Operation Bounce House

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Jeff Hays

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

Critic reviews

“Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos with all the alacrity of a dynamite fuse." – Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising Saga

"What if the toxic corporate interests of Earth tasked its most toxic gamers with doing their colonialist bidding? What if their insignificant incel reign of terror reached beyond the borders of their parents' basements and bedrooms, and they were all given remote command of real weapons of war on another world? Matt Dinniman has cooked us all up a deliciously terrifying gamer geek stew, mixing up Avatar and Ender's Game, with a dash of The Last Starfighter and Independence Day thrown in." – Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

"Dinniman skillfully cloaks several current-day issues, such as swatting, genocide, othering, and concerns about AI, in this captivating futuristic read."– Booklist (starred review)

“Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.” – James Islington, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Will of the Many

"SF readers will have a ball.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Matt Dinniman is an incredible writer. Now enjoy his 100% accurate prophecy of the coming war between interstellar farmers and Call of Duty mech pilots.” – Will Wight, New York Times bestselling author of the Cradle series

"Addictive... The stakes are sky-high, and the Ender's Game-esque plot moves at a rapid clip. ... Fans will not be disappointed." – Library Journal

"Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman’s Operation Bounce House is a hair-raising intergalactic invasion that never forgets the humans at its core.” – BookPage

“Strap in and grab your pitchfork because Matt Dinniman is back again with a fast-paced stand-alone novel that’s sure to leave you itching for more.” – SFF Insider

Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl:

"Dungeon Crawler Carl is legit awesome."– #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson

“Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen.” – Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day

"This series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight." – New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch

A Dummy’s Guide to War, Exploitation and Genocide

Hopefully books like this, and Dinniman’s other series Dungeon Crawler Carl, end up in the hands of those who need to be guided into understanding how governments and corporations exploit and turn people against each other. If you need a way to understand that is entertaining, I recommend any of his books. It is a lesson in how to use empathy to gain understanding of what is happening, and has happened in the world, especially how the US functions. It challenges keyboard warriors and those who are merely performative on social media to understand that you are not hitting the mark as far as your involvement. It is just fuel for the fire.

Good wrap up on the story but not what I was expecting

Overall it was good. I can see some people not liking it. I can see some people blindly fanboying over it because Matt wrote it. Others not liking the political aspects and so on and so on. It wasn't exactly for me but it also wasn't not for me and I ended up falling asleep to some of it and not really caring about missing out on those pieces. Not a fan but it was good. Good food for thought about how terrible humans are to each other.

Interesting story

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and found the story and narration engaging. Felt like the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I still really liked it.

Great Book, but....

Really enjoyed the book, but the narration was not so good. Felt like this guy thought he was about to come on the blue collar comedy tour. It just was hard to listen to after a while.

Matt can do more that DCC

If you were wondering if Matt could do more, or do different stories, this proves he can. It easily has the same heart as DCC, but spins it differently. The pacing is great, the humanity is great, and the twist was perfect.

Thanks Matt