Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is one of the most popular LitRPG series, a burgeoning subgenre of fantasy and sci-fi that injects video game tropes like stats, health bars, and inventory screens into prose novels. Dinniman’s darkly comedic series has become a mainstream hit over the past few years; the sixth novel in the series just released in hardcover on May 13, and it’s now been confirmed that Book 7, The Inevitable Ruin, will receive a hardcover edition with bonus content in September.
At 896 pages–over 170 pages longer than the paperback–The Inevitable Ruin’s hardcover edition will take the crown as the biggest book in the series to date.
Penguin Random House imprint Ace began releasing hardcover editions of Dinniman’s bestselling series last fall. The first three hardcovers were published in 2024, and Books 4-6 hit store shelves in the past two months. Once The Inevitable Ruin arrives in hardcover format this September, the full series, as it stands now, will be available as a matching set. Book 8, Carl’s Book of Boom, is expected to release in 2026. You can save big on Dungeon Crawler Carl hardcover books at Amazon. To start your adventure, grab Dungeon Crawler Carl (Book 1) for $19.77 (was $30).
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (Hardcover) — $19.77 (
$30) - Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Hardcover) — $18.27 (
$30) - The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (Hardcover)— $22.49 (
$30) - The Gate of the Feral Gods (Hardcover) — $22.87 (
$30) - The Butcher’s Masquerade (Hardcover) — $19.79 (
$35) - The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Hardcover) — $34 (
$39) - The Inevitable Ruin (Hardcover) – $36.27 ($39) | Releases September 23
If you’re new to the series: Dungeon Carl Crawler is a quintessential example of the LitRPG genre. When bored aliens transform Earth into a giant video-game style dungeon, Coast Guard veteran Carl becomes a participant in a life-or-death tournament. Carl is accompanied by a cat named Princess Donut. Throughout the series, the duo squares off against a wide array of monsters and solves puzzles. In case the name Princess Donut didn’t give it away, Dungeon Crawler Carl doesn’t take itself too seriously. Despite the high stakes, the series frequently leans into the ridiculousness of the scenario with darkly humorous dialogue and over-the-top violence.
$36.27 (was $39) | Releases September 23
The Inevitable Ruin was available in paperback (shown above) when it was published back in November, but now that the hardcover edition has been confirmed, Book 7 has joined the rest of the series in being out of print in paperback. If you want to read The Inevitable Ruin, you’ll have to wait until September 23 for the hardcover or read the $6 Kindle ebook edition.
Ace hasn’t unveiled the cover art for the hardcover edition, but it will undoubtedly have the same style as the previous six books. We’ll update this story with the official art once it’s available. As mentioned, the hardcover edition has new exclusive content, and it will actually wind up being even longer than The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (832 pages). The paperback edition of The Inevitable Ruin was “only” 722 pages, but the hardcover clocks in at 896 pages.
It’s also worth noting that many Dungeon Crawler Carl fans listen to the series on audiobook. Superbly narrated by Jeff Hays, all seven audiobook productions are exclusive to Audible. The highly rated audiobook version of The Inevitable Ruin released in February. Subscribers can purchase each novel with a Credit ($15 each), and Audible Premium Plus members can use their free monthly Credit on The Inevitable Ruin or any other Dungeon Crawler Carl book.
The full series is available to read for no extra charge for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Alternatively, you can buy all seven Dungeon Crawler Carl ebooks for $39. The first three books cost $5 each, while the last four are $6 each.
Check out the cover art for the first six hardcover editions below.