Every Dungeon Crawler Carl Fan Needs To Read 1 Iconic Stephen King Book

Published Sep 9, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Dungeon Crawler Carl may seem diametrically opposed to Stephen King, but one book from the horror author is a must-read for every fan of the iconic LitRPG. Matt Dinniman’s bestselling indie-turned-trad published sci-fi book series has become a worldwide sensation. More folks are joining us in our worship of Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, who must survive the books at all costs, or I'll riot. So far, eight books in the series have come out, and Dinniman plans to run it to ten, with the second potentially split into two parts. Despite that sounding like a lot of books, they are so addictive that it’s easy to blow through all of them. A Parade of Horribles only came out in May of this year, and there’s no release date yet for The Beautiful Place. The wait may feel unbearable, but it leaves room for fans to explore other novels. The obvious choice is to dive into other LitRPG books that are as good as Dungeon Crawler Carl. The genre similarities will likely feel comfortable. However, a few other unconventional choices exist. Recommendations from other fans on the r/DungeonCrawlerCarl subreddit include The Will of the Many by James Islington and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. That subreddit has plenty of great follow-up reads. That said, I’d like to recommend that every other Dungeon Crawler Carl fan pick up one book by the king of horror, Stephen King. The Running Man by Richard Bachman, a pen name of King, is briefly referenced in the first book, and it’s a perfect next read. Deadly Game Shows Drive Dungeon Crawler Carl & The Running Man As a fan of both Dungeon Crawler Carl and Stephen King, I was delighted to see the nod to The Running Man. The parallels are clearly no secret to Matt Dinniman. When Carl asks Mordecai about whether the dungeons are like a game show such as Survivor, the changeling compares it to The Running Man instead. However, it never elaborates on their connections beyond a game-show-esque element. For those Dungeon Crawler Carl fans who might not be familiar, The Running Man also features a man who joins a leader-sanctioned competition broadcast as entertainment on television. In the LitRPG book, aliens run the competition. In the horror novel, the totalitarian United States government runs numerous murder games through the Games Network. Both games try to kill the players, although DCC has dungeon monster villains, while Stephen King’s book has professional killers called hunters who are hired to murder the contestant. Similarly, the games in Dungeon Crawler Carl and The Running Man are essentially rigged to be unbeatable, as the price is too high. The aliens don’t intend to give the planet back, and the Network doesn’t intend to pay out the $1 billion. To do this, both showrunners, and System AI in Dungeon Crawler Carl, take morally dubious actions to manipulate the games, including manipulating the footage to change the narrative and changing the rules. Carl & Ben Richards Are The Ultimate Defiant Protagonists Beyond the similar premise and villain tactics, Dungeon Crawler Carl and The Running Man book have very similar main characters. Ben Richards and Carl are both ordinary individuals thrust into extraordinary situations. The two men are quick-witted, foul-mouthed, and extremely angry. They see how messed up the situation is. Rather than complying with the showrunners, they have a “screw you” attitude, constantly trying to break the rules and stick it to the man. The people in charge try to put both men in their place whenever they act out, creating a power struggle. If you have seen either version of The Running Man movie, be forewarned that the films are much more comedic and lighthearted than the book, which is dystopian and bleaker. That said, the two book protagonists have a few key differences that keep things interesting. Carl doesn’t choose the competition, and he has at least basic military training as a Coast Guard veteran, though he is specialized in combat. He has the magnanimous Princess Donut as a companion, and he has to contend with other competitors. Meanwhile, Ben joins willingly out of sheer desperation, and he has no real practical skills. He’s also the only competitor in the game. Ultimately, Dungeon Crawler Carl and The Running Man are similar enough that folks in one fandom might enjoy the other novel. They feel interconnected in a way. However, they also have enough differences to keep readers engaged. It won’t feel like you're reading the same story, which keeps things fresh. Dungeon Crawler Carl Publisher(s) Penguin Random House Publication Date September 21, 2020 Number of Pages 444 ISBN# 979-8688591507 Author(s) Matt Dinniman