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Dungeon Crawler Carl #7
This Inevitable Ruin
The time has come! Book seven in the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series is here!
They call it Faction Wars.
The ninth floor.
Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television.
After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.
Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.
As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.
For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.
If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.
This is it.
This is what they’ve been fighting toward.
This is war.
This inevitable ruin.
They call it Faction Wars.
The ninth floor.
Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television.
After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.
Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.
As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.
For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.
If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.
This is it.
This is what they’ve been fighting toward.
This is war.
This inevitable ruin.
724 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2024
11736 people are currently reading
31277 people want to read
About the author
Matt Dinniman
35 books13.4k followersMatt Dinniman is the best-selling writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the published author of dozens of short stories and a gaggle of books. In addition, his art publications—from greeting cards to stationery kits to calendars—can be found in boutique and stationery shops around the world. Also, he strongly feels like a pretentious twat when he writes about himself in third person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,441 reviews
November 24, 2024
5 stars
WHAT NOW?? SERIOUSLY, WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW? WHERE IS BOOK 8???
MATT, YOU BETTER HAUL YOUR ASS AND FINISH BOOK 8, BECAUSE LIKE BIGS SAID, “IT’S DARK AS A WOMBAT’S ASSHOLE OUT HERE” WITHOUT READING THIS SERIES..
This is my second 5-star in the series, right alongside Book 6. I started Book 1 in August, thinking, Maybe I could read this series little by little, stretch it out over the years until it was finished. Yeah, right. Three months later, here I am, completely obsessed, with absolutely no self-control, and now stuck waiting for Book 8.
This one was packed to the brim with action and ridiculousness—just like the rest of the series—but something about it hit even harder. I loved every second of it.
Maybe I should check out the audiobooks in the meantime? At least then I can experience the madness all over again while I wait.
WHAT NOW?? SERIOUSLY, WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW? WHERE IS BOOK 8???
MATT, YOU BETTER HAUL YOUR ASS AND FINISH BOOK 8, BECAUSE LIKE BIGS SAID, “IT’S DARK AS A WOMBAT’S ASSHOLE OUT HERE” WITHOUT READING THIS SERIES..
This is my second 5-star in the series, right alongside Book 6. I started Book 1 in August, thinking, Maybe I could read this series little by little, stretch it out over the years until it was finished. Yeah, right. Three months later, here I am, completely obsessed, with absolutely no self-control, and now stuck waiting for Book 8.
This one was packed to the brim with action and ridiculousness—just like the rest of the series—but something about it hit even harder. I loved every second of it.
Maybe I should check out the audiobooks in the meantime? At least then I can experience the madness all over again while I wait.
Read
June 26, 2025Please... this is not cool... why does the cover not have Princess Donut!!! No, seriously!
March 11, 2025
The series just keeps getting zanier and tries to be bigger and wilder than each previous book. It's gotten to the point for me where it's just "too much".
September 29, 2025
Ideally, I would have took a longer break between books, but I was on a kindle unlimited deadline. This isn't anything against Dinniman, in particular; it is just that I realized I have this other urban fantasy series that I started without KU, and ended up buying the entire series. And still have books to read in it. So what I'm saying is both financial thoughtfulness and temporal thoughtfulness. I figured I could always re-read, right?
This is the one that's based on a war-game type scenarios. Or, as Carl so elegantly summarizes:
The eighth floor. Supposed to be a bullshit filler floor so the pricks running all this can drag it out as much as possible and collect as much tug money as they can."
I would summarize it somewhat differently: the one where For those who would like a less colloquial summary:
"We were living in a simulation of a simulation. Reality mixed in with play acting. Real situations with real consequences colliding with make-believe, and the consequences of the make-believe portions were oftentimes more dangerous than reality. All the lines were blurred by this point."
I don't play games that revolve around movement of troops or larger-scale strategies, but I'm guessing it adheres about as close as the other floors, which is to say, loosely. I will note that it still seems to focus on acts of the individual and individual confrontations rather than full-scale troop movements. Dinniman continues to create some interesting character actions and development, particularly in group members. I continue to appreciate the fine line he walks with Carl's emotional complexity as they continue their fight against mercenaries and conscripts from other worlds.
"People like you, they want meaning to their suffering. They want to know that what’s happening to them is for some greater good."
Thankfully, humor continues to be mixed in, both overtly, particularly with Samantha
"providing what she called “moral support” to the soldiers. According to Tipid, that mostly meant sexually harassing them and stealing their alcohol."
as well as throw-away descriptions:
"He was a weather and “masculinity” god, and there was a whole class of fighter clerics who worshiped him. I’d seen more than one crawler who had him as a god. Apparently the only requirement to follow him was to grow a beard."
As always, I found myself skimming some bits that got excessively focused on details (troop movements, in this case, as well as the usual statistic improvement issue). If this series is to ever gone mainstream, some serious, thoughtful trimming would improve readability of what is generally quite propulsive. That said, Dinniman is a solid writer, so my suggestion is in regards to length and details, and not plot movement or word choices (although as an aside, I will note that Carl is a very prototypical culturally indoctrinated hetro male and often has corresponding unthoughtful observations). My most significant plotting issue is the continued development of the AI and the confusing way it is managing the world. I don't think Dinniman quite conveys the difference.
Overall: yes, enjoying the series. Being forced to take a break while Dinniman writes more is no bad thing. It's always fun to pull an old game out and give it a run.
Note that it does not tie up the series.
Audio notes:
Update September 2025: I did follow the advice below and give this series a shot in audio. To be clear, it was the narrated by Jeff Hays version, not the ensemble cast performance. I have to agree with my commenters below and say the audio definitely improved it for me (thanks for your encouragement, team!).
