{"id":73662,"date":"2026-08-02T17:19:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T09:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=73662"},"modified":"2026-08-02T17:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T09:19:51","slug":"the-best-books-like-dungeon-crawler-carl-to-read-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=73662","title":{"rendered":"The Best Books Like Dungeon Crawler Carl to Read Next"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has fully dunked itself in the mainstream this year, and as someone who loves LitRPG books, I couldn&#8217;t be happier about it. Matt Dinniman&#8217;s rollercoaster of a story is hard to put down once you start reading, but that does mean you can work through them pretty quickly. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">If you&#8217;ve already burned through all eight Dungeon Crawler Carl books and are hungry for more, I have a few suggestions for what you should read next. There&#8217;s nothing <em>exactly<\/em> like DCC out there, but there are a few series that offer similar vibes worth checking out as you descend further into the LitRPG genre.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\">1. He Who Fights With Monsters<\/h2>\n<div id=\"214442\">\n<div class=\"jsx-3980863763 catalog-wrapper\"><span data-cy=\"productcard-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"214442\" data-cy=\"solo-product-card\" class=\"solo-product SoloProduct_solo-product__r2_WP\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-303513100 jsx-3341285356 product-card SoloProduct_product-card__JSk8u\">\n<div class=\"product-thumbnail jsx-2285132617 SoloProduct_image__vqG4e\"><img alt=\"He Who Fights With Monsters\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/he-who-fights-with-monster-1738013219347.jpg?width=220&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/he-who-fights-with-monster-1738013219347.jpg?width=220&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2827240024 name balanced\">He Who Fights With Monsters<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-3347269829 icon-button catalog-upvote SoloProduct_catalog-upvote__FWsVx centered disabled\" type=\"button\" title=\"Vote\" aria-label=\"Vote\" data-cy=\"catalog-upvote\" disabled=\"\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-rating-like jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-rating-like\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RatingLike.ea885513.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>245<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">My first pick is actually a LitRPG series that I like <em>more<\/em> than Dungeon Crawler Carl. He Who Fights With Monsters excels in pacing with an off-balance main character that never stops moving forward. It&#8217;s got a fantasy world, a unique leveling system, and just the right amount of comedy to balance out the darker elements.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The story follows Jason Asano, a Japanese-Australian man who is sucked into a parallel version of Earth and is forced to survive and adapt to magic and monsters. Unlike Dungeon Crawler Carl, the comedy comes from the main character, who slings absurd jokes and pop culture references nobody understands at everyone he meets.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The He Who Fights With Monsters series has 12 books so far with book number 13 releasing this October. In addition to the eBook and audiobook editions, you can also pick up a hardcover copy of the first book that was just recently released.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\">2. Defiance of the Fall<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"214447\">\n<div class=\"jsx-3980863763 catalog-wrapper\"><span data-cy=\"productcard-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"214447\" data-cy=\"solo-product-card\" class=\"solo-product SoloProduct_solo-product__r2_WP\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-303513100 jsx-3341285356 product-card SoloProduct_product-card__JSk8u\">\n<div class=\"product-thumbnail jsx-2285132617 SoloProduct_image__vqG4e\"><img alt=\"Defiance of the Fall\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/defiance-of-the-fall-1738015177295.jpg?width=220&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/defiance-of-the-fall-1738015177295.jpg?width=220&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2827240024 name balanced\">Defiance of the Fall<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-3347269829 icon-button catalog-upvote SoloProduct_catalog-upvote__FWsVx centered disabled\" type=\"button\" title=\"Vote\" aria-label=\"Vote\" data-cy=\"catalog-upvote\" disabled=\"\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-rating-like jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-rating-like\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RatingLike.ea885513.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>80<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">If you like the apocalyptic elements of Dungeon Crawler Carl, I highly recommend you check out Defiance of the Fall. The story begins in a very similar way: Earth gets suddenly integrated into the &#8220;System&#8221; as part of the larger universe. The story lacks the same level of comedy as DCC, but it has a main character fighting against all odds to survive and opens up to intergalactic politics later in the series.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The story is centered around Zachary Atwood, who finds himself completely alone as Earth gets integrated into the multiverse. He&#8217;s forced to survive with nothing but a hatchet and pure luck as an invading force looks to plunder the planet for resources. He quickly realizes that leveling up and discovering the secrets of the universe through sheer bloodshed is the only way to truly thrive in this new reality.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There are currently 17 books in the series and a <em>lot<\/em> happens in that time. The story moves quickly with quite a few surprises thrown in along the way.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\">3. 1% Lifesteal<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"241141\">\n<div class=\"jsx-3980863763 catalog-wrapper\"><span data-cy=\"productcard-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"241141\" data-cy=\"solo-product-card\" class=\"solo-product SoloProduct_solo-product__r2_WP\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-303513100 jsx-3341285356 product-card SoloProduct_product-card__JSk8u\">\n<div class=\"product-thumbnail jsx-2285132617 SoloProduct_image__vqG4e\"><img alt=\"1% Lifesteal: A LitRPG Adventure\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2026\/07\/31\/81fxedwio8l-sl1500-1785515480094.jpg?width=220&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2026\/07\/31\/81fxedwio8l-sl1500-1785515480094.jpg?width=220&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2827240024 name balanced\">1% Lifesteal: A LitRPG Adventure<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-3347269829 icon-button catalog-upvote SoloProduct_catalog-upvote__FWsVx centered disabled\" type=\"button\" title=\"Vote\" aria-label=\"Vote\" data-cy=\"catalog-upvote\" disabled=\"\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-rating-like jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-rating-like\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RatingLike.ea885513.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Robert Blaise&#8217;s 1% Lifesteal series really surprised me in how good (and different) it is. Instead of relying on a main character who is suddenly thrust into an apocalypse, the story focuses on a world where the apocalypse already happened long ago.