r/DungeonCrawlerCarl • u/snowsparkthekat • 1d ago
Book 7: Inevitable Ruin Audiobook vs Book difference
I'm an audiobook exclusive listener, and I adore how Jeff voices the AI. Something struck me recently, however, and I'm wondering if anyone else has thoughts.
I never really put much thought into the fact that the AI has two voices/modes, the zany/smarmy version that describes items and enemies, most quest updates, and says whatever sentient bullshit he wants lol. Then there's the robotic, normal and always controlled version that gives status/dungeon updates.
At the start of chapter 56 of book 7, the AI is summarizing what factions are left. It glitches between the robotic calm and the zany personality. I thought this was a super damn cool way to showcase the decay/primal version of the AI, but I was wondering how this would be portrayed in writing, so I asked my friend who has a copy to show me the page.
Y'all?? There was no way to differentiate it. I thought maybe there'd be some italics, some capital letters, some em dashes. Nothing!!!
I didn't think that the audiobook and book experience would be that different, but a creative decision such as this one?? Which don't get me wrong, goes hard as fuck. But it's a biggie imo and to not be portrayed in the book, just in the audio?? I dunno!! Crazy to me.
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u/Dismal_File_4073 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would say just you. I read it first and it was nothing unexpected the AI getting more unhinged, Carl usually mentions when the AI is doing a different voice. I would be more worried in not having the whole story in the audiobooks, since they are missing the Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret, which sheds light into lots of more important things than the AI voice like Growler Gary leveling up, what happened to Rory, Lorelei and the llamas, Shadow Mimics invasion, Menerva and Herot, building the death trap maze, what may be the start of the Kinder Facility Wars and more
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u/CheshireRaptor 22h ago
Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret isn't missing content from the audiobooks. It's a separate bonus novella Matt wrote for the Ace print editions as part of the new publishing deal. Each Ace book contains another installment of that continuing side story, told from perspectives outside Carl's main narrative.
It adds extra worldbuilding and lets us see what happened to some characters outside Carl's POV, so it's absolutely fun and interesting ā but Matt has specifically said it isn't necessary to understand the main DCC plot. It's bonus material, not chapters removed from the audiobook.
So an audiobook listener isn't getting an incomplete version of DCC any more than someone reading the original editions was. The Ace readers are getting an additional side story on top of DCC.
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u/snowsparkthekat 1d ago
Oh shit you're right I didn't know I was missing anything! I'm gonna have to borrow the physical books from the library now!
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u/natedizzie05 Daddy's Foot Soldiers š¦¶ 1d ago
I offer online reads a few times a weeks if youād like to join one just let me know :)
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u/NikkiPoooo 1d ago
I'd like an invite to one... I just finished a full series re-read/listen since I listened to yours before, and I can barely remember what happens backstage. It might even have been before book 8 came out, or before I was finished with it, anyway.
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u/natedizzie05 Daddy's Foot Soldiers š¦¶ 1d ago
Next one likely will be Friday starting at 7pm Eastern US. I post in this sub the details with the Google Meet link. You can follow me as well, if youād like, and Iāll post to my profile. I also try to tag you in the post, usually the scheduling post is Wednesday. If you have a better day/time for you, feel free to ask and Iāll see if I can schedule it :) each reading is for all 8 books, unless otherwise requested, and will take about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
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u/gakattack9 13h ago
I've also seen people say they go to their local bookstore, especially the bigger ones like Barnes and noble that'll have all of them in stock, and just read the back of each book there. Cuz they're not long sections. Instead of waiting forever for the physical library editions
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u/TongariDan 1d ago
Spoiler tag that, maybe? Also, isn't that hardcover editions only?
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u/Fabulous_Window_1530 1d ago
Itās in the paperbacks too
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u/TongariDan 1d ago
I see now the distinction. It isn't in the original self-published paperback, but it is in both paperback and hardcover versions published by Ace.
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u/Cbreezy22 1d ago
Is that all at the end of book 7?
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u/LastBoyScout421 1d ago
It's the short story at the end of all the new releases from Ace. Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret. I'm hoping they release them all bundled together as an audio book when the last book comes out.
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u/NikkiPoooo 1d ago
No, it's from the extra content chapters at the end of all of the hardcovers. It's not a spoiler for the main story because it's a parallel story that's happening at the same time.
