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What to read next · for fans of Matt Dinniman

What to read after Dungeon Crawler Carl: 9 books like it

Quick answer

If you loved Dungeon Crawler Carl, read He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon, The Primal Hunter by Zogarth or Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier next.

Dungeon Crawler Carl mixes game mechanics, brutal stakes and a lot of dark humor. The closest matches are other LitRPG and "system apocalypse" series, plus a few comic science-fiction classics with the same sarcastic voice.

Waiting for the next DCC book? See the latest release news →

9 books like Dungeon Crawler Carl

  1. 1

    He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon

    LitRPG

    A wisecracking hero dropped into a world with a game-like system: the closest match for Carl's snark and level-ups.

  2. 2

    The Primal Hunter by Zogarth

    System apocalypse

    Earth gets pulled into a deadly tutorial run by a game system, with a hero who grows stronger fight by fight.

  3. 3

    Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier

    System apocalypse

    Another world-ending "integration" story with a stubborn lead fighting alone against the odds.

  4. 4

    Cradle by Will Wight

    Progression fantasy

    Fast, funny and addictive: an underdog climbs a power ladder one brutal step at a time, and the series is complete.

  5. 5

    Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar

    LitRPG

    A combat-healer build used in ways the system never intended, with the same joy in clever skill combos.

  6. 6

    Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

    Game-world sci-fi

    A high-stakes game contest packed with pop-culture references, for readers who loved the dungeon's reality-show side.

    Book and its screen adaptations →

  7. 7

    All Systems Red by Martha Wells

    Sci-fi

    The first Murderbot Diaries novella: a deadpan, sarcastic narrator who would get along with Princess Donut.

  8. 8

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

    Comic sci-fi

    Earth is destroyed on page one and the jokes never stop: the classic behind a lot of Carl's absurd humor.

    Book and its screen adaptations →

  9. 9

    Red Rising by Pierce Brown

    Sci-fi

    Not comic, but readers who loved Carl's fight-for-survival plot often name it as their next binge.

    What to read after Red Rising →

Common questions

What should I read after Dungeon Crawler Carl?

If you loved Dungeon Crawler Carl, read He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon, The Primal Hunter by Zogarth or Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier next. Dungeon Crawler Carl mixes game mechanics, brutal stakes and a lot of dark humor. The closest matches are other LitRPG and "system apocalypse" series, plus a few comic science-fiction classics with the same sarcastic voice.

What books are like Dungeon Crawler Carl?

Our 9 picks: He Who Fights with Monsters, The Primal Hunter, Defiance of the Fall, Cradle, Azarinth Healer, Ready Player One, All Systems Red, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Red Rising.

When does the next DCC book come out?

Book 8, A Parade of Horribles, came out on May 12, 2026. Book 9 has no release date yet. Matt Dinniman is writing books 9 and 10 as one long story that will be split into two books.

More "what to read next" lists

When does the next book come out? Series release dates →