There was one section which was nearing the book climax and things were particularly tense, when Dinniman slipped in some priceless Donut dialogue that had me laughing out loud. Literally. It was such a skillful moment. Hays' Samantha will almost always crack me up, except when she's being completely exasperating. Also, I will never not laugh when he does a Prepotente scream, something that is somewhat lost in the eyeball version.
I think the audio helped me pace myself (because of my ear time, it probably took 3-4 weeks at least) and brought richness to some of the non-dialogue sections, particularly the AI bits. Highly recommend giving it a try.
This is the one that's based on a war-game type scenarios. Or, as Carl so elegantly summarizes:
The eighth floor. Supposed to be a bullshit filler floor so the pricks running all this can drag it out as much as possible and collect as much tug money as they can."
I would summarize it somewhat differently: the one where For those who would like a less colloquial summary:
"We were living in a simulation of a simulation. Reality mixed in with play acting. Real situations with real consequences colliding with make-believe, and the consequences of the make-believe portions were oftentimes more dangerous than reality. All the lines were blurred by this point."
I don't play games that revolve around movement of troops or larger-scale strategies, but I'm guessing it adheres about as close as the other floors, which is to say, loosely. I will note that it still seems to focus on acts of the individual and individual confrontations rather than full-scale troop movements. Dinniman continues to create some interesting character actions and development, particularly in group members. I continue to appreciate the fine line he walks with Carl's emotional complexity as they continue their fight against mercenaries and conscripts from other worlds.
"People like you, they want meaning to their suffering. They want to know that what’s happening to them is for some greater good."
Thankfully, humor continues to be mixed in, both overtly, particularly with Samantha
"providing what she called “moral support” to the soldiers. According to Tipid, that mostly meant sexually harassing them and stealing their alcohol."
as well as throw-away descriptions:
"He was a weather and “masculinity” god, and there was a whole class of fighter clerics who worshiped him. I’d seen more than one crawler who had him as a god. Apparently the only requirement to follow him was to grow a beard."
As always, I found myself skimming some bits that got excessively focused on details (troop movements, in this case, as well as the usual statistic improvement issue). If this series is to ever gone mainstream, some serious, thoughtful trimming would improve readability of what is generally quite propulsive. That said, Dinniman is a solid writer, so my suggestion is in regards to length and details, and not plot movement or word choices (although as an aside, I will note that Carl is a very prototypical culturally indoctrinated hetro male and often has corresponding unthoughtful observations). My most significant plotting issue is the continued development of the AI and the confusing way it is managing the world. I don't think Dinniman quite conveys the difference.
Overall: yes, enjoying the series. Being forced to take a break while Dinniman writes more is no bad thing. It's always fun to pull an old game out and give it a run.
Note that it does not tie up the series.
Audio notes:
Update September 2025: I did follow the advice below and give this series a shot in audio. To be clear, it was the narrated by Jeff Hays version, not the ensemble cast performance. I have to agree with my commenters below and say the audio definitely improved it for me (thanks for your encouragement, team!).
There was one section which was nearing the book climax and things were particularly tense, when Dinniman slipped in some priceless Donut dialogue that had me laughing out loud. Literally. It was such a skillful moment. Hays' Samantha will almost always crack me up, except when she's being completely exasperating. Also, I will never not laugh when he does a Prepotente scream, something that is somewhat lost in the eyeball version.
I think the audio helped me pace myself (because of my ear time, it probably took 3-4 weeks at least) and brought richness to some of the non-dialogue sections, particularly the AI bits. Highly recommend giving it a try.
January 4, 2026
“Blood was so much more red when it was spilled from someone you loved.”
and just like that, i’m all caught up with this series, which actually feels insane to type. but here we are, entering the 9th floor, faction wars is finally here, thirty-two-thousand crawlers, fifty-thousand retired crawlers, and one-hundred-thousand enemies with weapons. the map is one big pie, separated in ten slices for ten different teams, and one castle in the middle that eventually needs to be captured, yet, that middle castle will be locked until only four team are left, and to capture another teams slice, you need to control their throne room for six hours, which will also allow you to capture their army! i know this seems like a lot of numbers, and a lot of rules, but i promise you the author does a much better job than i am doing right now. we also finally have the nagas, and a rule that donut and katia have to deal with. oh, and carl might have a spider in his chest as well!
i really enjoyed my time with this one, even if it wasn’t a new favorite in the series for me. this one heavily talks about grief, and losing people we love that we should have more time with, but systems are in place that tell us that some people are just cogs in an evil capitalism wheel for the rich and powerful. yet, this book also keeps the hope alive that some people are willing to do anything to keep the most vulnerable as safe as possible.
katia is just everything to me. finally seeing everything with her past was just so heartbreaking. truly the saddest thing i’ve read all year, the hardest thing for me to read in books, and the reason i do trigger warnings to be very honest with you. when i tell you i was crying, please know that i was weeping with everything i am. i just feel like i had to write a little paragraph honoring her, and trying praying that we will see her (or her hea) in future books.
ahhh, let me not get too emotional all over again. i highly recommend this entire series. not only is it fun and different, the messages and parallels can be very thought provoking and powerful. even though this wasn’t my favorite, i still loved reading it, and i cannot wait for what is next. and i really appreciated the reminder that we all really deserve to write our own stories, and find our own happy endings on our own terms, no matter what.
