A Parade of Horribles
by Matt Dinniman
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It's off to the races in the explosive eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series--featuring bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they're forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.
Races. Get from point A to point B, and don't come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple.
Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don't listen to those whispers about what's happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it "a coming-out party for the ages."
Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine.
Carl hates that it's business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do.
So Carl is planning a party of his own. It's a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can't even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it's not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they've ever been.
Includes part eight of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret."
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9798217190065
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Matt Dinniman
- Publisher
- Ace Books
- Published Date
- May 12, 2026
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 704
- Physical Info
- 2.29 in H x 9.14 in L x 6.07 in W (1.25 lb)
As you read this series, there's a dark part of you that wonders if it's possible to maintain the momentum, and an even darker part that's preparing you for a flop. This book had a slow and disjointed start, and I thought we were headed for a stall. Nope. Nothing disjointed about it. Every loose end and seeming non sequitur is part of a greater plot that I am still barely clinging to. So, as always, I finished this book too quickly and now I'll go back and read it again so I can appreciate all the nuance. He has not lost momentum - he's still accelerating. Amazing
LitRPG has a rough reputation. Some earned, most not. But anything that starts with a gimmick is usually so hobbled by it that there is a cap on the quality. These books, much like Carl himself, do not recognize the cap and refuse to be limited by it. The layers of complexity rival the world building of Tolkien. and Scalzi. The depth of characters, even relatively throwaway ones, I would rank up there with Pratchett and Jemison. And the relevance to our own political reality is as stark as anything the Corey lads put into The Expanse. And all that just covers the printed words. The audiobook, as brought to life by the glorious Jeff Hays, is a rich tapestry, and I still can't quite believe that it's just one guy, a couple cameos not withstanding. Just, go read this. Seriously. You need it.
Prin Donut reminded me why I like her so much right off the bat. Underestimate her? Interesting choice.The book gets going on an evil, deadly, Mario Cart sort of floor. At first they are playing the game as it is set up but you know that won't last. Carl gets angry and when Carl gets angry, he gets creative.His plans are just as outrageous as ever. Things are deteriorating outside the dungeon quickly. Inside the dungeon, the AI's sanity continues to erode (but even the AI thinks Carl has an insane plan).So... status quo.
This is an amazing series. Yet another outstanding book that brings out all the emotions.I read someone say something about Matt's politics and not reading the series. Lol. Who cares. The story is amazing, and it keeps getting better. The creativity needed to remember it all and tie loose ends together is enormous. Matt continues to keep it all together in fun new ways.I definitely laughed out loud at the giant kangaroo part.
BOOPJust more brilliance, depravity, insanity. I started reading this series 2 months ago and ive devoured these books like a bad habit. If you're reading this, i dont really know why you are waiting for a review to tell you whether you should read Book 8, because youre already obsessed like all of us.Now get out there, and kill. kill. kill.
