5 Best Death-Game Books for ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Fans, Ranked

Published Nov 10, 2026, 8:14 AM EST Michael Hein has been covering entertainment, fandom news, and trending topics since 2016 on outlets including Rogues Portal, PopCulture.com, and ComicBook.com. He has provided live coverage of red carpet premieres, conventions, and up-fronts, and has interviewed major stars including Charles Dance, Patrick Stewart, and Chloe Sevigny. An avid fiction reader and writer, Michael has been diving deep into all the biggest book-to-screen adaptations of the last decade, from Game of Thrones to Foundation. Millions of readers have now taken a chance on Dungeon Crawler Carl, though many online profess that they've never read a "LitRPG" story before. The obscure subgenre is an odd quirk for many fans, with some diving into other titles and many wondering if they'll really like anything beyond DCC. However, on a simpler level Dungeon Crawler Carl sticks to a familiar format in the sci-fi/fantasy genre: the "death game." Stories about deadly competitions have been popular in speculative fiction for years, from tournaments and tests of strength to bloody trials and rites of passage. There's nothing quite like Dungeon Crawler Carl, but the books below are a great starting point for DCC fans looking for their next binge. The LitRPG setting is brilliant for death game fiction because it allows the author to flesh out all the rules and mechanics in extreme detail. It becomes more than worldbuilding minutiae when the characters' lives depend on these rules, and Dungeon Crawler Carl has a lot of fun playing with the absurdity of it all. Still, many fans are weary of exploring more LitRPG without the overwhelming recommendations DCC already has behind it. For those that want another death game after DCC without with the LitRPG format, here are five books you might enjoy. 5 'Throne of Glass' Series by Sarah J. Maas If you've picked up Dungeon Crawler Carl within the last year or two, chances are you did so knowing about it's meteoric rise in popularity. As long as you're catching up on popular ongoing series, you might as well give the works of Sarah J. Maas a try. Today, the author is best known for her series A Court of Thorns and Roses, but prior to that she wrote an eight-book series called Throne of Glass. The two series are loosely connected as they take place in the same universe — though in different dimensions. Throne of Glass follows a young assassin named Celaena Sardothien, who is imprisoned and on the verge of death when the series begins. Celaena's only chance at freedom is competing in a series of contests to choose the "King's Champion." She goes up against other assassins and warriors in a series of extremely dangerous competitions before finally facing the survivors in one-on-one duels. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, someone is picking off the contestants one by one behind the scenes, apparently in an attempt to affect the outcome of the games. 4 'The Running Man' by Stephen King Image via Signet Books Sticking with topical picks, Stephen King's 1982 novel The Running Man is about a death game that comes pretty close to Dungeon Crawler Carl in terms of bleak absurdity. The book is set in a near future where economic collapse has left many Americans in desperate poverty. In the midst of this, a reality show called The Running Man seems to offer a way out — but at great risk. Contestants must avoid teams of hitmen sent out by the producers to kill them. They win money based on how long they stay alive, but viewers can also win money by turning them in, making things incredibly difficult. When the story begins, no contestant has ever survived to win the grand prize, but their families do get $100 for every hour they managed to stay alive. The Running Man was adapted into a film in 1987 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, though it diverged wildly from King's novel. Another adaptation was released just last year. It starred Glen Powell and stuck much more closely to the story. Fans will have three versions of the story to contrast and compare, and each one evokes the same kind of righteous fury as Dungeon Crawler Carl. 3 'The Hunger Games' Series by Suzanne Collins Image via Scholastic Press Of course, The Hunger Games series is one of the most iconic death game stories in recent decades, and it deserves a place on this list. For those that have watched the movies but not read the books, there are some very interesting differences to explore on the page. On top of that, Suzanne Collins' more recent prequel novels are even more interesting as they step outside of Katniss' first-person perspective and reveal more of Collins' range as an author. The Hunger Games is also set in a dystopian near-future U.S.A. which is in the grip of a ruthless totalitarian regime. After several attempts at revolution, the ruling class instituted an annual spectacle called The Hunger Games in which two teenagers from every district are sent as "tribute" to compete in a battle royale competition. The books keep their focus on these death games throughout the story, though they do veer into plenty of other interesting territory along the way. 2 'Red Rising' Series by Pierce Brown Image via Del Rey Books Many fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl are reaching for Pierce Brown's Red Rising series as well, and the death game aspect is just one more reason to recommend it. The novels introduce us to a distant future where humanity has thoroughly colonized the entire solar system, yet most people live under the yoke of a brutal caste system which is maintained with genetic engineering, social engineering, and brute force. The story follows a young man named Darrow who is secretly elevated from the lowest caste — red — to the highest — gold — to try and sabotage the rulers from within. Darrow then participates in a ritualistic death game in order to join the elite ranks of ruling golds where he may be able to affect the most change. He and dozens of other teenage candidates must survive for months in a brutally sculpted wilderness, warring with each other to survive and dominate. It's not the focus of the entire series, but it's a brilliant introduction to Brown's sci-fi setting which sticks with you throughout the remaining books. Red Rising is nearly finished now, with Brown working on the final volume as we speak. It has also been greenlit for a film adaptation, so now is a great time to get onboard. 1 'The Poppy War' Trilogy by R.F. Kuang Image via HarperCollins Finally, The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang is a must-read for modern fantasy fans, including DCC fans. Like Red Rising, its death game element is just one chapter among many, but it stands out and defines the characters in all the fights that follow. The Poppy War is set in a fantasy world inspired by China and other East Asian cultures. Protagonist Rin makes it into the Nikara Empire military academy despite her impoverished background, and is determined to rise through the ranks at any cost. She is drawn to the obscure field of shamanism, using meditation and psychoactive drugs to harness magical powers. Through her work, her perspective on the empire begins to shift. The Poppy War is often billed as "grimdark." Dungeon Crawler Carl fans may think they're prepared for that, but there is little levity or absurdity to balance out the heartbreak here. Still, this is one of the best fantasy trilogies to come out in the last decade, and it has launched Kuang into a stellar career. It should be at the top of the TBR for fantasy fans with a book hangover. All the books mentioned above are available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats, as is Dungeon Crawler Carl. The DCC TV adaptation is in production now, and the ninth book is well underway. So far, neither has a release date. Network Peacock Writers Chris Yost