Author Matt Dinniman's eight-book LitRPG saga "Dungeon Crawler Carl" has become one of the biggest publishing phenomena in years, drawing comparisons to the mass appeal once enjoyed by "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games". The series, which follows a man named Carl and his talking cat Princess Donut as they battle through a deadly televised dungeon, has grown steadily since its 2020 debut and is now expanding beyond books into comics, gaming and television.

The series has sold more than 10 million copies across its eight instalments, with hardbacks now stocked at major retailers and merchandise appearing in shops such as Target and Walmart. Its eighth book, "A Parade of Horribles", launched earlier this year to strong sales, while a companion tabletop RPG broke crowdfunding records. Seth MacFarlane is producing a television adaptation for Peacock, and Dinniman has confirmed the story is nearing its end, with the final instalment set to be split across two remaining books.