The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook throws readers right into the chaos of the fourth floor. What was your immediate reaction to the Iron Tangle, and how did its fast-paced, high-stakes environment shape your overall experience with the book?

2. What other stories featuring a deadly, gamified competition did this book remind you of, such as The Hunger Games or Ready Player One? What do you think distinguishes the approach of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series to the Lit RPG subgenre?

3. Did you find the novel’s unique blend of dark humor, graphic violence, and sharp satire to be effective? How did it enhance (or detract from) your reading experience?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Each of the main characters has a distinct innate personality that is further shaped by the dungeon. Did you identify more with Carl’s cynical pragmatism, Princess Donut’s performance-driven narcissism, or Katia’s struggle to define her identity?

2. The crawlers’ survival is directly tied to their popularity with a vast, unseen audience. In what ways does this dynamic reflect the pressures of modern social media or performance-based work environments?

3. What did you think of Carl’s decision to weaponize Katia’s abilities by turning her into a living plow? Do you feel it was a necessary act of survival, a moral compromise, or something in between?

4. The betrayal by Hekla’s party puts a spotlight on trust and loyalty. How did the various characters’ responses resonate with your own perspective on loyalty?

5. How do the characters grapple with the trauma and moral weight of their actions, such as when Donut gets her first skull or Carl orchestrates the repeated killing of Growler Gary? How do their responses resonate with your own approach to morally ambiguous decisions?

6. Princess Donut must choose a new class at the start of the floor. If you had to adopt a specific persona or skill set to navigate a challenging situation in your own life, what would you choose and why?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel is a satire of corporate entertainment, reality television, and online streaming culture. Which aspects of this critique felt most relevant to you, and what message do you think the author is sending about how we consume media?

2. Mordecai eventually reveals that the entire floor is a “racist political cartoon” designed as corporate propaganda. Can you think of any real-world examples where entertainment or media has been used to shape public opinion or vilify a particular group?

3. The narrative is built on the principles of gamification, where life is reduced to stats, levels, and achievements. Where do you see this trend appearing in society today, and what do you think are the potential benefits or dangers of viewing life as a game to be won?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Katia undergoes a dramatic transformation, evolving from a timid “meat shield” into one of the dungeon’s most powerful crawlers. How does her physical metamorphosis into a massive, armored juggernaut reflect her internal journey toward agency and self-acceptance?

2. For those who have read the previous books in the series, how does The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook build upon the world and character development established in Dungeon Crawler Carl and Carl’s Doomsday Scenario? What new layers did this installment add to the overarching story of the series?

3. How did the floor’s design as a deliberately confusing and illogical subway system impact your reading experience as a puzzle to be solved alongside the characters?

4. The system often rewards violence with glib, darkly funny achievements. How does this use of humor affect the story’s overall tone?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The Iron Tangle satirizes corporate greed and political propaganda. If you were to design a new dungeon floor to critique another aspect of modern society, what would its theme be, and what kinds of monsters or traps would the crawlers face?

2. If you could add one entry to Carl’s in-game copy of The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook based on your observations, what subversive tip or exploit would you include?

3. Imagine you are a crawler on the fourth floor and receive a sponsor box from the Valtay Corporation. What kind of morally ambiguous “gift,” like Carl’s neural enhancer, do you think you would receive, and how would it change your approach to survival?