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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Re-visiting some of our past themes, we’re once again reading books that have had film/TV adaptations and then comparing the two mediums. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Books: “Delicious in Dungeon (Vols. 1 &2)” by Ryoko Kui
Publishing Info: Yen Press, May 2017 & August 2017
Where Did I Get These Books: The library!
Where You Can Get These Books: WorldCat.org (Vol.1) (Vol.2) | Amazon (Vol.1) (Vol.2) | Indiebound (Vol.1) (Vol.2)
What We Watched: “Delicious in Dungeon” Episodes 1 & 2
Book Descriptions: Vol. 1: When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions…and a member! They’re eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they’re sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: “Let’s eat the monsters!” Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!
Vol. 2: With the possibility of starvation as a constant companion, Laios’ party continues advancing deeper into the Dungeon. The adventurers have made it to the third floor but only rotting zombies, ghastly spirits, living paintings, and golems await them–all of them absolutely inedible. After coming this far by adapting and learning how to live off the dubious bounties of the Dungeon, how will they manage when even the meanest monster won’t make a decent meal?
Kate’s Thoughts
It had been a long time since I read any manga before our book club picked “Delicious in Dungeon” Volumes 1 and 2. Like, probably since we read “Sailor Moon” Volumes 1 and 2 a few years ago! I used to read more manga back in the day, but it has admittedly fallen away a bit, so I was eager to pick some up again. Especially since I’ve been doing an online Dungeons and Dragons campaign for the past year or so and this just SCREAMED D & D to me!
And it really did feel like I was reading a D & D campaign as our heroes go into the dungeon to find Laios’s captured sister and find the depths, the creatures, and other adventurers along the way. Not only is the lore of the dungeon expansive and super creative (different levels, different resting spots that have turned into markets and communities), I really enjoyed the many different creatures and how they are broken down and used for food, with thought out recipes and oddly mouthwatering pictures to boot! I also enjoyed seeing the party of varying characters try and maneuver through the monsters and the recipes, whether it’s determined leader Laios who wants to save his sister (and has always been curious about monsters as food for some reason), or anxious spellcaster Marcille, or steady locksmith Chilchuck, or fine dining chef dwarf Senshi (my favorite to be sure). And man, did that food look good even though it was made of slimes, scorpions, chimeras, and other dungeon dwelling beasts.
Will I go on in the series? Probably not. But it was a fun ride to be sure!
Kate’s Rating 7: Creative world building, fun characters, and some delicious looking food make for a fun adventure tale!
Book Club Questions
- Have you read manga before? If so, how did this manga compare with the other ones you’ve read in the past?
- Did you think that the art style and the structure of it fit the story? Do you think you may have liked this more if it were in a different format, like a long form fantasy novel?
- Which character did you connect with the most?
- If you watched the adaptation or parts of the adaptation, how did it compare to the source material? Do you think you liked watching it better or reading it better?
- Have you played any games that have dungeon quests or themes (like D&D, or any video or board game with dungeons and monsters)? How did those compare to this story?
Reader’s Advisory
“Delicious in Dungeon (Vols. 1 & 2)” are included on the Goodreads lists “Comics About Food”, and “RPG Board Games”.
Next Book Club Pick: “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman
The Library Ladies 