Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series is one of those rare and incredible publishing success stories. An example of LitRPG, which combines elements of fantasy, sci-fi and gaming, Dinniman’s books began in 2020 as a self-published series about a Coast Guard veteran who, along with his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, becomes a participant in a deadly intergalactic game show.

Ace Books began publishing the books in August 2024, and now there are already more than a million hardbacks in print. Here, Dinniman takes the Book Pages Q&A.

Q. Please tell readers about your new book.

“This Inevitable Ruin” is the seventh book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Here we find Carl and Princess Donut fighting for their lives on the much-anticipated 9th floor. On this floor, they will face off against several different armies. Oh, and the talking love doll head is back as well. And there’s a shark named Jamal.

And in February, “Operation Bounce House” comes out! It’s a standalone sci-fi novel about settlers on a distant planet who have labored for decades to open up the transfer gate back to Earth, which restores instant communication and travel. And the first thing Earth does is try to take their land. Earth hires a mercenary company that gamifies the eviction process. They allowed bored earthers to design and remotely pilot their own war machines. That game is called “Operation Bounce House.”

Q. Is there a book or books you always recommend to other readers?

My favorite books are always changing. I think my favorite book of all time is “Tigana” by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Q. What are you reading now?

Right now, I’m reading “The Third Rule of Time Travel” by Philip Fracassi.

Q. How do you decide what to read next?

I have a TBR that would reach the moon if I let it. I mostly pick one from the middle, making sure I change up genre each time.

Q. Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

“Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh. It was the first chapter book I read that I just read over and over. And one of the sequels, “Sport,” which was actually ghostwritten, but I still loved.

Q. Is there a book or type of book you’re reluctant to read?

I’m not a huge romance reader.

Q. Can you recall a book that felt like it was written with you in mind (or conversely, one that most definitely wasn’t)?

This is an easy one. “Boy’s Life” by Robert R. McCammon. I read it at the perfect time in my life, and it remains one of my all-time favorites.

Q. What’s something – a fact, a bit of dialogue or something else – that has stayed with you from a recent reading?

All the fight scenes that Joe Abercrombie writes. The man is a genius, especially when it comes to writing chaos.

Q. Do you have any favorite book covers?

I love the newer Dune covers. But I also love the old-school, painted fantasy covers. Like the Dragonlance books.

Q. Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, are there any titles or narrators you’d recommend?

I listen to hours and hours of audiobooks. “Project Hail Mary” is easily my favorite.

Q. Is there a genre or type of book you read the most – and what would you like to read more of?

I tend to read a lot of horror and sci-fi. I would like to read more classic mystery.

Q. Is there a person who made an impact on your reading life – a teacher, a parent, a librarian or someone else?

I used to move a lot as a kid because my dad was in the military, and oftentimes, the libraries were my only sanctuary. There were countless librarians who helped shape my love of reading over the years.

Q. What do you find the most appealing in a book: the plot, the language, the cover, a recommendation?

It’s always going to be the characters and character work. Cool plots are a dime a dozen, but without interesting characters, what’s the point?

Q. Are you someone who must finish every book you start – or is it OK to put down the ones you don’t connect with?

I used to be. I would stubbornly read everything, and what would happen is it’d take me longer and longer to finish books I didn’t like. Now I am super quick to DNF something. Life is much too short, and there are way too many books out there.

Q. Do you have a favorite bookstore or bookstore experience?

The first time I ever stepped into a Bookman’s used books in Tucson, Arizona, was like a religious experience. I’d been in and out of bookstores my whole life, but I’d never seen anything so big. And then I went to Powell’s in Portland, and my head exploded. [Ed. note about Powell’s: We know the feeling .]

Q. What’s something about your books that no one knows?

My first draft of “Dungeon Crawler Carl” was written in second person.

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