Why Dungeon Crawler Carl Is My Favorite Series

I've finally finished all the Dungeon Crawler Carl books currently out, and my feelings are kind of all over the place — in a good way, mostly. Matt Dinniman's imaginative world of Carl and Donut battling their way through insane dungeon levels is genuinely something else, and it held up across the whole run.

Carl and Donut

The dynamic between Carl and Donut is probably what hooked me first. Their banter feels real and adds a ton of humor to the chaos surrounding them — buddy-cop energy set in a universe full of monsters and mayhem. The whole escalating dungeon-crawl setup is brilliant. Each level gets crazier, and the stakes keep getting higher.

[Narration note] Jeff Hays absolutely nails it. His voice work brings every character to life in a way that makes the audiobooks a whole different experience from reading it cold.

The latest book, and my actual favorite

Gotta admit, the latest book didn't hit as hard as I hoped. Maybe my expectations were sky-high after the earlier books, but this one felt a bit off. Still enjoyable, just didn't have the same punch as some of the others. If I'm picking favorites, book 2 is where it's at for me — pacing, humor, the pure insanity of the challenges Carl and Donut faced. It hit all the right notes.

Meeting Matt Dinniman and Jeff Hays

A cool thing that happened recently: I got to meet Matt Dinniman and Jeff Hays in person at an author signing. Seriously awesome. Both guys are super chill and just as passionate about the series as you'd expect. Getting my copies signed? Hell yeah, that's a win in my book.

Despite the letdown with the newest one, Dungeon Crawler Carl remains my favorite series, full stop. The mix of humor, tension, and creativity keeps pulling me back, and with Jeff Hays bringing it to life the way only he can, it's hard to beat.