
Member Reviews

First time reading this Author. The story was well written and the plot was fun and engaging. I felt sucked in from the start. I received a free copy from NetGalley. Will look for more from Matt Dinniman in the future.

DNF. I assume Carl will make it past the first level, but I won't.
The death of the neighborhood boss was horrifying. Carl realized that she was another trapped human... and killed her anyway? And not a quick, merciful death, but an awful, gory, bloody, painful death. On top of that, at the point where I stopped, the only women characters have been bitchy and/or naked and/or dead.
Thanks to the publisher for making this available to read, but no thanks.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Decided to give this series a try as a means of understanding the world my boyfriend is steeped in when he plays D&D with his friends. What I got was a really funny and excellent fantasy book! Can’t wait to read the rest.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. This book is wildly entertaining, hilariously ridiculous, and still endearing. It’s so easy to root for Carl and Princess Donut. I think this book is my new personality. I got my husband to read it with me and now we are quoting the book randomly and announcing *NEW ACHIEVEMENT* anytime we do anything. It’s hilarious, it’s fun, and it’s addicting. I have already started the next book and told EVERYONE i know to read this book to fight depression. I have nothing negative to say. It’s off the wall, unhinged but just so entertaining. You will never EVER know what’s coming next and it keeps you on your toes at all times. I loved it. I immediately went and bought a physical copy as a trophy for my shelf. Do yourself a favor and get the book.

This book is fantastic and keeps the action and intrigue coming in fast and heavy.
Fast paced. I could not set it down once I picked it up.
Every chapter just seeped with characterization, plot development, excellent pacing, humor, tension, and amazing violence.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the absolute funniest, most captivating series I have ever read in my entire life. The series keeps expanding and improving upon itself in ways I could not have foreseen. Thank you Matt Dinniman for creating something I eagerly await interacting with in as many forms as possible and thank you Ace Books for helping this series reach an even wider audience. These are books I absolutely must have on my shelves. I’ve never posted about a single book or recommended any series more than Dungeon Crawler Carl. This is the best book ever!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Sci-Fi Fantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: August 27, 2024
📖 640 pages
Alien Invasion
Video Games in Reality
Intergalactic Game Show
Dungeons and Dragons meets... Pixels? Maybe a little Scott Pilgrim? I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm obsessed. Carl is literally thrown into a real life video game armed with nothing but pink crocs and his ex-girlfriend's show cat with better stats than him. I was hooked immediately. WARNING: Don't read if you're easily offended, there are a few things some readers might find upsetting 🫶
If you love video games and are looking for a hilarious, mildly vulgar sci-fi fantasy, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a must-read!
Thank you so much Berkeley Publishing, Ace, and NetGalley for the digital review copy!
M ⚠️: language, use of g**d****, gore/violence,

Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl is a wild, genre-blending ride that combines the irreverent humor of Douglas Adams with the brutal, level-grinding mechanics of a classic role-playing video game. The novel follows Carl, a down-on-his-luck Coast Guard veteran, who finds himself thrust into a bizarre, deadly reality show after the world is destroyed by aliens. Accompanied by his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut—who gains the ability to talk after eating a special biscuit—Carl must survive a dungeon filled with monsters, traps, and the constant scrutiny of a bloodthirsty galactic audience.
The book is packed with laugh-out-loud moments, snarky banter, and over-the-top slapstick humor. The humor isn’t for everyone—lots of crude jokes but if you enjoy black comedy, it’s hilarious. The story moves quickly, with imaginative monsters, inventive scenarios, and a constant sense of danger. The pacing is uneven at times and sometimes repetitive.
Great for fans of irreverent fantasy

This was a great read! I have been hearing a lot of great reviews about this series and I look forward to reading more books from Matt Dinniman.

Ok. This is one of those books with a very specific audience. Running Man meets Duke Nukem meets Dante’s Inferno. There were many times that I cackled. Donut is fantastic and despite all the gore and general mayhem, Carl’s still out here trying to help the old people! There are a lot of social commentary moments (the entire Krakaren’s had me rolling) that may not age super well but for a certain generation, this is a super fun read. Usually my palette cleanser books are smutty but I think this series may be my new go to!

I will admit, I stayed away from this series at first because I was not a fan of the covers so much. When this series got a redo of the cover and my library actually got it, I knew I had to try and see what this about. And I was absolutely blown away! Carl and Princess Donut are the best team ever and I love how they are willing to do anything to stay together and help each other out in this crazy time of aliens who smooshed the structures on Earth and built a crazy dungeon under the surface for those lucky (or unlucky?) to have taken the pathways down. Be warned, this is highly addictive, a fast read because it is so hard to put down, and you will fall in love with Carl and Princess Donut!

