Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited
Publish date: 4 August 2026
Pages: 384
Language: English

Subjects: Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Humorous, Dark Humor, LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game)

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&D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books...genuinely joyful' LitHub.com