So, you’ve started seeing a man in his boxer briefs, holding a cat wearing a tiara, all over the internet, and bumper stickers that say things like, “Mongo is appalled!” and “Goddamnit, Donut!” What’s that about?? Well, I’ll tell you: it’s Dungeon Crawler Carl!
What is Dungeon Crawler Carl, and What’s It About?
Dungeon Crawler Carl is a LitRPG series that has exploded in popularity in the last couple of years. It’s about Carl, a young man who is one of the luckiest-unluckiest people in the world. At the start of the series, in the middle of a cold night in the Pacific Northwest, he finds himself outside his apartment building in his underwear. He accidentally left a window open, and his ex-girlfriend’s prize show cat, Princess Donut, has escaped, and now he has to find her. And while he’s searching for the cat, the world seems to end.
It turns out that extraterrestrials are real, and they’ve decided to turn Earth into one big reality game show. They wipe pretty much every structure off the face of the Earth, and the only people who survive the event are the ones who were outside when it happens. Like Carl and Princess Donut.
The survivors are guided towards an opening in the ground, where they discover that they are to play in a game in a dungeon that will be filmed and shown to audiences all over the galaxy. The better they play and the more creative they are, the more fans they will get, who in turn will send them essential things they need, like armor and weapons.
This is easy for the cat, Princess Donut, because the audience loves cats, and it turns out she has the ability to speak in the dungeon. She also has the ability to shoot lasers out of her eyes, eventually. Which is a good thing, because the basement is full of different creatures Carl and Princess Donut will have to defeat in order to advance and make it down to the next levels.
That’s a very basic explanation, but hopefully you get the gist. (One YouTuber made a video saying that when you try to describe Dungeon Crawler Carl, you end up sounding like a toddler making up a story as they go along, a video that Dinniman himself liked and shared.) One of the reasons these books are so popular is that they’re extremely funny and ridiculous, as well as surprising and action-packed. The series is incredibly well-written and can even be heart-squeezing at times. (And full disclosure, they’re also hella violent, gory, profane, and full of juvenile jokes.)
What is a LitRPG?
A LitRPG is a book that incorporates role-playing game information into the story, like health stats, equipment, maps, and other things characters need to know and have on their quests, like in Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft. The DCC series does this successfully, and I think it’s a credit to the writing that people who don’t play video games or role-playing games still enjoy the books. Learning about what Carl and Princess Donut gather in their adventuring or are gifted by viewers, as well as what they need to level up, is part of the fun!
I am selling, Carl!
The first several books in the DCC series were originally self-published, beginning in 2020. Because the books were so popular, the completed books were picked up by a traditional publisher, Penguin Random House, and re-released, starting in 2024, followed by more sequels, which will go up to ten as Dinniman has stated.
Now, DCC has sold more than six million copies, and the related merchandise and media are growing! There are plans for a live-action series on Peacock, a card game, and the Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG: Core Rulebook for tabletop playing. Plus, tons of stickers, shirts, mugs, magnets, a chocolate bar, and more are available through several retailers, like Hot Topic and the author’s website. Remember: Live. Laugh. Loot everything. (Er, but please don’t steal DCC merchandise. And try not to start a meth war between the goblins and the llamas.)
Books in the series, so far:
3. The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
6. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
Plus, the just-released Dungeon Crawler Carl graphic novel, and a Dungeon Crawler Carl: Deluxe Edition coming in November.
More books for DCC fans:
As with a lot of books that become astronomically popular, there are not a lot of books exactly like Dungeon Crawler Carl. After all, this series took off because it’s special. But there are a lot of great books you might enjoy that have similar elements as the DCC series, and here are five I recommend.
 The Hike by Drew MagaryAn ordinary guy decides to take a walk while on a business trip, and winds up on a seemingly unending trail. In his travels, he encounters monsters, questions life, and is accompanied by a foul-mouthed talking crab. |
 Katabasis by R. F. KuangWhat’s a bigger dungeon crawl than one in Hell, the basement of all basements? Magick student Alice Law must venture into Hades to retrieve her college professor after she accidentally sends him there, because she desperately needs a letter of recommendation from him. |
 Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui, Taylor Engel (Translator)This manga is about a group of adventurers who must journey into the bowels of a dangerous dungeon to retrieve their friend. Along the way, they sample a taste of just about everything they come across. |
 Mage Tank: A LitRPG Adventure by CornmanUnlike Carl, Arlo, the hero of Mage Tank, actually dies, and he respawns in a fantasy world. And like Carl, Arlo has no idea what is going on or what the rules of the game are. He just knows he has to survive, and he’s decided to do that by becoming a (hopefully) unstoppable tank. Also like DCC, ridiculousness, violence, and profanity follow. |
 The Perfect Run by Maxime J. DurandRyan “Quicksave” Romano has the ability to regenerate every time he dies in real life, and he decides to try out all the different versions of himself that he can be, both good and evil, to achieve the perfect run to the end of the game called life. |
If you’re a fan of the talking animal element, make sure to check out these science fiction and fantasy books with sentient creatures.
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