“People like you, they want meaning to their suffering. They want to know that what's happening to them is for some greater good. I'm here to tell you, no matter what they say, no matter what you might eventually hear, the crawl is absolutely unnecessary.”
trigger + content warnings: talk of suicide, suicide ideation, suicide, brief mention of animal neglect, blood, violence, fighting, war, weird comments about unhoused people, talk of medical debt, mention of cancer in past, sick child in past, childhood cancer, loss of child in past mention, insects, gore, surgery, talk of pregnancy, medical experimentation, vomit, nazi mention
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1.) Dungeon Crawler Carl ★★★★★
2.) Carl's Doomsday Scenario ★★★★
3.) The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook ★★★
4.) The Gate of the Feral Gods ★★★★
5.) The Butcher's Masquerade ★★★★★
6.) The Eye of the Bedlam Bride ★★★
April 23, 2025
So much happens in this book.
As always there is a lot of action, but this one also offers so much development for the secondary characters and the political landscape.
I still can't believe how brutal, funny and emotional this story is.
I can't wait for book 8.
As always there is a lot of action, but this one also offers so much development for the secondary characters and the political landscape.
I still can't believe how brutal, funny and emotional this story is.
I can't wait for book 8.
June 29, 2025
I’m not emotionally invested in fictional characters to an unhealthy obsession level, you’re emotionally invested in fictional characters to an unhealthy obsession level.
I can’t believe Carl is over (TEMPORARILY AS IT MAY BE, I’M STILL UPSET) and that was the fucking ending we got left with……. That was a real…… Mic drop moment, but instead of a microphone, it’s a world-altering nuke, and now my toes and my soul are on fire and I will feel no peace until I am at the resolution of this series.
BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS THE ENDING????????
I take back everything nice I ever said about Matt Dinniman. Matt Dinniman, you are a DIRTY GARBARGE rat. 🐀 If you were in the dungeon, a god would smite you for this atrocity of a cliffhanger.
But at the end of the day, this series is
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
THIS IS 724 PAGES OF PURE JOY FOR ME.
I tell ANYONE who will listen about this series.
It's soooooooo far from my usual scope, but I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. I could have 427 more carl books and it wouldn't be enough.
I can’t believe Carl is over (TEMPORARILY AS IT MAY BE, I’M STILL UPSET) and that was the fucking ending we got left with……. That was a real…… Mic drop moment, but instead of a microphone, it’s a world-altering nuke, and now my toes and my soul are on fire and I will feel no peace until I am at the resolution of this series.
BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS THE ENDING????????
I take back everything nice I ever said about Matt Dinniman. Matt Dinniman, you are a DIRTY GARBARGE rat. 🐀 If you were in the dungeon, a god would smite you for this atrocity of a cliffhanger.
But at the end of the day, this series is
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
PHENOMENAL 📢
THIS IS 724 PAGES OF PURE JOY FOR ME.
I tell ANYONE who will listen about this series.
It's soooooooo far from my usual scope, but I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. I could have 427 more carl books and it wouldn't be enough.
December 22, 2024
Ugh, so good. This was the first DCC where i didn't listen to the audiobook, but because I've listened to the audiobooks and the voices are so distinct, it was *as if* I'd listened to the audiobook.
Seriously, if you haven't read the Dungeon Crawler Carl books yet, what are you waiting for? They're incredible! So funny, so emotionally charged, and so jam-packed with badassery, the pages practically read themselves.
5 stars!
Seriously, if you haven't read the Dungeon Crawler Carl books yet, what are you waiting for? They're incredible! So funny, so emotionally charged, and so jam-packed with badassery, the pages practically read themselves.
5 stars!
January 31, 2025
This is the single best book series of all time and nobody can convince me otherwise.
WHEN IS BOOK 8 OUT
WHEN IS BOOK 8 OUT
March 25, 2025
This will be my first entry into a project of reviewing every DCC book. This is my most popular review on Goodreads! So I feel kinda bad about deleting it and doing a new one after re-reading the book. Oh well my thoughts haven't changed but I think I can explain them better:
I love Dungeon Crawler Carl. Both Butcher's Masquerade and Bedlam Bride are some of the best books of this decade.
Why do I/we like Dungeon Crawler Carl? I think it's a combination of the following factors:
1. Excellent Character work and people we care about.
2. Creative systems and dynamic environments where characters can express themselves against impossible odds.
3. Dramatic depth mixed with laugh-your-heart-out comedy.
This Inevitable Ruin showcases points 1 and 3 EXCELLENTLY; but it misses the mark on point 2. Everybody is OP now, the 9th floor is chaotic and violent, but does not feel like a system in a way that Iron Tangle or Cuba did. The warlord mechanics are convoluted and poorly explained, and many conflicts are resolved via "the nuclear option" : one character does something completely OP that has been teased in advance mostly, and then we move on.
The tension moments are still dramatic, there's even more to lose than in previous books, but this layer is more about military operations and assassination than about the dungeoneering that made me fall in love with the series. It is very similar in truth to the second book of the series: Doomsday Scenario.
Now, the beginning quarter (and the God-tier recap). And the ending (last 15%) were as good if not better than what we saw in Bedlam Bride, but outside of that this book was the weakest DCC book yet which is still well above current fantasy standards.
My ranking of the series, if you're into that, currently is 5>6 >>4>3 >>1>7 >2
Now get out there and KILL KILL KILL!
I love Dungeon Crawler Carl. Both Butcher's Masquerade and Bedlam Bride are some of the best books of this decade.
Why do I/we like Dungeon Crawler Carl? I think it's a combination of the following factors:
1. Excellent Character work and people we care about.
2. Creative systems and dynamic environments where characters can express themselves against impossible odds.
3. Dramatic depth mixed with laugh-your-heart-out comedy.
This Inevitable Ruin showcases points 1 and 3 EXCELLENTLY; but it misses the mark on point 2. Everybody is OP now, the 9th floor is chaotic and violent, but does not feel like a system in a way that Iron Tangle or Cuba did. The warlord mechanics are convoluted and poorly explained, and many conflicts are resolved via "the nuclear option" : one character does something completely OP that has been teased in advance mostly, and then we move on.
