Name: OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE.
Rating: 3.375 (4 reviews)
ISBN: 9788217294610

MATT. DINNIMAN

OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE.

Matt Dinniman

A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl. 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.

Operation Bounce House

After reading DCC, you can definitely tell it’s a Matt Dinniman book, horrible society, crazy ai, and humor in all. 

It started off a bit hard to get into. The references to onlyfans, streaming, and the general gaming terms definitely made me cringe quite a bit. But I don’t think it’s a knock on the writing, but more an acknowledgment that I’m getting older. It’s awkward to have current things be referenced, but this must have been how it felt for older people with a lot of older sci-fi. Based on how the world is today, it’s totally reasonable for those things to continue on and develop in the future. Plus, of course the government and corporations would abuse it.

The first half/three quararters felt a little passive in my opinion. It was mostly, Oliver sits there and exposes while Roger does 99% of the work. Tough by the final night when Oliver and crew actually started doing stuff, it had me on the edge of my seat!

The ending made me feel a bit , idk. It felt a bit weird for Oliver to actually die if Roger could essentially just bring him back no biggie. Seems kinda random, but it does make me want to see the story continue. Maybe not a full book, but a short story or something about the aftermath of the fight. I want to see Oliver actually settle down with Rosita. Maybe a short story about their kids??? Something to give more closure. But then again, maybe I just don’t like open ended endings, and that’s the point Matt is trying to make. 

Addison

After reading DCC, you can definitely tell it’s a Matt Dinniman book, horrible society, crazy ai, and humor in all. 

It started off a bit hard to get into. The references to onlyfans, streaming, and the general gaming terms definitely made me cringe quite a bit. But I don’t think it’s a knock on the writing, but more an acknowledgment that I’m getting older. It’s awkward to have current things be referenced, but this must have been how it felt for older people with a lot of older sci-fi. Based on how the world is today, it’s totally reasonable for those things to continue on and develop in the future. Plus, of course the government and corporations would abuse it.

The first half/three quararters felt a little passive in my opinion. It was mostly, Oliver sits there and exposes while Roger does 99% of the work. Tough by the final night when Oliver and crew actually started doing stuff, it had me on the edge of my seat!

The ending made me feel a bit , idk. It felt a bit weird for Oliver to actually die if Roger could essentially just bring him back no biggie. Seems kinda random, but it does make me want to see the story continue. Maybe not a full book, but a short story or something about the aftermath of the fight. I want to see Oliver actually settle down with Rosita. Maybe a short story about their kids??? Something to give more closure. But then again, maybe I just don’t like open ended endings, and that’s the point Matt is trying to make. 

Either way, good book!

A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl. All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is 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. As a fan of Earth television and culture, 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 Corporation is hired to commence an "eviction action." But maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own Al 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 own 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.

I have really liked the Dungeon Crawler Carl saga, so I figured this might be worth a try. Dinniman has a distinctive style to what he writes and this book is no different from that. However, the book dragged on with very little actual character that makes you want to read the book to the finish. Thankfully it was relatively short, but the book could've easily been a novella or short story for all it conveyed. The characters that make DCC so rich are missing here and make the book a slow trek through the story without anyone there that you're rooting for.

OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE.

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