What order should I read the Dungeon Crawler Carl series in?

Dungeon Crawler Carl Matt Dinniman

Join Coast Guard vet 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 isn’t your ordinary game show.

Carl's Doomsday Scenario Matt Dinniman

Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already they’re 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.

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook Matt Dinniman

The 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 unravelling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book.

The Gate of the Feral Gods Matt Dinniman

Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy’s most watched game show has taught Carl and Princess Donut, that there’s only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what’s coming next. And the fifth 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?

The Butcher's Masquerade Matt Dinniman

A deadly jungle. Bloodthirsty dinosaurs. A fallen princess seeking revenge. And a mysterious celebration known as The Butcher’s Masquerade. Carl and Princess Donut think they’ve seen everything the galaxy’s favourite 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.

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride Matt Dinniman

Carl and Princess Donut have survived longer than anyone expected in the galaxy’s favourite 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.

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.

A Parade of Horribles Matt Dinniman

As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they’re forced to compete in a series of races. Get from point A to point B, and don’t come in last. It all seems a little too simple.

Ignore those whispers about what’s happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means.