The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan
Orbit
Publication Date: August 11th, 2026
Paperback. 352 pages.
Orbit
Publication Date: August 11th, 2026
Paperback. 352 pages.
About The Dungeon Book:
"A young girl is left to die in a wizard's dungeon but finds a new home with the monsters around her in this humorous and heartfelt standalone epic fantasy from acclaimed author Gareth Hanrahan.
'Full of wit and adventure, twists and turns, wonderful monsters and astonishing revelations. An absolute joy' M. R. Carey, bestselling author of Once Was Willem
Enter a world of dungeons and dragons, magic and manticores, and goblins and gargoyles ...
Bait doesn't remember a time before the dungeon. Before the dragon stole her from her cot. She doesn't know what her name was before she was handed over to the monstrous denizens of the dungeon beneath the sorcerer's tower. Luckily for Bait, they decided not to eat her. And so she grew up in the dark—the goblins her adopted family, a vengeful minotaur her protector, a sentient skull her tutor, and a blob of corridor slime her main source of nutrition.
But the labyrinthine dungeon, with its haunted halls, buried temples and forgotten magics, draws treasure hunters like moths to flame. And as the outside world starts to intrude, Bait will learn what it means to be monstrous and she will have to decide where she truly belongs.
'For a story set in the deepest, darkest dungeon, The Dungeon Book absolutely bursts with warmth, heart, and energy. One of the best things you're going to read this year' Jackson Ford, author of The Bone Raiders
'The Dungeon Book manages the difficult task of being epic and heartfelt both at once, and does it with style. I fell in love with Bait and her menagerie of friends immediately' Django Wexler, author of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying"
'Full of wit and adventure, twists and turns, wonderful monsters and astonishing revelations. An absolute joy' M. R. Carey, bestselling author of Once Was Willem
Enter a world of dungeons and dragons, magic and manticores, and goblins and gargoyles ...
Bait doesn't remember a time before the dungeon. Before the dragon stole her from her cot. She doesn't know what her name was before she was handed over to the monstrous denizens of the dungeon beneath the sorcerer's tower. Luckily for Bait, they decided not to eat her. And so she grew up in the dark—the goblins her adopted family, a vengeful minotaur her protector, a sentient skull her tutor, and a blob of corridor slime her main source of nutrition.
But the labyrinthine dungeon, with its haunted halls, buried temples and forgotten magics, draws treasure hunters like moths to flame. And as the outside world starts to intrude, Bait will learn what it means to be monstrous and she will have to decide where she truly belongs.
'For a story set in the deepest, darkest dungeon, The Dungeon Book absolutely bursts with warmth, heart, and energy. One of the best things you're going to read this year' Jackson Ford, author of The Bone Raiders
'The Dungeon Book manages the difficult task of being epic and heartfelt both at once, and does it with style. I fell in love with Bait and her menagerie of friends immediately' Django Wexler, author of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying"
I really loved this one, and it's reminded me how much I've enjoyed Hanrahan's work. This was a delightful standalone fantasy that is so filled with imagination, warmth, delightful characters, and enough dark dungeon explorations (and a dragon!) to make any fantasy fan feel right at home.
In The Dungeon Book, we follow the story of Bait via the narrative of Cornelius, a talking skull (naturally). Of course, we also learn quite a bit about Cornelius' life and how he came to end up the way he is, so I'd say there are two main characters we get to follow throughout, which makes this book all the more colorful and full of depth. I really love the type of narrative style employed throughout this book, where it's as if we are being told a story directly by someone and are addressed as the reader (which we are!). Cornelius himself is also incredibly charming and has notable personality that I think added a lot of humor and thoughtfulness to the story.
And then we can move to Bait, who is a captivating protagonist. I really enjoyed the bits of discussion around her identity and how she views herself--as a human? a denizen of the dungeon? neither? both? It poses some really fascinating questions about belonging and moving between worlds and social groups in some really intriguing ways. She's also very bold and self-confident in general, which I think comes from the way she grew up and poses even more thought-provoking ideas, as growing up without the influence of regular humans around her and "normal" society has formed her into someone who is assured of their abilities and place in their world, regardless of what others thing. Of course, some of that changes and is put up for debate when she enters the human world, and I think that is what adds so much to this story as well.
