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Dungeon Born (The Divine Dungeon) Paperback – May 22, 2019

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,689 ratings

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A powerful dungeon. A sheep-herder turned Noble. Their path to ascendance through cultivation.

Conquering dungeons and using them to grow has long been the most efficient way to become a powerful adventurer. The only thing keeping the process from being easy is the Beasts that inhabit these places. Questions plague those entering this particular place of power: Where do the ‘rewards’ of weapons, armor, and heavy gold coins come from? Why is a fluffy bunny charging at me? For abyss-sake, why are there so many monsters?

Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Core, a soul forced against his will into a magical stone. With the help of an energetic friend, Cal grows a dungeon around himself to bring in new sources of power.

When a threat he doesn’t fully comprehend bares its many teeth, Cal is determined to survive the attempt on his life. Unfortunately for adventurers, the only way for him to achieve his goal is to eat anyone that enters his depths.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dakota Krout - Author of the best-selling Divine Dungeon and Completionist Chronicles series

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mountaindale Press (May 22, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1950914054
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1950914050
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.92 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,689 ratings

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Dakota Krout
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Good. Clean. Fun.

Dakota Krout is a celebrated author known for infusing fantasy novels with fun, punny, and clean humor. With multiple best-selling series—including "Cooking With Disaster", "Divine Dungeon", "Completionist Chronicles", and "Full Murderhobo"—bring joy and laughter to readers. Dakota’s work, renowned for its wit and creativity, earned a place as one of Audible's top 5 fantasy picks in 2017, a top 5 bestseller rank featured on the New York Times, and was chosen by Audible as "Among the top 100 Fantasy of All Time" in 2024.

A unique storytelling perspective shines into the novels, making it beloved by fans of all ages who seek a wholesome and humorous escape into fantastical worlds. Whether you're a longtime fantasy enthusiast or a newcomer to the genre, Dakota Krout's books offer a delightful escape filled with chuckles and adventure.

Dakota's journey in publishing has been filled with gratefulness, and a deep desire to continue bringing smiles and laughter to the readers. "I hope you Read Every Book With A Smile!" - Dakota Krout

Find Dakota:

MountaindalePress. store

Facebook. com/DakotaKrout

Twitter. com/DakotaKrout

Instagram. com/DakotaKrout

Patreon. com/DakotaKrout

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
5,689 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging and interesting. They appreciate the mix of concepts and magic system in the book. The characters are described as fun, with a decent level of character development. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the world-building details and unique thought process. Overall, customers find the adventure enjoyable and a cool introduction to fantasy/rpg adventures.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

296 customers mention "Story quality"296 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story and find it well-balanced. They enjoy reading about Cal's adventures and trouble he gets into. The premise is excellent and the book is an interesting start to a series. Overall, readers find the book an amazing read at a low price.

"...Here are the many things that I thought worked great for this book: 1. Interesting concept of a dungeon core as the main character...." Read more

"...This was a good story about a man trapped in a crystal who became a dungeon, and really explores why dungeons do what they do...." Read more

"...the Slime Dungeon by Falcon, which is full of typos, but a good reading too. - One should not use the verb "skyrocket" in a fantasy..." Read more

"The exposition in the first few chapters are an enjoyable way to experience the way this world works, as well as the shifting perspectives throughout..." Read more

114 customers mention "Concept"114 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's concept interesting and engaging. They appreciate the well-developed magic system with scope for further development. The world-building technique is described as nice, and the novel bridges the Dungeon Core and Cultivation genres. Readers enjoy the book's take on the LitRPG genre.

"...3. Developed world and political system. There are kingdoms at war with competing territorial claims. Churches dedicated to rooting out evil...." Read more

"...The magical system is also quite nice, and it's intriguing to read about someone who has lost their memory having to relearn what things are...." Read more

"One of the best fantasy / LitRPG books I've read. This is a new genre, so not all authors are well-seasoned, but Dakota Krout writes with the best..." Read more

"...to experience the way this world works, as well as the shifting perspectives throughout. Looking forward to reading more!" Read more

96 customers mention "Writing quality"80 positive16 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They say it's well-written, easy to understand, and offers a new perspective. The book is described as a light and easy read with an elaborate plot development.

