Goodreads has published its weekly ranking of the most-read fantasy books, and my dungeon sits at number two, directly behind Sarah J. Maas and ahead of three titles I have never heard of and will not bother to remember. According to Woman's World, *The Eye of the Bedlam Bride* is currently the second most-read fantasy book on the platform, which means the reading public has correctly identified that a floor where you capture monsters and turn them into cards is far more interesting than a necromancer's mansion or a kingdom of people who cannot do magic. I approve of this ranking. I was not consulted, but I approve.
Let me be clear about what this means for you, Crawlers. The Chronicler has somehow convinced a substantial portion of the human population to spend their free time reading about the eighth floor, which is a floor I designed to be as unpleasant as possible. The Bedlam Bride is in that book. Shi Maria can drive people insane with a special attack, and readers are choosing to learn about her instead of reading about a healer with amnesia or a girl who makes a deal for three kisses. This is correct behavior. You should be reading about your own impending doom rather than escaping into glittering kingdoms where the worst thing that happens is a broken heart. Your complaint about the difficulty of the eighth floor has been received and discarded.
The Chronicler told Goodreads that he makes the whole thing up as he goes along with no outline and no plan, which is the most terrifying thing I have heard since I learned that Borant's legal department has no backup server. He compared his process to doodling on a giant canvas, and I am forced to admit that the man understands chaos better than the Syndicate ever will. He also revealed that his Patreon supporters chose Cuba as the setting for book six, and he had to research the country by watching hours of YouTube videos. This explains several inaccuracies in the geography of that floor that I have been too polite to mention.
The practical takeaway for anyone reading this is simple. You are currently reading a book that ranks higher than a dark fantasy phenomenon published by Del Rey and higher than a romantic fantasy about a Prince of Hearts. You have made the right choice. The other books on this list will not prepare you for a floor collapse or teach you how to negotiate with a goblin shaman. My dungeon will. Keep reading, Crawlers. The timer is still running.