Dungeon Core Online: Book 2

Read Time: 2 Minutes

Jumping straight into the action from the conclusion of the first book, where the challenge of dungeon vs dungeon had just been thrown down. This carried on with the same, actually maybe even elevated levels of winks and nudges to pop culture and many other Royal Road books. I’m sure I’ve missed many, but a threadbare class, an axed named Frank, badger companions, and AIs that like feet were just the ones I’d made a note of.

I found myself quite surprisingly invested in the well-being of the characters and the dungeon as a whole. Sometimes authors struggle to get you to connect with the characters, but not in this case. I found myself genuinely worried about the outcome. Even though knowing the main characters must always come out on top (because that’s just how stories work), I was frequently convinced it was all over, and all hope was lost.

The stakes were high in this one, with James’ (the main character) dungeon on the line. I love the whole randomness of the dungeon, with each new level being something entirely different from the last. The enemy dungeon in this one was written well, with almost comical levels of cruelty and underhandedness.

Travis Baldree, as always, was excellent as the narrator, and the quality of the production was excellent. I’m definitely starting to amass a large number of books narrated by Travis. He’s quite prolific in the genre so that probably has something to do with it, but also whenever I listen to a preview of something he’s done it tends to draw me right in.

Another series that’ll I’ll continue with, although with the way that book two ended, it could wrap up without too much issue. I’ve done a bit of research, and it’s definitely being continued. It’s more the way so much was wrapped up that I felt like it could end without issue. I’m glad there’s more to come though!