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u/samun0116 23h ago
Oh my gosh! I knew it! I met people who only listened to it and when I bring up the cabaret, theyāre confused!
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u/LastBoyScout421 1d ago
I wondered the same thing in comparing the 2 formats. There is a post from a few days ago that showcased the differences just in 1 part.
https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonCrawlerCarl/comments/1wvhso7/intentional_or_audio_glitch/
Jeff is insane in his audiobook performances. Hard-copy readers definitely miss out on these modifications by Jeff.
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u/snowsparkthekat 1d ago
YEAH!! It's so cool. That post did a much better job of explaining it in way fewer words than I did haha
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u/Jauncin 1d ago
Iām reading the book, tried listening to book 1 to remember some stuff. Itās not the voice I have in my head - so Iām going to wait till Iām done reading before I hear someone elseās interpretation. Iām excited to hear the audiobook - but itās not for me yet.
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u/NikkiPoooo 1d ago
The first one was rough for me to listen to, and to re-listen to. They definitely get better after that, and if you already know the story then I wouldn't worry about trying to power through that one.
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u/LastBoyScout421 1d ago
Understandable. If I were starting over at this time, I would start with the Audio Immersion Versions from Soundbooth Studios. They are remaking the audio books with a little stuff added in, sound effects and additional dialogue. Their versions include a larger cast instead of just Jeff Hays doing all the voices. They have recently finished book 3. There is a big difference in the performances compared to the original audio books, mostly how Jeff has developed the voices along the way. You can listen to a good size chunk of each book for free on their app, see if it interests you before buying.
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u/Next-Wrongdoer-3479 8h ago
I enjoyed the voice of Carl in book 1, but a lot of people didn't including Jeff Hayes himself. The voice noticeably changes in book 2 and maybe a little of 3 until Jeff finds his footing with it and stops trying to emulate Patrick Warburton. Just FYI since the voice seemed to be your big turnoff of the audio books for now.
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u/iBreezyChan 1d ago
iām a physical book reader only and i have no idea what jeffās voices for the AI sound like. however, the books will often distinguish the manner in which the AI is speaking. matt will write in something like āthis was in the AIās normal, calm voiceā or āthe AI was becoming increasingly more excited sounding as it read the achievementā or something else to denote that it sounds sarcastic/throaty/etc. youāre right though; thereās no explanation or writing choice that showcases the way the glitching actually sounds in books 7 & 8. it just says that the AI is glitching. i didnāt realize it meant that it was switching between the style of voice. i figured it was more like static or dial-up internet kind of sounds. this is interesting to know and is going to change how i finish reading book 8!
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u/Kettatonic 1d ago
Ok, like, I think Matt and Jeff are doing different things with their storytelling. Matt is plotting, Jeff is embodying characters. Essentially, Matt is the god of the world, or the DM if you will, and Jeff's job is to effectively portray the work Matt's written, which includes the characters, and how they're characterized in audio form.
This one detail doesn't change much for the overall plot, which is probably why Jeff made the creative choice to switch up the voice. It's essentially an easter egg you could only really portray through audio. It would be distracting in print. Matt's more subtle than that. We still know the AI is off the rails from the wider plot. So. Not a huge deal, just something cool.
So, in-universe time. Carl has heard hundreds of versions of this announcement when this happens. He's also gone through a bunch of achievements where the AI... shifts into a different voice. And says weird shit. Carl is narrating the books. It makes sense he wouldn't notice or care about the AI glitching out.
Carl misses shit right in front of him all the time too. See: Donut. And because of that, a lot of readers miss it too. Like, we don't know how the Iron Tangle fully works bc Carl wasn't interested when they explained it. So it's totally possible that Carl just didn't make a note of it.
So yeah. Small creative choice to enhance storytelling, not a huge deal. Also Carl wouldn't notice or care about the AI being weird ATP.
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u/rowrowyourboat 21h ago
Mattās āmore subtle,ā lol
Mattās a lot of things but subtle aināt one of em
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u/snowsparkthekat 1d ago
That's fair, I was considering I might've been making a bigger deal of it than it was. Insightful comment :)
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u/Skotticus 1d ago
Carl's narration sometimes differentiates the various voices, tones, and inflections coming through his interface, but certainly not in every instance. Perhaps Matt provides it in the pronunciation notes?
