The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
By Matt Dinniman · Narrated by Jeff Hays (with Patrick Warburton) · 700 pages pages · July 2023
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
Two floors in one book. Patrick Warburton guest narrates in the audiobook -- the man Jeff Hays originally based Carl's voice on now appears in the story, and it is exactly as good as that sounds. The meta-level layers are stacked thick enough to walk on.
What makes this book matter
The Syndicate's history starts to unfold. The AI stops complying with court orders it disagrees with. By giving away level 3 Personal Space coupons in a loot box, the AI delivers a massive "fuck you" to the show runners who lose out on sponsor revenue. The Council issues a ruling that nobody is allowed to file lawsuits naming the AI as a defendant. Think about what had to happen to make that ruling necessary.
Prepotente insists on partying with Carl and Donut for Floor 7 because he needs Donut's help. Using several benefactor items, he destroys the entire seventh floor within minutes of arrival, sending every crawler instantly through the exit stairs. They skip the whole floor. His mother, he says, would have been quite proud. She would have called him her very smart boy. This is the moment Prepotente goes from comic relief to fan favorite.
The moment everyone remembers
The Floor 7 skip. Prepotente paid attention to the clues on Floor 6, figured out something nobody else did, and executed a plan that bypassed an entire floor of the dungeon. It's audacious, clever, and deeply satisfying. The achievement Carl gets is equally memorable.
Key introductions
- Syndicate history and galactic politics
- The AI's refusal to comply with legal orders
- Deeper understanding of the Cookbook's lineage (24 previous holders)
- Prepotente's elevation from side character to key player