黑料福利社

鈥淭he apocalypse will be televised!鈥�

Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, Earth has been surveyed for millennia by an intergalactic alien syndicate, a tangle of political governments and intricate corporate exploits. Earth will be mined for minerals, and the alien colonization happens in a supersonic flash.

Every human-made construction on Earth, from capitol buildings to apartment complexes to garden sheds, is flattened. The syndicate atomizes and transforms them into an 18-level subterranean labyrinth called 鈥淭he Dungeon,鈥� filled with traps, monsters, quests and loot.

Survivors have a short window to enter the Dungeon and participate in the 鈥淒ungeon Crawl,鈥� a video game-like reality show where 鈥渃rawlers鈥� fight to survive level by level. Crawlers have limited time to proceed or face game over, and it is all livestreamed to the galaxy. Surviving is not just about strength or skill, but gaining followers and views, all to provide entertainment value by killing with style.

Carl, a recently dumped Coast Guard veteran living in Seattle, is not crushed by his apartment building because he runs outside, in his boxers no less, to catch his runaway cat.

Well, his ex-girlfriend鈥檚 cat, Princess Donut, a tortoiseshell Persian show cat. Her full title is Grand Champion, Breed Winner, National Winner Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. And her personality lives up to that name.

Facing a freezing Seattle night in a T-shirt and boxers with a frightened cat is enough to push Carl into one of the Dungeon entrances. At least it is warm, right?

And the crawl begins.

On the surface, Matt聽Dinniman鈥檚 dystopia is just plain funny, in an absurdist, bawdy, gallows-humor way. The gamified structure of the Dungeon Crawl makes these books a binge-worthy adventure, perfect for readers who enjoy a buddy comedy, a road-trip novel or literary role-playing game, video game-style storytelling.

It combines the stakes of 鈥淭he Hunger Games,鈥� the humor of 鈥淭he Hitchhiker鈥檚 Guide to the Galaxy,鈥� and the lore of 鈥淒ungeons & Dragons.鈥�

But the deeper we go into the Dungeon Crawl with Carl and Donut, the more we see a story of connection, resilience and hope.

鈥淵ou will not break me鈥� is Carl鈥檚 repeated refrain.

This premise is dark, and some characters are crass, but Dinniman builds emotional depth and complex characters beneath the bawdy, gory surface. The emotional anchor is the relationship between Carl and Donut, both struggling with their fears and learning to trust each other and their companions.

It is a story about remaining true to our best selves, even when everything around us dehumanizes and demeans us. The message is not just about survival at any cost, but that the only way to truly survive is to hold onto what is good, even when we are pulled to the depths of hell.

As we see beyond the walls of the Dungeon and behind the galaxy鈥檚 television screens, the absurd scenarios begin to feel like political propaganda broadcast to the masses. The syndicate鈥檚 hold on the galaxy is tenuous. A revolution is brewing, and Carl and Donut may be in just as much danger outside the Dungeon as they are inside.

Will they survive the next level? Will they strike a blow against the powers that decimated Earth?

I am dying to find out what is next in the eighth book, 鈥淎 Parade of Horribles,鈥� on sale May 12, 2026.

Previously only available as a digital self-publication, all seven books in the series have been republished as hardbacks, and the first book, 鈥淒ungeon Crawler Carl,鈥� is also available in paperback. Reserve yours today at Inklings Bookshop.