The tension moments are still dramatic, there's even more to lose than in previous books, but this layer is more about military operations and assassination than about the dungeoneering that made me fall in love with the series. It is very similar in truth to the second book of the series: Doomsday Scenario.
Now, the beginning quarter (and the God-tier recap). And the ending (last 15%) were as good if not better than what we saw in Bedlam Bride, but outside of that this book was the weakest DCC book yet which is still well above current fantasy standards.
My ranking of the series, if you're into that, currently is 5>6 >>4>3 >>1>7 >2
Now get out there and KILL KILL KILL!
December 23, 2024
The first book this series was one of my absolute favorite discoveries this year. It was fun, creative, and so brilliantly written that I couldn’t wait to dive into the rest of them.
But now, as I’ve reached this point in the series I just feel burned out. The stakes have kept getting bigger and bigger, and while I understand that it’s part of the appeal, it’s starting to feel overwhelming. Every chapter seems to aim for crazier, more chaotic, and it’s just leaving me exhausted. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, and I’m struggling to stay invested. It’s hard to stay connected to the heart of the story when there’s so much going on all the time.
I feel sad about this because I really do love Carl and Donut. I’ve grown so attached to them, and it’s frustrating to feel like I might not be able to finish the series because of how overwhelming it’s become. I want to enjoy it, but right now, it’s just too much for me.
But now, as I’ve reached this point in the series I just feel burned out. The stakes have kept getting bigger and bigger, and while I understand that it’s part of the appeal, it’s starting to feel overwhelming. Every chapter seems to aim for crazier, more chaotic, and it’s just leaving me exhausted. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, and I’m struggling to stay invested. It’s hard to stay connected to the heart of the story when there’s so much going on all the time.
I feel sad about this because I really do love Carl and Donut. I’ve grown so attached to them, and it’s frustrating to feel like I might not be able to finish the series because of how overwhelming it’s become. I want to enjoy it, but right now, it’s just too much for me.
November 19, 2024
It might be my least liked book in the series (wow I know..), I definitely have an unpopular opinion (same with book 6).
One of the series greatest strengths is that each book does its own thing. Yea we continue to level up, kill monsters, listen to the A.I. thirst after Carl and all that fun stuff, but the plot is always something new every floor. While that means it never gets stale or as repetitive as it could have been, it makes everyone have wildly different rankings.
The main reasons why I didn't like this one so much:
- Interviews and game shows were completely gone. There's a reason for that of course. I still missed them though.
- Faction Wars was hyped up for a long time. And while it had a huge amount of utter carnage and bloodshed,
- I personally didn't love the map that set up this Faction Wars. This was the only storyline for this floor, and as such all the crawlers had the exact same objective. So while all the other books could focus just on what Carl, Donut and anyone currently working with them were doing, this book had to spend a lot of time explaining what everyone else did in order for all the plans to work. Carl ended up being a narrator/observer for what felt like a third of the book.
- I kept waiting for a twist or shit to go sideways but in the end I think the win came way too easily, with barely any sacrifice.
One of the series greatest strengths is that each book does its own thing. Yea we continue to level up, kill monsters, listen to the A.I. thirst after Carl and all that fun stuff, but the plot is always something new every floor. While that means it never gets stale or as repetitive as it could have been, it makes everyone have wildly different rankings.
The main reasons why I didn't like this one so much:
- Interviews and game shows were completely gone. There's a reason for that of course. I still missed them though.
- Faction Wars was hyped up for a long time. And while it had a huge amount of utter carnage and bloodshed,
- I personally didn't love the map that set up this Faction Wars. This was the only storyline for this floor, and as such all the crawlers had the exact same objective. So while all the other books could focus just on what Carl, Donut and anyone currently working with them were doing, this book had to spend a lot of time explaining what everyone else did in order for all the plans to work. Carl ended up being a narrator/observer for what felt like a third of the book.
- I kept waiting for a twist or shit to go sideways but in the end I think the win came way too easily, with barely any sacrifice.
April 7, 2025
★★★★★ 5/5
✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉ Note : This review will be short and quick as usual. As always, I beg you to read this series for yourself.
This Inevitable Ruin is book seven in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and is currently the latest installment published at the date of this review, and that just breaks my heart. I absolutely adore these characters and the development in their stories and lives that knowing I am now like the normal reader, having to wait years for new books to release to continue this journey is so soul-crushing. I need MORE.
: ̗̀➛ My Review Rants
Seriously though, what an incredible wrap to one of the most anticipated floors in the dungeon. We have had to say goodbye to so many beloved characters in previous books and this one did not hold its punches in that regard either. I have a hole in my heart that could compete with Donut's, well, donut hole, for how gaping it is. I also want to mention, (major spoiler don't open if you haven't read the series)
: ̗̀➛ Final Thoughts
I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!!!
That's it, that's my review. Thanks.
: ̗̀➛ Series Reviews
Check out my reviews for the other books in this series:
Dungeon Crawler Carl : Book 1
Carl's Doomsday Scenario : Book 2
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook : Book 3
The Gate of the Feral Gods : Book 4
The Butcher's Masquerade : Book 5
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride : Book 6
This Inevitable Ruin : Book 7
“And we all know what happens when Carl gets a girlfriend. I love him very much, but he’s quite naïve. She could literally have dicks raining on her, and he wouldn’t notice. No offense, Carl.”
✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉ Note : This review will be short and quick as usual. As always, I beg you to read this series for yourself.
This Inevitable Ruin is book seven in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and is currently the latest installment published at the date of this review, and that just breaks my heart. I absolutely adore these characters and the development in their stories and lives that knowing I am now like the normal reader, having to wait years for new books to release to continue this journey is so soul-crushing. I need MORE.
: ̗̀➛ My Review Rants
Seriously though, what an incredible wrap to one of the most anticipated floors in the dungeon. We have had to say goodbye to so many beloved characters in previous books and this one did not hold its punches in that regard either. I have a hole in my heart that could compete with Donut's, well, donut hole, for how gaping it is. I also want to mention, (major spoiler don't open if you haven't read the series)
“Happy wife, happy life takes on a whole new meaning when your other half is an indescribable cosmic horror.”
“Be careful who you’re nice to. Because if you are nice to the wrong person, they’ll either take advantage of you, or worse, they might never leave.”
“When Big Things happen on such a large scale, it’s easy to forget sometimes that these Big Things are also happening to the little things in the world.”
“Yes, Carl,” the potion bottle said, his voice deep and demonic. “Drink me. Drink me deep. Put me inside of you.”
“We hadn’t used the chain skill because, well, I’d decided to blow myself up instead.”
“It was still dark and cloudy, and I could barely see anything, but a giant, quivering ball of rolling flesh with a god-sized dick schlopping out of it was pretty hard to miss.”
“Raul lowered her and let her slide to the ground. The crab sneered. “Daddy Carl is magnanimous today. Now you shall kiss his famed, alabaster feet and beg for forgiveness.”
: ̗̀➛ Final Thoughts
I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!!!
That's it, that's my review. Thanks.
: ̗̀➛ Series Reviews
Check out my reviews for the other books in this series:
Dungeon Crawler Carl : Book 1
Carl's Doomsday Scenario : Book 2
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook : Book 3
The Gate of the Feral Gods : Book 4
The Butcher's Masquerade : Book 5
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride : Book 6
This Inevitable Ruin : Book 7
December 29, 2024
Did not love this one as much as the previous books but it was still good. I miss the initial books a lot. I miss the AI, the new monsters and the talk shows. It’s understandable considering the development of the plot. Can’t believe I’m saying this but the action went on for a little too long in the middle of the book. I’m still super excited for the sequel.
August 7, 2025
This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog
Well, it was quite inevitable that I was going to enjoy This Inevitable Ruin, right?! I mean, we're now seven books deep into this madness and I am honestly running out of original things to say in these reviews at this point, but I had a blast once again and that is all that really matters. This was Carled Up in the best way possible.
Throughout the entire series, there’s been this huge build-up to the notorious Faction Wars, and now we have finally arrived at the ninth floor in This Inevitable Ruin. Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting, but Dinniman delivered. There’s no denying that a lot of the intricacies of the politics (both inside and outside the dungeon), crazy action and the larger implications of the lore reveals went in one ear and out the other for me, but I think it’s a testament to the strength of Dinniman’s character work that I still get so much enjoyment out of this story despite feeling quite lost and confused the majority of the time.
For me, the core cast of the Princess Posse is still the big emotional anchor of this series, and I love how these characters are constantly growing physically stronger but then also become more emotionally vulnerable with each new challenge they have to face. Moreover, I really enjoyed how the side cast got to shine through the inclusion of some non-Carl POV chapters, and especially the presence of the previous crawlers and former cookbook authors was a true highlight of This Inevitable Ruin for me. I think this instalment really features some of the most memorable and emotionally impactful character moments in the series so far, which is exactly what kept me hooked amidst all the intense, overwhelming action.
Now, anyone who is still saying that DCC is just a fun easy breezy braincandy read is just straight-up lying. Dinniman is juggling a shit ton of balls at this point in the series, and it’s grown so far beyond the zany, comedic litRPG romp that it started out as in book 1 (even if some of the crude, zany humour is more hysterical than ever before). I mean, my brain really had to work, and I was not totally ready for it.
We’ve got world building and political intrigue more complex than most epic fantasies I’ve read, and the level of emotional torture and skin-crawling gore is more disturbing than anything I have seen in any horror book before, but somehow it kinda works? Also, the rogue AI who just gets more and more diabolically unhinged as it breaks its bonds remains one of my favourite aspects of this series, even if it also scares the shit out of me sometimes.
And sure, there were definitely moments where I felt the excessively long page count of This Inevitable Ruin and got a bit exhausted trying to process it all, but luckily Jeff Hays’ engrossing narration just carried me through anyway. That said, as much as I enjoy these phenomenal audiobooks, I think I really need to do an eyeball re-read/immersion read one day to take in all the intricate details of this story that have gone over my head and to fully appreciate Dinniman’s wild imagination and incredible storytelling skills.
Ultimately, the highs of This Inevitable Ruin more than outweigh the ‘lows’ for me (if we can even call it lows, they’re more just little personal preference quibbles), and I am so invested at this point that I will happily devour anything DCC related. I can't believe I have to wait for the next instalment now, THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. This series is an absolute shitshow, and I love it all the more for it.
Well, it was quite inevitable that I was going to enjoy This Inevitable Ruin, right?! I mean, we're now seven books deep into this madness and I am honestly running out of original things to say in these reviews at this point, but I had a blast once again and that is all that really matters. This was Carled Up in the best way possible.
