I have never read—or listened to—anything like Dungeon Crawler Carl.
The premise sounds completely unhinged. The apocalypse turns into an intergalactic reality TV show where surviving isn’t enough—you have to survive in the most entertaining way possible for an audience watching across the galaxy.
Somehow… it’s absolutely brilliant.
This book had me laughing out loud more times than I can count while somehow making me completely invested in the characters. Carl is impossible not to root for, but let’s be honest…
Princess Donut is the real star.
She is dramatic, hilarious, chaotic, ridiculously confident, and somehow steals every single scene she’s in. I would protect that cat with my life.
Now let’s talk about the audiobook…
Before Dungeon Crawler Carl, I had never listened to an audiobook. Ever.
This series completely changed that.
Now I absolutely love immersive reading (listening while following along in my physical or ebook), and I’ve even started listening to audiobooks on their own. That’s entirely because of this series.
Jeff Hays didn’t narrate this book.
He performed it.
I genuinely forgot there was only one narrator. Every character has their own unique voice, personality, accent, and energy. More than once I caught myself wondering how many narrators were involved before remembering… it’s just Jeff.
If you take one recommendation from this review, let it be this:
Please listen to these books.
Even if you’ve never listened to an audiobook before.
Especially if you’ve never listened to an audiobook before.
By the time I finished this book, I already knew I wasn’t stopping with just one.
⭐ Rating: 10/5 (If Goodreads would let me.)
🎧 Audio Hall of Fame
📚 Format: Mostly Audiobook + Immersive Reading