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">One of the key differences between this series and Dungeon Crawler Carl is just how different the main character is. Freddy Stern is a normal cashier with a harsh life living in a world of archhumans. After surviving a near-death experience, he finds himself gaining a talent and joining the part of society he&#8217;s been barred from since birth. He isn&#8217;t a hero, he&#8217;s not fighting for justice, he&#8217;s just a normal guy with new powers and a hatred for those who use their power to take advantage of the weak.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There are only four books in the series so far with a fifth on the way. And while there are comedic elements throughout the story, it doesn&#8217;t have quite the same level of laughs as you&#8217;d expect to find in Dungeon Crawler Carl.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\">4. Unsouled (Cradle Series)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"214445\">\n<div class=\"jsx-3980863763 catalog-wrapper\"><span data-cy=\"productcard-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"214445\" data-cy=\"solo-product-card\" class=\"solo-product SoloProduct_solo-product__r2_WP\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-303513100 jsx-3341285356 product-card SoloProduct_product-card__JSk8u\">\n<div class=\"product-thumbnail jsx-2285132617 SoloProduct_image__vqG4e\"><img alt=\"Unsouled (Cradle Series)\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/unsouled-1738014885982.jpg?width=220&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/01\/27\/unsouled-1738014885982.jpg?width=220&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2827240024 name balanced\">Unsouled (Cradle Series)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-3347269829 icon-button catalog-upvote SoloProduct_catalog-upvote__FWsVx centered disabled\" type=\"button\" title=\"Vote\" aria-label=\"Vote\" data-cy=\"catalog-upvote\" disabled=\"\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-rating-like jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-rating-like\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RatingLike.ea885513.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>84<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Although it&#8217;s <em>technically<\/em> not a LitRPG, Will Wight&#8217;s Cradle series is something I have to recommend to anyone even remotely interested in the genre. The similarities between these books and Dungeon Crawler Carl lie mostly in the writing quality and the larger political intrigue that happens later in the series. There aren&#8217;t any talking cats or a sassy AI, but the story is just flat out good.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The story follows a young boy named Lindon who is born as an &#8220;Unsouled&#8221; with seemingly no hope to follow any path of the sacred arts of his village. No matter how determined and smart he may be, he is simply destined to remain powerless as others rise above him. That is, until the heavens themselves intervene and give him a path forward and a way to save everyone he loves. It&#8217;s a progression fantasy all about struggling against powerful enemies and fate to ascend beyond mortality.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There are 12 books in the Cradle series and, unlike the other series on this list, it&#8217;s actually already complete. If you&#8217;re more into the sci-fi elements in Dungeon Crawler Carl, I&#8217;d also recommend his The Last Horizon series which follows a wizard space captain.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\">5. The Wandering Inn<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"214446\">\n<div class=\"jsx-3980863763 catalog-wrapper\"><span data-cy=\"productcard-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"214446\" data-cy=\"solo-product-card\" class=\"solo-product SoloProduct_solo-product__r2_WP\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-303513100 jsx-3341285356 product-card SoloProduct_product-card__JSk8u\">\n<div class=\"product-thumbnail jsx-2285132617 SoloProduct_image__vqG4e\"><img alt=\"The Wandering Inn\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/09\/26\/81xukyxzj8l-sl1500-1758915106491.jpg?width=220&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2025\/09\/26\/81xukyxzj8l-sl1500-1758915106491.jpg?width=220&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2827240024 name balanced\">The Wandering Inn<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-3347269829 icon-button catalog-upvote SoloProduct_catalog-upvote__FWsVx centered disabled\" type=\"button\" title=\"Vote\" aria-label=\"Vote\" data-cy=\"catalog-upvote\" disabled=\"\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-rating-like jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-rating-like\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RatingLike.ea885513.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>83<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It&#8217;s difficult to talk about LitRPG without mentioning The Wandering Inn, and that&#8217;s because it&#8217;s one of those stories that has helped build the genre as a whole. The overall tone and direction of the story isn&#8217;t really that similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl, but Matt Dinniman has called the series one of his favorites. The biggest similarity to DCC is that there&#8217;s really nothing else like it out there.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Wandering Inn is built upon excellent character and world building, all of which is centered around a girl named Erin Solstice and her inn. Erin is one of the many humans who were sucked into another world via a dimension-tearing spell and forced to survive any way she can. In this magical world, there&#8217;s classes, levels, skills, and a ton of different races with differing political stances. While there is plenty of action throughout the story, the heart of the series is honestly the friends we make along the way.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Wandering Inn is the longest-running LitRPG series currently available and you can read the whole thing for free directly from the website or check out the excellent audiobook versions. There is also a new paperback edition of the first book releasing next month.<\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\">\n<aside class=\"card jsx-2310533475 jsx-1178573261 box\" data-cy=\"aside\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Check out my interview with the author to learn more about this series!<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<p><span data-cy=\"poll-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor&#8217;s degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics &#8212; from TV series to <\/em><em>books<\/em><em> and the latest <\/em><em>Pok\u00e9mon games<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/best-books-like-dungeon-crawler-carl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has fully dunked itself in the mainstream this year, and as someone who loves LitRPG books, I couldn&#8217;t be happier&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[789,20722,20721,7667,3144],"class_list":["post-73662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-books","tag-carl","tag-crawler","tag-dungeon","tag-read","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/73663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}