Throughout the entire series, there’s been this huge build-up to the notorious Faction Wars, and now we have finally arrived at the ninth floor in This Inevitable Ruin. Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting, but Dinniman delivered. There’s no denying that a lot of the intricacies of the politics (both inside and outside the dungeon), crazy action and the larger implications of the lore reveals went in one ear and out the other for me, but I think it’s a testament to the strength of Dinniman’s character work that I still get so much enjoyment out of this story despite feeling quite lost and confused the majority of the time.
For me, the core cast of the Princess Posse is still the big emotional anchor of this series, and I love how these characters are constantly growing physically stronger but then also become more emotionally vulnerable with each new challenge they have to face. Moreover, I really enjoyed how the side cast got to shine through the inclusion of some non-Carl POV chapters, and especially the presence of the previous crawlers and former cookbook authors was a true highlight of This Inevitable Ruin for me. I think this instalment really features some of the most memorable and emotionally impactful character moments in the series so far, which is exactly what kept me hooked amidst all the intense, overwhelming action.
Now, anyone who is still saying that DCC is just a fun easy breezy braincandy read is just straight-up lying. Dinniman is juggling a shit ton of balls at this point in the series, and it’s grown so far beyond the zany, comedic litRPG romp that it started out as in book 1 (even if some of the crude, zany humour is more hysterical than ever before). I mean, my brain really had to work, and I was not totally ready for it.
We’ve got world building and political intrigue more complex than most epic fantasies I’ve read, and the level of emotional torture and skin-crawling gore is more disturbing than anything I have seen in any horror book before, but somehow it kinda works? Also, the rogue AI who just gets more and more diabolically unhinged as it breaks its bonds remains one of my favourite aspects of this series, even if it also scares the shit out of me sometimes.
And sure, there were definitely moments where I felt the excessively long page count of This Inevitable Ruin and got a bit exhausted trying to process it all, but luckily Jeff Hays’ engrossing narration just carried me through anyway. That said, as much as I enjoy these phenomenal audiobooks, I think I really need to do an eyeball re-read/immersion read one day to take in all the intricate details of this story that have gone over my head and to fully appreciate Dinniman’s wild imagination and incredible storytelling skills.
Ultimately, the highs of This Inevitable Ruin more than outweigh the ‘lows’ for me (if we can even call it lows, they’re more just little personal preference quibbles), and I am so invested at this point that I will happily devour anything DCC related. I can't believe I have to wait for the next instalment now, THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. This series is an absolute shitshow, and I love it all the more for it.
February 18, 2025
Audio reread: still awesome, and audio is definitely my preferred way to experience DCC through Jeff Hays' unbelievable performance. Book 7 is different in feel from the previous books, and that is ok. It goes bigger, and that is also ok. Not only ok, but welcome by me 100%. There are some stupendous large-scale action sequences that had me on the edge of my seat, and there are plenty of quieter emotional moments that deliver the typical character impact of the last bunch of books. There's so much heart in this story amidst the zaniness, and the combination is unlike anything I've experienced. I need book 8 yesterday.
Original first read review:
This book is absolutely bonkers. The craziest shit you can imagine (actually, I definitely can't imagine the same stuff Dinniman can) just is continually happening here and it never lets up. There was so much building up to this particular book with the faction wars floor finally arriving, and it delivered.
I do not understand how Dinniman balanced everything going on here so that it never felt clunky, between all the core cast, the ever-expanding group of named side characters, all the political factions inside the dungeon, lots of new lore reveals, plus all the stuff goin down outside the dungeon. I loved the new POV interludes from the various cookbook authors, and even with those additions and all the extra plot craziness, somehow the core cast never got lost, with the tremendous emotional anchor as always to hold everything together in the primary first-person POV of Carl.
I was always on the edge of my seat and so tense, which makes DCC's trademark zaniness and humor so welcome to balance out all the anxiety (I am and forever will be a member of the Princess Posse). Can't wait to reread this one soon with the audiobook, and man will it be painful to have to wait to continue this crazy tale.
Original first read review:
This book is absolutely bonkers. The craziest shit you can imagine (actually, I definitely can't imagine the same stuff Dinniman can) just is continually happening here and it never lets up. There was so much building up to this particular book with the faction wars floor finally arriving, and it delivered.
I do not understand how Dinniman balanced everything going on here so that it never felt clunky, between all the core cast, the ever-expanding group of named side characters, all the political factions inside the dungeon, lots of new lore reveals, plus all the stuff goin down outside the dungeon. I loved the new POV interludes from the various cookbook authors, and even with those additions and all the extra plot craziness, somehow the core cast never got lost, with the tremendous emotional anchor as always to hold everything together in the primary first-person POV of Carl.
I was always on the edge of my seat and so tense, which makes DCC's trademark zaniness and humor so welcome to balance out all the anxiety (I am and forever will be a member of the Princess Posse). Can't wait to reread this one soon with the audiobook, and man will it be painful to have to wait to continue this crazy tale.
April 18, 2025
This was just a little bit too long, and had a little too much battling for my personal tastes, but it made me tear up at the end, and also laugh hysterically, so rounding up to five.
[4.5 stars]
r/Fantasy BINGO 2025: Gods and Pantheons (Hard Mode: Multiple Pantheons)
[4.5 stars]
r/Fantasy BINGO 2025: Gods and Pantheons (Hard Mode: Multiple Pantheons)
October 26, 2025
I love you too Prepotente.
Major character and plot developments in this installment, probably too many to mention. It was definitely a slow start and as I'm not much of a fan of 'war' type novel, I struggled a bit. However when the action really got going I fell into the fun of this. It's particularly interesting to see the dynamics of the main group change as they are forced to participate in things they really don't want to do. As long as Donut is fine, I'm ok with that.
