Feel Like Everyone Is Talking About ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’? Here’s Your Beginner’s Guide to the Hit Fantasy Books

As recently as five years ago, there weren’t many readers outside of the LitRPG community who had even heard of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. But flash forward those five years and Matt Dinniman’s irreverent fantasy saga has sold millions of copies, becoming one of the biggest success stories in modern speculative fiction and is preparing for a Peacock live-action television adaptation. The real question, of course, is how a self-published novel about a man and his talking cat fighting for survival became one of fantasy’s hottest properties. What follows is the best way to bring yourself up to speed. 

What is ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’?

At first glance, Dungeon Crawler Carl sounds like a straightforward fantasy adventure, but nothing could be further from the truth. Matt Dinniman’s bestselling series blends science fiction, fantasy, horror and dark comedy into the story of Carl, an ordinary man who survives an alien attack that transforms Earth into the deadly set of the galaxy’s most popular reality show. His only companion is Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s pampered Persian cat, who suddenly gains the ability to talk—and quickly becomes every bit as popular with readers as Carl himself.

Think of it as The Running Man meets Dungeons & Dragons, with a healthy dose of satirical humor. Contestants battle monsters, level up, collect loot and struggle to survive, but beneath the action is a sharp commentary on celebrity culture, corporate greed and the lengths people will go to for entertainment.

Matt Dinniman says: “This book has always been kind of difficult to elevator pitch, but here’s my best one: Aliens come and destroy the world, killing most of the population in a single instant. Amongst the survivors are a man, Carl, and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut. The aliens have turned the planet into the set of the galaxy’s highest-rated reality game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Carl and Donut enter the dungeon, become contestants on the show, and are forced to fight for their lives while a galaxy of viewers watch their progress. Donut the cat quickly 1) learns the Magic Missile spell and 2) becomes a fan favorite.” (grimdarkmagazine)

Who created ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’?

Author Matt Dinniman didn’t follow the traditional path to becoming a bestselling novelist. After working in a variety of creative fields, he began writing Dungeon Crawler Carl as a web serial on Royal Road before self-publishing the first book in 2020. The series quickly developed a devoted following, fueled by enthusiastic word of mouth and acclaimed audiobook editions narrated by Jeff Hays.

The success eventually caught the attention of Ace Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, which acquired the print rights while allowing Dinniman to continue self-publishing the e-books. Today, what began as an independent passion project has grown into one of fantasy’s biggest breakout franchises, with more than 7 million copies sold and a live-action television adaptation on the way.

Matt Dinniman says: “I’ve been a writer my whole life, so the idea for Dungeon Crawler Carl is something I’ve been percolating around my brain for years. I attempted a story that’s very similar—ended up being completely different—that was never published. But the idea of a man stuck on an alien game show was nothing new to me.  Around the end of 2019, I just finished writing a book called Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon. I was about to move into the third book in my Dominion of Blades series, and I wanted to give myself a break. I thought, ‘I’m going to write something real simple, real fast, kind of like a palate cleanser.’ That’s when I started Dungeon Crawler Carl, not expecting it to take off in the way it did.” (reddit)

How did ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ become such a phenomenon?

While Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s success was gradual, an important component was narrator Jeff Hays’ acclaimed audiobook performances, which attracted thousands of new fans. Dinniman has credited the audiobooks with helping fuel the series’ rise, and many readers praise them as the definitive way to experience Carl and Princess Donut’s adventures.

As the audience grew, so did the franchise. Beyond the novels published by Ace Books, the series expanded into graphic novels, tabletop games and merchandise. With more than seven million copies sold, Dungeon Crawler Carl has become one of fantasy’s biggest breakout success stories, and its upcoming Peacock television series is poised to introduce Carl and Princess Donut to an even larger audience.

Matt Dinniman says: “I still self-publish Dungeon Crawler Carl. I have the rights to the ebooks—I self-publish eBooks on Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing, all by myself, and then Ace at Penguin Random House doesn’t touch it editorially. They license the rights from me to print the physical books. Audible basically licenses Soundbooth Theater’s version from me and Jeff. Unlike, say, Operation Bounce House, which is a truly traditionally published book, Dungeon Crawler Carl is still self-published. I started self-publishing right around 2017 again, with Dominion of Blades. My previous books had been published with smaller publishers, but I was making a lot more money and [having more success] self-publishing. When you reach a certain level of success, then the publishers will come knocking on your door. They wanted all the rights, and I wasn’t willing to give them to them. We eventually came to the agreement that they could license the physical book rights. That’s what they’ve done, and that’s worked out great for all of us. It’s blown open its popularity—the moment the first Dungeon Crawler Carl hit the bookstores. It was already popular, but kind of in its own little world. Now that it’s traditionally published and available in libraries and bookstores and airports, and people can hold a physical copy, its popularity exploded.” (reddit)

Who are Carl and Princess Donut?

Carl is about as unlikely a hero as you’ll find in modern fantasy. A Coast Guard veteran, he has no magical powers or grand destiny. When Earth’s population is suddenly thrust into a deadly, televised dungeon crawl, he’s caught completely off guard—still wearing his boxer shorts and barefoot after rushing outside to rescue his ex-girlfriend’s prized Persian cat.

That cat, Princess Donut, soon becomes much more than a pet. After entering the dungeon, she gains the ability to speak, develops remarkable intelligence and reveals a flair for dramatic one-liners. While Carl provides the determination, resilience and heart, Donut brings wit, confidence and more than a little diva attitude, making the pair one of fantasy’s most memorable—and unconventional—duos.

