Don't gaslight me, Jesus!
Plus an all-new book giveaway AND the winner of last week's contest!
Hello Again!
And welcome back to another issue of The Omninaut, where we explore the infinite realms of the multiverse together … through reading, writing, comics, and pop culture!
As a reminder: The Omninaut normally publishes bi-weekly, but during this Kickstarter campaign, it will publish more frequently (likely 1x per week)
A reminder before we dive into the body of this email:
The Kickstarter for MANDRILL P.I. Issues #1-7 is live, but only until Saturday night!
This issue marks the beginning of a new story arc, and is the perfect jumping on point for new readers. If you love action, Luchadors, noir, conspiracies, pirates, and just generally having fun in an Urban Fantasy story set in a cartoon universe, then this is the perfect time to hop aboard.
We’ve surpassed our funding goal, which means this book is getting published. Now we’re into stretch goal territory, which means cool upgrades and freebies to make the rewards even better.
PLUS, there are SECRET REWARDS (AKA huge discounts) exclusively for members of The Omninaut (that means you!).
For physical book lovers: Click here to snag Issue #7 + 33% off physical copies of my Comedic Sci-Fi series, The Multiverse Askew
For digital book lovers: Click here to snag Issue #7 + 33% off digital copies of my Comedic Sci-Fi series, The Multiverse Askew
And now, on to the body of this email:
Okay, so if you’re not a fan of my new obsession, the title of this email may have been a bit weird:
Just in case the image didn’t load for you, my new obsession is Dungeon Crawler Carl.
It’s been a while since I connected with a book series this deeply. Normally, I’d say drop what you’re doing and go read it now, but the audiobook narration by Jeff Hays is so ridiculously awesome, start with the audiobook (I believe it’s only on Audible, so heads up there).
Just in case you don’t know (which I didn’t until recently), here’s what Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is about: So, it turns out our world is an elaborate setup for an intergalactic reality show. And this season is set on Earth! The book begins with a sudden apocalypse and the transformation of our planet into a world-spanning D&D-style dungeon. A dude named Carl enters the dungeon with his ex-girlfriend’s cat, aptly named Princess Doughnut. And then the cat becomes sentient, begins shooting magic missiles from her eyes, Carl blows stuff up, they fight to survive … y’know, all the fun stuff you would expect from a dungeon crawl.
I won’t spoil anything for you, but this series manages to blend humor with an emotional connection in a way I’ve rarely seen other authors pull off. That’s generally a combo that’ll instantly turn a book into a favorite of mine no matter the genre.
As a writer, a lot about this series gives me hope for my own writing. This series sits in the LitRPG genre. This is one that many traditional readers are unaware of. Similarly, most of mine are written in niche genres that I love—ones that if I was solely “writing to market,” I’d probably sidestep.
Also, Matt is a “pantser.” This term means he doesn’t create a strict/detailed outline for his writing, but instead lets the story organically grow with the characters. I fall closer to this camp than a “plotter,” which is an author who intricately outlines a book and its scenes before beginning the process of writing the story. My first series, The Multiverse Askew, was written as a solely pantsed endeavor, which led to some especially fun hijinx by the final book in the series, And Now, Time Travel, when the ridiculousness of time travel gets introduced.
For MANDRILL P.I. and Closure Inc., I’ve adopted a more hybrid approach. I create a loose outline with character motivations and go from there, often needing to make sweeping updates to said outline as the story moves along. I love the controlled chaos and unpredictability of a “pantser” approach, and the fact that so many have connected with this type of storytelling through Matt’s work is really cool (and motivating).
Also, Matt does an awesome job of exploring unintended consequences of choices, which is something I also love thinking through when I’m building worlds. Whether it be the outcome of the race or class chosen when someone picks one in the dungeon or the ridiculous plans Carl concocts to push against the guardrails of the dungeon “rulebook,” seeing how he does this reminds me of those incredibly fun sessions of D&D with my BFFs. This type of exploration is something I enjoy doing in my own work, but didn’t have the wherewithal to put into words until thinking about this series.