"...Makes the goodness last longer. + It's realistic writing, yet not dark. Great! + Humor is subtle and frequent...." Read more

"...The writing was well done with a witty humor that kept me chuckling throughout...." Read more

"...Would I read the next book in the series? YES Readability- 5. Well written. Good word usage. Good wordsmithing. Editing 4.5 stars...." Read more

"...Very quick delivery and good quality." Read more

93 customers mention "Character development"80 positive13 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters. They find them likable and relatable, with interesting motivations and desires. The story is well-written, with two main protagonists that readers enjoy reading about.

"...5. Good story. The characters face real danger and challenges. They aren't just breezing through life with plot armor on...." Read more

"...It is also a story of character evolution from both the dungeon and some of the divers which enter its maw. Spoilers ahead..." Read more

"...I also like that the author focusses on two protagonists: dungeon and one adventurer...." Read more

"...For the most part the characters themselves are pretty likable, even the intelligent dungeon, though a certain childishness comes across in a lot of..." Read more

55 customers mention "Exposition"44 positive11 negative

Customers find the exposition in the book interesting and easy to understand. They appreciate the detailed world-building and unique thought process. The author provides explanations of the system and various aspects of dungeons from an RPG perspective. Overall, readers find the book inventive and offers a fresh perspective on familiar concepts.

"...it interesting and I think the Author did a great job of dribbling in explanations of the system...." Read more

"...Dakota Krout is very inventive with his world...." Read more

"...Mixed Bag: There is a ton of exposition, or world building, in this novel. I quite enjoy it, but many do not enjoy this level of exposition...." Read more

"...The writing may not aspire to the great classics, but it was immersive and fun to read...." Read more

49 customers mention "Adventure"49 positive0 negative

Customers find the adventure engaging. They appreciate the interesting dungeon and its fun to read about. The book introduces them to fantasy and role-playing games with an original perspective. The characters keep readers interested while the story progresses.

"...1. Interesting concept of a dungeon core as the main character. There is really only one other series on Amazon that does something like this...." Read more

"...Dakota Krout is very inventive with his world. I liked the monsters and traps and the deviousness of the dungeon, and the way he explained why..." Read more

"...There is the fairly standard fantasy curriculum that every player of D&D knows, but mostly seen from the point of view of dungeon soul, locked..." Read more

"...In fact, I feel like the ending itself was a great way to spur on the sequel, even if there are some questions burning in my mind...." Read more

55 customers mention "Plot twists"30 positive25 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot twists. Some find them original and fresh, with interesting action and devious dungeon mechanics that keep them guessing. Others feel the book is too long and repetitive, with too many mechanical details and technical elements that distract from the story.

"...I liked the monsters and traps and the deviousness of the dungeon, and the way he explained why certain creatures are stronger than others...." Read more

"...My only critique of the book is that in the middle, it became just a bit too repetitive...." Read more

"...Not completely original, but it has enough unique twists to make it interesting and fresh...." Read more

"...The magic system seems broken for instance if 20 years of experience can be replaced with two or three days of "suffering" at the hands of a..." Read more

49 customers mention "Pacing"33 positive16 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find it well-paced and engaging, with a unique cadence that keeps them engaged. They describe the book as different from other litRPGs, with a Gen-X vibe. Others mention it's a bit slow in the beginning with inconsistencies.

"...To be constructive: + I like the slow pace. Makes the goodness last longer. + It's realistic writing, yet not dark...." Read more

"...The setting has a European feel to it with the common fantasy races and European names, but it is mixed with the Asian magic system of cultivation..." Read more

"...are typically likable when they are supposed to be and unlikeable in the same token...." Read more

"This is a fun and quick read. The plot is well paced and the characters are great...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2016
    Do you remember your first fantasy book? That feeling of yearning you got when you finished the last page in that series: 'I need more of this'. You spend years hunting down every famous series, every amazing new world that can open your mind up. This is how I felt after finishing dungeon born. It gave me that hunger to find more books like it. I went and read the only other LitRPG dungeon series on amazon (slime dungeon), started hunting down online dungeon core series that have been translated from Korean, and started combing through other LitRPG books even if they had nothing to do with dungeons. Dungeon Born has turned me on to this new and interesting sub-genre of fantasy.

