Dungeon Crawler Carl is chaotic, weird, and way more character-driven than you might expect. The premise is completely unhinged, but what really carries it is Carl himself. He’s not some unbeatable hero—he’s annoyed, scrappy, and constantly trying to survive something way bigger than him. His dynamic with Princess Donut is easily the best part of the book. It’s funny, strangely heartfelt, and gives the story a personality that goes beyond the usual dungeon crawl formula.
Matt Dinniman clearly knows how to write entertaining characters, but the world they’re in can feel a bit too familiar. LitRPG as a genre has been around for over a decade now, and you can feel that here. The stat screens, loot systems, leveling mechanics, and snarky AI elements all hit the same beats longtime readers have seen again and again. It’s not bad—it just doesn’t feel especially new. At times, it leans heavily on those familiar systems instead of doing something different with them.
The humor is another area where it can feel a bit derivative. It often goes for that loud, chaotic, anything-goes style that’s very reminiscent of the Borderlands games. When it works, it’s genuinely funny. But other times it feels like it’s trying a bit too hard to be outrageous, and the jokes don’t always land as well as they could.
That said, the audiobook is where everything really clicks. Jeff Hays gives an incredible performance. He brings so much energy and personality to every character that it smooths over a lot of the repetition in the genre. The voices, timing, and delivery make even the more familiar moments feel fresh.
It may not reinvent LitRPG, but the characters and narration make it a fun ride.