You can’t miss in this series! It is an amazing ride like living in a video game with the best partners. You rock and roll the whole way

Ah, the 5th floor. What delightful chaos this has been!

We are meeting some intense characters and getting into some serious sh*t. All the remaining crawlers are divided up in separate domes, each tasked with taking three castles before their dome opens and they are free to descend to the next level. Naturally, Donut and Carl are tasked with the impossible - take a floating castle with no possible way up and defended by angry gnomes. Should be easy, right?

This volume seemed to have a lot more going on behind the scenes. More and more we are seeing humanized glimpses of Carl from the past, and there's an excellent foreboding of things to come as a result, I think.

This is easily one of the most entertaining series I have ever read. I can't wait to keep going!

Hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming. Carl and Donut are the perfect duo in this post alien apocalyptic world.

4.5⭐️

Thank you to Berkey Publishing Group, the author Matt Dinniman, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this title.

Dammit, Donut, you did it again! Yet another fabulous installment in this wonderful series. For this book, Carl and Princess Donut the Queen Ann Chonk, are on the 5th Floor of the Dungeon Crawl: Earth Edition. As always, the dialog is witty, but this book is focused on story development.

The previous books have been setting up character development, dynamics, and the workings of the dungeon. With this book, we start to get to the heart of the plot line, now and those to come. This book set up the warring alien factions, adding depth and intrigue to its already interesting storytelling. Princess Donut stays her sweet and charismatic self, but she is growing as a person (?) which has been a wonderful journey. I cannot wait to continue with this series as the story gets deeper, all while keeping the charm and hilariousness that originally drew me to it.

I just can’t stop this series. I just need more and more. This book was completely amazing and bonkers from start to finish. It keeps you tuned in with all of the action and bizarreness that’s on every page. We follow our beloved characters through multiple different tasks to get through this floor of the dungeon. Do things ever go to plan? Of course not.

This book was non-stop beginning to end. I am enjoying that it is starting to take a bit of a different direction from the earlier books. A little more complexity and substance. As always I love Princess Doughnut and the relationship with Carl. It's so fun to see how that is changing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I am emotionally invested in these characters and cannot wait to continue this series. The ending left me at the edge of my seat.

The continuation of the adventures of Carl and Donut and friends. It does not disappoint!

Characters ~ I appreciate Carl and Donut. The extended cast of characters, and how they help them to grow and develop, are also fun, aggravating, and irritating in turns. I appreciate the NPCs as well as they also lead to so much growth.

Plot ~ It's a video game and a shonen all in one. You know where you are being led, but not how you'll get there. It's both fun and comforting.

Worldbuiding ~ It would be so easy to fall back on tropes, but the author doesn't do that, which I greatly appreciate. This is a unique and different world with a slow buildup.

Writing ~ Pacing is important for a story. I think the author's writing keeps a pretty good pace. Sometimes we do get a bit bogged down in the details, but then it picks up again and all is well.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Gate of the Feral gods by Matt Dinniman
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Sci-Fi Fantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 1, 2021
📖 586 pages

Subterranean Tombs
Anthropomorphic Camels
RPG Meets Reality
Steampunk Contraptions
Conquering Castles
Feral Deities

Review: Dangerous sandstorms, cocksure dromedaries, evil gnomes and the quest for an ancient artifact all while being hounded by an AI with a foot fet!sh!

This series keeps getting crazier and I'm here for it! We get lots of humor, nearly impossible quests, and some unexpected twists! If you're reading this, be sure you have the next installment hot and ready because the cliffhanger is a doozy!!

Thank you so much Berkeley Publishing, Ace, and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

M ⚠️: language, use of g**d****, gore/violence, emetophobia

5 🌟

The Gate of the Feral Gods is book 4 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and I can't get enough. I love the relationship between Donut and Carl so much! 🥰 These books are hilarious yet touching, and an adventure the whole way through. This one features castles, fortresses, ghosts, ooze - it's all pretty wild and I love it. The epilogue was interesting...I'm curious to see where this will go.

Time for book 5!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC.

That cliffhanger ending was fantastic. The way this author writes about so many different unique situations is outstanding. I love all the hidden Easter eggs and jokes. This book was intense with a lot happening and a few times I was nervous for some of the characters. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.

