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Operation Bounce House

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Operation Bounce House

By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Jeff Hays
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Brought to you by Penguin
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BECOME YOUR PLANET’S FINAL BOSS?

THE EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL AND JOIN THE FIGHT.


All New Sonoran colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep their aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking.

But now the colossal Apex Corporation has been hired to commence an “eviction action” – exterminate all life on New Sonora in preparation for a reboot. And they charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines, remotely pilot them, and make it a game.

The game is called Operation Bounce House . . .

And New Sonora is its playing field.

Determined to defend the only home he’s ever known, Oliver and his friends find themselves fighting for their lives against these machines.

To earth its a game, but to Oliver, it's war.

"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. This tale is more twisted fun than you can shake a joystick at.” Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

"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, bestselling author of Red Rising

"Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart?the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining." James Islington, International bestselling author of The Will of the Many
© Matt Dinniman 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Adventure Humorous Science Fiction Space Exploration Heartfelt Witty War Game Boss Ranch

Critic Reviews

What if someday Gamergate went galactic? 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. This tale is more twisted fun than you can shake a joystick at.
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.
Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.
Creative and well-written as ever, Operation Bounce House reminds me how much storytelling a great writer can pack into a single volume.
An all-hands-on-deck sci-fi war novel that pits the peasants against the plutocracy, pitchforks against spaceships, rock ’n’ roll against oppression, and love against greed… you’re gonna love every bloody page of it.
Operation Bounce House has all the humor, sudden violence and pop culture insight that made Dungeon Crawler Carl a massive success…You won’t be able to put it down.
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.
Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman’s Operation Bounce House is a hair-raising intergalactic invasion that never forgets the humans at its core.
Addictive... The stakes are sky-high, and the Ender's Game-esque plot moves at a rapid clip. ... Fans will not be disappointed.
SF readers will have a ball.
All stars
Most relevant
it took a while to get used to the narrator, whuch us perculiar as i enjoy his written work and narration in the legebds and lattes series. Roger is a standout character who brings some hunour.

the world isnt as all enconpassing as dungeon crawler Carl but has some great messages and themes and plenty of action. a book much better than its weird title. Thank you Matt!

a cozy read in between DCC

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Nothing in this book is DCC, but if Matt came out 20 years from now and said, sure this book is how it all starts in DCC, it would make sense.

Dungeon Crawler Carl Prequel.

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This is another fantastic book by matt.And performed so well by the team thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Matt is the GOAT 🐐

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Absolutely loved this, started off a little slow but by the end I was absolutely hooked and was left wanting more. Another great book by Matt 💪🏼 if you haven’t already read Dungeon Crawler Carl do yourself a favor and get that also 👍🏼

Just plain old fun!

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Matt has done it again!
Unique premise for a litrpg with lots of little Easter eggs from DCC universe to pique interest.

Loved the Easter eggs!

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