Dungeon Crawler Carl: Book Of The Month

So, what do you get when the illegitimate love child of Dungeons & Dragons and Douglas Adams runs off with Jack Reacher and develops a foot fetish?

Yup, October 2024’s Book of the Month is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.

We interrupt this post to bring you a quick disclaimer: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Because who doesn’t want to get paid for their hobbies? You may now return to your regular scheduled reading.

What is Dungeon Crawler Carl?

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a seriously funny sci-fi fantasy LitRPG. Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, find themselves outside in the snow just before their house collapses. The apocalypse has arrived, and it turns out it’s a life-or-death alien gameshow. 

LitRPG: a subgenre of fiction where the protagonist spends the bulk of the story playing some form of roleplaying game.

If you’ve never dipped your toes into the LitRPG genre, this is a great place to get your feet wet (the system AI will thank you).

Why should I read it?

Talking cat not a good enough reason? Fine. Here are 5 more reasons:

1. I don’t think I’ve laughed harder at a book in recent memory. You’ll find yourself with milk running out your nose as Carl and Donut find themselves flung from one impossible situation to the next. This includes facing meth-addicted Lama’s, Gymbros and a hive-mind Karen-esque boss not to mention an unhinged system AI running the whole thing. 

2. Incredible characters. And while they start off a little schlocky, you’ll quickly find them crawling into the dungeon of your heart (awww). The interactions between Carl and Princess Donut alone are enough to fuel the high-octane romp under earth’s surface, and the side characters like Mordecai and Zev add a ton of nuance and soul. 

3. Surprisingly deep worldbuilding. While the majority of the book takes place on the first 2 floors of the 18-story world dungeon, you’re quickly introduced to a universe-wide epic that makes the characters feel very very small. And it only gets more detailed as the series continues.

4. The Audiobook is amazing. Jeff Hays and SoundBooth Theater went hard. 

5. There are already 5 other books in the series. And thank god for that, because the pace of this book will leave you wanting your next fix as soon as possible.

Make sure to get caught up with Dungeon Crawler Carl before the animated adaptation comes out.