The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4)
The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I really enjoyed the elemental (air, water) locations in this lower level dungeon, I think I liked the whole subversive/anarchist/revolutionary bent against these asshole destroyers of whole worlds (ours included) the most.

I mean, yes, Doughnut the cat is awesome and still fantastic at getting the best bargain for explosives, but I think this plot is even better than dominating the whole floor or just staying alive.

I mean, this LitRPG is all about the ratings and the viewing pleasure of the rich across the galaxy. Who cares about the idiot humans who are forced to play for them, right?

Yeah. I'm all for Carl's hidden quest.

5 out of 5 stars – Bonkers, brilliant, and completely addicting

Okay, I cannot get enough of this series. The Gate of the Feral Gods is book four in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and somehow, somehow, it manages to stay fresh, creative, and hilarious while still upping the emotional stakes and expanding the lore. This book picks up right after the insanity of the last level and drops Carl and Donut into yet another ridiculous death trap; this time, a bubble wrapped battleground with castles to conquer, low level misfits to babysit, and feral gods on the loose. As one does.

This level is full of chaotic fun: camel humanoid warriors with attitude problems, gnome air raids, and increasingly weird and wonderful new characters. It’s the kind of setting where you think you’ve seen it all, and then Carl launches a demigod’s severed head using a magical s*x doll jai alai mitt and you realize nope, this ride still has plenty of madness left.

Carl’s arc continues to evolve in a fascinating way. He’s becoming darker, more calculated, and honestly a little terrifying, but it makes total sense. You can only be tortured by AI sadists for so long before you snap. Watching him walk that line between survival and vengeance, humanity and monster, is one of the best parts of the series.

The audiobook is awesome. It has a full cast, great performances, sound effects, the whole immersive package. My only nitpick is the audio balancing. There are sections (especially underwater or AI voices) where the dialogue is super quiet, and I had to turn up the volume to really hear. Not a dealbreaker, but something to note.

If you’ve read the first three, this is a no brainer. It brings back the humor, action, and wild world building that made the earlier books so addictive and it sets up even more chaos to come. Plus, that epilogue? Absolute madness. Loved every second.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves LitRPGs, dark humor, clever strategy, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously but still hit hard when it counts. Carl and Donut forever.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 4)
By Matt Dinniman

By the time you reach Gate of the Feral Gods, you already know Matt Dinniman doesn’t pull punches—and Book 4 proves he still has tricks, twists, and trauma up his sleeve. This installment is a bold, chaotic, and surprisingly emotional deep dive into what makes Dungeon Crawler Carl more than just another zany LitRPG romp.

⚔️ Gameplay Mechanics Meets Madcap Mayhem
The book introduces a new structure: four thematically distinct castles must be conquered within a confined “bubble” map. Each area offers totally different threats—from gnomish skyships to cursed submarines to eldritch crypts—forcing Carl, Donut, and the gang to think strategically and politically. The time-based pressure and forced alliances with lower-level crawlers create fresh tension, pushing both the story and characters into more complex territory.

🐾 Donut’s Glow-Up Is Real
Princess Donut continues to steal scenes, now emerging as more than just a sass machine. She navigates alliances, disputes, and even becomes a sort of war general among the lowbies. Watching her become a genuine leader—while still demanding tuna and tiaras—is oddly inspiring.

😈 Carl’s Moral Descent (or Growth?)
Carl continues to evolve into something darker, more calculating, and more dangerous—not just to his enemies, but possibly to himself. His choices this round have heavier consequences, and there’s a growing sense that he’s becoming the very kind of weapon the system fears. The tone shifts just enough to let you feel it: we’re not in jokey tutorial levels anymore.

🧠 Lore Explosion
This book deepens the series’ mythology in major ways. We learn more about the dungeon administrators, gods, ancient tech, and even begin to understand Carl’s cosmic role in all of it. The introduction of Samantha—a bizarrely charming, sentient sex-doll head turned demigod—is absurd and brilliant. Only Mr. Dinniman could make you feel feelings about a talking head with blood magic and PTSD.

💥 The Humor Still Slaps
Despite its darker turns, the humor remains razor-sharp and unpredictable. This amazing author has a knack for balancing slapstick, satire, and gross-out gags with moments of real gravitas. There’s a reason readers laugh and cry with this series—it knows when to go hard and when to pull back.

