Wow, that was close, but they did it. Carl and Donut have made it down to the Hunting Grounds. Not only do they have to contend with the normal mobs and the other crawlers, but now there are hunters, beings from throughout the universe who have paid for the privilege to come participate in the dungeon. The hunter’s main goals are to kill crawlers and gather magical loot that can be used by the armies on the ninth floor. But Carl has decided he’s going to throw a wrench in their plans. He’s going to remove as many hunters as he can from the game, which will completely ruin the game on the ninth floor. And if he does things right, it might just break the whole game. But first, he has a party to go to and a recital to put on with an allosaurus and some velociraptors. You don’t want to miss this, so grab The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman and join the fun.
[Warning: My review of The Butcher’s Masquerade contains some spoilers!]
The Hunting Grounds
The Hunting Grounds, so named because “tourists” can now enter the dungeon and hunt down the crawlers. Carl is disgusted that there are people out there paying for the excitement of killing crawlers, and he decides to do something about it. He bands together with as many hunters as he can to fight back. Instead of hiding from the hunters as in the past, the crawlers are actively hunting them down. And after five dungeon floors, they’re a lot better at this than the hunters. Carl’s goal is to zero out the hunters, especially once the Butcher’s Masquerade is announced.
The Masquerade is a huge party that will cap off the sixth floor. The top fifty crawlers (at the time of the party), along with all of the hunters, are invited. They’ll eat, dance, and socialize. Plus, there’s a pet show! And a talent show! What could possibly go wrong? Everything of course, everything could go wrong.
Queen Imogen herself is throwing the party. She has assured everyone’s safety while they’re at the party, but what Carl is worried about is after the party, when their small group of crawlers has to leave the safety of the party and is surrounded by all of the remaining hunters. Not to mention, he has to get the changelings down to the next level safely. He has a plan, a contingency plan, an emergency plan, and an oh shit plan. Basically, he’s planned for everything that could possibly happen. But no one can actually prepare for everything, especially if it’s everything all at once. Of course, all hell breaks loose. All I can say is, man, do Carl and Donut know how to party!
Missions take over the floor
Carl and Donut’s time on the sixth floor of the dungeon is dominated by quests. There’s the Vengeance of the Daughter quest continuation from the third floor. This quest is technically only for Carl, but Donut isn’t about to let him do it on his own. The duo has to help Signet, a banished NPC, reclaim her kingdom and defeat her sister. Her sister, who just happens to be the Queen Imogen, the one throwing the Butcher’s Masquerade, is a country boss. So easy, right?
They also pick up a quest to help Tina, the Allosaurus. Tina is just a sweet little dinosaur who wants to dance. Oh, and eat all the ursine that she blames for canceling her recital. Donut is certain that if they can just give Tina the chance to finish her performance, the dino will be placated and the quest will be complete. And there’s a convenient talent show at the Butcher’s Masquerade. Sounds like a nice, easy quest. Yeah, right, cause anything is ever easy in the dungeon.
And then there’s the unofficial quests. Katia wants to eliminate Eva before she can hurt anyone else. Carl has his promise to keep to Juice Box regarding the changelings. And there’s Carl’s mission to eliminate all the hunters. And there’s something else they’re cooking up that will have some serious and far-reaching repercussions if they can pull it off. There is a LOT going on on this floor, and trying to keep that many balls in the air is really tough. Something is bound to fall. Will Donut and Carl be able to deal with a loss when it happens?
Carl continues to be an unintended hero
Carl doesn’t think of himself as a crusader. Before he entered the dungeon, he didn’t run around trying to save people or fix societal problems. He wasn’t a bad guy; he just didn’t really bother one way or the other. But since entering the dungeon, Carl can’t handle all the awfulness he’s seen. The whole situation is so wrong, horrible, and messed up that he’s decided he can’t just let it stand. At first, he just tried to fight back in small ways, saving the Meadow Lark group, refusing to kill other crawlers, just living by his personal motto, “They will not break me. I will break them.” But slowly Carl comes to realize that it isn’t enough. He no longer wants to just survive; he wants to take down the entire system. And he’s slowly realizing that he’s not alone.
Not only does Carl have the Anarchist’s Cookbook, a collection of knowledge from previous crawlers who want to end the games, but he’s also getting outside help. Carl isn’t sure who to trust, but it seems like there are a lot of people out there who have had enough of the games. The problem is money, of course. As long as the games keep making so much money, it won’t be shut down by those on the outside. Carl is going to have to break it from the inside. He doesn’t know how yet, but he’s making plans. He wants to save everyone, from the current crawlers, to the NPCs, to the “indentured” workers, to future crawlers. He will break them, even if it costs him everything, and that’s what makes him a hero.
Keep on reading, keep on loving these two
Five books in and it’s only getting better. Carl is so sweet. He wants to save everyone, and his inability to do that weighs heavily on him. Donut is the quintessential cat, but her sentience is changing her. She’s still self-centered and child-like, but with each passing day, she’s becoming more caring. She can see how others are feeling, and she wants to help them feel better. It’s like she’s moved from being a toddler to being an elementary school kid. God help us if she becomes a teenager… although it’ll make for some great reading! Check out The Butcher’s Masquerade today. Personally, I’m off to start The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (book 6)!
Rating: 9/10
The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman is available now!
Learn more about the book at the official website for the title.
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