The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, the third entry in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, absolutely delivers on the chaotic promise of its title. It is packed with high-stakes strategy, brutal comedy, and the series’ signature heart. This book takes the anarchic energy of the previous volumes and cranks it even higher, both in terms of plot tension and emotional payoff.
Carl and Princess Donut continue to be one of the most entertaining duos in modern litRPG. Their dynamic deepens here, and we finally see more cracks beneath their sarcasm and bravado. Katia also steals the spotlight in a big way, with her rise to power feeling hard-earned and immensely satisfying.
The worldbuilding expands in some truly weird and wonderful directions, especially with the introduction of subway stations, interdimensional rescue missions, and monstrous bureaucracies. The humor is sharp, the violence is over-the-top in all the right ways, and Dinniman continues to balance absurdity with meaningful character development.
The only reason this is not a perfect 5 out of 5 is that a few moments dragged slightly during the more complex planning segments. Even then, everything builds toward a climax that absolutely sticks the landing.
Final Thoughts:
Wildly creative, surprisingly moving, and riotously funny, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook might be the best in the series so far. It is a riot with teeth, and I cannot wait to see what kind of glorious mayhem comes next.