Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)

The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

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.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they 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 television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.
Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Light novel tropes with a Western bent and humor
• Dark, sarcastic humor that borders on the ridiculous, in the best possible way
• A talking cat . . . who acts exactly how you would expect a talking cat to act (hint: it’s not good)
• High stakes where no one is safe and danger lurks around every corner
• A combination of dungeon crawler and litRPG, in the vein of Solo Leveling but funny
• Fast-paced action with both excitement and heart

Overall

I accidentally stumbled across this book and immediately ordered it for my library based on the summary, because it sounded incredibly unique. And awesome. And everything I never knew I wanted in a fantasy book. Something that can combine my love for gaming, dungeon crawler manga, light novels, dark humor, sarcasm, and cats? Yes, please! Unfortunately, I was too slow and didn’t get to grab the book as soon as it came in. Luckily, the person who did get it first read it very quickly, demanded we order the rest of the series, and told me I absolutely needed to read it. So here we are. Because sometimes, just sometimes, I actually do what I’m told. Don’t get used to it.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a comedic dungeon crawler (duh) where danger lurks around every corner, life is one big game (televised, of course), and humanity is screwed. And so is Carl, who has to play the game pantless with a talking cat . . . or die trying. Actually, death might just be preferable here.

This may be a little premature, given it’s only halfway through the year, but I’m pretty sure this is going to be one of my favorite reads of 2025. I went in with no real expectations, knowing almost nothing about the book or author, but from the moment Carl received his first achievement, I knew I was along for the ride. Buckle up, because this mess is going to get crazy. In the best possible way. Action, adventure, monsters (which are maybe a little too human), and a talking cat. I’m not sure which part I liked best, but it was all just *chef’s kiss*. Also, if you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, I can’t recommend it highly enough! The voice actor is fantastic.

I forced hubby to start listening to the series, and despite never taking my recommendations for some reason (despite always ending up enjoying them), he caved and read the audiobook . . . and is now on book 6 and spent the morning telling me how angry this series has made him and how impressed he is, because few books legitimately inspire intense feelings from him. I’m not sure I can come up with higher praise than that. If you only read one book this year, make it this one. (And then . . . you know . . . read the rest of the series? It’s definitely a trap. Sorry, not sorry.)

My Thoughts

Welcome to the end of the world. Please make your way to the conveniently located dungeon entrances, where the game will truly begin. If you’re still here, you’ve already survived the first cull. Congratulations! That won’t last long. Good luck. You’ll need it . . . but honestly, it’s not going to save you.

The official announcement isn’t exactly like that, of course, but that’s the basic gist and premise of this book! Humanity was mostly culled in one fell swoop, with the survivors forced to participate in a dungeon to entertain a universe of aliens if they want the chance to live. Because why not?

Carl finds himself in this predicament all because of a pretentious, self-important cat. Which, I mean, aren’t they all? His option is freeze to death or enter the dungeon, so he does what any mindless animal would do: seek warmth. For better or worse. (Spoiler: it gets worse.)

If you’ve read dungeon crawlers before, this book will feel quite familiar to you . . . but with its own unique twist. The dungeon is unexpected and creepy, with twists and turns around every corner. It’s built for the players to fail in the most entertaining way, which is good for us as the readers, of course. Especially since you never quite know what’s lurking around the corner, only that there’s a good chance you won’t be able to predict what comes next. And it’s probably not going to be good.

This dungeon has absolutely no fricks to give, and it has no qualms about letting its players know it.

In fact, I’m pretty sure the AI delights in it. (If I’m honest, so do I. Snarky AI is the best AI.) In a rather unique twist that I particularly enjoyed, the dungeon is almost its own character. It’s created and maintained by an AI, who is supposed to be a neutral bystander overseeing the game. Allegedly. But this AI has personality. Not necessarily a good personality, but nevertheless. Prepare to be thoroughly entertained!

My favorite part of the AI is that it seems to enjoy taunting the players and instigating things. From a reader’s point of view, I can appreciate the commitment to entertainment. (After all, that’s the point of the dungeon crawl, isn’t it?) My favorite part, though, is definitely the snarky achievements the AI pops up at random times. There were moments I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at a notification.

That being said, this dungeon absolutely does not pull punches. While there were many laughable moments, there were also plenty that were dark, messed up, and downright dirty. Dinniman crafts a balance that doesn’t overload the reader any one way. There were moments I didn’t know whether I should laugh, cry, or do both.

You know that scene from The Emoji Movie where the emoji panics and isn’t quite sure what emotion to portray so he just kind of . . . does them all? That’s me reading this book. I am all the emotions at once.

Through a series of events that is definitely not his fault ( . . . probably), Carl is joined on his dungeon crawling adventure by his ex-girlfriend’s pet show cat, Princess Donut, the Queen Anne Chonk.

Princess Donut for short. Never just ‘Donut’, though. Royalty deserves to be recognized, obviously. Through a series of events that are definitely Carl’s fault, Princess Donut is given the ability to talk and becomes a crawler in her own right. And it is everything you would imagine a talking show cat would be. She is gloriously snarky, stuck up, and comes with a very privileged, narrow view of the world. She’s doing her best—after all, it isn’t easy suddenly gaining more intelligence and speech and having the world end, all in one day—but she’s very obviously a cat.

