Carl's Doomsday Scenario

THE TRAINING LEVELS HAVE CONCLUDED. THE GAMES MAY TRULY BEGIN. 
The second explosive adventure in Matt Dinniman’s hit LitRPG series - funnier, darker, and more dangerously addictive than ever. 
‘[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut’ The Wall Street Journal 
‘If there’s a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven’t read it’ Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters 
--Now on the third floor of the dungeon, Carl and Princess Donut must 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 and 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 . . . Side quests. 
They call this level 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. And an ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. 
Can Carl and Donut survive this level in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?--- 
Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl 
‘Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I’m obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen’ Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day 
‘This series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight’ New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch 
‘This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever… or maybe anyone who has been outside at night—in their underwear—looking for their cat and wondering, ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?’… Once you start, you won’t put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series 
‘One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while’ Book Riot 
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read’ New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson 
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best start to a series I’ve read this year. I wish I’d tried it sooner’ Will Wight, author of the Cradle series 
‘To describe the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and the first book in particular, one must blend the darkest, grittiest science fiction with the humour of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It mixes fun, whimsical absurdity, and serious, dark themes with dire consequences…it is so spectacularly good that I cannot recommend it high enough’ Grimdark Magazine 
‘Dinniman’s Douglas-Adams-but-playing-D&amp;D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books…genuinely joyful’ LitHub.com

-- PRAISE FOR DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL

Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I’m obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen.

Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day

This series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight.

New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch

[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut.

This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night—in their underwear—looking for their cat and wondering ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?’ Once you start, you won’t put it down.

Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while.

If there’s a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven’t read it.

Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters

Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read.

New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best start to a series I’ve read this year. I wish I’d tried it sooner.

To describe the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and the first book in particular, one must blend the darkest, grittiest science fiction with the humour of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It mixes fun, whimsical absurdity, and serious, dark themes with dire consequences…it is so spectacularly good that I cannot recommend it high enough.

Dinniman’s Douglas-Adams-but-playing-D&D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books…genuinely joyful.

GREETINGS, CRAWLERS! THE TRAINING LEVELS HAVE CONCLUDED. THE GAMES MAY TRULY BEGIN. 
 
 
Now on the third floor of the dungeon, Carl and Princess Donut must 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 and 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 . . . Side quests. 
 
 
 
They call this level 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. And an ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. 
 
 
Can Carl and Donut survive this level in time? And can Carl finally find some pants? 
 
 
WELCOME TO THE SECOND BOOK IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL SERIES BY MATT DINNIMAN.

Matt Dinniman is a writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the author of the best-selling Dungeon Crawler Carl series along with several other books about the end of the world. He doesn’t really hate Cocker Spaniels, and he plays bass in a metal band.

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?

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

WELCOME CRAWLERS, TO THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE DUNGEON – THE IRON TANGLE! 
The third explosive installment in Matt Dinniman’s best selling LitRPG series, where teamwork is optional and betrayal is inevitable… 
‘If there’s a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven’t read it’ Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters 
--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 of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . . 
They each now have a bounty on their head. 
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 of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . . 
 
They each now have a bounty on their head. 
 
To get through this level, they must solve the puzzle of the floor. The secret to unravelling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book. But if they want to come close to success, they'll have to work with other crawlers. 
 
Making friends is easy…until they want to kill you.---- 
Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl 
 
'Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I’m obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen’ Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day 
‘I don’t always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, this series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight’ New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch 
‘[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut’ The Wall Street Journal 
‘This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?’ Once you start, you won’t put it down’ Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series 
‘One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while’ Book Riot 
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read’ New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

WELCOME CRAWLERS, TO THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE DUNGEON – THE IRON TANGLE! 
 
 
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 of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . . 
 
 
They each now have a bounty on their head. 
 
 
 
To get to through this level, they must solve the puzzle of the floor. The secret to unravelling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book. If they want to come close to success, they'll have to work with other crawlers. 
 
 
 
 
Making friends is easy…until they want to kill you. 
 
