This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman
Book Description
They call it Faction Wars.
The ninth floor.
Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television.
After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.
Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.
As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.
For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.
If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.
This is it.
This is what they’ve been fighting toward.
This is war.
This inevitable ruin.
Book Club Questions
How do you think the NPC’s being awakened will affect the rest of the levels?
I’m pretty sure the Eulogist (central system AI) is the boyfriend and the Apothecary is the other girlfriend in the AI’s metaphor.
No one in the Crawl has ever gone past the 13th floor… do you think we’ll get there in the series?
Who do you think took deals and are now Tenners?
Do we think Li-Na will become a villain, given the impact of the ring of suffering?
12th level is Celestial Ascendancy, 15th is Sheol and 18th is Scolopendra’s Lair… what do we know of these so far?
What do you think the RACE in Lvl 10 will be? Mad Max-eqsue?
What is the river/Primal?