Goddamnit Donut! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Listen, I was so hesitant to start these books but so glad I did. Absolutely love them so far. It’s really something unique and special. Silly yet poignant. Can’t wait to start book 2. Thank you @netgalley and @berkleyromance for a copy of this for review!
#bookreview #dungeoncrawlercarl #litrpg #booktok #books #mattdinniman

I absolutely loved Dungeon Crawler Carl! Following Carl and his ex-girlfriends show cat Princess Donut as they battle goblins, drug-dealing llamas, and all sorts of other crazy creatures is laugh-out-loud funny. This book is the perfect mix of irreverent humor and non-stop action. Not to mention the wild array of characters, not just grumpy Carl with a heart of gold and spoiled vulnerable Princess Donut. I have recommended this book to so many people from of dark sci-fi/fantasy to those with a dark sense of humor. It’s fun for the whole family! (You probably shouldn’t let your kids read it, but if you make the mistake of letting them listen to the audiobook, like I did, they’ll probably end us as part of the Princess Posse.)

Welcome to Dungeon Crawler World, a real-life and real high stakes gameshow (?) that happens when the Earth collapses and we fall into this bizarro video-game-turned-real-life. Ordinary Earth humans get tossed into this strange world with multiple levels, floors, bosses, and enemies and it’s all trying to kill you. The game is to just stay alive. The book follows Carl, a normal-ass dude, and his cat, Princess Donut (fuck yeah) as they fight to survive in the Dungeon. And not only do Crawlers earn experience and achievements as it’s treated like a game, the Crawlers also have to be entertaining and gain followers for the intergalactic people watching at home. It’s all very strange and unfair to the players. So while the “admins” act like it’s all fun and games, Carl ain’t having it despite he and Princess Donut absolutely kicking ass. I am finding this extremely hard to explain and yet I can tell you it was a nerd’s delight and I had a great fucking time.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to this on audio, somewhat accidentally because my husband started listening to it and I just… stuck around. (Once again, I regret to say that it’s an Audible exclusive.) The narrator sounded a lot Patrick Warburton which made it so fun to listen to. The audio production is hilarious, especially the narrative coming from the game that explains the levels, bosses, and achievements.
We need to spend a moment on Princess Donut, because she’s the real star of the show here. Yes, she gains the ability to talk. She’s sassy and charismatic with hysterical quirks, such as her obsession with followers, viewers and the spotlight. If I could have an animal sidekick that isn’t my relatively aloof boxer dog, I would take a Princess Donut any day.
The thing about this book is that it’s damn funny. Here’s a non-exhaustive and random list of funny tidbits from this book:
* Carl doesn’t wear pants or shoes
* Donut has to be brushed for at least two mins daily and Carl requires daily pedicures
* The bosses are a fucking riot, including Juicer the Trogdor-esque gym bro (if you know Trogdor, let’s be friends) who refers to everyone as “Brrrrrrrooooooooo!” And “KraKaren” the cracken that is exactly a Karen and runs a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme
* Every time the game voice says “NEW ACHIEVEMENT”
Now, I am not a gamer, so there is stuff here that I am loosely aware of that I’m sure would be much funnier to gamers and didn’t make sense to me. My husband is a gamer so I got to ask him dumb questions about loot boxes and debuffs while we listened.
I’m a little intimidated by the fact that there isn’t a defined number of books for this series (I have read that there may be as many as 14???). But I’d like to keep going cause this was just a damn good time.

The way I devoured this. I was cackling from the start. Princess Donut is truly iconic. This was so fast paced and kept my attention. I’m so excited for the next one.

Amazing! I felt like I was in a video game reading this. Carl and Princess Donut are my new favorite Duo and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

This series is everyone's new favourite obsession for a reason.
It's gripping, hilarious and has a talking cat. What more could you ask for? An absolute departure from reality, this is the most fun you can have reading a book.

A different take on the leveling-up RPG subgenre of books. It's an exciting start to a danger filled series that also has its lighter moments.

This is a hysterical, wild adventure ride. Carl is living his life, newly single, though kindly holding onto his ex-girlfriend’s cat because she can’t get back to their house to get her. The prissy show cat. An ill-fated smoke break in the middle of the night ends up saving his life, and leaving him running for his life in boxers, pink crocs too many sizes too small, and with a cat clinging to him.
Carl’s been put into the dungeon. And it’s a televised reality show. Worse yet? His success depends partially on people being interested in watching him and Princess Donut (not her full name). And even worse? Princess Donut suddenly becomes able to talk and she’s just as insufferable as one would imagine a show cat to be.
I loved the entire ride through this book. The monsters are variable, ever changing, and the way death comes about is just as odd as you would expect. I’m 100% down for more of these!

This was INSANE. Funny, crazy and held my attention the entire time. I am in deep with this universe. I love Princess Donut (don’t tell my cat, Mao, or she will get jealous). Carl is such a normal guy and that makes him so likable! I am recommending this book to everyone that will hear it. What a ride. I read this so quick!
Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC and for my new obsession!