 
WELCOME TO THE THIRD BOOK IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL SERIES BY 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

Dungeon Crawler Carl

One man. One cat. One alien invasion. Infinite chaos. 
Dive into the first explosive Dungeon Crawler Carl adventure - a wild mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and twisted survival comedy. 
‘If there’s a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven’t read it’ Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters 
--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. 
And now Coast Guard veteranarian Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, must 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 TV show with countless viewers across the galaxy. So not only do they have to stay alive, but they also need to earn ratings based on their performance. 
Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show. 
Keeping viewers entertained is essential. Survival, however, is not. 
--- PRAISE --- 
‘Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I’m obsessed…Princess Donut is my queen’ Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day 
‘I don’t always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, this series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight’ New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch 
‘[A] comically cosmic adventure series…often laugh-out-loud funny…Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut’ The Wall Street Journal 
‘This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?’ Once you start, you won’t put it down’ Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series 
‘One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while’ Book Riot 
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read’ New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson 
'Dungeon Crawler Carl is a dangerously addicting tale of chaos and mayhem. I’m thoroughly hooked! - #1 New York Times bestselling author Callie Hart

This series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a dangerously addicting tale of chaos and mayhem. I’m thoroughly hooked!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Callie Hart

THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE TELEVISED! 
 
 
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. 
 
 
 
And now Coast Guard veterinarian Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, must 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 TV show with countless viewers across the galaxy. So not only do they have to stay alive, but they also need to earn ratings based on their performance. 
 
 
Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show. 
 
 
Keeping viewers entertained is essential. Survival, however, is not. 
 
 
WELCOME TO THE FIRST BOOK IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL SERIES BY 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.

Matt Dinniman

What if someday Gamergate went galactic? What if the toxic corporate interests of Earth tasked its most toxic gamers with doing their colonialist bidding? What if their insignificant incel reign of terror reached beyond the borders of their parents' basements and bedrooms, and they were all given remote command of real weapons of war on another world? Matt Dinniman has cooked us all up a deliciously terrifying gamer geek stew, mixing up Avatar and Ender's Game, with a dash of The Last Starfighter and Independence Day thrown in. This tale is more twisted fun than you can shake a joystick at.

Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos with all the alacrity of a dynamite fuse.

Pierce Brown, bestselling author of Red Rising

Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.

James Islington, International bestselling author of The Will of the Many

Creative and well-written as ever, Operation Bounce House reminds me how much storytelling a great writer can pack into a single volume.

Will Wight, bestelling author of The Cradle Series

An all-hands-on-deck sci-fi war novel that pits the peasants against the plutocracy, pitchforks against spaceships, rock ’n’ roll against oppression, and love against greed… you’re gonna love every bloody page of it.

Philip Fracassi, author of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

Operation Bounce House has all the humor, sudden violence and pop culture insight that made Dungeon Crawler Carl a massive success…You won’t be able to put it down.

Peter V. Brett, International Bestselling author of The Warded Man

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking. But when his planet's transfer gate finally opens and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora, there’s a complication. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” and they charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines, remotely pilot them and make it a game. Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against these machines. But with the help of an old book from his grandfather, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.

Matt Dinniman

Praise for Operation Bounce House

What if someday Gamergate went galactic? What if the toxic corporate interests of Earth tasked its most toxic gamers with doing their colonialist bidding? What if their insignificant incel reign of terror rea ...

Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos wi ...

Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.

What if someday Gamergate went galactic? What if the toxic corporate interests of Earth tasked its most toxic gamers with doing their colonialist bidding? What if their insignificant incel reign of terror rea ...

Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos wi ...

Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.

What if someday Gamergate went galactic? What if the toxic corporate interests of Earth tasked its most toxic gamers with doing their colonialist bidding? What if their insignificant incel reign of terror rea ...

Irreverent yet heartfelt, nostalgic yet wholly original, with Operation Bounce House, Dinniman delivers another anarchic adventure rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles towards chaos wi ...

Fast-paced, clever, and with plenty of heart—the rare book that's both thoughtful and tremendously entertaining.

Books by Matt Dinniman

Series by Matt Dinniman

Dungeon Crawler Carl Series

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter