Catch Up on the Catalog™ Matt Dinniman

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • April 10, 2026

Fun Fact!

Clickable image

In 2020 Matt Dinniman was supporting himself as a pet portraitist at Cat Fancier events all across the country. At the same time, he was developing a free web serial, a story called Dungeon Crawler Carl, which was quietly becoming an internet hit.

When the Covid pandemic struck, the cat shows were canceled and Dinniman needed to find a new source of income. He decided to self-publish Dungeon Crawler Carl, asking his growing number of fans to support him through Patreon, where they could also vote on how the story progressed. To say that this venture was a success would be a massive understatement.

In the nearly six years since, Dinniman has scored a book deal with Ace Books and produced eight more bestsellers. The author has amassed a frenzied fanbase who show up at his events decked out in costumes inspired by aspects of his books like heart-patterned boxers, pink Crocs, and stuffed cats. Hallmarks of Dinniman's high-action sci-fi adventures include a cheeky sense of humor, a plethora of pop culture references, and loads of gore.

The series is getting adapted for television, as well as graphic novels and games. The frenzied success of the franchise has helped to popularize the science fiction subgenre called LitRPG. Learn more about the fascinating world of Dungeon Crawler Carl and Catch Up on the Catalog™ of this exciting creator.

What's LitRPG?

Short for Literary Role Playing Game, LitRPG is a genre that combines the conventions of computer role playing games with science-fiction and fantasy novels. These stories typically take place in a gamelike environment where characters must acquire certain powers to defeat foes and advance to the next level.

The term was introduced in 2013, but the concept existed long before that. A few prototypes of the LitRPG genre include Quag Keep by Andre Norton (1978) and Dream Park by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes (1981).

Pre-Carl

Clickable image

Although Dungeon Crawler Carl became Dinniman's first bestseller, it was far from his first book. He wrote his first novel in high school. Learn about his previously published titles. Note: These can be hard to find. Make sure to Wish List them for the best chance of getting one when it comes in stock!

The Shivered Sky series

• Every Grain of Sand (2003)—When Indigo passes on to the other side, she finds that heaven has become a battleground. She has no choice but to join the fight.
• In the City of Demons (2003)—The few surviving angels have suffered yet another terrible blow. Scattered to the wind, Indigo and her human friends desperately seek a way to survive.
• The Great Devouring Darkness (2003)—Yet another war is brewing. But this time, the winner takes all.
• The Complete Series Omnibus: Books 1–3

A Dominion of Blades series: A LitRPG Adventure

• A Dominion of Blades (2017)—Jonah wakes to find himself inside an infamous online role-playing game, level one, with no memory of how he arrived and no way to eject.
• The Hobgoblin Riot (2018)—Popper, Jonah, Gretchen, and Alice are back! And their simple scouting mission to Castellane turns out to be anything but.

Standalone books

• Trailer Park Fairy Tales (2005)—A collection of twelve intriguing stories where the only certainty is that uncertainty lies ahead.
• The Grinding (2013)—Six months ago, the world watched in horror as we lost an American city. The Grinder. That's what the survivors of Tucson called the monster.
• Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon (2019)—Trapped in a brutal, terrifying full-immersion game, Duke is a healer with only one goal. To survive. And in order to survive, he must play the game.

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series

• Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020)—The aliens have come, and they've transformed Earth into a televised multilevel, video game-like dungeon. Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, are fighting to survive—or just get to the next level.
• Carl's Doomsday Scenario (2021)—Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can't get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day.
• The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (2021)—Carl and Donut have survived so far, but the fourth level is an impossibly complex puzzle of a subway system. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations aren't always what they seem, and the exit is perpetually just a few stops away.
• The Gate of the Feral Gods (2021)—Carl and Donut have learned that there's only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what's coming next. And the fifth floor is no exception. A floating fortress. A castle of sand. A derelict submarine. A haunted crypt.
• The Butcher's Masquerade (2022)—Just when they think they've seen it all, the sixth floor of the dungeon introduces a terrible new threat. The Hunting Grounds. But Carl and Princess Donut refuse to be prey.
• The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (2023)—Carl and Donut have survived longer and leveled up higher than anyone ever thought they could in the galaxy's most popular reality show, but now on the eighth floor, a pantheon of forgotten gods, it's anyone's game.
  Clickable image
• This Inevitable Ruin (2024)—The ninth floor. Faction Wars. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, betrayal. It all makes for great fun and even greater television. But thanks to Carl and Donut, this season is different.
• A Parade of Horribles (2026)—As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they're forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.

What else is new in the Dinniverse?

• Operation Bounce House (2026)—A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel.
• Dungeon Crawler Carl (Vol. 1): The Graphic Novel (2026)—Vibrant art by Laurel Pursuit brings new life to the apocalyptic awesomeness of the LitRPG fantasy smash hit phenomenon.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with a community of readers like you and get daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.