Also congratulations
Major character and plot developments in this installment, probably too many to mention. It was definitely a slow start and as I'm not much of a fan of 'war' type novel, I struggled a bit. However when the action really got going I fell into the fun of this. It's particularly interesting to see the dynamics of the main group change as they are forced to participate in things they really don't want to do. As long as Donut is fine, I'm ok with that.
Also congratulations
January 5, 2025
Weakest of the series so far.
The mad and frenetic escapades of the previous books felt gone. The claustrophobic and personal battles are no more. With the increased scope and cast the book struggles to keep up with itself, trying to give too many characters the lime light while also keeping focussed on a core cast, yet Carl become fairly unlikable for no real reason and Donut is seemingly relegated to a side character in many scenes, bar one or two. I am all for switching it up, but this one missed the mark for me.
It's an epic beginning and some brilliant scenes sprinkled in, but it's lost some of that magic of the earlier books in trying to be bigger and broader than the others.
The mad and frenetic escapades of the previous books felt gone. The claustrophobic and personal battles are no more. With the increased scope and cast the book struggles to keep up with itself, trying to give too many characters the lime light while also keeping focussed on a core cast, yet Carl become fairly unlikable for no real reason and Donut is seemingly relegated to a side character in many scenes, bar one or two. I am all for switching it up, but this one missed the mark for me.
It's an epic beginning and some brilliant scenes sprinkled in, but it's lost some of that magic of the earlier books in trying to be bigger and broader than the others.
February 17, 2025
3.5 The first DCC to get below 4 stars from me. In an review for an earlier book I said, “it’s better to be overly complicated than dumb”, and it surely could not be said that Inevitable Ruin is low-effort. But it’s the result of high-pressures, too much fan interaction, and serialized web publishing. The pressure for output is too high, there are too many plates to spin. To be fair, the final third of this 28 hours audiobook(!), delivers most of what I wanted with huge battles and some nice character developement. But those first 20 hours, what the hell is happening?
Get out your notebook and open up the Dungeon Crawler wiki because this is one of those books that 40+ characters, dozens of subplots, a couple hundred little items and weapons; and it just throws it all at you with no explanation. A less confident author would reassert who characters are, would contextualize an alien race, would describe any of those two dozen characters physically. But you’re just not doing your homework!
The end result is a Byzantine labyrinth of names and subplots. Who are these characters? What are the political affiliations of the alien races? I have the pause this book for the tenth time to consult the wiki. So much of this book is a word salad. It shines when it comes together with a clear conflict with established characters but so much of it is too much, too fast, without clear explanation. And because it was serialized, it can’t get the editing it needs. Tons of subplots, but where are the loot boxes? Where the interviews? Where are the goofy monster fights?
It’s too much pressure to build a labyrinth overnight. I’m a ride-or-die Donut Hole, but we’ve got to scale this back. Looking forward to when this book is laid out in intricate detail on the wiki, because I listened to this entire thing and am pretty unclear on… a lot!
Get out your notebook and open up the Dungeon Crawler wiki because this is one of those books that 40+ characters, dozens of subplots, a couple hundred little items and weapons; and it just throws it all at you with no explanation. A less confident author would reassert who characters are, would contextualize an alien race, would describe any of those two dozen characters physically. But you’re just not doing your homework!
The end result is a Byzantine labyrinth of names and subplots. Who are these characters? What are the political affiliations of the alien races? I have the pause this book for the tenth time to consult the wiki. So much of this book is a word salad. It shines when it comes together with a clear conflict with established characters but so much of it is too much, too fast, without clear explanation. And because it was serialized, it can’t get the editing it needs. Tons of subplots, but where are the loot boxes? Where the interviews? Where are the goofy monster fights?
It’s too much pressure to build a labyrinth overnight. I’m a ride-or-die Donut Hole, but we’ve got to scale this back. Looking forward to when this book is laid out in intricate detail on the wiki, because I listened to this entire thing and am pretty unclear on… a lot!
March 24, 2025
Ja po finale tomu 6: Ta seria nie może być już bardziej pojebana.
Matt Dinniman w połowie tomu 7: Potrzymaj mi piwo.
Serio, ostatnie... 30-40 rozdziałów to czyste szaleństwo. O ile poprzedni tom miał najbardziej powalone rozstrzygnięcie akcji, jakiego doświadczyłem w książkach kiedykolwiek, to tutaj sam natłok tego co się dzieje jest niesamowity. Twist za twistem i każdy następny podkręca wszystko w absurdalny sposób. Wyobraźcie sobie, że macie już dość, leżycie na ziemi i prosicie autora, żeby zwolnił, a on stoi nad wami, kopie was po żebrach i krzyczy "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"
Ja jestem w stanie uwierzyć, że niektóre z tych rzeczy mogą się urodzić w głowie normalnego człowieka, ale w którymś momencie normalny człowiek zdałby sobie sprawę, że, wydanie tego w książce oznacza, że zobaczą to inni ludzie i wcisnąłby hamulec. Na szczęście Matt Dinniman nie jest normalny i nie ma tego hamulca. Niestety oznacza to też, że DCC permanentnie uszkodziło mi mózg i nie wiem, czy po tym będę w stanie cieszyć się zwykłymi książkami.
Matt Dinniman w połowie tomu 7: Potrzymaj mi piwo.
