Dungeon Crawler Carl Book Series by Matt Dinniman

Part science fiction, part fantasy roleplaying game, the hilarious Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman has taken the world by storm. Join Carl and Princess Donut - his ex-girlfriend's snarky show cat - as they try to survive the levels of post-apocalyptic alien game show Dungeon Crawler World. 

One man. One cat. One alien invasion. Infinite chaos. Dive into the first explosive Dungeon Crawler Carl adventure - a wild mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and twisted survival comedy.

'If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it' Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters

-- You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic, intergalactic game show. That's what.

And now Coast Guard veteran Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, must try to survive the end of the world-or just get to the next level-in a video game-like, trap-filled, fantasy dungeon.

A dungeon that's actually the set of a reality TV show with countless viewers across the galaxy. So not only do they have to stay alive, but they also need to earn ratings based on their performance.

Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain't your ordinary game show. Keeping viewers entertained is essential. Survival, however, is not.

--- PRAISE ---

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

'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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

'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal

'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is a dangerously addicting tale of chaos and mayhem. I'm thoroughly hooked! - #1 New York Times bestselling author Callie Hart

Ideal for readers who:

  • Devour LitRPG sci-fi fantasy packed with dangerous dungeons, alien invasions and dark survival comedy.
  • Want to follow Carl and Princess Donut as they battle through a televised apocalypse and escalating traps.
  • Love immersing themselves in complex game-world mechanics, rare loot, monsters and cruel corporate games.
  • Enjoy a violent, hilarious, page-turning ride boasting cult energy and a relentless pace.

THE TRAINING LEVELS HAVE CONCLUDED. THE GAMES MAY TRULY BEGIN. The second explosive adventure in Matt Dinniman's hit LitRPG series - funnier, darker, and more dangerously addictive than ever.

'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal

'If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it' Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters

-- Now on the third floor of the dungeon, Carl and Princess Donut must fight harder than ever.

They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the chart and the watchers can't get enough.

But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there's a whole new problem to deal with . . . Side quests.

They call this level the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity.

But these streets are far from abandoned.

An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. And an ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Can Carl and Donut survive this level in time? And can Carl finally find some pants? ---

Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl

'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

'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever… or maybe anyone who has been outside at night-in their underwear-looking for their cat and wondering, 'What's the worst thing that could happen?'… Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best start to a series I've read this year. I wish I'd tried it sooner' Will Wight, author of the Cradle series

'To describe the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and the first book in particular, one must blend the darkest, grittiest science fiction with the humour of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It mixes fun, whimsical absurdity, and serious, dark themes with dire consequences…it is so spectacularly good that I cannot recommend it high enough' Grimdark Magazine

'Dinniman's Douglas-Adams-but-playing-D&D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books…genuinely joyful' LitHub.com

WELCOME CRAWLERS, TO THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE DUNGEON - THE IRON TANGLE! The third explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series, where teamwork is optional and betrayal is inevitable…

'If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it' Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters

-- Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine.

The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds.

The top ten list of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . .

They each now have a bounty on their head.

Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine.

The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds.

The top ten list of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . .

They each now have a bounty on their head.

To get through this level, they must solve the puzzle of the floor. The secret to unravelling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book. But if they want to come close to success, they'll have to work with other crawlers.

Making friends is easy…until they want to kill you. ----

Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl

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

'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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

'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal

'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

WHERE'S YOUR GAME PLAN? YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT ...

The fourth explosive adventure in Matt Dinniman's hit LitRPG series - find out who's the king of the castle . . . And who's the dirty rascal.

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

***

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy's most watched game show has taught Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, that there's only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what's coming next.

And this floor is no exception.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be straightforward.

One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked. Going it alone is not an option this time, so Carl and his team must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them.

But can they be trusted? We did say to expect the unexpected . . .

