Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

TL;DR: A lot heavier than DCC – but still a great read with a lot to say.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Oliver, his friends, and community must come together to survive and fight off Earth’s ‘citizen soldiers’.
Characters: A lovely group of folks. I enjoyed all these characters and honestly would have kept reading about them for even longer.
Setting: While not the focus, the farm and planet were well drawn and added to the story.
Science Fiction: This might be a hot take but this is what sci-fi should be for me. It has something to say, it says it, and it also doesn’t like the mechanics of it get in the way.

Summary:

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is 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. As a fan of Earth television and culture, 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 Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own 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 own 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.

Thoughts:

This one, after reading through about half of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, was a bit like a cold slapping me in the face. Which, is not a bad thing- so hear me out. This is a darker book, a heavier one. We have a lot of levity and humor in Carl, but in Bounce House we’re looking at a group of people struggling to survive against overwhelming forces. We see people these characters love die, often in seemingly meaningless or gruesome ways and it hits.

Oliver and his friends and family have to fight off all of the mech controlled forces of Earth. They’re simple farmers, and the only thing they have that Earth doesn’t have is an AI named Roger. There is a lot to unpack in this one, and I’m not going to do that. Just know it’s timely. It is very much a book that reflects some of what’s happening in the world, just in a very filtered view (the irony of that statement, you’ll get it).

If you enjoyed the Benito Bowl of the 2026 Half Time show I recommend this. If you’re okay with heavier topics, and you know reading is political – I’d really recommend this. This one is great, it has it’s fun moments, but it’s impactful and I loved it.