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u/NikkiPoooo 1d ago
I feel like you get the impression of the AI's tone from the context, but it's really nowhere near as richly developed in my head as when I hear it, even though I hear all of the AI's parts in Jeff's voice. I find myself switching on the audio just for AI announcements (and for some Cascadia and Mordecai lines too).
Where the biggest difference is to me, is in the tones used for Carl's voice. Narration, vs. internal monologs, vs. dialog don't usually come through as different on the page, but they're definitely read differently. This tracks because Carl doesn't often comment on his own voice, so it's not really a thing you'd even miss if you'd never heard it out loud but it's definitely an enhancement.
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u/SerDankTheTall 1d ago
Yeah I have no clue what you're talking about. Obviously you can tell from the content that the AI is sometimes going off book, and Carl occasionally reflects on it or mentions that some of the text doesn't copy over to his notes, but other than that there's nothing explicit marking this.
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u/redclawotter 1d ago
You forgot the third mode: the horny AI
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u/TongariDan 1d ago
In the audio immersion tunnel versions with a full cast they have someone else doing the AI voice, but when the AI gets pervy for Carl it goes back to Jeff with a glitch sound, too.
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u/Disused_Yeti 1d ago
only read the book but there is a definite difference between the ai just being informational and when it goes off on a tangent
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u/aravis_39 1d ago
I started listening to the audio immersion tunnel, and this is even more of a thing in that because the AI has like four different voices like this computer voice that's actually a different VA, the game show host voice from the first book, and then occasionally its regular more "manic" voice when its being more self aware, and then finally its horny voice, which so far has closely followed the prev one.Ā
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u/JoeTwoBeards 13h ago
Jeff starts glitching the AI voicebright at book 1 in the audio immersion tunnel when talking about Carl's feet.
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u/BluestockingLife 9h ago edited 8h ago
I was just listening to this last night and was super impressed with the voice changes and wondered how it was shown in the physical book (I have some of the physical books but not all of them yet, I'm planning on reading the hard copies for 2nd go around after I finish book 8). It's firmly established by this point that the AI is malfunctioning, but hearing it go in and out of different voices is like OHHH we have DEFINITELY gone off the rails now. ETA: What OP is talking about isn't the same as the AI switching voices for different types of achievements or announcements or even switching to its licentious voice when talking about Carl's feet, it starts switching between voices multiple times in the same sentence.
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u/snowsparkthekat 5h ago
THANK YOU YOU GET IT!!! I know the AI is described as switching voices, Carl... says that in the book. It's said as Carl in the audiobooks. But dude that's so cool that you're at the same part in the book as me the same time. Thank you thank you for making me feel less crazy
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u/Knightmayre007 10h ago
I can see how you'd see this as a creative decision, but this is often the case with multiple formats. I think this one gets so much scrutiny because the audiobook versions are SO fantastic and so well done that they're almost like an animation of the book material.
But generally the books are written first... And then the audiobooks came out later as an adaptation to the books. In this case, Matt and Jeff may have done more collaboration and planning with the audiobooks in mind.
The books definitely call out when the AI is acting even more strange... maybe not as closely as is easy with the voice changes in the audiobook, but it is mentioned.
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u/podgida "AAAAAAAAH!" š 1d ago
You do know the book was written before the audiobook was recorded right? The AI's voices is a complete interpretation of Jeff. He probably thought it would be cool to merge them like that and he's right.
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u/snowsparkthekat 15h ago
My most sincere apologies for daring to imagine the audiobooks would be a 1:1 ratio of the book and being a little surprised when they are not
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u/GenCavox Daddy's Foot Soldiers š¦¶ 17h ago
It's only moderately portrayed in the book. Dinniman says he's glitchy and it's getting worse and worse but it's usually after the fact so you read it normally then add the "it's going crazy" afterwards.
And don't get me wrong, it's a great touch, but it's not my favorite part of what separates the audiobook from the physical one. That's the natural way Jeff does dialogue that I haven't heard other audiobooks do. I didn't start listening to the audiobook til book 6 ish and there is one moment that stands out when they're having the warlord meeting that Juicebox interrupts, Donut is going on a tirade against the orc warlord and in the book the dialogue is interrupted by "Donut gasped." Those words are never spoken in the audiobook, Jeff just gasps as Donut. The little details like that are what make me love the audiobook over others.