Last month I had to take apart our garbage disposal because my children have decided that plastic toothpicks are drain-safe. It was a whole thing. We now have a standing family rule that you are allowed to curse while fixing something, no restrictions, no matter who is in the room. I am confident I will regret this.
Between the plumbing and the parenting, I still got through 24 audiobooks. Three of them were genuinely great.
The Top Three
Red Empire — Jonathan Maberry
Joe Ledger kills everything all the time. What is not to like?
Parallax — Jeremy Robinson
Trippy story, with a nice love story. I am allowed to have feelings while other characters die.
The Order — Jeremy Robinson
One of the best battle scenes ever, listen to the soundtrack during that scene.
The Full List
Don’t just take my word for it. Ask your sister, the one who judges every decision you’ve ever made while also believing in crystal power. She’ll back me up.
Book
Author
Into the Storms: A Hell Divers Prequel
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
👎
Red Empire
Jonathan Maberry
👍
Good Boys: The Lost Tribe
Jeremy Robinson
👎
The Weirdies
Michael Buckley
👍
The Dark
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Mind Bullet
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Patient Zero
Jonathan Maberry
👍
Dog Days
Jonathan Maberry
👎
Dead of Night
Blake Banner
👎
Torment
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman
👍
Exo-Hunter
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Dead Moon
Peter Clines
👎
A Parade of Horribles
Matt Dinniman
👍
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
Matt Dinniman
👍
Parallax
Jeremy Robinson
👍
The Nowhere Man
Gregg Hurwitz
👍
Terminus
Peter Clines
👎
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
Matt Dinniman
👍
The Cure
Pedro Urvi
👎
Infinite 2
Jeremy Robinson
👍
The Order
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Khaos
Jeremy Robinson
👍
Singularity
Jeremy Robinson
👍
24 books. The disposal is fixed. The kids have new vocabulary for emergency situations. Solid June.
I have listened to books 1 through 7 at least two or three times now.
My wife has listened to the entire series five times.
Do we have a problem?
Absolutely.
I am currently on the internet telling strangers about audiobooks like a 5-year-old proudly showing off a crayon drawing taped to the fridge. Of course I have a problem.
Should You Listen to Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Yes.
Honestly, you can stop reading right now and just go buy the audiobook.
I have literally bought Audible credits for friends just so I’d have more people to talk to about this series. One friend told me she wanted to read the physical book first before listening to the audiobook.
I almost fought her in a parking lot.
The Audiobook Is the Experience
Here’s the thing that matters most:
Jeff Hays performs this series like a man possessed. We’re talking a ridiculous number of distinct voices — not “slightly different” voices, actually different ones — plus music, sound effects, background noise, screaming, and chaos that makes the whole thing feel less like an audiobook and more like someone trapped a sci-fi action movie inside your headphones.
Hays is also the founder of Soundbooth Theater, which means this level of production quality isn’t an accident. These people do this on purpose. It’s unhinged and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Warning, if you hate fun, crude humor, and an intense amount of gore, you may be the problem.
But seriously — this series does not apologize for what it is. It is loud, chaotic, occasionally disgusting, and completely committed to the bit at all times. If you made it this far into a post where I admitted to almost fighting someone in a parking lot over audiobook format preferences, you’re probably going to be fine.
So, What’s Dungeon Crawler Carl Actually About?
A guy in boxer shorts and his cat get thrown into an alien death dungeon that slowly becomes the most chaotic thing you’ve ever encountered. That sentence somehow undersells it by a significant margin.
Will You Spend the Money?
Yes. All of it.
Could you responsibly buy one book at a time? Sure. But that is a sign of weakness.
You will not. You’ll be awake at 1:30 in the morning buying the next one while your phone screen is the only light in the house and you’re fully aware tomorrow is a workday and you’re going to do it anyway.
If you’re in the baby years right now — I’m sorry. Sleep is already gone. You might as well fill the void with something worth losing it over.
The series is available on Audible. And yes, their return policy exists if you hate it. If you return Dungeon Crawler Carl, I’ll assume we just have different tastes in life.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
🔥 1-Sentence Hook One minute, she’s working at a bar; the next minute, multiple American cities are gone. Casual Tuesday.