----

Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl

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

'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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

'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal

'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot

'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

DID WE SAY KILL, KILL, KILL? OH, WE MEANT RUN, RUN. RUUUUUUUN! The fifth explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series - going from the most watched to the most hunted isn't fun ... What a surprise! "Dungeon Crawler Carl is legit awesome" #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson *** Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose. A lush jungle teeming with danger. Savage dinosaurs seeking blood. A fallen princess intent on vengeance.And now a mysterious, end-of-floor celebration for the top crawlers, dubbed 'The Butcher's Masquerade.' But that's not all.Just when Carl and Princess Donut think they've seen it all as they compete to survive in the galaxy's most popular game show, the latest floor level introduces a terrible new threat.The Hunting Grounds.As the remaining crawlers battle for their lives, outside tourists are finally allowed to enter the game, and they are ready to hunt. Among them is Vrah, a famed and veteran hunter, intent on collecting the biggest trophy of her career.Carl and Princess Donut might be her prey, but this season, the prey are fighting back. --- Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl'Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen' Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson
THEY CAN'T CATCH A BREAK, NOW THEY NEED TO CATCH A LETHAL MONSTER. The sixth explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series where the hunted become the hunters ... while also still being hunted! "Dungeon Crawler Carl is legit awesome" #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson *** It is bedlam on the eighth floor. Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have survived longer and leveled up higher than anyone ever thought they could in the galaxy's most popular reality show. Now the stakes are the highest they've ever been, the rules are getting dangerously creative. The crawlers are given a new task: Find and capture six monsters, each of which will be turned into a card.The stronger, the deadlier, the better.It's crucial for crawlers to assemble the toughest squad possible. But, like always, there is a catch. There's always a catch.If Carl and Donut want a winning hand, they'll have to capture the most lethal and terrifying monster of them all: Shi Maria.She was once married to a now-missing god. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride. Carl and Donut can try to capture her, but that doesn't mean they can tame her. And if they can't, there'll be worse things at stake than just their sanity. --- Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl 'Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen' Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson
IT'S TIME FOR WAR, FOLKS. The seventh explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series and all's unfair in love and war ..."Dungeon Crawler Carl is legit awesome" #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson*** Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, betrayal . . . It all makes for great fun and even greater television.The ninth floor. Faction Wars.Nine armies enter, led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy.The winning team must capture and hold the castle at the very centre of the battlefield.But thanks to Carl, Donut, and Katia, this season is different.For the first time ever, the crawlers have their own army. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and have formed an unprecedented team of their own.And it's not just the crawlers who are at risk this Faction Wars. Any combatant who dies on the battlefield stays in the ground.For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. No matter who wins the war, only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.If they all want to survive, they're going to need a littlehelp.This is it.This is what they've been fighting toward. This is war.---Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl'Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen' Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, 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'[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

CARL IS PLANNING SOMETHING DANGEROUS, BUT AT WHAT COST? The eighth explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series, and it's off to the races... - '[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal 'If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it' Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters - As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they're forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon. Races. Get from point A to point B, and don't come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a a little too simple. Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don't listen to those whispers about what's happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it "a coming-out party for the ages." Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine. Carl hates that it's business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do. So Carl is planning a party of his own. It's a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can't even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it's not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they've ever been. Includes part eight of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret." - Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl '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 'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever… or maybe anyone who has been outside at night-in their underwear-looking for their cat and wondering, 'What's the worst thing that could happen?'… Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series 'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot 'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson 'Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best start to a series I've read this year. I wish I'd tried it sooner' Will Wight, author of the Cradle series 'To describe the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and the first book in particular, one must blend the darkest, grittiest science fiction with the humour of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It mixes fun, whimsical absurdity, and serious, dark themes with dire consequences…it is so spectacularly good that I cannot recommend it high enough' Grimdark Magazine 'Dinniman's Douglas-Adams-but-playing-D&D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books…genuinely joyful' LitHub.com

Ideal for readers who:

  • Follow LitRPG packed with races, upgrades, glitches and dungeon chaos.
  • Need Carl and Princess Donut fighting rigged rules that make the absurdity matter.
  • Value bonus-story extras because they are already deep in the series.
  • Laugh at the madness while the world-building grows more unhinged.