In The Dungeon Book, we follow the story of Bait via the narrative of Cornelius, a talking skull (naturally). Of course, we also learn quite a bit about Cornelius' life and how he came to end up the way he is, so I'd say there are two main characters we get to follow throughout, which makes this book all the more colorful and full of depth. I really love the type of narrative style employed throughout this book, where it's as if we are being told a story directly by someone and are addressed as the reader (which we are!). Cornelius himself is also incredibly charming and has notable personality that I think added a lot of humor and thoughtfulness to the story.
And then we can move to Bait, who is a captivating protagonist. I really enjoyed the bits of discussion around her identity and how she views herself--as a human? a denizen of the dungeon? neither? both? It poses some really fascinating questions about belonging and moving between worlds and social groups in some really intriguing ways. She's also very bold and self-confident in general, which I think comes from the way she grew up and poses even more thought-provoking ideas, as growing up without the influence of regular humans around her and "normal" society has formed her into someone who is assured of their abilities and place in their world, regardless of what others thing. Of course, some of that changes and is put up for debate when she enters the human world, and I think that is what adds so much to this story as well.
The story largely takes place in the primary setting of the dungeon, but we also spend some time out in the outside world with more humans from time to time. I was naturally more captivated by the dungeon and really loved every opportunity to learn more about it's inhabitants, the denizens, and the somewhat organized chaos aspect of the rules they lived by. I loved learning about the dragon, the wizards, the goblins, Gloop, Sir Pelodon, the kobolds, and everything else that was a part of this dark little ecosystem that was, despite being in those dark depths, bursting with life and excitement.
This is certainly a bit of an odd book at times, and the pacing is overall on the slower side, I'd say, due to the nature of the narrative style. There are moments of more intense scenes and even some action, but it's interspersed enough with Cornelius' own storytelling and relaying of Bait's adventures and experiences that it ends up feeling overall balanced. I didn't feel rushed while reading the story, and I also didn't feel as though it were dragging on for no reason, either. This is the type of book that I really enjoyed taking my time with, one of those that you want to sit down and truly just immerse yourself in and enjoy for the sake of the world, the story, and its characters, rather than trying to read through for the sake of the plot alone.
I've been surprisingly find it hard to say all that much about this book because it feels than anything I try to mention needs some sort of explanation or an understanding of the story and its style, so I believe I'll leave me review here and hope that what I've said is enough to tell you a bit about what you can expect, and enough to encourage you to pick it up! Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this delightful story (though don't be fooled by my "delightful" word choice--it's still a bit bittersweet at times as it explores so many different ideas) and encourage both new and old readers of Gareth Hanrahan to give it a shot!
This is certainly a bit of an odd book at times, and the pacing is overall on the slower side, I'd say, due to the nature of the narrative style. There are moments of more intense scenes and even some action, but it's interspersed enough with Cornelius' own storytelling and relaying of Bait's adventures and experiences that it ends up feeling overall balanced. I didn't feel rushed while reading the story, and I also didn't feel as though it were dragging on for no reason, either. This is the type of book that I really enjoyed taking my time with, one of those that you want to sit down and truly just immerse yourself in and enjoy for the sake of the world, the story, and its characters, rather than trying to read through for the sake of the plot alone.
I've been surprisingly find it hard to say all that much about this book because it feels than anything I try to mention needs some sort of explanation or an understanding of the story and its style, so I believe I'll leave me review here and hope that what I've said is enough to tell you a bit about what you can expect, and enough to encourage you to pick it up! Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this delightful story (though don't be fooled by my "delightful" word choice--it's still a bit bittersweet at times as it explores so many different ideas) and encourage both new and old readers of Gareth Hanrahan to give it a shot!
*I received a copy of The Dungeon Book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
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