The Sword and Laser discussion

So this isn't the sort of book I'd normally pick up but to my surprise I really enjoyed it -- plenty of humour and emotional weight (especially with the (view spoiler)[ pair of crawlers whose daughter is killed by a trap Carl left for them (hide spoiler)]) and lots of plot hooks and glimpses of the wider galaxy to keep you reading.
(view spoiler)[ What's going on with Agatha? Will Maggie track Carl down and try to kill him? Will The Maestro get his revenge for his humiliation? What's going to happen with Donut's cursed tiara? What's with Odette and Mordecai? What's up with the Borant corporation and their accelerated timelines? How will Carl and Donut (and their adorable pet velociraptor) eventually exit the dungeon? Will we ever meet Carl's cheating ex-girlfriend and the mysterious Ferdinand? (hide spoiler)]

Immediately after finishing the audiobook of book 1, I used a credit to get book 2, Carl's Doomsday Scenario and I started listening today.

And I'm not feeling quite so into this one, to be honest. There's a slow start with a lot of details about the mechanics of the game, including a whole list of stats, and a lot of infodumping. I'm hoping things will pick up soon but it hasn't got into an exciting story straight away like the OG Dungeon Crawler Carl did.

Looking at the rest of the series, they seem to get longer and longer, and I'm a bit concerned that things get bloated as the books became more successful.

So, for those of you who've read the rest of the series, is it worth continuing? Or is it better to quite while ahead?

I like the stats and infodumps. I'm into the RPG aspect of it. That is going to be a thing for the whole series.

Each new book has a different setting that dictates the direction the story will follow. Some are open worlds that spread out. Some enclosed dungeon like settings, that are more linear.

I've enjoyed every one iof the 5 books I've read. They are fun.

The series does get more intense as it goes on. There is still humour, but not as much as the 1st book. More characters are introduced. Some good, some bad.

I'd say, read a bit more and see if you like it. You may get into it. If it doesn't click then it's not for you and move on to something that is.

I could find things to nitpick about every one of the books, but overall I have greatly enjoyed them. I'm not natively a LitRPG fan. I think fans of all kinds of subgenres have enjoyed this.

I can't guarantee you'll love it, but I did and everyone I've talked to has as well. Parts of this get really deep, but there is also a surface level of humor throughout. I would say keep going.

Aaaand I'll stop there before going on an extended free association about a Queensryche concert with the band coming off a lengthy guitar part in The Needle Lies and Geoff Tate asking the crowd "MORE?" and all of us screaming "YEEEESSSS!!!"

What's the rest of the series like? Brilliant

I have read up to book 5 and the author does a great job of keeping it fresh

The main way he does that is to make the dungeon in each book be really varied each time, so it always feels like a new challenge. The style and structure of each is the same - so expect lots of OTT descriptions and lots of chitter chatter about the content of loot boxes.

I am an old school role player so it all feels very familiar; it is fun thinking through what as a player you would do in their shoes.

But the biggest highlight for me is the "out of dungeon" stories, world building and characters. More so than the dungeon crawling that is what keeps me coming back for more.

Zev is the real hero of the series and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Go girl :-)

And yes all of the questions you posed in your spoiler block are progressed and in some cases, resolved.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone! I have continued listening to the audiobook and the storyline with the (view spoiler)[ creepy cursed circus (hide spoiler)] has kicked in, so things have gotten a lot more exciting.

WRT to the stats dumps -- I think I'm in the minority, reading the dead tree edition instead of the audiobook. I feel like stats and tables are one of the few story elements that are clearly inferior in audiobooks. Note to self: Keep on with the dead tree edition until at least the crawlers choose their race and class.

I finally have gotten back to reading like I used to (i.e. trying to steal moments to read at any point during the day). I'm on book 4 and I'm still loving it, even if I can't get over the fact that they make a point of giving the name of one of the Finnish guys and it's... LANGLEY. As a Finn I can't get over this: this is an American name and something I would never imagine a Finnish car salesman to have...

Anna wrote: "LANGLEY. As a Finn I can't get over this: this is an American name"

Point of order: that is a British name. Please do not conflate our old tyrannical overlords with our new tyrannical overlords.