I can’t wait to dive more into this series. I love the D&D/dungeon crawling vibe. I’m also very into talking cats and rooting for the underdog.

Dammit Donut! I've been suckered. What a great read! It was funny, suspenseful and honestly some deep moments. I cannot wait to see what is next for Princess Donut and Carl.

I requested this book as the reviews were overall good. This book was a disappointment at best. The author tried unsuccessfully channel Douglas Adams while throwing in several other takeoffs. The characters were uninteresting overall and the plot had potential, but the author could not bring it off. Several others seem to enjoy the book so I will leave it to you as to whether or not you want to gives this novel a try.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

People on social media are obsessed. I’m obsessed. This is absolutely celestial box worthy.

There’s literally nothing I didn’t love about this book. It’s different than my typical reads but it was so much fun - I absolutely devoured it. A nice combo of cheesy game play and tense battles and the mystery of what those deep floors are going to be like and how do our beloved heroes get there?!

Explaining it to people. Aliens came in and turned the world into a mix of a video game and a Japanese game show with a nice dose of American reality tv stereotypes. But this book is more than the sum of its parts, I can already sense the intergalactic political tension brewing below the surface and I’m so intrigued to see how Carl and Princess Donut continue to plant those seeds.

I love grumpy Mordecai. I love the meth addicted Goblins. I love Carl’s heart covered magic boxers. I love an AI with a foot fetish. I love everyone and everything. This book/series is now my entire personality.

I loved every second of Dungeon Crawler Carl. This book had me laughing out loud, gripping the edge of my seat, and falling completely in love with Carl and his cat (Princess Donut is a QUEEN). The world-building is imaginative and ridiculous in the best way, the pacing is relentless, and the humor is pitch-perfect—somehow managing to blend satire, chaos, and heart all at once.

If you like wild adventures, creative dungeon mechanics, unforgettable characters, and a story that never takes itself too seriously while still packing an emotional punch, this one is an absolute must-read.

This book surprised me in the best way possible. I wanted to read it so when an arc was available I downloaded the first book. I enjoyed this book so much Carl and Princess Donut might be my favorite characters in a book ever. This has something for everyone. I can't wait to continue the series.

4 Stars

Wow this is nothing like I have ever read before. Its so unique and I am not even sure that genre you would even put this one in. Its witty, funny, horrific adventure story. The humor in this is just so on point and its very self aware.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The premise of this book is really interesting, it starts right off being fast paced. Carl is outside trying to get his girlfriends blue ribbon cat to come back into their apartment after the cat escapes. While outside all buildings just instantly flatten, killing anyone that was indoors or had an above covering, like cars and umbrellas. Anyone outside in the open are spared from this crazy world event. Shortly after that Carl figures out quickly the world is taken over by other beings and now is being told if he wants to live he has to join this dungeon crawling experience. From their adventure and hilarity begins.

This book reads so much like a RPG video game and its great. I love the leveling up, loot boxes and NPC interactions. The characters are charming and there is depth to some of the random characters. There is a hoarder monster that as a reader we only get to see her side of the conversation in Spanish and there is no translation. I translated with my phone and it was devastating and complex, making you realize that this isn't just a funny book but this is horrific for what is happening to these characters.

The book is very fast paced. It does get a bit repetitive and tiring at times. So I had to pace myself, because I would get a little burnt out quicker than other books. As it is such fast paced.

I plan to read the other books of this series and I am really happy that I gave this series a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

This book is just fun. I wasn't sure if I would like a book with so much fighting and battles but the video game type structure means its broken up with glimpses into what's going on beyond the dungeon and how the bigger world works. Princess Donut is a gem of a character and her bond with Carl is perfect. I'm going to read the next one straight away!

What a wild ride—an excellent book for lovers of RPGs, isekai anime/manga, and a good time. This first book in a series covers the setup and beginning levels of a dungeon. The world building is a great start and leaves you eager to learn more about who built the dungeon and why. Bonus points for a very sassy cat!

This is my first book in the LitRPG genre and boy, was that FUN! New Achievement! I will definitely be continuing the adventures of Carl and Princess Donut!