🔍 Quick Stats Genre: Apocalypse, Cult Energy, and Vengeance Narration Style: Solo narration Narrator: Stacey Glemboski Length: About 37 hours (you’re in this for a while)
📊 Dad Score™
Plot Impact: 🔥🔥🔥 Solid apocalypse setup, steady tension, not reinventing the genre but doing it competently.
Narrator Swagger: 🎧🎧 Gets the job done. Doesn’t elevate it, doesn’t ruin it. Professional apocalypse voice.
Chore Compatibility: 🧹🧹🧹🧹 Very good for repetitive, brain-off chores. Dishes, yard work, existential dread.
Tear Risk: 🧱 No tears. Emotional distance maintained.
📼 Final Verdict ✔️ Yes — if you like end-of-the-world stories with cults, revenge arcs, and some awkward romance sprinkled in like seasoning you didn’t ask for.
🧠 The Story (Spoiler-Free) This is classic apocalypse fiction: nukes drop, society collapses immediately, and bad people quickly reveal they’ve been waiting for this moment their whole lives.
There’s tension, violence, and a lot of decisions driven by emotion instead of logic — which tracks, honestly, given the whole “nuclear annihilation” thing.
The romance is… there. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it makes you pause mid-task and say, “Really? Now?”
🎧 The Narrator Stacey Glemboski is solid but not flashy. Clear delivery, consistent tone, no wild swings.
This isn’t a narration that steals the show — it supports the story and stays out of the way, which is fine for a long listen like this.
🎤 The Listening Experience Best used for:
Simple, repetitive chores
Long drives
Tasks where you want story momentum but don’t need to track every detail
This is very much a one-listen-and-done experience. I didn’t hate it. I also don’t feel the urge to revisit it.
🧪 Final Thoughts Good book. Good writing. Solid apocalypse vibes.
Not cracking my top ten, but it did exactly what it promised and didn’t waste my time, which already puts it above average in this genre. Want to dive into the Nuclear Dawn series? Grab the complete set on Amazon here → Nuclear Dawn Complete Set on Amazon.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Before we get into the new Harvath drop, we need to talk about the whole Scot Harvath thriller series. Because you’ve got laundry to do, and nothing pairs with folding socks like high-level covert violence.
Scot Harvath is the kind of action hero who makes you feel simultaneously inspired and inadequate. Smart, tough, former Navy SEAL — and for reasons the books never fully justify, the guy takes cold showers. By choice. Voluntarily. I noted this and kept reading anyway.
Here’s the honest pitch: this is an action series for guys who want the thriller to feel like America took it personally. Fight scenes, explosions, bad guys who range from cartoonishly dumb to genuinely scary, and a protagonist who is occasionally kind of insufferable and somehow you root for him the whole time. That combination doesn’t happen by accident and Brad Thor makes it work across 20+ books, which is not easy.
Are all of them great? No. One or two drag. But one or two out of twenty is a rounding error, not a complaint.
The audiobook production is worth calling out specifically: the narrator Armand Schultz does exactly what good audiobook narration does for a long series — he makes 14 hours feel like a commute, not a commitment. If you’ve suffered through a thriller read by someone who does all the characters in the same flat voice, you know how much this matters.
The new entry is Edge of Honor. Same formula, same quality. If you’ve been following the series, you don’t need me to sell you — just grab it. If this is your first Harvath: start here, then go back to the beginning. Or start at the beginning. Honestly, either works.
One thing worth knowing: this series has been around long enough that most of it is probably available on Libby, if you want to road-test it before committing credits. But if you’re already sold:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Authors: John Mankiewicz, Jamie Napoli, Daniel Pyne, Katie Pyne, Aaron Lipstadt Narrators: Jon Hamm, Ana de la Reguera, Alia Shawkat, Omar Epps, Erin Moriarty, Sosie Bacon, John Slattery Listening Time: 4 hrs 21 mins Publisher: Audible Originals
📊 Dad Score™
Category
Rating
Why
Plot Impact
🔥🔥🔥
Classic detective setup. Short, satisfying, and carried by tone and vibe rather than big twists.
Narrator Power
🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
Full cast magic. Jon Hamm fits the role like a trench coat.
Chore Compatibility
🧹🧹
Best for light chores. You’ll want to pay attention to the dialogue.
Tear Risk
🧱
No emotional gut punches here. Just hard-boiled vibes and snappy narration.
