Operation Bounce House Audiobook By Matt Dinniman cover art

Operation Bounce House

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Operation Bounce House

By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Jeff Hays
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was 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. 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 Industries is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying 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 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.

Accolades & Awards

Most Popular
Adventure Epic Fantasy Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Funny Witty Game War Ranch

Critic reviews

“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, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising Saga

"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." – Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

"Dinniman skillfully cloaks several current-day issues, such as swatting, genocide, othering, and concerns about AI, in this captivating futuristic read."– Booklist (starred review)

“Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.” – James Islington, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Will of the Many

"SF readers will have a ball.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Matt Dinniman is an incredible writer. Now enjoy his 100% accurate prophecy of the coming war between interstellar farmers and Call of Duty mech pilots.” – Will Wight, New York Times bestselling author of the Cradle series

"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

"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

“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

Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl:

"Dungeon Crawler Carl is legit awesome."– #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson

“Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen.” – Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day

"This series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight." – New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch
Thought-provoking Themes • Engaging Plot Twists • Excellent Voice Acting • Lovable Characters • Balanced Humor

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
So it's NOT DCC (although there is a cat with a tiara lol). Put those assumptions out the door before you even think about reading this... BUT it is funny at times, emotional at times, fast paced, and a little unbelievable while also being 100% relatable - so, typical Matt Dinniman. (Btw, this is definitely not litRPG, it leans more sci-fi fantasy military-ish... So, if you didn't like something like the Bobiverse I don't think you'd enjoy this. And Jeff isn't in there a whole lot (but what he does is effen brilliant), it's told 90% by Baldree.)

No matter what side of the aisle you're on you can't not see the parallels he's writing about. In the current social geopolitical climate worldwide, not just here in the US, with the constant debates about AI and it's affect on the world, as well as countries all over the world pushing this idea of ultra nationalism: how for the past 2+ centuries human beings have siloed themselves into groups based on so many different things from color, race, religion, culture, location, etc, and consider those outside of those silos as "other"... hating with the passion of a thousand suns anyone who isn't considered "one of them".... this is a poignant and interesting, albeit humorous and wild, examination of what might be (or what is tbh).

👏🏾Well done, MD, and the voice narration was wonderful as usual by TB and an awesome cameo by the legend that is JH.

A timely novel indeed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love the DCC series and have mostly enjoyed his other books, but this is by far my favorite non-dcc book so far from him

Best standalone book from Matt so far.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Imagine a scenario where the government uses harmful rhetoric to dehumanize a group of people, accusing them of being “terrorists”, claiming their country was a third world war zone, and saying they needed to invade in order to “liberate” the people, but really the entire thing is a lie and it was all about corporate profits…sounds UNBELIEVABLE right?

Well such is the case for the earth colonizers of the planet New Sanora. One day you are farming peacefully and the next day armored mechs are trying to slaughter you and everyone you know and you have no idea why. The conglomerations of corporate entities that now control earth have decided they need this planet to expand their interests and too bad for the population of peaceful farmers living there; they got to go.

The message of this book couldn't be more obvious if Matt Dinniman read it out loud at a F$&K Ice protest. Whoever says books aren't political won't be able to say it about this book, and I'm here for it. I would just hope folks will here the message. Human beings are better to each other when we relate. We're being robbed of our empathy as our understanding and interactions with each other are limited and filtered thru the internet. It's informant fatigue and our minds can't handle so we disassociate from our shared humanity. Stories like this should be a wake up call for everyone to reclaim our agency and stop being pawns of the powerful's agenda.

A Timely Message For Humanity

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love all of his books so maybe im biased. they are always well written and more than just lib echo chamber propaganda and empty virtue signalling with a check list of "morality" and "invlusivity". he never disappoints. Great stand alone with potential for more but I'm not sure there will be, given his style. we'll see.

author always delivers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This isnt Dungeon Crawler Carl. Don't expect it to be. It is an engaging story with twists, memorable characters, heartwarming moments, humor, and moments of heart pounding action, mixed with edge of your seat thrills. Highly recommend.

Book of the Year Contender

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews