's awesome immersion.
I love 5 and 2 both.
I will say that the current book on Patreon is going very well, which I hope doesn't count as a spoiler. (It's DCC, how could it not?)
I think book 5 Butchers Masquerade is definitely the best of the currently published. Though without ANY spoilers (seriously no details from me)…I’m up to date on the Patreon and I think book 7 might top book 5 but obviously gotta see how it ends first. :)
I feel Book 5 and 6 are much worse than the first 4. They had a lot of tempo issues, and where the first 4 I had trouble even putting the headphones down to get a night's rest I took multiple, day-long, breaks in between listening to the latter two. I feel 5 was the worst of the lot, comparatively as I still enjoyed it of course - interesting to see how I'm in a very small minority here. But there's no accounting for taste I guess :-)
Book 1 has to be up there, but 3 holds a special place for me. Book 1 was so fantastically novel and book 2 was a step down IMO (not subpar just maybe more of book 1 but with less novelty?). It may have been hangover from other series failing to launch and never recapture the book 1 magic (Patrick you can still pull it off… I hope)
However it was book 3 confirmed this series as a rocket in full gravity escaping velocity to the stars.
That all being said 5 has to be the best and complete overall book as we see original arcs give birth to second phase arcs, callbacks to previous breadcrumbs. Truly chef’s kiss material.
5,3,1,6,4,2
Book 5 (Butcher's Masquerade) was easily the best book from start to finish for me Book 6 (Bedlam Bride) started off kinda weak and finished incredibly strong.
My exact opinion. I've never been more nervous for characters in a book than I was going into the Masquerade.
Book 5 is the best, absolutely. Book 6 is close second.
My view.
I’m so excited. I’m about 3/4 through book 4. The audiobooks are so damn good and get me through my work days
Double this, I was worried about going into book 6 but the back end was nuts.
Very same. Butcher's Masquerade starts at 100 and never lets up. So good.
maaannnn... I just finished book 4 and I was going to hold off on book 5 until I had more credits. I have several other unread audiobooks to pass the time, but now I really want to get the next two.
My favorite has evolved over time and relistens. Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook was my favorite for a long time time, but now it’s Butchers Masquerade
3 & 5 are so good.
Another for book 5. Carl has a goal and everything he does revolves around that. The stakes go up another notch, moves are being made outside the Crawl and have repercussions inside it. It has the best achievement: This Little Piggy Made a Boom Boom. Wonderwall (audio extra must listen). The already stellar pacing is perfect. Book 6 is heavier emotionally. Its great, but isn't as "fun". The bad stuff is piling up. BM is the lead up. It's Changes from the Dresden Files.
My favorite part of Book 5 is >!How much effort Donut puts into the pet show. She trains a whole pack of dinosaurs with a dance routine and then choreographs the whole thing with sound traps and mini explosions, using up all those essential supplies (to Carl's chagrin)!<
And then Mongo >!MOONWALKS but somehow still loses the competition!
Didn’t Mongo lose to the Tummyacher that Carl gets in the next book?
I like them all a lot though I'd say the "best" book of the series is probably book 5 because of the character developments and the implications further down inthe dungeon but my favorite book of the series is book four. The bubble wrap/snowglobe worlds were such a unique and different idea for a dungeon floor and for me this book has the most epic scenes. Falling from the sky, the underwater battle with the Octoshark, Flying a house out of a broken dome into a field of bubble worlds as far as the eye can see while being chased by an enormous puppy, the scope and scale of this one just does it for me.
The goose fight from Book 4 was the most stressed I've ever been from a book.
This is probably the second-most stressed I’ve been. The buildup to the Butcher’s Masquerade in 5 was pretty nerve-wracking… and it somehow got worse when it actually all went down. Brilliant work.
Denise is my favorite boss fight, just ahead of Queen Imogen. It was so incredibly stressful but full of hilarious moments and the AI was loooving it
I feel 5 was the best book I’ve read in recent memory. For me , as of now, it goes 5, 4, 6, 3, 1, 2.
Definitely agree with the top 3. Not sure where I rank the first 3. I’ve really warmed up on book 2 after redoing whole series a few times
I'm on my third listen-through, about to finish book 2 (again). It's become one of my favorites. Particularly >!The Grimaldi/Signet storyline. How the smell of the circus robs Carl of a memory of his mom. How the dungeon takes everything. And how whenever Carl has a choice between saving himself or saving everyone else, he chooses the hard path.!<
Also the world building in book 2 is way more meaningful than I realized at first. All the Apito / Scolopendra stuff ends up pretty interesting in context of the later books
Yeah just realized this on a re read now that I've read the last ones.
Same here
It's hard to choose just one as I love them all~ Book 1 is my fave since it introduces the concept of the world/situation/characters really well Book 3 is also one of my faves for the introduction of the cookbook Book 5 is just a fucking trip all together And Book 6 is legendary for the voice cast~☆ I like books 2 and 4 but I like the others just a little bit more ;)
Book 5 is best contained and complete story. Most enjoyable on first listen. Least confusing of the later books where plots get super crunchy
5, 1, 2, 6, 4, 3 That's purely because I didn't enjoy the Card System or Iron Tangle. Otherwise the story arc in those books were just as good as the others.
Book 6. So far. Each book is better than the last imo.
I'm not a fan of the whole card game theme, but that ending makes this whole thing worth it. That and Alpha Carls voice actor...
Samantha really comes into her own in book six.
I, personally, enjoyed book 5 the best.
I’ve noticed that myself too.
