Scott's Take: Discount Dan: A LitRPG Adventure by James A. Hunter (Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series)

Discount Dan: A LitRPG Adventure by James A. Hunter is the first book in his Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series. James Hunter also has a series, Viridian Gate Online, that I tried but could not get into. The Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series is clearly inspired by the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, but has its own unique elements.

 

Former Marine and current construction worker Dan was at a party, got drunk, and passed out. When he woke up, he is in the “Backrooms” located somewhere else in another part of reality. Thanks to his drunken partying, he does not know how he got here or why he is wearing a bathrobe, among other things. 

 

Unfortunately for him, the monsters waiting there are not going to let him get used to his strange new reality. Shortly after arriving, he manages to anger one of the most powerful monsters in the Backrooms, The Flayed Monarch, leader of the Skinless Court. So, he has made a monster king angry. The same monster king who leads a court of humans, people who are willing to skin themselves and others for their master…. Yep, they sound like lovely people.

 

So, his goals are simple. Try to stay alive, try to get somewhere safe, find food and water, get stronger and find some allies.

 

This is an action-packed humorous adventure with LitRPG elements and some entrepreneur spirit as Dan attempts to set up a store in this hell hole.  There are some interesting characters such as Temperance, a furry wearing witch from the Salem Witch trials armed with a machete, and Croc, a shape shifting polymorph who befriends Dan and acts as a guide to this new reality.  On the one hand he is a warm-hearted creature. On the other hand, he also a ravenous monster at times. His diet consists of some type of frozen yogurt and meat.

 

I read this through Kindle Unlimited which has all three books that are out currently. The Second book in the series is called Cul-De-Sac Carnage where Dan is trying to set up a trading post with the Howlers a small eclectic group of survivors who are trying to make it in the backrooms. To do this he needs to clear out the 24th level which is a nice suburbia area filled with feral Karens, Kannibal Kids, and the tyrannical HOA. Luckily, Dan has friends to help.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4x6fODR

 

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