Everyone is reading Dungeon Crawler Carl - And you should too!

I swear every day someone new walks into the bookshop wanting to pick up a little old book that we might have in stock called Dungeon Crawler Carl maybe? And all I can do is delight in the absolute wild journey they have ahead of them. Oh sweet innocent soul, you have no idea. 

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a unique genre blending book that is officially categorized as LitRPG Fantasy-Sci Fi. What that means is that it's really quite truly unlike anything else you've read, and one that you absolutely have to read just so you can find out what it's like. 

1. Dungeon Crawler Carl is an incredibly popular (for good reason) sci-fi and fantasy series, in the LitRPG style (don't worry, we'll explain what that is later).
2. The series started as a free self-published serial by the author Matt Dinniman in 2020, and was then acquired by publishers Ace Books in 2024.
3. There are 8 books out currently, with an expected 10 total in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
4. There's a seperate Matt Dinniman standalone novel, Operation Bounce House, which is also amazing but not connected to DCC at all.
5. There are two different publishers for the hardbacks - one from the UK and one from the USA. Keep this in mind if you want the full set to match and make sure to double check. They look VERY similar, but not identical. This is important. 
6. There is a graphic novel adaptation, a television series that has been given the greenlight, and a whole load of other exciting things on the way like collectible toys, tabletop games, and more.
7. Most importantly, you need to read the series (at least the first one). 

I have my husband to thank for getting me reading DCC. I was so convinced it wouldn't be my style of book, but eventually he wore me down and now I'm 6 books in with zero regrets. I thought I'd ask him to explain a few things for us all (thanks Edd!).

What made you decide to read Dungeon Crawler Carl?

The original self-published covers! I kept seeing them pop up all across the internet, and everyone who had read them absolutely raved about them, so I couldn't not.

What even is a lit-RPG book?

Literary Role Playing Game. Progression fantasy is a genre where one of the core narrative pillars has characters consistently increasing in power and skill through well-defined power systems. Lit-RPG is a subgenre of this that takes it a bit further, using the actual character levels and skill stats you would see in a role playing game.

What is it about the series that you think makes it so popular with so many different readers?

The heart. Matt Dinniman said that when he wonders if he has maybe taken something too far, rather than pulling back, he will push it a bit further. I think that really sums up how this series goes, where there is just so much craziness going on, you never quite know what else is going to happen. But throughout it all, Carl remains the relatable straight man, just as baffled or disgusted as you are. His developing relationships with the other characters, especially Donut, really ground the story and keep you coming back for more.

Do you have a favourite character? Who are they and why?

I think this is an unfair question when one of the characters is a talking cat who can shoot laser beams from her eyes, called Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. Donut just perfectly captures what a talking cat would be like, and it's impossible not to love her.

What is your elevator pitch for getting someone to pick up DCC for the first time?

Explaining the actual premise is difficult, so I try to keep it light: aliens have come to destroy the world and created a televised dungeon crawl for the survivors. It's hilarious, weird, gross, and ultimately a really heartfelt found-family story about a man and his ex-girlfriend's sentient cat as they fight for humanity's survival. Read it now because in a few years, it will be everywhere (it's already happening).

If someone has read the series and LOVED it, what books would you recommend they try next?

It's tricky because there really is nothing like it. There are definitely some other great lit-RPGs like He Who Fights with Monsters, or progression fantasies like Cradle. Operation Bounce House has a lot of the same themes, with a slightly tamer plot. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet has the same found family feels and Red Rising has a lot of the violent resistance themes, but neither has the silliness or the humour. 

If for no other reason than to find out who Princess Donut is and why she's the best character ever, you should pick up book one in the series. Then book two. 

I have no regrets for the MANY hours of my life this weird story has taken up, it's somehow both the silliest thing I've ever read and also extremely intense and often quite heart wrenching. It's ridiculous and at times absolutely grotesque, but somehow that works. I've never read anything like it - and I'm not sure anyone else would quite pull it off like Dinniman does.