A Parade of Horribles

Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 8

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

It’s off to the races in the explosive eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

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.

©2026 Matt Dinniman (P)2026 Soundbooth Theater

NEW ACHIEVEMENT!! WELCOME TO THE NEW FLOOR!!

Matt Dinniman and Jeff Hays do it again!! On chapter 8 and it’s so f***ing good! The world building in this one is top tier, AI descriptions are funny as h*ll. Can’t wait to listen to how the Donut Posse SMUSH the competition.

*AI SnIiIiIifFfFfF* “Time to pay the Daddy Tax”

Chapter 57

Jeff Hays’ narration is second to none. Yeah dcc is great and this entry is great overall and I guess it should have been obvious from the beginning but chapter 57 it really hit me yeah this chapter might work as written and read BUT it truly is meant to be consumed in audio format this whole series leans into the audiobook format more than any other and it just works. Chapter 57 is thee greatest audiobook chapter of any book ever truly.

Best Entry So Far

I had high expectations for this release and they were exceeded by a large margin.

The Crawl Is Chaos. I Love It Here.

Every time I think this series can’t possibly get more absurd, emotional, stressful, or hilarious, Matt Dinniman somehow kicks the dungeon door open with a flaming raccoon strapped to a rocket.
A Parade of Horribles somehow balances brutal stakes, laugh-out-loud insanity, and genuinely emotional moments without dropping a beat. Carl continues to spiral heroically, Princess Donut remains an icon, and I am once again emotionally compromised by fictional people in a death game.
The crawl is chaos. I love it here.

Samantha, Psmathe...the Queen, the baddest of all baddies IWKYM!!! She stands out better than anyone and I loved every second.

So I know itll be a bit confrontational to say but screw it. This book is tied with 7 others for best book ever. if you dont agree fight me for it. I loved the book as always Matt did an amazing job and Jeff made my ears tingle. Can't wait for the next installment of DCC #HelloCrawlers #princessposse