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series--of which this is the first installment--was originally written on reddit and self-published. It's goofy fun that's a little bit in the manner of "in another world" anime. Here, Carl and his ex-girlfriend's champion show cat Princess Donut just happen to survive the collapse of all buildings on earth when alien raiders arrive at the planet ready to mine its resources. Survivors are given the option of entering an RPG/video game-type dungeon or taking their chances with the raiders, and Carl and Donut plunge into the dungeon. There, they encounter all of the tropes of gaming: spells, guides, monsters, weapons, traps, et al., with the added bonuses of appearing on shows watched by the aliens--lots of different aliens, in fact--and getting sponsored and being sent gifts, a la The Hunger Games. This book chronicles levels 1-3, during which Carl and Donut fight a variety of foes, help the survivors of a nursing home, and acquire skills and loot. If you like Twitch game play-throughs or D&D/SFFH IP tie-in novelizations and fantasy novels that don't require too much thought, or are a gamer and will get all of the in-jokes and references, these are for you. I'm not rushing to devour them for being clever or particularly beautiful or rich in terms of characters or world-building, but they're fun.

I am in love with Carl and Princess Donut. I was amazed at all the details and unique events and monsters as they were revealed. I loved all the snarky dry humor, innuendos, and the relationship between Carl and Donut. The narrators did an absolutely fantastic job with making each character different and noticeable which made it easy to differentiate them. I cannot wait to listen to the next book.

Exceeded every expectation

When I started this book I had a fair amount of reservations. Would the humor be too juvenile? Would the story be ridiculous for the sake of ridiculousness, or would it have some soul?

Then I started reading and from the very beginning I was hooked. I have since finished all the book so I can say the humor evolves from what you first think is just being juvenile to really critiquing the world around us. Plot points that should not work together do because the cast is so amazing.

Carl is heartwarming and revenant. Princess Donut is everything I want from a cat character. Mordecai is life and I will follow him anywhere.

I don't know what kind of magic Dinniman wove into this story because it should not work but man does it pull you in and have you immediately reach for the next book.

went into this thinking "absurd comedy about man in pink crocs" and came out genuinely impressed. the premise sounds ridiculous but the execution is surprisingly solid.

when aliens destroy earth and turn it into a deadly 18-level dungeon for intergalactic entertainment, carl finds himself crawling through monster-filled floors with princess donut, his ex's snooty persian cat. they're fighting for humanity's survival while being broadcast to trillions of viewers.

the carl-donut relationship carries the entire book. their dynamic evolves from reluctant partnership to genuine teamwork in a way that feels authentic rather than forced. donut maintains her aristocratic cat personality while developing real depth as a character.

what caught me off guard was how the book handles moral complexity. starts as straightforward "kill monsters, get loot" but gradually reveals that npcs and enemies aren't just expendable game pieces. the story explores what it means to maintain your humanity when survival requires violence.

carl himself is compellingly developed: protective without being possessive, strong without toxic posturing, allowed to be vulnerable when the situation calls for it. his refusal to let the system break him while adapting to survive creates compelling character development.

the humor works well throughout. absurdist without being try-hard, clever without being pretentious. balances the darker apocalyptic elements effectively. the audiobook version with full cast narration and sound effects enhances the experience significantly.

perfect for readers wanting litrpg with substance, fans of terry pratchett's style, or anyone curious about gaming-adjacent fiction. the rpg elements are explained naturally within the story, making it accessible to newcomers while still being meaningful to gamers.

solid choice when you want something that sounds silly but delivers on character development and world-building.

arc received from ace books via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

I thought about trying this a few times, because I kept seeing it on Bookstagram. Based on the description I just did not think I would like it. I am not a gamer. I don’t love sci-fi. Then, I just needed something different and gave the audiobook a try. New Achievement! I read a book outside my comfort zone and liked it. It was amazing!

The story is unique, the world is interesting and complex, and the characters are vividly developed. The amount of times I literally laughed out loud was ridiculous. Is there an “I love Princess Donut” fan club? Because I want to join! Seriously stop reading this silly review and go read it now.

5 stars ✨ Can’t wait to start book 2.

I follow a few science fiction subreddits, including a couple specifically for sci-fi books, and lately it seems like the only book anyone can talk about is Dungeon Crawler Carl. Previously it was Project Hail Mary, which I love, so when NetGalley offered up the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, I grabbed the first one assuming that I was going to be in for a great ride.

