Blurb: A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend. As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit. Each team of crawlers is given a find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger, the deadlier, the better. At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible. But, like aways, there is a catch. There’s always a catch. As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed. Her name is Shi Maria . She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride. “Beware, beware. Beware the Eye of the Bedlam Bride.”
Review: The seventh level of the dungeon was swiftly taken care of, and all of the crawlers are now on the eighth. There's a new twist to this one. Squads must collect monster cards from the monsters they defeat. The stronger the better, and Carl wants to make sure his squad has powerful ones. Each area on the Earth map has its own monsters based on the mythology in that area, and the big scary one in Carl's area is The Bedlam Bride. She's not like anything they've faced before, and taking on her as a card might be more than they can handle.
I love this LitRPG series. It's one of my favorite fiction series of all time. This is the series that made me want to write LitRPG. But it's very hard to describe to people. There is A LOT going on in these books, and now that we're at #6, I don't know how much people who haven't read the series would understand what I'm saying. Don't fear the hugeness of the story. In book #1, you'll start off not knowing anything just like Carl and Donut. (Princess Donut is a talking cat!) You'll grow into the hugeness of the world along with them. It's well worth the journey.
There are even more layers in this book, and it ties all the way around to beginning of the series. I'm so excited about it. First off, everyone on the outside of the dungeon is angry about how the seventh floor was so easily taken care of, and it seems that they're preparing to make things worse on the crawlers because of it. Even the AI seems to be acting out. It's deteriorating quicker. Something that supposedly happens every crawl, and I'm curious as to why this is the case. I have my theories, but I don't want to give any spoilers! I love that on this floor the map is based on the last days of Earth, and even the people are there as 'ghosts.' Crawlers are faced with people they once knew, loved ones they lost. Carl's own twisted bits are heartbreaking. Since Donut is the leader of their squad, she's tasked with being the Deckmaster for them. (The game is like Pokemon and Magic The Gathering mixed.) There is also the chance they may have to fight their fellow crawlers. Then there is Shi Maria, the Bedlam Bride. They've never met a monster this intelligent and conniving, and she changes everything. EVERYTHING. Samantha is also changing and growing, and I cannot wait to see where she takes us. The Sluggalos and Donut's other cards made me laugh out loud. All of this might seem ridiculous, and in a way it is, but the story is immensely compelling, the world building incredible, and as always, amazing characterization. There is so much to love in this book. I think it's my favorite one in the series yet.