Dungeon Crawler Carl
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 1
By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Jeff Hays
Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
18 JUL 2026

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 2
By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Jeff Hays
Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
22 JUL 2026

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 3
By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Jeff Hays, The Critical Drinker
Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
30 JUL 2026

The Gate of the Feral Gods
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 4
By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Jeff Hays
Length: 18 hrs and 3 mins
03 AUG 2026 DNF

I had been hearing about the Dungeon Crawler Carl series for more than a year, often compared with Red Rising and praised as one of the best series of its kind. Since I greatly esteem Red Rising, I finally decided to see what all the enthusiasm was about.

This is some of the purest pulp I have read in a long time. I happened to have several mindless tasks to complete while listening, and mindless feels like the appropriate word. The books were amusing in something close to the old Greek sense of being without the Muses. They entertained me, but they did not make me muse. They gave me something to consume without asking me to think, reflect, or engage much beyond the immediate moment.

The word saccharine also feels apt. They were sweet, easy to consume, and not at all nourishing. They did not change me, sharpen me, or offer anything I would call constructive. They mostly helped me burn through time.

I could have finished the fourth book, but I deliberately chose not to. I wanted to DNF it because continuing would have meant spending more time on a series I already knew I did not value. There are other entertaining books I would much rather read, books that manage to be enjoyable while still offering something nutritious.

I am glad I now understand what this series is and why people enjoy it. I am also glad to know that I have no reason to return to it.