😱 That Ending
No spoilers—but the last few chapters, and especially the epilogue, kick open a narrative door that promises some of the highest stakes yet. You can feel the gears shifting. This isn’t just a dungeon crawl anymore. It’s war. It’s rebellion. It’s legend-in-the-making.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🚫


Floor 5 is total, complete UTTER CHAOS and I love it.

We are meeting some really intense characters in this one, and also one of my favorite characters- Samath (Samantha), a talking sex-doll head possessed by a demigod intent on killing us (and our mothers).

All the remaining crawlers are divided up into random groups in separate domes, tasked with taking 3 castles before their dome opens and they are free to descend to be next level. Naturally Carl & Donut are tasked with the hardest part - taking a floating castle with no possible way up and defended by angry gnomes. Sounds like a breeze, amirite?

There is a lot more stuff going on behind the scenes in this one, and we’re getting a sense that something may be a little off with Carl. This series is so much fun, but Matt Dinniman is starting to give me this little humanized glimpses into Carl’s past and I and feeling serious pain for him.

If you’re not currently reading this series, I highly recommend it. I’ve never had so much fun reading/listening to a book.


Notable tropes —

☠️ Apocalypse/End of the World
☠️ Deadly Game/Deadly Trials
☠️ Talking cat sidekick
☠️ Evil Overlords
☠️ High stakes fantasy
☠️"Don't talk to me or my son ever again" coded (Carl &
Donut)


Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | ACE for the finished reading copy. I'm excited to read the rest of the books in this series!

In this installment of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl & co are in a jungle, wreaking havoc on the system that runs the game as well as the hunters who pay to try to kill the crawlers. Donut is in fine form, as are all of the characters, and the pace continues to zip along. I like how the story has become more multi-layered as it's progressed, and that the characters develop and learn and become more fully realized all the time.

Thank you so much Berkley for this copy of the book. Book four in the Dungeon Crawler series starts off strong like the others and my favorite parts of this book were all the hilarious moments in Hump Town and the new obstacles with the castles. I don’t know how Matt comes up with all of this material, but he keeps me laughing and engaged in this series. I’m so relieved to see Carl and Donut succeeding and on the edge of my seat. Each book seems to have its own heartfelt and deep moments as well that really work with the story. I love the characters they meet along the way. I also really appreciate the bonus content at the end of each book that could be compiled as a book of its own. I’m going to recommend this series to anyone who loves video games and a funny spin on apocalyptic scenarios.

With each new part, this series keeps surprising me more and more — what was that ending?!

I think I laughed even more this time… though there were definitely some moments that hit me right in the feels.

Level five isn’t just about survival anymore. You can really feel the scale, the depth, and the inner logic of the world. I loved the idea of the four zones — each with its own atmosphere and challenges. It honestly felt like I was on a quest myself, never knowing what might come next.
That said… it was a bit overwhelming at times. When do my poor buns get a break?

The world is growing, the characters are growing, and there are more of them than ever.
This is way more than just a game now.

⭐️4,5/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Four books in, and Dungeon Crawler Carl is still exceeding every expectation with wild plotlines, unhinged characters, and the true horror of a goose. This installment follows Carl, Donut, and now Katia as they dive even deeper into the dungeon, and let me just say this book has four or five different climaxes. If you’re here for chaos (and you should be), buckle up.

What makes book four stand out is how the floor is handled. You never know what you’re going to get with each new level, and while this one is a bit more straightforward than the mystery-heavy floor in book three, that absolutely does not mean it’s tame. I’m keeping things vague to avoid spoilers, but trust me this floor is easier to follow, not easier to survive.

Once again, the characters shine. When an adult doll with serious murderous tendencies becomes part of the cast and you somehow don’t hate her. I believe that Matt Dinniman is playing wizard-level games with your psyche. Of course, no one dethrones our Queen Donut, but my goodness. Also... the ending? Gutted. I'm fine. Everything’s fine. Totally happy about the party. Really.

This book had me laughing constantly, gasping at every near-death escape, and shaking my head at the absurd brilliance of it all. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, you are seriously missing out.