There are eight Dungeon Crawler Carl books, and you read them in the order they came out. There are no prequels to slot in and no spin-offs you have to read along the way. Start with book one and keep going.
I started in January 2024. I bought book one on the 17th, books two to four three days later, and books five and six two weeks after that. That is what this series does to you. Book one is still my favourite. There was nothing like it, and it had me from the first chapter.
Dungeon Crawler Carl books in order
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (2021)
- Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2021)
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (2021)
- The Gate of the Feral Gods (2021)
- The Butcher’s Masquerade (2022)
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (2023)
- This Inevitable Ruin (2025)
- A Parade of Horribles (2026)
All eight are on Audible, which is how I would tell anyone to take this series in. More on why below. If you are new to Audible, there are two ways in, and the right one depends on whether you want to keep the books.
Two ways to start on Audible
- Audible Standard is the cheaper plan. You pick one audiobook a month from the whole catalogue, but you only keep access while you are a member. If you just want to listen your way through a long series, this does the job.
- Audible Premium (formerly Premium Plus) costs more. You get a credit a month, and whatever you spend it on is yours to keep even if you cancel. It also includes a catalogue of titles you can listen to at no extra cost.
Amazon sometimes runs deals on these plans, so check the current offer on each page before you pick. Not sure which one suits you? I have compared Audible Standard and Premium side by side.
Every book, with narrators and length
| # | Title (links to Audible) | Audiobook released | Narrator | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dungeon Crawler Carl | 28 Jan 2021 | Jeff Hays | 13h 31m |
| 2 | Carl’s Doomsday Scenario | 22 Apr 2021 | Jeff Hays | 11h 28m |
| 3 | The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook | 14 May 2021 | Jeff Hays, with The Critical Drinker | 16h 54m |
| 4 | The Gate of the Feral Gods | 16 Sep 2021 | Jeff Hays | 18h 3m |
| 5 | The Butcher’s Masquerade | 26 May 2022 | Jeff Hays | 23h 33m |
| 6 | The Eye of the Bedlam Bride | 1 Sep 2023 | Jeff Hays, with Patrick Warburton, Travis Baldree and Annie Ellicott | 26h 46m |
| 7 | This Inevitable Ruin | 11 Feb 2025 | Jeff Hays, with Travis Baldree | 28h 40m |
| 8 | A Parade of Horribles | 12 May 2026 | Jeff Hays | 20h 27m |
That is 159 hours and 22 minutes of listening across the eight books. The later books are much longer than the early ones. Book two runs under 12 hours, and book seven runs over 28.
Do you have to read them in order?
Yes. This is one continuous story, not a set of standalone adventures. Each book picks up where the last one left off, on the next floor of the dungeon, and the characters, alliances and grudges all carry over. Skipping ahead would spoil things and leave you lost.
It does get to be a lot. There is a huge amount going on by the later books. I do not think that is a reason people give up, though. If anything, the readership keeps growing.
Who should skip it
Anyone easily offended. I struggle to recommend it to my church-going friends, because of the amount of swearing and some content that could be offensive to Christians.
Listen or read?
Listen. Jeff Hays makes this series. I cannot imagine anyone else doing his job, and his talent is unbelievable. I am constantly in awe of his work on these books. I follow him on social media just to see him work.
He narrates all eight books. A few of the later ones bring in extra voices: The Critical Drinker joins him on book three, and Patrick Warburton, Travis Baldree and Annie Ellicott on book six. Hays is also voicing Princess Donut in the Peacock TV series, which tells you something about how central his performance is to the whole thing.
If you want to start now, here is book one on Audible.
The hardcovers, and the bonus story most people miss
Ace, the Penguin Random House imprint, now publishes the series in hardcover. I bought my first one at a Barnes & Noble in Honolulu when we were there on holiday. At the time they were hard to find in Australia, though they are getting easier to come by.
Here is the part I did not know until I researched this page. According to the publisher, the Ace hardcovers carry an exclusive bonus story, Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret, serialised a part at a time across the books. It is not in the audiobooks. I own two of the hardcovers and had no idea it was in there, so I have some reading to do.
The Ace hardcovers on Amazon:
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (book 1)
- Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (book 2)
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (book 3)
- The Gate of the Feral Gods (book 4)
- The Butcher’s Masquerade (book 5)
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (book 6)
- This Inevitable Ruin (book 7)
- A Parade of Horribles (book 8)
Penguin Random House also lists a deluxe collector’s edition of book one, due out on 17 November 2026.
Is there going to be a book 9?
Not yet, at least not officially. There is no title or release date announced. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, Matt Dinniman said he was writing the next instalment as a single book but that it would be released as two, according to CinemaBlend. I will update this page when there is a date.
If you have finished book eight and need something to fill the gap, I have written up the books that come closest to Dungeon Crawler Carl, and why there is not really another one like it.
And if you play tabletop games, Renegade Game Studios is making an official Dungeon Crawler Carl roleplaying game, along with a card game for one or two players called Unstoppable.
Common questions
How many Dungeon Crawler Carl books are there?
Eight in the main series, as of October 2026. The most recent, A Parade of Horribles, came out on 12 May 2026.
What order do the Dungeon Crawler Carl books go in?
Publication order: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, The Gate of the Feral Gods, The Butcher’s Masquerade, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, This Inevitable Ruin, then A Parade of Horribles.
Who narrates Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Jeff Hays narrates every book, with guest voices on books three, six and seven.
Is Dungeon Crawler Carl being made into a TV show?
Yes. Peacock announced the series on 18 June 2026, with Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door producing and Jeff Hays voicing Princess Donut. There is no premiere date yet.
Should I use Audible or Kindle Unlimited for this series?
For Dungeon Crawler Carl I would go with Audible, because the narration is so much of the experience. If you are weighing the two up for LitRPG generally, I have gone through it in whether Kindle Unlimited is worth it for LitRPG readers. New to the genre? Start with what LitRPG actually is.
Sources
Book order, audiobook release dates, narrators and running times: the Audible US series and title pages, checked 1 October 2026. Hardcover publisher, the bonus story and the deluxe edition date: Penguin Random House format pages. TV series: Peacock. Book nine: CinemaBlend. Tabletop games: Renegade Game Studios. My purchase dates: my own Audible order history.
