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

I was recommended this book from a couple friends, and it lived up to the hype! As a gamer girlie, I loved seeing Carl get stronger through the levels, and I loved the interactions between him and Princess Donut. Before this book, I was a die-hard romance reader in which I didn’t read a book without at least a romance subplot, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was plenty of action, comedic relief, and non-romantic character relationship development. I can’t wait to read the following books!

Carl has just broken up with his girlfriend and may be holding her cat hostage. Or he just wanted to keep the cat but doesn't want to admit that. The unthinkable happens when the cat, Princess Donut, escapes. While chasing her to bring her home they get caught in an alien invasion and are both given the chance to compete in an 18 level maze filled with the worst dangers a person could imagine. This is all being broadcast to the universe. They have to survive, compete, and entertain to win.

This was a very interesting read and quite different from books that I have read before. This book has a nice mix of action and humor.. Princess Donut is my everything. Carl was there. The world was really well crafted. I think I may have enjoyed this book a little bit better on audio. I will probably check out the rest of the series in that format once the rerelease has been completed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely RIDICULOUS, but in the most glorious, deranged way possible. I had no idea what I was signing up for, but now I’m fully ready to binge the entire series. The humor is unhinged, the violence is wild (in a video game kind of way), the stakes are absurd, and yet… SOMEHOW… this fever dream of a book has me dying to keep reading. Carl is the definition of a reluctant hero, and Princess Donut? An egotistical, overdramatic, murder princess cat with a crown. I would simply die for her. As someone who’s played a lot of RPGs, this felt painfully relatable in the stupidest, most delightful way. And as a female engineer, I really appreciated the goblin engineer incel joke at the start 😂

The world building is excellent, and I could visualize the video game UI forming around Carl. The book drips with satire, it’s savage, and the emotional moments sneak up on you when you least expect them. I laughed, I cringed, I cheered, and by the end, I was absolutely obsessed.

Truly delightful! A hidden gem for sure. I wish more people knew about this book. I’m definitely gonna be talking about it on my Instagram to my book club.

I know so many people who absolutely love this series, so of course I had to pick it up.

If you've never read a LitRPG before, the genre (literary role-playing game) is basically the book version of a computer role playing game but in fantasy or science fiction novel form. It combines elements of video games like damage, potions, powers, etc. It sounds a little silly, and you know what? It is! In the best way. Dungeon Crawler Carl is just a really fun time. Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat must survive an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot--while building an audience. It's twitch streaming on steroids, and absolutely hilarious.

WOW! I read this book in about 4 days because I could simply not put it down. It is a fantastic approach to funny, nerd-reference fantasy. The no-bars-held kind of writing is fantastic, between the cheeky jokes to the more elaborate story telling. I recommend it to anyone who has grown up with videogames, and perpetually on the internet.

Loved this book! All the stars!!!! I did tandem read it with the audio, which is hilarious! Jeff Hays is the narrator and I can still here "Goddammit Donut!" in my head daily. If you are looking for a fun ride, follow Carl and Princess Donut as they compete in an apocalyptic video game. I am now addicted and will be continuing this series and crawling the dungeon!

Imagine waking up in your bathrobe, your world has just been literally turned into a dungeon, and your only ally is a foul-mouthed, overly dramatic housecat in magical boots. Welcome to Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Matt Dinniman serves up an absurdly brilliant mix of dark humour, gory dungeon traps, fourth-wall-breaking game mechanics, and surprisingly heartfelt moments. Carl, our accidental hero, didn’t sign up for any of this. One moment he’s just trying to retrieve his girlfriend’s cat during a building collapse, and the next he's a contestant in a game show where death is livestreamed for alien entertainment.

But let’s be real, the true star is Princess Donut. She and Carl form the unlikeliest, most hysterical duo I've perhaps ever read.

The dungeon itself is a parody of every RPG trope you've ever known and loved, with sentient vending machines, sarcastic loot drops, and boss battles that would make even seasoned D&D players sweat through their dice bags.

So, if you're in the mood for a genre-bending dungeon crawl filled with satire, splatter and a badass cat, Dungeon Crawler Carl is your next obsession.

Thank you to Ace and NetGalley for this eBook, I'll definitely be continuing with the series!

a hilarious commentary on the world, filled with dark humor, hilarious anecdotes, and a darker reflection of the world that we live in. But be aware, this is a book loaded with twisted experiences, your definitely going to want to check those trigger warnings before you read this one! i laughed a lot, and i was shocked even more. the gore highlights the humor, and the humor highlights the dark truth of humans pushed to the edge. what would humanity do if it was pushed into a deadly game? i think we all know what would really happen. with morbid humor, foot fetish jokes, and a huge cast of some really messed up people this was a book i'm really surprised i loved so much. dark isn't usually my thing, but the humor in this really helped offset the twisted bits. the cast is also amazing. Carl is a jerk, but he's a charming one, and i LOVE Princess Donut. she's my favorite by far. that's not even counting all the side characters, each with their own goals, each with their own secrets. and things are definitly going to get intense when the world has ended and the survivors are thrust into a deadly dungeon intending on a total party kill.

I absolutely loved this crazy rollercoaster of a rpg / gaming inspired apocalyptic book! It was just what I needed to beat a reading slump. It really was like diving into a DnD campaign and never knowing what was coming around the corner. Princess Donut is the star and I cannot wait to see what her and Carl get up to in Book 2! Plus the bonus mini story about Rory - Loved it!

Such a fun read! And there are more in the series?! Yes please. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is such a ride. This book is chaotic, hilarious, and weirdly heartfelt in the best way. It is the perfect mix of deadly game show and dungeon crawl, with a sarcastic main character and his badass sidekick. It’s fast-paced, clever, and bingeable!