Final Verdict
👍 Worth a re-listen when you’re in a noir mood. Solid, nostalgic, and smooth.
🧠 The Story
This one’s dripping in noir—from the detective narration to the jazz-club pacing. Set in the 1950s, it scratches that “gumshoe with a grudge” itch. Think trench coats, low lighting, cynical monologues, and someone definitely hiding a gun under a newspaper.
At one point I weirdly wished it was Christmas and I was wearing a robe, drinking coffee, staring at snow. So yeah—this audiobook has a mood.
Pace: Steady—not too fast, not too slow. Like sipping something strong and dark. Type: Mystery / Detective Themes: Corruption, class tension, good guys doing bad things for the right reasons.
🎙️ The Narrator Power
This is how you do a full-cast audiobook. It works because it was written to work that way. Jon Hamm nails the lead—he’s got the voice, the attitude, and the emotional restraint of a man who’s been punched in the ribs and didn’t flinch.
Everyone else? Spot on. Voices were distinct, performances had feeling, and I could actually follow who was talking without checking the cast list.
Would I listen to another book by these folks? Absolutely.
🎧 The Listening Experience
This is one of those Audible Originals that actually hits right. Production is top-notch. Crisp sound, good pacing, clean transitions. It felt like a radio drama for people who hate being told what to feel.
Can you do chores while listening? Yes—but not anything complicated. If you’re snaking a drain or assembling IKEA furniture, save this one for later. It’s good enough to deserve your attention.
🔁 Would I Listen Again?
Yeah. Probably next winter. It’s not an every-year classic, but it’s short enough and good enough to revisit when you’re in the mood for something noir and polished.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Check this one out if:
You’re into noir detective stories
You like full-cast narration with actual chemistry
You think Jon Hamm could pull off a fedora and mean it
You’re in between big series and want something shorter but satisfying
You just want something cool, clean, and free (yep—it’s included with Audible)
If The Big Fix sounds like your kind of listen, grab it on Amazon here → The Big Fix on Amazon Fair warning — don’t start this one on a school night.
Bonus Tip: Just found out it’s the second in the series, but it stands on its own. No homework required.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Author: Mike Bockoven Narrators: Angela Dawe & Luke Daniels Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Dark Fiction Hook Style: Quick hook → slow burn
📊 Dad Score™
Category
Rating
Why
Plot Impact
🔥🔥🔥
Killer concept, strong opening, but starts to meander. Still had me paying attention while folding laundry.
Narrator Power
🎧🎧🎧🎧
Solid dual performance, good voice variety. Minor confusion in parts, but nothing fatal.
Chore Compatibility
🛠️🛠️🛠️
Easy to follow while multitasking—but not quite “zone out and still get it” simple.
Tear Risk
🧱
No emotional gut punches here. Just existential theme park chaos.
Final Verdict
👍 One-and-done. Weird ride. Would recommend—but not revisit.
🔍 Summary (Spoiler-Free)
FantasticLand is what happens when Lord of the Flies takes place in an abandoned Disney knockoff—complete with hashtags, panic, and duct tape weapons. It’s told through multiple POVs in a documentary-style format (think: survivor interviews). Cool concept, but you never get attached to any one character for long—and yeah, it leaves a few plot holes.
Is it good? Yes. Life-changing? Nope. Will I hunt down the author’s full back catalog after this? Also nope. But it made folding laundry feel dangerous. So that’s a win.
🎙️ Narrator Power
Angela Dawe and Luke Daniels make for a solid tag team. Each character has distinct energy and tone, which really helps with a book that’s constantly shifting perspectives. Angela’s sections did occasionally get confusing—but that might be the script’s fault more than hers.
Would I listen to more books narrated by them? Absolutely. Was this their best work? Probably not. But they carried it with competence and charisma.
🔁 Would I Listen Again?
Nope. Once is plenty. This is a standalone listen—no emotional baggage, no cliffhangers, just chaos in a theme park and some questionable character decisions. Perfect when you need to shake up your usual audiobook routine.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Check this one out if:
You liked World War Z’s oral history format
You’re cool with rotating narrators and short character arcs
You’ve always wanted to hear about theme park gang wars (don’t judge)
Skip it if you’re hoping for deep emotional payoff or unforgettable characters. But if you’re just trying to survive another Tuesday, and you need something weird while you dodge texts from Dave?