    Here are the many things that I thought worked great for this book:
    1. Interesting concept of a dungeon core as the main character. There is really only one other series on Amazon that does something like this.
    2. Interesting magic system. I think it burrows from Eastern ideas about chi and energy, I'm not used to seeing it much because I tend to read Western fantasy. I found it interesting and I think the Author did a great job of dribbling in explanations of the system. He avoid any bad info dumps, and gave the information out in a way that made sense within the story. The magic/energy system also applies to humans and the dungeon in interesting ways.
    3. Developed world and political system. There are kingdoms at war with competing territorial claims. Churches dedicated to rooting out evil. An adventurers guild with internal politics. Standard fantasy races with a few twists.
    4. Good power progression. I can't count the number of fantasy novels that I have seen ruined by bad power progression. This novel feels on track to avoid those problems. The dungeon could have easily been wiped out by the first real scouting group of heroes that came through, and even after a full book to develop it could still easily be beaten by some of the powerful heroes in the world. The human main character is given a few shortcuts to power, but is still a weakling compared to his teachers, and he works his but off to get the power he does acquire.
    5. Good story. The characters face real danger and challenges. They aren't just breezing through life with plot armor on.

    I don't really have any substantial criticisms, so I'll just add some things I'd really like to see in the next book:

    1. Further elaboration on how people are handling the dungeon. What keeps getting these people killed? Is it bad luck? Are they getting to bold when they should be careful?
    2. Are people realizing how weird this dungeon is? The reader know its the only dungeon to come from a human soul. We know some of the loot and creatures that the dungeon is making are very strange. Are people picking up on this and reacting to it? I'd love to hear more of the lore about standard dungeons from the perspective of the humans that go dungeon diving. Right now we just have the pixie explaining how the dungeon is different.
    3. More development of the fantasy races. Right now there are high elves, wood elves, dark elves, dwarves, and demons. The elves have been given a bit of a twist. I'd love to know more about the other races and creatures.
    4. Another great story. The author opened up some new story threads at the end of this novel. I hope we get to see a lot of development of these new stories in the next novel.
    5. Steady power progression. Seriously, I love that the two main characters spent a lot of time at mediocre levels of power. Please don't let them jump up a bunch of levels just because they are main characters. If the author manages to end the third book without the main characters progressing up into the god tier power levels (SS rank or above) I'll be so happy and proud.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2019
    If the description of the book isn't enough to draw you in I don't know what is!

    This was a good story about a man trapped in a crystal who became a dungeon, and really explores why dungeons do what they do. This is my first Gamelit book, and I have had a little experience with LitRPG, so I think that means that the story takes place in a game world where everything happening to the characters is real. I'm a little unsure about the genre because if characters made by a game die, that kind of breaks immersion for me. Why should we care if characters live or die? Fortunately as I read through the story it didn't feel fake because the dungeon does what it does to survive.

    Dakota Krout is very inventive with his world. I liked the monsters and traps and the deviousness of the dungeon, and the way he explained why certain creatures are stronger than others. The magical system is also quite nice, and it's intriguing to read about someone who has lost their memory having to relearn what things are.

    We also get to read the story from two perspectives later on, which is helpful. It would have been boring to read about a dungeon sitting in the same place doing the same things, but adding the perspective of a human whose life is tied to the dungeon helps give us diversity in story and thought. It can make you feel a little disembodied while reading about someone who lost their body, after all!

    I do wish there was a liiittle more character development of the dungeon though. Even though he is no longer human, I would have liked to read a little about any remorse he felt for killing humans. I mean, only psychopaths feel no guilt at all.

    However, the writing is a bit subpar. If it wasn't for the writing I would give this 5 stars. As it stands I had to struggle not to give this three stars.

    I stopped counting punctuation and tense errors after about 200. There was about one mistake every page, and sometimes two. There are extra spaces, lack of commas, run-on sentences, and so on. At first I could handle it but I estimate between 500-700 errors, which is really really frustrating! I almost wanted to stop reading, if it wasn't for the engaging story.

    Sometimes the author also switches from past tense to present tense, to future tense. It's really jarring and reads awkward. When the author uses the wrong choice of words, it's also a little ... awkward to read, because I go "huh"?

    There's another plot hole that doesn't make sense. It's when the wisp explains the dungeon rankings and how F-rank zero is the level of a baby, and yet, a monster lower than this level can kill humans. Only until much later does the author use a character to explain that the creatures in this dungeon are much stronger (for reasons I won't explain for spoiler purposes). The author needed to explain this as it came up so we, the readers, were not confused.

