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Dungeon Crawler Carl Series

byMatt Dinniman7 books in this series
Book cover of #1 - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

#1 - Dungeon Crawler Carl

Matt Dinniman
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic, intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard veteranarian Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game-like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy.

Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.
Book cover of #2 - Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

#2 - Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Matt Dinniman
Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the chart. The watchers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with. Quests. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?
Book cover of #3 - The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

#3 - The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Matt Dinniman
Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds. The top ten list is populated, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price. They each now have a bounty on their head. They have to work with other crawlers to solve the puzzle of the floor, but how can they do that when they don’t know who to trust? The secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly-useless book. Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon
Book cover of #4 - The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman

#4 - The Gate of the Feral Gods

Matt Dinniman
New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy’s most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, that there’s only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what’s coming next. And this floor is no exception.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked. Here's the thing. It's never easy. Going it alone is not an option this time, so Carl and his team must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.
Book cover of #5 - The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman

#5 - The Butcher's Masquerade

Matt Dinniman

Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose. Run.

A deadly jungle. Bloodthirsty dinosaurs. A fallen princess seeking revenge. And a mysterious celebration known as The Butcher’s Masquerade. Coast Guard veteran Carl and Princess Donut think they’ve seen everything the galaxy’s favorite game show can throw at them—until they reach the sixth floor: The Hunting Grounds.

Now, for the first time, outside tourists are allowed in, eager to stalk and kill the remaining crawlers. Among them is Vrah, a legendary hunter determined to claim her greatest trophy yet. But this season, the prey is fighting back.

Welcome, crawlers, to the sixth floor.

Book cover of #6 - The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman

#6 - The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Matt Dinniman

Chaos reigns on the eighth floor.

Coast Guard vet Carl and Princess Donut have survived longer—and climbed higher—than anyone expected in the galaxy’s favorite reality show, but now the game is wide open. The task: capture six monsters and turn them into battle cards. The stronger the creature, the better the hand.

But there’s always a catch. To win, Carl and Donut must claim the deadliest monster of all: Shi Maria, the Bedlam Bride—once wed to a now-missing god, her very attack can shatter the mind.

Capturing a monster is one thing. Taming it? That’s another story entirely.

Book cover of #7 - This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

#7 - This Inevitable Ruin

Matt Dinniman

They call it Faction Wars.

The ninth floor: nine armies led by wealthy alien elites, all battling to seize the central castle. Strategy, alliances, treachery—it’s perfect television.

After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.

But not this season. Winner takes all, and the fallen stay dead.

With the AI collapsing, Carl and his team seize the chaos and join the war as one of the nine factions—just as a tenth army rises: NPCs, who have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.

And for Donut and Katia, only one can leave this level.

If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.

This. Is. War.