Aliens demolish most of Earth, convert what is left into a multi-level dungeon, and broadcast the survivors fighting their way down it to an audience of trillions. Carl goes in wearing a bathrobe and boxer shorts, accompanied by his ex-girlfriend’s cat.
That setup should not work, and it does.
It does roughly what The Hunger Games did with televised death, except played for comedy, landing emotional hits while you are still laughing. The alien broadcast layer is the sharpest part. The crawlers are dying and the coverage is relentlessly upbeat about it.
I started this in July 2025 and read the next eight books straight through into 2026, which is the most honest review I can give it.
