I have listened to books 1 through 7 at least two or three times now.
My wife has listened to the entire series five times.
Do we have a problem?
Absolutely.
I am currently on the internet telling strangers about audiobooks like a 5-year-old proudly showing off a crayon drawing taped to the fridge. Of course I have a problem.
Should You Listen to Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Yes.
Honestly, you can stop reading right now and just go buy the audiobook.
I have literally bought Audible credits for friends just so I’d have more people to talk to about this series. One friend told me she wanted to read the physical book first before listening to the audiobook.
I almost fought her in a parking lot.
The Audiobook Is the Experience
Here’s the thing that matters most:
Jeff Hays performs this series like a man possessed. We’re talking a ridiculous number of distinct voices — not “slightly different” voices, actually different ones — plus music, sound effects, background noise, screaming, and chaos that makes the whole thing feel less like an audiobook and more like someone trapped a sci-fi action movie inside your headphones.
Hays is also the founder of Soundbooth Theater, which means this level of production quality isn’t an accident. These people do this on purpose. It’s unhinged and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Warning, if you hate fun, crude humor, and an intense amount of gore, you may be the problem.
But seriously — this series does not apologize for what it is. It is loud, chaotic, occasionally disgusting, and completely committed to the bit at all times. If you made it this far into a post where I admitted to almost fighting someone in a parking lot over audiobook format preferences, you’re probably going to be fine.
So, What’s Dungeon Crawler Carl Actually About?
A guy in boxer shorts and his cat get thrown into an alien death dungeon that slowly becomes the most chaotic thing you’ve ever encountered. That sentence somehow undersells it by a significant margin.
Will You Spend the Money?
Yes. All of it.
Could you responsibly buy one book at a time? Sure. But that is a sign of weakness.
You will not. You’ll be awake at 1:30 in the morning buying the next one while your phone screen is the only light in the house and you’re fully aware tomorrow is a workday and you’re going to do it anyway.
If you’re in the baby years right now — I’m sorry. Sleep is already gone. You might as well fill the void with something worth losing it over.
The series is available on Audible. And yes, their return policy exists if you hate it. If you return Dungeon Crawler Carl, I’ll assume we just have different tastes in life.
Which is okay.
Wrong.
But okay.