Matt Dinniman says: “I started him off as a regular, everyday guy—just a man living in Seattle. He is an electrician for boats. He lives with his girlfriend in an apartment, goes to work, plays video games, and that’s it. He’s a very calm person.  Once the dungeon starts, he starts to slowly get angry, and angrier at the situation. We start to learn his backstory. He’s had a rough childhood; he was in the system for a long time. His girlfriend wasn’t very nice to him. And he’s fiercely protective of those he loves.”

“The sense of the unfairness of what’s happening to him and all his new friends is getting to him. It’s a terrible situation: 99% of the Earth is killed in the first paragraph of the whole book, and the few survivors are struggling to make it out of the dungeon. I mean, it’s a genocide. He becomes a reluctant leader, and he’s angry. It’s difficult to write someone who’s angry and still make them compelling. I did my best to write as many scenes as possible where we see his humanity and have other characters he can bounce off.” (Goodreads)

Why is everyone talking about Princess Donut?

It would be easy to dismiss Princess Donut as comic relief—a talking Persian cat with a flair for the dramatic—but fans will tell you she’s much more than that. Smart, fearless and never lacking in confidence, Donut evolves into one of the series’ most capable characters while delivering some of its funniest moments. Her larger-than-life personality has made her every bit as popular as Carl, and for many readers she’s the true breakout star of the books.

The character’s popularity has also been fueled by narrator Jeff Hays, whose distinctive audiobook performance has earned widespread praise from fans. In fact, Hays has become so closely associated with Princess Donut that he’s been cast to voice the character in Peacock’s upcoming television adaptation—a testament to just how iconic she’s become.

Matt Dinniman says: “Before I was a full-time writer, I was an artist. I drew cat pictures for a living, and sometimes I would go to actual cat shows as a part of that job. I learned quite a bit about different cat breeds and competitive cat shows, and Princess Donut was born.” (grimdarkmagazine)

What is LitRPG—and do I have to be a gamer to enjoy ‘Carl’?

LitRPG, short for “Literary Role-Playing Game,” is a genre that incorporates game mechanics directly into the story. Characters level up, gain new skills, complete quests and collect treasure much as they would in tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons or popular video game RPGs. In Dungeon Crawler Carl, those mechanics are woven into the deadly competition Carl and Princess Donut must survive, giving readers the feeling of watching a game unfold in real time.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy the series. While the game elements are central to the plot, they’re really a framework for the humor, action, satire and character relationships. At its heart, Dungeon Crawler Carl is an adventure story about survival, friendship and resilience—one that’s just as likely to appeal to science fiction and fantasy fans as it is to RPG enthusiasts.

Why is Hollywood adapting ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’?

Hollywood is always searching for the next fantasy franchise, and Dungeon Crawler Carl checks a lot of boxes. It has a built-in audience, an expansive world that can support multiple seasons, memorable characters and a blend of action, comedy and heart unlike anything currently on television. Those qualities helped convince Peacock to order a live-action series from Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions, with Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian writer Christopher Yost writing the adaptation and serving as an executive producer.

Just as importantly, creator Matt Dinniman is involved as a co-executive producer, a move many fans hope will help the adaptation remain true to the spirit of the books. While no premiere date has been announced, the series has already generated considerable excitement, with audiobook narrator Jeff Hays becoming the first confirmed cast member, voicing Princess Donut.

Matt Dinniman says: “The television series is something we’re still working through. When we first started shopping around the idea of Carl as a film or TV IP, I only had one rule: I wasn’t going to sell it to someone who hadn’t read it and wasn’t excited about it. The moment we met at NBCUniversal, the person who bought it from us, he was extremely excited about it. He had read the whole series and was enthusiastic about it. Once that happened, we found a production company, Fuzzy Door, Seth MacFarlane’s company. We talked to a few different places, and they were all good, but Fuzzy Door’s level of enthusiasm was the highest by far.  That’s what made me feel the best about finding a home for Carl and company. Now I have a lot of faith in them, because they’re so protective of the story itself.” (Goodreads)

What makes ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ different from other fantasy series?

While many fantasy novels revolve around ancient prophecies, chosen heroes or epic battles between good and evil, Dungeon Crawler Carl takes a wildly different approach. It blends science fiction, fantasy, dark comedy and social satire into a story where survival itself becomes entertainment. Carl and Princess Donut aren’t trying to save a magical kingdom—they’re trying to survive a deadly, galaxy-wide reality show broadcast to countless alien viewers across the galaxy.

That unusual premise is only part of the appeal. Beneath the monsters, quests and game mechanics is a surprisingly emotional story about friendship, resilience and finding hope in impossible circumstances. It’s a combination of heart, humor and high-stakes adventure that has helped Dungeon Crawler Carl stand out in an increasingly crowded fantasy market—and turned it into one of fantasy’s most notable breakout franchises.

Where should new readers start?

The best place to begin is exactly where longtime fans did: with Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first novel in the series. There are currently eight published books, with a ninth on the way, so while the story has grown into an expansive saga, it’s an easy series to jump into because everything begins with Book 1. Each installment builds on the last, introducing new dungeon levels, increasingly dangerous challenges and an ever-growing cast of allies and enemies.

Whether you choose the print edition, ebook or Jeff Hays’ acclaimed audiobook narration, reading the series in publication order is the best way to experience Carl and Princess Donut’s adventure. By the time you catch up, you’ll understand why so many readers are eagerly awaiting both the next novel and the upcoming television adaptation.