Okay, I’ve droned on long enough. If all the above somehow turns you off from picking up this series, just know that if you skip it, you’ll be missing amazing quotes like “Don’t gaslight me, Jesus!” and “I can't be held accountable for everything I've ever said to a stripper,” said by sentient cat who shoots magic missiles from her eyes. And hell, Carl’s dungeon catchphrase is “Goddammit, Doughnut,” and that’s just fun.
If you’ve read the series, I want to know your favorite quote. Don’t give any context. We don’t want to spoil the story for those who haven’t read it.
And if you haven’t read the series, do so now! And then come back here, thank me (or curse me) for turning you on to your new obsession, and then join in the fun and post your own favorite quote in the comments.
Here’s a new contest for this week:
I just finished reading my copy of The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos by James Tynion IV and Tate Brombal. And because I don’t have space for all the books I enjoy, you’re in luck! I’m ready to pass it on and share it with somebody who wants it.
It’s a super fun story with ridiculously good art. What it’s about:
Meet teenage mad scientist Christopher Chaos. For all his life he knew he was different. His brilliant mind works in ways that defy logic and enable him to do things that push him beyond his peers. Unfortunately, these abilities have also caused great pain in his personal life--leading others to fear him and leaving Christopher with profound loneliness and guilt.
Then one day something cracked. When the cute boy at high school turns out to be a deadly creature, Christopher finds himself in a world of monsters, heroes, and a cult of hunters out to kill them all.
Here’s how you can get your hands on it: Simply back the MANDRILL P.I. Issue #7 Kickstarter, and then comment “backed!” on this post!
You get a bonus entry if you share ideas for other stretch goals or milestone rewards you’d like to see!
I’ll pick a random winner and announce it in the next edition of The Omninaut.
Just a heads up: this copy of Christopher Chaos is used. As such, it’s been read and loved (by me!).
Winner of last issue’s contest:
And the winner of last issue’s contest for my copies of Geiger 1 & 2 is:
It’s Andrew H.! Congratulations, Andrew! I’ll DM you to arrange getting the books sent your way.
Recommendations from around the Multiverse:
In this tale of space opera and cosmic adventure, the Ambassador of a mysterious and ancient family must forge a path through chaos to overcome the terrible enemies that desire humanity’s destruction.
Her plan to avert galactic catastrophe will unite a band of survivors who have faced every imaginable danger and disaster.
This FREE story forms a prologue to the Infinite Void series.
A colony that had fled the control of the powerful Triad realizes there is a serial killer in their midst. The desperate colony on the moon Beggary 4 pleads with the High Command for help, and a secret service finds a recently retired detective from Newark, NJ to be the first man from Earth to visit the colony.
With intelligence provided by the secret service, and from his inexperience partner on Beggary, Roman "Card" Tarot sets out to trap the killer. Scant evidence of the killer reminds Card of the legendary vampires: the victims all succumb in the darkest night and have lost nearly all their blood.
What secrets does this isolated colony have that hide the lethal killer in their midst?
This book follows Luke’s very first visit to Ora.
Ora used to be part of Origin, where he comes from. After separation, Ora prospers with its genetically advanced people, the Orans. Orans are tall, superior, and free from all diseases.
Luke meets Anny, a sixteen-year-old girl from Origin, and she is in Ora to take part in an experimental program to earn money for her sick parents. They become best friends, and she helps him make a list of the pros and cons of becoming an Oran.
As Luke gets more familiar with Ora, his list becomes longer. He wishes he had one good reason for either a pro or a con to overthrow the whole list.
He gets it, just not in a way he has ever imagined.
That’s it for this issue. Thanks again for hanging out with me this week, and I look forward to continuing this journey together!
-Chris
Backed!
Backed!