Dungeon Crawler Carl

What if humanity discovered that we had been created by an alien species, only for them to return one day to harvest Earth for its resources? Around five million people survive the apocalypse, only to be lured into a real-life survival game show broadcast across the entire galaxy, where their only chance of staying alive is to entertain billions of alien viewers. That’s Dungeon Crawler Carl in a nutshell. Carl, a Coast Guard veteran in his late twenties, has just decided he’s better off without his girlfriend after she goes on vacation with her ex without telling him. While clearing out their apartment and returning her belongings back to her parents’ house, he realizes there’s only thing he isn’t quite ready to let go of: her award-winning show cat, Princess Donut. One evening, Donut does the one thing she has never done before. She jumps out of the apartment window and climbs into a tree in the middle of winter. Terrified that something might happen to the expensive cat, Carl rushes outside wearing nothing but his boxers, a leather jacket, and because it’s all he can find - his girlfriend’s Crocs. Just when he’s trying to figure out how to get Donut out of the tree, every building around him suddenly collapses and disappears. Nothing remains except Carl, the tree with Donut in it, and a few bicycles and lamp posts scattered across a frozen, empty landscape. Searching for shelter from the cold, Carl and Donut enter one of the mysterious glowing stairwells that have suddenly appeared, descending into an enormous dungeon beneath what used to be Earth. And so the game begins…. New Achievement Unlocked: You finished your first LitRPG. …and goddamn, what a fantastic time I had. You can immediately tell the author grew up immersed in gaming culture. There’s simply no way to write a LitRPG this creative, detailed, and lovingly crafted without genuinely understanding the genre and the community behind it. The achievement system alone had me grinning from start to finish. This book is both a love letter to gaming and pop culture and a surprisingly sharp piece of social commentary. The premise is completely ridiculous and absolutely brilliant. The world-building is exceptional. Rather than relying on familiar fantasy or sci-fi conventions, it creates something entirely its own, filled with bizarre monsters, imaginative environments, and some of the most inventive creature designs I’ve come across in literature. The action scenes are phenomenal. More than once I found myself holding my breath during boss fights. They’re graphic, chaotic, and endlessly entertaining. Beneath all the action lies an excellent mystery and as Carl progresses through the dungeon, we slowly uncover more about the alien races, their society, and the twisted rules governing the game. I spent half the book coming up with increasingly wild theories. Carl is a wonderfully reluctant hero. He doesn’t want fame. He doesn’t want to play this grotesque game. He hates seeing innocent people suffer, and despite everything, he refuses to sacrifice his humanity simply to survive or to entertain the audience. Princess Donut is easily my favorite sidekick of 2026 so far. She is absolutely hilarious, wonderfully overdramatic, and steals nearly every scene she’s in. I laughed until I cried more than once thanks to her. But beneath all the humor and absurdity lies a surprisingly relevant message. The aliens have turned suffering into entertainment and profit. As long as you’re useful attracting viewers and money you matter. The moment you stop generating value, you’re disposable. Your worth is measured entirely by your usefulness to the system, while spectacle keeps the masses distracted from the people pulling the strings. Sound familiar? Dungeon Crawler Carl is outrageously funny, relentlessly entertaining, wildly creative, and far smarter than its premise initially suggests. If you grew up in the late ’70s or ’80s and spent countless hours playing video games like I did, this book will feel as though it was written especially for you. But even if you’re not a gamer, I’d still recommend it to anyone looking for something refreshingly different, incredibly entertaining, and unlike anything else on their bookshelf. Story: 5 ⭐️ Spice:

Over the last few months, I saw this book everytime I went into Orell Füssli. I always thought about getting it but somehow I hesitated….WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS! Last week I finally bought it and once I started reading, there was no going back. I read it in like 3 days and immediately ordered the following books! Dungeon Crawler Carl is a mix of Dungeons & Dragons, Hunger Games, Squid Game, The Witcher and Reality TV. It is hard to describe, you have to experience it yourself. Be prepared for a lot of WTFs and a lot of AHAHAHAHs. The main character is of course….NOT Carl but Crawler Grand Champion, Breed Winner Regional, National Winner Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk instead. If you hesitate like I did…DON’T! DO IT!

When I saw it first in the bookstore, I was looking at the cover of the fourth book in that series and thought "What the hell is with that Cat?". When I saw it was the fourth one, I looked for the first one and the cat was on it too. I got curious, read the description and thought that it sounds quite funny. Let's buy it. I'm honest...in the past months or even years I bought a lot of books from Japanese authors with cats in it and I see a theme with my choosing. That's because I'm quite tired of the Fantasy and romantasy books, which in my opinion, sound all the same in the past years of looking for new books. That's also why I don't look for new book inspirations via YouTube or TikTok and just wander in the store and look what's new. This book is the complete opposite of my "feel-good" Japanese Books but so so good. My expectations wasn't that hight but damn, it got beyond that. It's funny as hell and the Achievement got me every time but it's also has depth, gore and some interesting characters. The Bond between Carl and Donut is very cute and amusing at times. I'm not only invested in those two but also some side characters like Mordecai or Lorelei and Rory. I have not much left of Book two, bought already the third one and read the webtoon graphic novel of it. Never thought I would be so obsessed with that series but here we are.

Fun and entertaining read, absolutely hilarious. Lots of cool characters including her royal majesty Princess Donut (a talking cat that shoots magic missiles) and her loyal guard, Carl.

Ganz ehrlich? Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, wann mich ein Buch das letzte Mal so dermaßen aus den Socken gehauen hat – was irgendwie passend ist, da Hauptcharakter Carl die meiste Zeit sowieso nur in Boxershorts und Lederjacke durch den Weltuntergang stolpert. Diese Story ist so herrlich gaga, dass ich beim Lesen abwechselnd fassungslos den Kopf geschüttelt und Sekunden später laut losgelacht habe. Ich meine, wer kommt bitteschön auf drogendealende Lamas und explodierende Goblins? Die Mischung aus Action und diesem komplett schrägen Humor ist absolut suchterzeugend. Carl ist als unfreiwilliger Held extrem sympathisch, aber die wahre Queen ist Prinzessin Donut. Eine sprechende Katze mit Star-Allüren, die in einer sadistischen intergalaktischen Spielshow ordentlich aufräumt? Ich feiere es so sehr! Matt Dinniman hat hier ein Feuerwerk gezündet, das mich völlig süchtig zurücklässt. Ich habe das Buch regelrecht gefressen und sitze jetzt auf glühenden Kohlen. Ich brauche jetzt – und ich meine wirklich jetzt – den nächsten Band. Wenn ihr Bock auf ein Buch habt, das keine Grenzen kennt und einfach nur Spaß macht: Gönnt euch Carl und Donut. Ihr werdet es nicht bereuen!