Book Title: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 0241816238
Date Published: Aug. 4, 2026
Book Review
Matt Dinniman’s “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” is the second Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and it keeps the series’ strange mix of apocalypse, video-game rules, and reality TV alive. Carl and Princess Donut move into the Over City, where the danger rises and the jokes stay loud. The book is clearly built for readers who enjoy LitRPG, fantasy, and fast-moving adventure, though its strong language and violent scenes make it best suited to adults.
Dinniman writes in a direct, energetic style. The story is told from Carl’s point of view, which makes the reader feel close to his fear, anger, and dry humour. The language is simple enough to follow quickly, but it is also full of game terms, pop-culture jokes, and sudden bursts of gore. This gives the book its personality: it can be very funny one moment and surprisingly grim the next.
The biggest strength is the pace. Dinniman keeps quests, fights, and strange dungeon encounters coming one after another, making the book easy to read in long sittings. Princess Donut remains a highlight, bringing theatrical charm to Carl’s more grounded reactions. However, the constant action sometimes becomes noisy. With so many systems, side characters, and jokes, a few scenes feel more cluttered than exciting, and the novelty of the setup is less fresh than in the first book.
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Still, Matt Dinniman knows what his audience wants. This is not quiet, polished literary fiction; it is a loud, clever, sometimes silly survival story with real emotional moments underneath. Readers who like role-playing games, dark humour, and characters who refuse to give up will find plenty to enjoy. Those wanting a tighter plot or less chaos may find it exhausting, but fans of the series will likely be hooked.
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About the Author
Matt Dinniman is a million-copy bestselling author featured on both The Sunday Times and The New York Times bestseller lists. Based in Gig Harbor, Washington, he is best known for creating the hugely popular Dungeon Crawler Carl series, alongside several other books exploring the end of the world. Beyond writing, Matt is also an artist and plays bass in two bands. And despite what you might hear, he doesn’t actually hate Cocker Spaniels.
