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Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020-) is a sci-fi, fantasy book series by Matt Dinniman. Ace Books traditionally published the first book in August 2024. As of 2026, the series consists of eight books, with two more slated to conclude the story.
When aliens come to Earth and destroy all human-made structures, the remaining humans are forced to try to survive without resources on the surface or blindly descend into a dungeon. The story follows Carl, a 27-year-old U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut.
Carl and Donut enter the dungeon to escape the cold Seattle winter. As such, the two inadvertently become “crawlers” — stars in the alien reality TV show broadcasting their time in the dungeon. Together, they struggle against the twists and turns of the dungeon and its System AI, which seems to have it out for Carl.
Matt Dinniman crafts a world unlike any you have seen before. Audiences cannot help but become progressively enamored with Carl and Donut as they work together to overcome the absurdities of the dungeon. Through the emotional depth woven into the series, Dinniman has exposed a whole new audience to the genre of LitRPG. With Dungeon Crawler Carl’s success, there will likely be a domino effect on the publishing industry’s coming trends.
Genre Bending — Understanding LitRPG
Dungeon Crawler Carl has aspects of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, but it is categorized under a more niche subset of the two. LitRPG, an acronym for literary role-playing game, follows conventions of video games. Game-like elements are an essential part of the story, with characters leveling up and progressing in statistics such as strength, intelligence, or charm.1
Stories following these tropes have been around for a while, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the term LitRPG was coined. EKSMO, a Russian publishing house, was the first company to coin the term. However, the genre had not gained mainstream success until the release of Dungeon Crawler Carl.
LitRPG Elements In Dungeon Crawler Carl
In Dungeon Crawler Carl, the System AI assigns base-level stats to crawlers based on their actual physical and mental attributes. From there, individuals must grind to build their stats by killing monsters in the dungeon, while also leveling up as they get achievements.
As they enter the dungeon, it is revealed that there are eighteen levels. If they survive to the third floor, they pick a specific race and class. These can be fantastical races such as a Frost Maiden or Skyfowl, but remaining as a human is also an option. Meanwhile, classes can be anything from a monk, bard, or compensated anarchist. Characters then focus on specific stats corresponding to their race and class.
Loot boxes are given as a reward for getting achievements and completing quests. The loot then helps them increase their targeted stats and level up, making them strong enough to descend further into the dungeon, where they may battle more vicious enemies.
These RPG elements incorporated into the literary format serve as a way to explicitly see the main characters’ progress. While there are more subtle forms of character development, the leveling system allows the reader to see a stark difference between the Carl and Donut that entered the dungeon and the Carl and Donut that are deep into it. Following along as a house cat and a normal man grow into the formidable, dynamic duo they are now known as, a fanbase was charmed by the appeal of such an unlikely pair.
From Web Serial To Publishing Phenomenon
While Dungeon Crawler Carl is now a global phenomenon with over ten million copies sold and a TV adaptation in the works at Peacock,2 it comes from much humbler beginnings.
The inspiration for the story comes from December of 2019, when Matt Dinniman was traveling to cat shows, where he would sell cat drawings to owners. While he was attending one of these cat shows, he met a tortoiseshell Persian cat that inspired the character Princess Donut.3
Soon after, Dinniman began releasing installments on Royal Road — a platform for web serials — that readers could enjoy for free. Matt Dinniman wrote the series not in the hopes that it would become the major bestseller that it is now, but because of his passion for the LitRPG genre, and because it was “everything he wanted to write.”4 When the pandemic shut down cat shows, Dinniman self-published the then-completed Dungeon Crawler Carl works through Amazon’s Kindle store and started a Patreon.
Patreon is a membership platform that gives fans exclusive content. Dinniman’s use of Patreon allows him to encourage his readers to be a part of the story he is crafting. Patreon members get early access to chapters and content. They also get community voting power — anything from loot box contents to specific story elements or plot challenges.
One such plot element that exists because of fan involvement is the setting of book six, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride. The community voted for Cuba, and Dinniman then had to do deep research into Cuba and its mythology — a country and culture he previously had no knowledge of.5
Throughout this journey to traditional publishing and mainstream acclaim, Dinniman was able to build a devoted fanbase. But no fanbase for Dungeon Crawler Carl is as big as the audiobook fans. According to Dinniman, the format outsells both print and e-book sales.6
The Audiobook Boom Behind Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020-)
Jeff Hayes, the narrator for the audiobooks, is deeply dedicated to giving each character a distinct voice profile. Throughout the series, he voices humans, humanoid goats, people made of lava rock, gnomes, and a cat — just to name a few. His performance has become intrinsically linked to the story, so much so that he has been cast in the live-action series being developed by Peacock as the voice of Princess Donut.
