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Operation Bounce House

THE EPIC AND FAST-PACED NOVEL FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SMASH-HIT DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL

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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

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

 Adventure Humorous Science Fiction Space Exploration Heartfelt Witty War Game Boss Ranch
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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
I liked the story and narration but the narration took a while to get used to. It was very fast. I normally listed in 1.2 to 1.5x but this I had to listen to on 0.9. So that delayed me getting into the book if that makes sense.

Good story once I got into it

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Operation Bounce House is an absolute delight. Matt Dinniman has crafted a story that wears its inspirations proudly — Avatar, Ender’s Game, The Last Starfighter, Independence Day, with a dash of Star Wars thrown in for good measure — and somehow blends them into something that feels fresh, funny and genuinely moving.
The premise is both simple and brilliant: unarmed farmers on a remote colony planet, so far from Earth their ancestors traveled there on generation ships, suddenly find themselves the unwitting backdrop for a deadly mech game broadcast to Earth audiences. What follows is a story about survival, community and fighting back with whatever you have — including a remarkably no-nonsense AI named Roger who has absolutely zero qualms about weaponizing the internet against teenage gamers.
Dinniman balances humor and heartbreak the way only the best storytellers can. You’ll laugh out loud and then get blindsided by something genuinely painful. The characters feel real and grounded — no billionaires or private jets here, just ordinary people trying to protect what they love.
Travis Baldree’s narration is exceptional. His timing, warmth and character work elevate an already great story into a truly memorable listening experience.
Yes, there’s a twist ending that you’ll probably see coming. But by that point you won’t care, because the journey has been too much fun. Highly recommended — especially for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Heart, dirt and new tech go to war. Don’t mess with Roger

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A great story that is quite on topic of recent events. the characters are believable and you quickly fall into there troubles.

another Dinniman hit.

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Always a pleasure listening to a new book from Matt, narrated by the amazing Jeff & Travis. Only downside is that the book was to short. bring on DCC in May.

Fantastic.

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Really enjoyable! Well performed and super well written. A good listen and a gripping story.

An adventure!

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