I am not even kidding about my Dungeon Crawler Carl obsession. I want the books, the merch, the things to watch, and the people who have also fallen all the way into this particular rabbit hole.
So Carl and Princess Donut are getting their own corner of Jamie’s Latest Obsession. Start here for the reading order, the difference between the two audio versions, and the official shops. Or skip straight to the chocolate. Yes, there is chocolate.
Pick your stop: Books in order · Audiobooks · Merch and chocolate · People and places to follow · What’s coming next
Spoiler note: This guide sticks to the setup, formats and shopping details, not later-book plot turns. Outside links can include spoilers in descriptions, artwork, episode titles and comments.
Start here: Dungeon Crawler Carl books in order
The short version: Matt Dinniman’s series puts Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, inside a deadly, video-game-like dungeon after the end of the world. Their fight to survive is also an intergalactic reality show. The audience is part of the problem.
Start with book one, not whichever gorgeous new edition appears in your feed. Here is the main series in the order on Dinniman’s official book list:
- Dungeon Crawler Carl
- Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
- The Gate of the Feral Gods
- The Butcher’s Masquerade
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
- This Inevitable Ruin
- A Parade of Horribles
That list separates the series from Dinniman’s other novels. Operation Bounce House and Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon are not extra Carl installments to wedge into your reading order.
Shopping for someone else? Ask which book they have reached and which format they use. A hardcover, an ebook and an audiobook can be three versions of the same story, not three new adventures.
Original audiobook or Audio Immersion Tunnel?
This is the distinction to check before buying. The original audiobooks and Soundbooth Theater’s Audio Immersion Tunnel are different editions, even though Jeff Hays is involved in both.
- For the original audiobook: use the Audible links on the author’s book page. Check the title and book number before purchasing.
- For a full-cast dramatization: use Soundbooth’s Audio Immersion Tunnel. It adds music, sound effects and bonus material. Each season corresponds to a book, and each season is broken into episodes.
Soundbooth lists the first episode of season one as free, so you can try that format before committing to a season. Start there rather than sampling a later season and accidentally dropping yourself into the middle of the story.
Also check whether the price you are looking at buys one episode or the full season. “Season one” and “episode one” are not interchangeable, and neither is a new numbered novel.
The merch tabs to open first
My starting point is the Shop menu on Dinniman’s own website. It links the official store and these specialty shops, which is a much better starting place than assuming every listing with Donut on it is licensed.
- Chocolate: our Maeve chocolate guide breaks down the two bars, the bonbons and the toothy Station Mimic gift box. The useful part: the gift set costs more than buying its three chocolate items separately. Read the comparison and shipping restrictions before picking one.
- Bookish accessories: Kingdom of Threads’ licensed collection is a place to browse for things such as book sleeves. Check the selected size, not just the collection banner.
- Pins: Foam Brain’s Dungeon Crawler Carl collection sits in its licensed-products section. Go to the individual design for its current price and availability.
- The main store and signed books: use the Official Store and Signed Books links in the author’s Shop menu to reach the current destinations.
For gifts, check the ship date as well as the stock status. A preorder, a sold-out size and an in-stock item can all sit on the same collection page. And if your person is early in the series, avoid reading later-book product descriptions aloud while you shop.
People and places to follow without guessing at handles
- For author announcements: Matt Dinniman’s news page. Start here for his own updates rather than a repost with the date cropped off.
- For the audio side: Jeff Hays’ Soundbooth Theater page identifies the narrator, and the series page is where to check the audio catalog.
- For a fan podcast: Hello Crawlers links its YouTube channel and lists interviews with Dinniman and Hays. Its chapter-discussion episodes name their book and chapter ranges. Match those to your progress; do not assume the interviews or comments are spoiler-free.
The chapter ranges are especially useful if you want company while reading without opening a discussion of the entire series. Stop at the part you have actually finished.
New editions and adaptations are their own thing
A fancy book one: Penguin Random House lists Dungeon Crawler Carl: Deluxe Edition for November 17, 2026, at a $65 hardcover list price. It includes Victo Ngai artwork, stenciled edges and a hardcover case with a solvable maze. It is a collector’s edition of the first novel, not book nine. Check the publisher’s listing for the edition details.
A monthly comic: Vault announced an ongoing comic series beginning in January 2027. It serializes the webtoon, with a 48-page first issue combining its first two episodes. That is a comic release schedule, not the next prose-book release date.
If a listing says “new,” check what is actually new: the story, the format, the cover or the packaging. There is plenty here to be obsessed with without accidentally buying the same book twice.
