Operation Bounce House

As you know, I was pretty late for the Dungeon Crawler Carl party. So when I learned that Matt Dinniman would publish a new work that had nothing to do with his LitRPG series, I decided that I wouldn't be making the same mistake. Though it took me years to finally give Dungeon Crawler Carl a shot, I'm pleased to have caved in for it was the most fun I've had reading in quite a while! Dark, bizarre, humorous, insanely imaginative; as mentioned in my review, that was the book in a nutshell.

I was hoping that Operation Bounce House would be in the same vein. Alas, despite borrowing or sharing some elements from Dinniman's popular series, the author's latest novel is a more or less lackluster effort. Given Dinniman's legions of fans, it debuted at number 2 on the New York Time Bestsellers list, so good on him. But it does read like an older unpublished manuscript that was gathering dust in his hard drive. I doubt that this one would have seen the light had it not been written by a bestselling author. Hence, if you're wondering if this is a good place to start with Matt Dinniman, it's definitely not. Operation Bounce House is inferior to Dungeon Crawler Carl in every aspect that matters.

Here's the blurb:

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.

Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes?

The game is called Operation Bounce House.

Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.

For decades, science fiction writers have imagined a post-scarcity future for mankind, one in which society shifts from a competition-based survival model to one focused on purpose, creativity, and leisure. Well, Matt Dinniman's future for our civilization appears to have more in common with an episode of Jersey Shore than Star Trek. Granted, worldbuilding is not this novel's strong suit. And yet, I would have expected a bit more in the way of substance. A lot is revealed at the very end, which in my opinion prevented the plot from being a complete disaster. But it was a case of too little, too late. Operation Bounce House doesn't really have any redeeming qualities other than being an occasionally funny and entertaining read. Kind of like the SFF equivalent of the movie Weekend at Bernie's.

First-person narratives are always tricky. There is no getting around that particular fact. Regarding the Dungeon Crawler Carl sequence, Carl remains the perfect point of view for such a batshit crazy series. Though he can be crass, he also shows a level of compassion that makes him quite endearing at times. Being forced to go through such an ordeal with his ex-girlfriend's cat continues to be hilarious. Indeed, this unlikely duo is what gives those novels their unique flavor. The same cannot be said of the cast of Operation Bounce House. Hundreds of years of evolution, on Earth and then aboard generation ships sent across the stars to populate new worlds, and yet what we get is a bunch young adults straight out of an MTV reality TV show. Oliver, do-gooder dumbass and wannabe drummer for a crappy band, simply doesn't have what it takes to carry this story on his shoulders. Lulu, his younger sister, also known as Farm Girl Gigi on an OnlyFans-like website, hopes that she can earn enough by playing with sex toys in front of the camera to one day move off planet and return to Earth, has more spunk but ultimately lacks substance. The entire supporting cast suffers from the same problem. It's hard to care or root for any of them. Roger, the hive queen AI that runs the farm, is the book's comic relief. But the repetitive jokes fall flat after a while and everything becomes a bit redundant. Like other books by Matt Dinniman, Operation Bounce House is filled to the brim with quirky, dark, and often juvenile humor that won't appeal to everyone. 

I realize that the author wanted to imbue some scenes with a humane emotional punch. Though it works for some sequences, for the most part watching dumb people say and do a lot of dumb things rob those scenes of the desired heartbreaking or heartwarming impact. The plot's structure doesn't help, as we're basically spending the bulk of the novel waiting for the next wave of attacks. At first, it's interesting to discover how the survivors will try to foil their enemy's plans. But this gets old real fast. With very little worldbuilding, subpar characterization, and clumsy execution throughout, it's difficult to truly get invested in the tale that is Operation Bounce House.

Perhaps my expectations were too high. Or perhaps the book just isn't good enough. Perhaps both. In any event, even with its amusing moments, I found Operation Bounce House to be an uninspired read. Your mileage may vary.

The final verdict: 5.5/10

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