And it was...fine. Fun, even. It's "litRPG" which means that it contains a lot of descriptions of things you would find in a role playing game. When I play games, I am not a dungeon crawler fan, I need something a little more than just fighting and leveling up for the goal of fighting harder enemies and getting better loot to keep me going. And that was what ultimately led to me finishing this book and not feeling the need to keep going with the series. The bulk of the prose is descriptions of fighting and the rewards the characters get from fighting. I can tell from the hints laid in this first book and from looking over the back cover synopses of later books that stuff evolves with the world that this game takes place in, but I don't think I can sit through another 7 books of fighting and loot and achievements (which get the characters more loot).

I was also disappointed that the first book doesn't contain its own story. Most series will have the overarching story but then also have a beginning, middle, and end of events happening within each book. This book just ended at the main characters getting ready to head down to floor 3, having cleared the first two floors. There's no smaller arc that gets resolved, which makes me suspect that subsequent books are just going to keep rolling with one long story and not offer up any smaller self-contained arcs.

Ultimately I'm glad that I took the time to see what everyone was talking about, and it went by very fast and was fun, but I don't think I will be finding out what race and class Carl and Donut pick on floor 3 and I'm OK with that.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is one of the most ridiculous, hilarious, and surprisingly brutal books I’ve read in a long time. Imagine The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy had a baby with Battle Royale and a particularly unhinged D&D campaign, and they got mashed together for broadcast to a galaxy of bloodthirsty alien viewers. Oh, and your main companions are a shirtless guy and a diva cat in a jeweled collar. I mean. Come on.
Carl is a snarky, reluctant hero, and I appreciated his dry humor and stubborn humanity, even as the dungeon grew weirder and deadlier. But it’s Princess Donut who truly steals the show—she’s a scene-stealing, drama-loving, unapologetically high-maintenance cat, and I adored her with my whole heart. Every time she opened her mouth, I laughed.

The humor is wrapped around some incredible darkness. There’s gore, cruelty, some low-key misogyny, and some genuinely unsettling moments that caught me off guard (the goblin babies broke my heart), especially since the general vibe is so goofy. While I needed to pause and recalibrate a few times (and almost DNF’d at one point), I ended up really enjoying the novel and plan to finish the series.

If you like your sci-fi absurd, your stakes high, and your fantasy laced with profanity and sparkle, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a wild, binge-able ride.

Thanks to Matt Dinniman and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the story of a man and his cat just trying to survive the apocalypse. After getting stuck outside in his boxers and a leather jacket, Carl and his girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, are thrust into the World Dungeon - an intergalactic game show that they stand a very high likelihood of getting killed in. Carl and Princess Donut must level up and go from floor to floor in the dungeon defeating bosses and earning experience points and loot boxes so they can keep fighting their way through in order to survive.

This book was fun! I really didn't know what to expect out of a litrpg novel but I actually enjoyed this so much more than I thought I was going to. I've never played dungeons and dragons before but I felt like the basics were pretty well explained as you go and I never got to a point where I felt like I was lost or confused. The book was silly, decently written and had a lot of heart. The characters are all enjoyable and I actually found myself excited to pick it back up so I could find out what everyone was going to get up to next.

I'll definitely be continuing on with this series.

I completed an immersive reading with Dungeon Crawler Carl with an audio book that I purchased along with the e-book provided by NetGalley. I loved this. It is like nothing I have ever read before. It's hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times. I love Princess Doughnut. Some of my favorite moments are where she gets Mongo and anytime she shows her love for Carl. I can't want to see what happens next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🚫


I sincerely have not had this much fun reading a book in a long, long time. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve laughed out loud reading the truly awful things that keep happening to Carl (and Donut).

It’s like reading an American isekai anime. If this series doesn’t get made into a tv show (preferably the aforementioned anime) then what are the production studios even doing???


Notable tropes ——

☠️ Apocalypse/End of the World
☠️Deadly Game/Deadly Trials
☠️ Talking cat sidekick 🐈‍⬛
☠️ Evil Overlords
☠️ High stakes fantasy
☠️ “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again” coded


Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | ACE for the finished reading copy. I’m excited to read the rest of the books in this series! #netgalley #dungeoncrawlercarl #ACE