The War Shelf

Books Like Dungeon Crawler Carl

19 books Every card says who recommends it

Finished Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl and want something with the same vibe? Every book below was recommended to Dungeon Crawler Carl fans by a book site, a book creator or Dinniman himself, or is read by the same readers on Goodreads. Each card says which, and what is different. The list is spoiler-free.

The closest matches

Columbus Day

Craig AlansonStart with Expeditionary Force, book 1

Indiescience fiction

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
aliens invade Earth and an ordinary soldier gets swept into the war, with humor running through the disaster. The Hugonauts call it the military-SF Dungeon Crawler Carl.
The difference
military science fiction, with no game show and no levels. One reviewer found a main character's banter grating.

Recommended by

Kings of the Wyld

Nicholas EamesStart with The Band, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a band of retired mercenaries reunites for one last, very dangerous job, fighting monsters all the way. Griffin Cooper's reason for pairing them: absurd humor and emotional moments.
The difference
a fantasy world with no game, no system and no audience; the jokes are about aging adventurers treated like rock stars.
Awards
David Gemmell Morningstar Award for best debut, 2018.

Recommended by

  • Instagram: @griffincooperfantasy (recommends DCC to Kings of the Wyld fans)
  • Readers on Goodreads (readers who loved Kings of the Wyld also loved DCC)

The Blade Itself

Joe AbercrombieStart with The First Law trilogy, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
gritty and violent, with characters who are funny and hard to sort into heroes and villains.
The difference
grimdark epic fantasy with no game; slower to get going. See our grimdark page.
Awards
Compton Crook Award finalist, 2008.

Recommended by

  • Barnes & Noble Reads (Nina Braca)
  • Readers on Goodreads (readers who loved The Blade Itself also loved DCC)

LitRPG and progression

If what you want is the leveling up, these keep the game mechanics or the climb.

He Who Fights With Monsters

Shirtaloon (Travis Deverell)Start with book 1

LitRPG

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
an office worker is pulled into a magical world and has to level up to survive the monsters, with plenty of humor. Like DCC, it started online.
The difference
a lighter, cleaner sense of humor than Carl's.

Recommended by

Unsouled

Will WightStart with Cradle, book 1

progression fantasy

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
an outcast born without the power everyone else has leaves home and fights his way up in a world full of monsters.
The difference
no stat screens; martial-arts cultivation instead of a game show.

Recommended by

  • Matt Dinniman, on the cover: Cradle is "explosively fun, endlessly addictive"
  • Pan Macmillan

Mage Tank

CornmanStart with book 1

LitRPG

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a man who respawns after dying in a fantasy world decides to become an unstoppable tank, with chaos and crude humor.
The difference
a slow-burn progression story without DCC's televised dungeon.

Recommended by

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Andrew RoweStart with Arcane Ascension, book 1

progression fantasy

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a young man climbs a dangerous dungeon to find his missing brother.
The difference
a magic-school story built around a clever magic system.

Recommended by

Funny, violent science fiction

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Dennis E. TaylorStart with Bobiverse, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a tech entrepreneur wakes up centuries after his death as an AI sent into space, in a story that mixes exploration and humor.
The difference
exploration and AI rather than a fight for survival in a dungeon.

Recommended by

All Systems Red

Martha WellsStart with The Murderbot Diaries, book 1 (novella)

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a sarcastic, self-aware security android keeps its humans alive while trying to uncover its own past.
The difference
a short novella with a more personal story.

Recommended by

Starter Villain

John ScalziStandalone

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a bumbling heir inherits a supervillain empire, and the comedy is dark.
The difference
a comedy set on Earth, with no dungeon.

Recommended by

Old Man's War

John ScalziStart with Old Man's War

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
funny, fast and violent: old people are recruited to fight aliens in exchange for new young bodies.
The difference
a conventional army, not a game. See our military science fiction page.
Awards
Hugo Award finalist, 2006; the series won the Hugo for Best Series in 2026.

Recommended by

  • Readers on Goodreads (readers who loved Old Man's War also loved DCC)

Red Rising

Pierce BrownStart with Red Rising Saga, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a deadly contest staged by the people in power, and a low-born hero who learns to beat it from the inside.
The difference
played straight, with almost no comedy. See our page of books like Red Rising.

Recommended by

  • Readers on Goodreads (DCC is first on Red Rising's Goodreads list)

Horror with jokes

For the monsters and the gallows humor.

John Dies at the End

Jason Pargin (as David Wong)Start with John Dies at the End

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
crude jokes, science-fiction weirdness and apocalyptic danger.
The difference
horror-comedy in a small American town, not a dungeon.

Recommended by

Tales From the Gas Station

Jack TownsendStart with volume 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a sleep-deprived gas station clerk faces cosmic horrors while trying to keep his job; Nerdist says its humor and horror walk hand in hand, as in DCC.
The difference
horror built around a night-shift job, with no levels or fights to win.

Recommended by

Horrorstör

Grady HendrixStandalone

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a late-night shift in a furniture store turns into a creepy, funny horror story.
The difference
told in the style of a furniture catalog.

Recommended by

The Hike

Drew MagaryStandalone

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
an ordinary man on a business trip ends up on an endless trail of monsters, with a foul-mouthed talking crab for company.
The difference
a journey along a trail rather than a game show.

Recommended by

Gideon the Ninth

Tamsyn MuirStart with The Locked Tomb, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
necromancers in a haunted gothic palace in space, with humor Nerdist compares to Carl's.
The difference
gothic horror and puzzles; much stranger than DCC.

Recommended by

Darker than they look

Griffin Cooper groups DCC with these as books that hide heavy material under the surface.

The Poppy War

R. F. KuangStart with The Poppy War trilogy, book 1 (complete)

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
a story that starts in one register and turns brutal; it opens as a military-academy story and becomes a war.
The difference
no humor to soften it, and it depicts war crimes. See our page of books like The Poppy War.
Awards
Compton Crook Award, 2019; Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominee; named in TIME's 100 Best Fantasy Books (2020).

Recommended by

Traitor's Blade

Sebastien de CastellStart with Greatcoats, book 1

Like Dungeon Crawler Carl
loyal companions and quick banter on the surface, with characters carrying trauma underneath; the creator points to PTSD and torture.
The difference
three disgraced traveling magistrates in a fantasy kingdom; swordplay and politics, not monsters and levels.

Recommended by

What Matt Dinniman reads

In a Goodreads interview, Dinniman named Robert R. McCammon's Swan Song and Dan Simmons's Carrion Comfort among his favorite horror novels, and recommended Nick Cutter's The Troop to readers who like gruesome horror.

FAQ

What should I read after Dungeon Crawler Carl?

For the humor and the war, Columbus Day by Craig Alanson. For the found family and the monsters, Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. For more LitRPG, He Who Fights With Monsters, which three book sites recommend.

Are there books like Dungeon Crawler Carl that aren't LitRPG?

Yes: Columbus Day, Kings of the Wyld, The Blade Itself, We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and John Dies at the End all keep some of the humor or the danger without game mechanics.

What books does Matt Dinniman recommend?

He has endorsed Will Wight's Cradle series, and named Swan Song, Carrion Comfort and The Troop as horror favorites.

Sources

  • Recommendations: the articles, posts and video linked on each card; Goodreads "Readers who enjoyed ... also enjoyed" lists for Red Rising, Kings of the Wyld, Old Man's War and The Blade Itself; Goodreads interview with Matt Dinniman.
  • Book descriptions: the linked articles and publisher pages, and the site's book catalog.

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