This book is absolutely insane and bizarre and incredibly indescribable! This is a video game come to life inside of a book and takes you on such a wild adventure.

“𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽! 𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓿𝓮 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓸𝓫 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼! 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝔂 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓹, 𝓭𝓾𝓭𝓮. 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹.”

“𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓜𝓸𝓶.”

Dungeon Crawler Carl by @mattdinniman

(Thank you for the @berkleypub for the @netgalley copies!)

I am eating these books up! Funny, quirky, while still being full of character, plot, and emotion.

The best books for some summertime fun!

🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿

Synopsis:
🎬 In a world where Earth is gone...

🎙 [Gravelly voice]
“One man. One cat. One dungeon run by aliens... for ratings.”

🌍 Humanity has been wiped clean from the planet, and survival now means playing along in a deadly, dungeon based reality show broadcast across the galaxy.

👟 Carl never asked to be a hero. He just wanted to save his ex’s cat, wear his “favorite” Crocs, and not get vaporized. But now? He’s climbing floors, slaying monsters, dodging death traps, and building a fanbase of bloodthirsty alien viewers who love a good underdog story.

🐱 [Cue sassy cat meow]
Oh, and his cat? She might just be the brains of the operation.

🎮 Monsters. Mayhem. Loot. Laser eyed lizards. And the most sarcastic dungeon this side of the Milky Way.

💥 This summer...
The crawl begins.

Dungeon Crawler Carl
Rated M for Mayhem.

🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤🍿🥤

HOLY CRAP. I'd heard that this was an amazing series but I didn't know it was THIS good!! I am so glad there are so many more books in the series and I can't wait to read them all!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Carl, a recently dumped nobody, who remains responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s show-cat, has just ventured outside on the coldest night of the year - to chase said cat - when all of the beings inside of buildings, cars, etc. get sucked into the earth and die. You can’t make this shit up… or wait - you can.
Carl and the cat then enter a D&D-social media-video game world where he has to fight to survive… think Dante’s levels of hell - real fun. Carl, and Princess Donut, must fight off different creatures, build up their stats, and gain billions of views to make it lower into each level of hell… I mean each level of the dungeon and hopefully win their freedom.
This book was so fun! Some objectifying of women that was not my fave - and I hate that I have somewhat come to accept that it will happen in sci-fi novels… So, sci-fi writers, take a hint - you have a whole audience of female readers that do not want to read about giant tits or women being dragged by their hair - especially when it is not being done of the men in the books. Otherwise, this book was a wild ride and it was so fun! Carl is a compassionate character - although I didn’t see his character advancing too much in this book - maybe the next! I will say, I wasn’t bored at any point during this book and I can’t wait to to read the next one!

5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Death, murder, animal death, creature death, forced animal fighting, gore, body horror, sexual content.

“Congratulations! You’ve earned your first achievement: Crazy Cat Lady.”

Me, if I ever get thrown into an alien reality show! 5 stars for Princess Donut. 10/10 would actually volunteer to be her royal bodyguard.
Dungeon Crawler Carl feels like Sword Art Online mixed with D&D, and even though I love both of those, I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did!
The premise really hooked me - Earth has been turned into a massive dungeon, and the surviving humans (now 'Crawlers') are forced to navigate it, all while being watched by alien viewers like it’s some intergalactic reality show. It was fast-paced, very chaotic, and had me cackling quite a few times. (mostly thanks to Donut tbh) With the silly achievements popping up and the characters having to fight bosses and level up, it really reads like you're playing an RPG video game.
I loved watching Carl and Princess Donut grow stronger as a team, but at the same time grow closer. Their dynamic is really hilarious, and their bond is surprisingly sweet! I felt like Carl was too much for me at first, but seeing him constantly remind himself of his humanity and fight against the system that wants to strip him of it actually made me like him. Princess Donut is obviously my favorite character - she’s extremely snarky and charismatic, and I just really love cats.
There’s clearly some intergalactic politics going on and I’m really curious to find out more. Even though it’s mixed in with the humor, the story deals with some very dark themes and at times I was questioning if I’d end up liking this book at all - but ultimately, I did enjoy it! I’m immediately starting book 2!
～Thank you to Berkley (Ace) and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Berkeley Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Wild Ride That’s Not for Everyone

Dungeon Crawler Carl is nothing if not unique. The concept is absolutely bonkers—in a good way. An alien invasion wipes out Earth’s infrastructure and forces the survivors into a deadly, video game–like dungeon that doubles as a reality TV show for a twisted galactic audience. It's imaginative, fast-paced, and unapologetically chaotic.

Carl and his companion, the snarky, over-the-top Princess Donut (yes, a cat), make for an oddly compelling duo. There are plenty of hilarious moments, gory battles, and bizarre encounters—drug-dealing llamas included. The book definitely leans hard into absurdity, and for readers who enjoy that kind of anarchic energy, it’s a fun ride.

That said, the humor can be hit or miss, and the pacing occasionally feels uneven. Some sections felt repetitive, and the constant barrage of outrageous content sometimes undercut the stakes. While the satire and video game mechanics were clever, they occasionally bogged down the story instead of driving it forward.

If you're into chaotic, over-the-top, genre-bending stories with a heavy dose of dark humor and ridiculousness, this might hit the spot. For me, it was entertaining—but not something I’d rush to read again.

Wow! What a roller coaster. This is a combo of so many similar tropes, it's dizzying! At the end of the day though, this is a fun book, though a bit dark at times, and a captivating read. I appreciated the worldbuilding of the dungeon and reality show. I appreciate the emotional dilemma of the main character, who could not love Princess Donut. With nowhere to go but down, I look forward to the next installment.