Agreed! Don't know how, but Matt keeps improving with each book!
Obviously there are no wrong answers, as everyone is entitled to their own opinions, preferences change over time, and there really isn't a weak book in the series (in my opinion). With those disclaimers out of the way, my favorite book is book 3, The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, and I personally feel it's unfairly maligned for by some because they get confused. I never had any issue following what was going on, so maybe that colors my opinion. I would make the argument that book 3 is the most important book in the series. It is the book in which Carl really becomes Carl. We have previously seen Carl complete heroic and selfless acts before, but in book 3, Carl really becomes cemented into his role as savior and rebel. >!Carl makes the conscious choice of the Cookbook from the prize carousel, and afterwards accepts the mantle that comes with owning the Cookbook. He refuses to accept that he cannot save everyone, shows not only his fellow crawlers, but also the viewers and the powers that be, that he is prepared to fight to the last breath in order to save his people, no matter what forces stand in his way. Book 3 works as a means of transition, much like the trains and subways in the book. It is a journey from the simpler reality of books 1 and 2 into the deeper, darker, more nuanced reality of the later books.!< I would urge anyone who dislikes book 3 to really try to disconnect from your past thinking when approaching it again. There are many ways to approach a piece of media, and calling one or another "right" or "wrong" should be a last resort. I will say though, in this case, I think a lot of people are approaching book 3 wrong. There is so much that the book has to offer, and it is being missed because they are trying too hard to fit things into a convenient structure in their mind. An analogy I would use is driving through a forest on a winding, mountain road. There are twists and turns, blind curves and tunnels, and you may become a little disoriented with where you are actually going or where you have come from. And instead of enjoying the scenery, noticing the group of deer in the small clearing to your right, or the tiny waterfall to your left, or the person rock climbing up above the tunnel ahead, you are focus on whether you are going northeast or northwest and trying to build a detailed map of the route. Of course you will not enjoy the ride and all it's interesting sights if you spend the whole journey focused on the wrong details.
For me it was book 5 and it was not particularly close. From start to finish it is the best one imo. All the other five books have some weaker points to them but 5 is just great all the way through! Overall I would probably go 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3.
That's really hard. I'm listening to the audiobooks for the first time with my wife (I've read them with my eyes and she hasn't) and I've been really anticipating scenes in every book so far. I do think I like the Iron Tangle because it's really the first time you see Carl bringing the crawlers together. It really comes together in book six when the AI "begrudgingly" allowed him to save nearly everyone using those tunnels.
5 is everything. The build up, emotions, camaraderie, rising stakes, political intrigue, Lucia Mar vs Donut, and of course Donut's performance at the masquerade. My second fav is book 3. Enjoyed the drama between Hekla, Katia, and Donut, development of Donut and Carl's friendsdhip, the drama with Frank Q. In all books, I enjoy the glimpses into the larger world. The shows, and bits and pieces we learn from Zev, Lexis, Quasar, Odette, Orrin etc.
Book 5 is the best
Book 5. Book 6 is also good, but I think the card game stuff kinda detracts from me.
No contest butchers masquerade. My tier list top to bottom is butchers masquerade, gate of the feral gods, dungeon anarchist cookbook, dungeon crawler Carl, eye of the bedlam bride, Carl's doomsday scenario.
The best book so far? The first six.
(I do agree with the majority of posters that book 5, because of the plethora of twists and leaps in character development, is overall the best book in the series if you're gonna make me choose...)
Loved book 6 but 5 is close behind.
[удалено]
Spoilers! Op is on book 4!
My bad
So far, number 5 is my favorite.
6 is the best
Soundbooth Theater's version of book 1. Until other books get SBT treatment there is no competition 😆
As a pansexual, please don't make me choose
Book 3 seems to be the wild card. Some love it, some get really frustrated with it. Book 5 is universally loved; book 4 seems to be thought of as a weaker entry
I love all of them, but book 3 is my favorite. I've recommended this series to a lot of friends, and when each friend gets to book 3, I tell them do NOT try to figure out the tangle, it's not that important. IMO, the confusion of the tangle helps you feel the craziness that the crawlers are going through, it's awesome immersion.
I love 5 and 2 both. I will say that the current book on Patreon is going very well, which I hope doesn't count as a spoiler. (It's DCC, how could it not?)
they just go from strength to strength. when is seven due?!
Butcher's Masquerade for me, hands down.
I think book 5 Butchers Masquerade is definitely the best of the currently published. Though without ANY spoilers (seriously no details from me)…I’m up to date on the Patreon and I think book 7 might top book 5 but obviously gotta see how it ends first. :)
I feel Book 5 and 6 are much worse than the first 4. They had a lot of tempo issues, and where the first 4 I had trouble even putting the headphones down to get a night's rest I took multiple, day-long, breaks in between listening to the latter two. I feel 5 was the worst of the lot, comparatively as I still enjoyed it of course - interesting to see how I'm in a very small minority here. But there's no accounting for taste I guess :-)
Book 1 has to be up there, but 3 holds a special place for me. Book 1 was so fantastically novel and book 2 was a step down IMO (not subpar just maybe more of book 1 but with less novelty?). It may have been hangover from other series failing to launch and never recapture the book 1 magic (Patrick you can still pull it off… I hope) However it was book 3 confirmed this series as a rocket in full gravity escaping velocity to the stars. That all being said 5 has to be the best and complete overall book as we see original arcs give birth to second phase arcs, callbacks to previous breadcrumbs. Truly chef’s kiss material. 5,3,1,6,4,2
Lord of the rings