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Operation Bounce House
- Author
- Matt Dinniman
- Narrator
- Travis Baldree, Jeff Hays
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 10 February 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 49 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Science fiction: space exploration, Satirical fiction and parodies, War, combat and military adventure fiction, Fiction: special features: game-related / LitRPG stories
- Rating
- 4.5 (2 reviews)
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin
Narrated by Travis Baldree and Jeff Harding.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BECOME YOUR PLANET’S FINAL BOSS?
THIS IS THE EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL.
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
"The audiobook, narrated by Legends & Lattes author Travis Baldree and featuring a guest appearance from Dungeon Crawler Carl narrator Jeff Hays, is also a real delight." Tayla Honebeek, the Mirror
© Matt Dinniman 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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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.
Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One
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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
-
Creative and well-written as ever, Operation Bounce House reminds me how much storytelling a great writer can pack into a single volume.
Will Wight, bestelling author of The Cradle Series
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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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.
Philip Fracassi, author of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre
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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.
Peter V. Brett, International Bestselling author of The Warded Man
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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
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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
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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
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SF readers will have a ball.
Kirkus Reviews
User Reviews
Book 4.5
Narration 5.0
-
4.0 5.0
Absolute romp. A scathing critique of internet culture, technology and capitalism, wrapped up in a guitar solo and an explosion.
It's slightly slow to get going in the first half, and there are several moments of tonal whiplash, but the second half more than makes up for any bumps in the lead up.
Narration is top-notch: I was shocked that all the characters were played by the same person.Sluggusluss 2026-08-24 -
5.0 5.0
Very good
Bow3ryList 2026-08-12
Details
- Author
- Matt Dinniman
- Narrator
- Travis Baldree, Jeff Hays
- Duration
- 10 hours 49 minutes
- Release Date
- 10 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9781405987356
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Science fiction: space exploration, Satirical fiction and parodies, War, combat and military adventure fiction, Fiction: special features: game-related / LitRPG stories
- Rating
- 4.5(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(2 reviews)
Synopsis
Brought to you by PenguinNarrated by Travis Baldree and Jeff Harding.WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BECOME YOUR PLANET’S FINAL BOSS?THIS IS THE EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL.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"The audiobook, narrated by Legends & Lattes author Travis Baldree and featuring a guest appearance from Dungeon Crawler Carl narrator Jeff Hays, is also a real delight." Tayla Honebeek, the Mirror© Matt Dinniman 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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