Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Matt Dinniman

Penguin Publishing Group · Paperback · August 4, 2026

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can’t ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. “Greetings, Crawlers!

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Who it’s for
A category-searchable fantasy with collector energy and a long-run reading grip.
Themes
video game world, fantasy adventure, teamwork
Pacing
Fast

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For younger readers: Cabin Head and Tree Head, The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade, The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

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About this book

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can’t ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. “Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

Continue reading

The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to 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 charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests. They call it 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. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants? Includes part two of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”

Why this clicks

Come here for

  • fandom momentum
  • sustained narrative pull

Expect

  • urban and contemporary fantasy signals
  • a sustained narrative read

Where it sits

LitRPG81%
Funny Sci-Fi26%
Humorous Fantasy24%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Fantasy Adventure
  • Sci-Fi Adventure
  • LitRPG
Authors
Matt Dinniman
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
August 4, 2026
Format
Paperback
Theme
video game world · fantasy adventure · teamwork
Reading lane
Fantasy Adventure