For readers who finished Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl and are hunting for the next fix of game-like fantasy, a growing roster of LitRPG titles offers plenty to explore. The genre — an acronym for literary role-playing game that emerged in 2013 when a Russian publishing house coined the term for a series inspired by MMORPGs — has evolved from self-published web novels into mainstream publishing, with Dungeon Crawler Carl becoming the first English-language LitRPG to achieve genuine crossover success. As Ace Books continues releasing installments of the Coast Guard veteran’s story and two more volumes are already in the works, here are five other LitRPG books worth picking up.
Dungeon Crawler Carl itself has become a cultural touchstone beyond fiction: eight books have been published so far, the tale of a former Coast Guard sailor and his prize show cat navigating dungeon crawls while their exploits are filmed for an alien reality TV show is being adapted into a Peacock series produced by Seth MacFarlane, and it’s receiving its own tabletop role-playing game. That expansion signals how seriously the genre has been taken.
A Genre That Started on the Web
The LitRPG boom traces back to online serials that found formal book deals based on their proven popularity. Dinniman’s earlier work helped popularize the concept for web novels that became extremely popular anime, such as Sword Art Online and Solo Leveling, but Carl remains a distinct milestone in English-language publishing.
He Who Fights with Monsters
Travis Deverell is frequently compared to Dinniman for the success of his He Who Fights with Monsters series, which he initially self-published under the pen name Shirtaloon. His debut novel Outlander became a New York Times bestseller when republished by Aethon Books in July, following Jason — a middle manager at an office supply store who wakes up in another world and discovers magic powers that seem pretty evil.
A Dark Lord With a Sense of Humor
Django Wexler’s How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying offers a hilariously unhinged protagonist. Davi, once an ordinary woman, awakens naked in a fantasy realm where she’s prophesied to save humanity from the Dark Lord. After losing repeatedly — each time respawning to restart her quest — she decides to play for the other side and become the Dark Lord herself.
A Slower-Burning Progression Fantasy
Pirateaba has written 15 million words of The Wandering Inn web series since 2016, with Harper Voyage beginning publication in August. Erin Solstice finds herself in a fantasy realm where people can level up and gain classes, but rather than becoming an adventurer she takes over an inn and turns it into a safe haven — hanging a “No Killing Goblins” sign outside the door.
Blending Genres for Ambitious Readers
J.F. Brink’s Defiance of the Fall begins with its hero at a huge disadvantage, much like Carl. Zac is alone in the forest armed only with a hatchet when Earth becomes part of a multiverse where civilizations fight for dominance.
A Complete Series to Dive Into
Tao Wong’s The System Apocalypse offers readers who worry about long series petering out a finished 12-book saga. John Lee enjoys a vacation hiking and camping in the Yukon when technology ceases to function, but mysterious energy lets humans level up, gain skills, and complete quests.
Looking Ahead
For those eager to keep reading, several titles have imminent release dates: Deverell’s Hero arrives Oct. 13, Wexler’s Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me is slated for 2025, and Pirateaba’s No Killing Goblins releases Sept. 22.
These titles range from “breezy reads” for casual fans to darker, more ambitious tales — from Wexler’s “hilariously unhinged protagonist” Davi to Pirateaba’s slower-paced inn-running story that leans into progression fantasy rather than pure power fantasy.
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