(Pro tip: if you ever get dragged into a dungeon, don’t bring your cat. Bring a dog. Or, I dunno, a ferret? But not a cat. You’ll thank me later. Or maybe not, because I’ve probably been destroyed in the first world-ending event, in which case I’ll just preemptively say you’re welcome.)

Despite all of that, Donut is an utterly delightful character in her own right. While she is undoubtedly a cat, she’s also incredibly intelligent and pairs marvelously with Carl’s rough-and-tumble character. Donut is easily my favorite character. While she’s certainly not as lovable as Carl, Donut has an undeniable charm that I find utterly irresistible, especially when combined with her quick wit and snark.

If you’ve ever read any dungeon crawling books, they tend to go one of two ways in terms of other characters: cooperative or competitive. Dungeon Crawler Carl walks a path between the two, with plenty of danger existing in the dungeon, but plenty of camaraderie, as well.

Part of what’s so thrilling is that you never know which will end up being which. I guess that’s part of the danger, too. Everyone’s fighting for survival, but not all crawlers agree on what that looks like and how to accomplish it. So every time Carl comes across someone new, there’s the age-old question: friend or foe?

There are a lot of side characters in this book, though there isn’t a lot of time to get to know or understand them, which has its pros and cons. Each character serves its own purpose, despite being somewhat superficial. I don’t think this necessarily hurts the book at all, but I did enjoy the glimpses we get of other crawlers, and I find myself curious to know more about them. Obviously, everyone handles being thrust into the dungeon completely differently, but it’s nice to see the ways some people retain their humanity, even in the face of world-ending absurdity.

Dungeon Crawler Carl sets a fast-paced intensity from the very beginning, and doesn’t let up until the end.

Depending on the type of reader you are, this could be both good and bad. The story is fast-paced and full of action, with surprises around every turn, like a true dungeon crawler. Of course, there are some costs to this, especially in terms of secondary and background character development (though Carl and Donut themselves have decent development). It also means that the reader is constantly bouncing from one scenario to the next, with not a lot of breathing room to recuperate.

For me, this just meant that I was invested and didn’t want to set the book down! I had to know what would happen next. Bonus points: if you listen to the audiobook, the cast is absolutely delightful and makes it easy to not want to turn it off. If you also happen to be a gamer, the game elements of the dungeon are recognizable but also different enough to be interesting. I can’t say that I would particularly want to participate in this dungeon . . . but I’m also not going to say I wouldn’t participate in this dungeon! (Even if hubby and I have had many philosophical arguments about what would be the best tactics for the dungeon. Don’t worry, I’ve let him know that it’s okay to be wrong.)

Because I couldn’t choose what to include in this review, I’m going to leave you with a special treat: a collection of my favorite achievements Carl earns throughout the book.

Carefully selected to remove any major spoilers, of course. One of the best parts of this book was the surprise of what achievements Carl received. It was so gloriously random, and not knowing what to expect made the jokes hit harder. I don’t want to take that away from you, so I’ve only got a few here. (Trust me, there are a ton more. Y’know, because it’s a dungeon.) If you want to experience all of the surprise yourself, though, just skip this part! I won’t hold it against you.

New achievement! You’ve Inflicted Damage on a Mob.
Hopefully it won’t hit back!
Reward: It’s probably going to hit back.

New achievement! Podophilia!
You’ve used your bare feet to crush and kill an opponent! Hey! That’s my fetish! Seriously. Keep doing it, and you’ll be rewarded.

New achievement! Level Up, Baby!
You’ve received enough experience to gain a level.
Reward: Leveling up is your job. You don’t get rewards for doing your job.

New achievement! You Monster!
You have killed an infant! An infant!
Okay, okay. Unless you’re a complete psychopath, we know you probably didn’t wake up this morning and tell yourself, “Today is the day I’m going to slaughter a child.” Well, let us put your mind at ease. All children mobs who die within this dungeon don’t actually perish. They’re transferred to a holding area where they’re safe and treated nicely and gently until they can be reunited with their loving parents at the end of the season.
Feel better? Good.
Reward: Those past twenty seconds, when your conscience started to ease? That was your reward. It was also a lie. That baby is dead, and it’s dead because of you. You’re totally going to hell.

New achievement! War Criminal.
You have killed more than 20 non-combatants in a single attack!
Question: What’s the only thing standing between an innocent child and a happy, fulfilling life?
Answer: You. The answer is you.

This has absolutely nothing to do with this book and review, but I thought I’d leave you with a little cuteness. While hubby and I were both starting this series, we ended up being fosters for a tortoise-shell newborn kitty. Despite our insistence that we don’t name pets we don’t intend to keep, the vet said they needed a name, so I gave them the first that popped into my head: Donut.

So . . . meet Donut, y’all. I can’t decide yet if I hope she lives up to her namesake or not, but at 6 weeks old now, she’s off to a great start so far.

About Matt Dinniman

Matt Dinniman is a writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the author of the best-selling Dungeon Crawler Carl series along with several other books about the end of the world. He doesn’t really hate Cocker Spaniels, and he plays bass in two bands.

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