Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl)

By Matt Dinniman

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 seriesnow with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

“Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

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.”

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Published Sep 24, 2024

384 pages

Average rating: 8.75

317 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Annie.S
Apr 20, 2026
8/10 stars
Another great installment of Carl and Princess Donut!
tbr_and_chaos
Jul 07, 2026
10/10 stars
I thought the first book set the bar pretty high, and somehow this one clears it. The dungeon gets bigger, the stakes get nastier, and Carl and Donut are back doing what they do best, which is somehow surviving situations that should absolutely not be survivable. Mordecai is a fantastic addition as their grumpy but endearing trainer, and Katia's arc brings a layer of heart to the story that genuinely surprised me. The humor is still sharp, the action is still relentless, and Donut is still the undisputed queen of everything. What really got me with this one is how much the world keeps expanding without ever feeling bloated. These new characters come in and actually matter, the lore deepens in ways that make you want to go back and reread certain moments from book one, and the emotional gut punches land harder now that you're truly attached to everyone involved. I came in already a fan and left an evangelist. Carl and Donut are not slowing down and neither am I.
Jessicabarnett
Jun 16, 2026
5/10 stars
Never laughed so much reading a book
alliebrandy89
Apr 14, 2026
10/10 stars
2nd books a bit shorter the whole book is the 3rd floor! Hilarious shinnanegons! You will not break me! Onto the next!
Karla
Apr 10, 2026
10/10 stars
Just as good as the first

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