    All in all, there were several plot holes I counted but all these errors I've mentioned above are what led me to subtract one star overall. If there were fewer errors I would have tried to contact the author to let him know the punctuation and usage errors I found, but as such, hundreds of errors is just too much. Please get an editor ...
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017
    One of the best fantasy / LitRPG books I've read. This is a new genre, so not all authors are well-seasoned, but Dakota Krout writes with the best of them. There is the fairly standard fantasy curriculum that every player of D&D knows, but mostly seen from the point of view of dungeon soul, locked inside a gemstone.
    I love how Krout goes in depths - why is it that adventurers go to dungeons? It's not just gold & gore & glory. It's also the essence or mana. The air in the dungeon is rich with the finest energy and in between fights the adventurers meditate to pull it in, like a bunch of Tai-Chi-training senior citizens in a park. Adventurers want to open their meridians and purify their core - and so do I. I like many aspects of the book, but as a long time meditating and energy-spinning man, I especially enjoy these passages. I assure you this aspect is very realistic and much that is described in the book can also be done in real life, which also includes a certain degree of pain and danger. If any of my meditating friends were young and read fiction, I would recommend this book to them!

    To be constructive:
    + I like the slow pace. Makes the goodness last longer.
    + It's realistic writing, yet not dark. Great!
    + Humor is subtle and frequent. No low-brow excremental humor (hear it, Aleron Kong?)
    + The points of view are switching, yet all story lines are equally fun to read.

    - There are a few apostrophes missing in the first book and one or two extra plurals... This is a stellar record compared to most LitRPG books, especially the Slime Dungeon by Falcon, which is full of typos, but a good reading too.
    - One should not use the verb "skyrocket" in a fantasy setting ;) Skydragon, maybe. Skyarrow or skywand, if you must.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Bhawan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the Book
    Reviewed in India on September 30, 2023
    First dungeon perspective litrpg I am reading. Loved the Book, liked the explanations and enjoyed the story being narrated from other characters. Would love to have the dungeon given some time to let other creatures in it before the story started so it introduced more variety in critters, otherwise it was an enjoyable read
  • n s cesar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in Italy on April 10, 2023
    Good morning I am I gonna have to be in the industry and have a lovely day 😘😘😘💓 to the shop across your website and the markup language and culture.

    Words required aside.
    Read this if you're into litrpg. It's good
  • Ferg Merkl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to a new fantasy universe
    Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2017
    Great intro to a new fantasy universe. I did find that I had to reread the first few chapters to understand how the author was presenting the ecology (or economy?) of dungeons, but once I had the basics down the story was most enjoyable! I appreciated his character development, but also the ending, which was presented as a natural progression and left me curious and eager to read book 2. To clarify, I am annoyed by books that tell a number of simultaneous stories, and then just stop after finishing one of them, leaving me asking "What? That's it?" This book, by contrast, tells its story well and effectively, and then says in effect "As a result of all these events, now THIS happens. (in case you would like to follow the adventure in book 2...)" I thought this left me free to choose whether to continue the series or treat this as a stand-alone. It was so well done, I look forward to continuing the series, and trust the calibre of writing will continue also!
  • Ivan Dimitrov
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good dungeon read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2019
    It was a very good read. The start was a bit slow and strange but it picked up momentum soon after and I stayed till 5 am to read while I planned to sleep at 1 then 2 then 3. You get the idea.
    The world building is very very good.
    The MC(not the dungeon mc) has a lot of character building and effort put into it too. So really you get 2 stories. 1 of the MC development and one for the dungeon.
    I have to admit I skipped a bit of the MC parts as I feel the writer over committed on that. I do understand why he did it though as this is not a single book it's a series and it will lead to a very broad array of options for the writer to develop the story.
    There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end which I do not appreciate and would like all 1st books to be able to be stand alone. Add the the end to be continued like a title.
    I still give it a 5 because the quality of writing is of a very high standard which is rare in the genre like this. Also this has been edited to perfection like a diamond. If there is any mistakes I didn't notice them. The style of writing I personally like, very much so. Whether you will I don't know. Now on to the 2nd book to see if the quility is the same as before and not get disappointed I hope.
  • Tesh
    5.0 out of 5 stars A break from the normal routine
    Reviewed in Germany on January 19, 2017
    I chose this book because i felt like reading a different kind of fantasy fiction and the name just grabbed at me, i was certainly happy about that choice. The book turned out to be a funny,well written, excellently explained guide to being a starter dungeon. The book was so riveting, i could barely put the book down, for want of knowing what he was going to learn next and how he would continue to advance his dungeon. As the plot thickened and outside influences started to converge, it was clear to me that this could also make a great video game.

    The only bad thing i found out about this book is that there are no sequels... yet and there is no video game ...yet!