Author Matt Dinniman sits down with Lits Play to discuss the creation of Dungeon Crawler Carl and what readers can expect in Book 8, A Parade of Horribles.
Uploaded by Lits Play and Penguin Random House, 2026 · Watch on YouTube
Dinniman says he discovered the LitRPG genre in 2015 through poorly translated Russian ebooks at his local library. He loved how the genre reproduced the gaming dopamine hit of watching stats and levels increase on the page.
“The first time you read one, you say to yourself, I didn't know you could do that in a book.”
Dinniman recalls playing the 1980s text adventure adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before knowing it was a book. He checked the novel out from the library solely as a cheat guide to solve the game, which kickstarted his reading of adult fiction.
“it was impossible to play the game without the book.”
Dinniman considers himself a pantser who writes characters into impossible dilemmas without knowing the escape route in advance. He also lets his Patreon backers vote on major narrative elements, such as whether The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook existed.
“I'm what some people call 'pantser,' I just make it all up as I go along”
Dinniman reveals that his restless mind requires him to rotate between different Pacific Northwest coffee shops every day rather than working in the same location twice in a row, all while blasting loud heavy metal through headphones.
“I have to write in a different place every day, which presents a challenge.”
Dinniman explains that Princess Donut was inspired by a real tortoiseshell Persian kitten that glared at him all weekend while he was selling pet portraits at a cat show.
Dinniman considers himself a pantser who invents stories as he goes, but because LitRPG involves stats and numbers, he maintains a tracking spreadsheet over 200 pages long.
Dinniman describes how his Patreon supporters vote on plot events for Carl and Donut as the story is written, mirroring the alien viewers in the fictional game show.
Dinniman began serializing the book on Royal Road and Patreon out of financial necessity after Emerald City Comic Con was canceled in March 2020, leaving him with negative $80 in the bank.
Intro
Inspiration for Dungeon Crawler Carl
Appeal of the LitRPG genre
Influential games
Incorporating gaming elements into Dungeon Crawler Carl
Influence of Reality TV
15 books, 1 series; 10 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.
4.4/5
reader rating · 3,215 ratingsKaiju: Battlefield Surgeon is a LitRPG novel by Matt Dinniman in which an artist named Duke accepts a $15,000 mural commission, only to find himself pulled into a private VR server run by sadistic players who use the game as a hunting ground. It earns attention for fusing horror, monster-battle spectacle, and genuine emotional depth in a subgenre not always known for the latter.
Reviewed Oct 6, 2026
4.8/5
reader rating · 51,880 ratingsThis Inevitable Ruin is the seventh book in Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, following Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they lead the dungeon's first-ever crawler-controlled army through the Faction Wars on the ninth floor. A New York Times bestseller, it is the point in the series where survival alone is no longer the goal — and the stakes reflect that decisively.
Reviewed Oct 5, 2026
4.8/5
reader rating · 63,191 ratingsThe Eye of the Bedlam Bride is the sixth entry in Matt Dinniman's New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series, sending Coast Guard vet Carl and his cat Princess Donut onto the eighth floor of a deadly dungeon with one objective: capture six monsters—including the sanity-shattering Shi Maria, the Bedlam Bride—and build a winning card deck before the bad guys do. Published by Random House Large Print, this edition includes bonus material exclusive to the print format.
Reviewed Oct 4, 2026
4.8/5
reader rating · 61,468 ratingsThe Butcher's Masquerade is the fifth book in Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, following Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they navigate the deadly sixth floor—a lush jungle where outside tourists are finally allowed to enter the game as hunters. A New York Times bestseller, it earns attention for dramatically escalating stakes and a notable shift toward deeper character development.
Reviewed Oct 3, 2026
4.7/5
reader rating · 68,217 ratingsThe Gate of the Feral Gods is the fourth book in Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, following Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they tackle the fifth floor of a galaxy-televised dungeon: one bubble, four castles, fifteen days. A New York Times bestseller, the series has earned passionate enthusiasm from fans and major-outlet praise alike.
Reviewed Oct 2, 2026
4.7/5
reader rating · 117,364 ratingsDungeon Crawler Carl is the first book in Matt Dinniman's science fantasy LitRPG series, following Coast Guard veteran Carl and the newly sapient cat Princess Donut as they fight to survive an eighteen-level dungeon crawl broadcast as an intergalactic reality show. A New York Times bestseller that began on Royal Road and was acquired by Ace Books, it earns attention for blending dark stakes with outrageous humor.
Reviewed Sep 29, 2026
4.7/5
reader rating · 95,882 ratingsCarl's Doomsday Scenario is the second book in Matt Dinniman's science fantasy LitRPG series Dungeon Crawler Carl, continuing the story of Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's now-sapient, magic-wielding cat Princess Donut as they descend to the third floor of an alien-constructed dungeon broadcast as intergalactic reality TV. The series' journey from Royal Road serial to Ace Books imprint — and a greenlit Peacock adaptation — makes this one of genre fiction's most notable grassroots-to-mainstream success stories.
Reviewed Sep 29, 2026
4.6/5
reader rating · 89,030 ratingsThe Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook is the third novel in Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, following Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they battle through the Iron Tangle — an impossibly knotted subway dungeon where trust is scarce and a dead crawlers' secret guide may hold the key to survival. A New York Times bestseller, it delivers the series' signature blend of dark comedy and genuine stakes at full throttle.
Reviewed Sep 15, 2026
4.8/5
reader rating · 24,981 ratingsA Parade of Horribles is the eighth book in Matt Dinniman's New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series, released as an audiobook by Audible Studios on May 12, 2026, with narration by Jeff Hays. The book sends Carl and Donut into the dungeon's most dangerous floor yet — a deadly, elimination-style racing gauntlet the system AI has ominously named "a coming-out party for the ages" — while pushing the series's central paradox to its breaking point: Carl's every act of resistance is content, and his rebellion is programming. Grounded in verified sources and published reception, this review covers the book's content and its place in the series rather than hands-on use.
Reviewed Jul 21, 2026
4.7/5
reader rating · 611 ratingsThis review covers the content and published reception of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel), published by Vault Comics in May 2026, based on published sources rather than hands-on reading. The graphic novel adaptation — illustrated by Laurel Pursuit Studios with contributions from Tevagah and developed in partnership with Aethon — brings the New York Times bestselling LitRPG science fantasy series to the comics page for the first time, drawing on the previously published Webtoon. It is an ambitious format leap for a beloved franchise, best suited to fans of the original novels and readers new to the series who prefer a visual entry point.
Reviewed Jul 7, 2026
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