This burst of popularity through the audiobook format shows a different kind of story that people are yearning for. People appreciate the passion of the author that is evident in the story, and the dedication of a good narration. The two combine to create a story that manages to be endlessly entertaining, regardless of the format you choose to indulge in.
Beyond The “Boy Book” Label
While Dungeon Crawler Carl may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, it is a story that appeals to everyone. There is a subset of people online that have considered it to be a “boy book,” specifically because of its type of humor and video game tropes. However, while not without slight flaws in its representation, Dinniman does make efforts to include strong female characters and give them actual motivations aside from being a token female in the story.
The sci-fi/fantasy genre is one that can generally feel quite split and gendered. Often, there is the problem of fantasy novels written by men being considered “high fantasy,” while anything written by a woman is frequently classed as “romantasy,” even if it does not fit the bill. Romantasy is a conjunction of the genres of romance and fantasy, and is a genre heavily written by, and consumed by women. But for a book to actually be classified as romantasy as opposed to fantasy, the romance needs to be an integral and driving force of the narrative.
While people have tried to coin Dungeon Crawler Carl as a “boy fantasy” book as opposed to “girl fantasy,” the fundamental message of Carl’s story has many similarities to themes you would see in any popular romantasy book.
One of the allures of romantasy is that readers get to see strong female characters often rebelling against unjust governments or navigating court politics, while also falling in love. While romance is scarce in Dungeon Crawler Carl, Carl is frequently rebelling against the alien government that sent him into the dungeon and navigating the new dynamic forming between himself and his — now talking cat — Donut.
Carl And Donut — A Compelling Bond
The relationship between Carl and Donut is impossible not to root for. Carl is a reluctant owner — a gruff man who looked after his ex-girlfriend’s prissy show cat all while she was cheating on him. Donut is a spoiled cat who, when given the ability to speak after they enter the dungeon, has to learn all too quickly how to live with human-like sapience.
The two are the only constant for one another and develop a deeper bond throughout each level of the dungeon. While not romantic, the platonic bond between the pair leaps off the page and tugs at your heartstrings.
Men and women alike have resonated with Carl and Donut. Matt Dinniman has previously stated that readership was an almost even split between male and female readers in 2024. However, after it was traditionally published, the series has most likely secured a more female-leaning audience.7 This is particularly groundbreaking as the LitRPG genre is generally consumed by 80-90% men. But with Dungeon Crawler Carl breaking into the mainstream, it can pave the way for more inclusive LitRPG novels that can be enjoyed by all.
Why Audiences Crave Absurd Narratives
At its core, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a story that highlights the spirit of human tenacity. Carl has a mantra that he repeats throughout the series. As he overcomes the hardships that the galactic corporations and System AI put him through, he vows, “You will not break me.”
“You’re not going to break me,” I said. “You might hurt me, or kill me, but you’re not going to break me.”8
While the absurdity that Carl experiences may seem too much for some people, the plot is a clever satirical commentary on our own society. Dinniman is able to deliver commentary on corporate capitalism, systemic exploitation, and reality television all within the backdrop of an alien-run dungeon. While it can be beneficial to read a nonfiction book that unpacks many of these topics, through the realm of fantasy, difficult topics can feel much more digestible and can translate into real-world action.
The boom in the success of Dungeon Crawler Carl is likely to leave a shock wave in the literary landscape. The LitRPG genre is likely to take off in popularity in the way that romantasy has within the past few years. It is also probable that audiobooks could become more heavily prioritized, as the readers of Dungeon Crawler Carl have highlighted how large of an audience there is for high-quality audiobooks.
Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s success has shown how much people are looking for unique, unconventional narratives. Because what’s not to love about a talking cat that shoots missiles out of her eyes?
Footnotes
- Land, Richter. “What is litRPG and its subgenres?” LitRPG, 29 April 2021. ↩︎
- Alter, Alexandra. “Gonzo Fans Have Made ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Into a Global Blockbuster.” The New York Times, 12 December 2025. ↩︎
- Miller, Laura. “The Unlikely Hit That’s Popularizing a Whole New Type of Novel.” Slate, 7 February 2026. ↩︎
- @StrandBookstore. “Matt Dinniman & Charles Soule on the Role of Patreon in LitRPG | Strand Events.” Youtube, 23 April 2025. ↩︎
- @StrandBookstore. “Matt Dinniman & Charles Soule on the Role of Patreon in LitRPG | Strand Events.” Youtube, 23 April 2025. ↩︎
- Miller, Laura. “The Unlikely Hit That’s Popularizing a Whole New Type of Novel.” Slate, 7 February 2026. ↩︎
- @r/DungeonCrawlerCarl. “Male to Female fan ratio.” Reddit, 10 September 2025. ↩︎
- Dinniman, Matt. “Dungeon Crawler Carl.” Ace Books, 2 October 2020. ↩︎