Serio, ostatnie... 30-40 rozdziałów to czyste szaleństwo. O ile poprzedni tom miał najbardziej powalone rozstrzygnięcie akcji, jakiego doświadczyłem w książkach kiedykolwiek, to tutaj sam natłok tego co się dzieje jest niesamowity. Twist za twistem i każdy następny podkręca wszystko w absurdalny sposób. Wyobraźcie sobie, że macie już dość, leżycie na ziemi i prosicie autora, żeby zwolnił, a on stoi nad wami, kopie was po żebrach i krzyczy "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"
Ja jestem w stanie uwierzyć, że niektóre z tych rzeczy mogą się urodzić w głowie normalnego człowieka, ale w którymś momencie normalny człowiek zdałby sobie sprawę, że, wydanie tego w książce oznacza, że zobaczą to inni ludzie i wcisnąłby hamulec. Na szczęście Matt Dinniman nie jest normalny i nie ma tego hamulca. Niestety oznacza to też, że DCC permanentnie uszkodziło mi mózg i nie wiem, czy po tym będę w stanie cieszyć się zwykłymi książkami.
December 19, 2025
✨Book Review in 10 words or less✨
A slow then bright burn. I’m addicted and unashamed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A slow then bright burn. I’m addicted and unashamed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 26, 2025
This Inevitable Ruin (not really defined until nearly the end of this book) is perhaps trying to combine the board games Risk and Diplomacy with Game of Thrones.
Dinniman shows why it takes so long for him to write one of these books: How does he think up this stuff???
"If the sultana managed to have 198 daughters before she had 99 sons, it wasn’t clear what would happen, though I gathered she basically became the leader and all her male siblings would be put to the blade. It had only happened once in their history, and the sultana who did it was deemed the Sepsis Whore, who’d supposedly poisoned almost all of her sons. The nagas were now more “civilized,” and the family worked more like that of a traditional monarchy."
If you don’t know what a “cookbook” represents in this series go back to the start because the authors of this ongoing Galactic dungeon crawl are now getting to participate on this floor.
Carl and Princess Donut are hard-pressed to keep the Princess Posse (and its many thousands of members) from annihilation. The above quote is representative of the complex species-relationships that are critical in the showdown coming. Friendships are frayed and even Carl must undergo treatment before one or more things in his body take over his decision-making.
Yet, the following is something that you don’t often find in this genre: "The shrapnel pinged against my shields like fireflies. I thought of my grandparent’s house in Texas. They had fireflies there, and we didn’t have any in Washington. Why would I think of that now?"
Amazingly fast-paced while almost infinitely nuanced. If you thought that Book 6 was over-complicated and digressional, Book 7 is far more so.
[How does Dinniman keep track of all these aspects??? Someone who was willing to put together a compendium of the gods, species and spells in this series would have me in line for a copy.]
4.1
Dinniman shows why it takes so long for him to write one of these books: How does he think up this stuff???
"If the sultana managed to have 198 daughters before she had 99 sons, it wasn’t clear what would happen, though I gathered she basically became the leader and all her male siblings would be put to the blade. It had only happened once in their history, and the sultana who did it was deemed the Sepsis Whore, who’d supposedly poisoned almost all of her sons. The nagas were now more “civilized,” and the family worked more like that of a traditional monarchy."
If you don’t know what a “cookbook” represents in this series go back to the start because the authors of this ongoing Galactic dungeon crawl are now getting to participate on this floor.
Carl and Princess Donut are hard-pressed to keep the Princess Posse (and its many thousands of members) from annihilation. The above quote is representative of the complex species-relationships that are critical in the showdown coming. Friendships are frayed and even Carl must undergo treatment before one or more things in his body take over his decision-making.
Yet, the following is something that you don’t often find in this genre: "The shrapnel pinged against my shields like fireflies. I thought of my grandparent’s house in Texas. They had fireflies there, and we didn’t have any in Washington. Why would I think of that now?"
Amazingly fast-paced while almost infinitely nuanced. If you thought that Book 6 was over-complicated and digressional, Book 7 is far more so.
[How does Dinniman keep track of all these aspects??? Someone who was willing to put together a compendium of the gods, species and spells in this series would have me in line for a copy.]
4.1
September 23, 2025
Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC of the newly rereleased This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman. Below is my honest review.
I LOVE DONUT.
Dungeon Crawler Carl is an immensely binge-able series, full of action, twists, turns, and great characters. This one was no exception. This dungeon floor was Faction Wars, and boy, it got wild.
I LOVE DONUT.
So many things happened in this one, and the world outside the dungeon became a bigger part of the story, as it's slowly been doing over the last book or two, and the next one will definitely reach even farther.
I LOVE DONUT.
This one had some draggy moments for me, mostly because there was a little too much description of setting up defenses for the war that made me have some "omg get on with it" thoughts, but then the you know what hit the you know what and it was forgotten about.
I LOVE DONUT
If you haven't read this series, binge it now. These new print editions from Berkley include bonus scenes at the end that aren't available in the prior releases. Plus have you seen the GORGEOUS COVERS?
I LOVE DONUT.
Highly recommended series. Plus, did I mention that I LOVE DONUT?
I LOVE DONUT.
Dungeon Crawler Carl is an immensely binge-able series, full of action, twists, turns, and great characters. This one was no exception. This dungeon floor was Faction Wars, and boy, it got wild.
I LOVE DONUT.
So many things happened in this one, and the world outside the dungeon became a bigger part of the story, as it's slowly been doing over the last book or two, and the next one will definitely reach even farther.
I LOVE DONUT.
This one had some draggy moments for me, mostly because there was a little too much description of setting up defenses for the war that made me have some "omg get on with it" thoughts, but then the you know what hit the you know what and it was forgotten about.
I LOVE DONUT
If you haven't read this series, binge it now. These new print editions from Berkley include bonus scenes at the end that aren't available in the prior releases. Plus have you seen the GORGEOUS COVERS?
I LOVE DONUT.
Highly recommended series. Plus, did I mention that I LOVE DONUT?
December 3, 2024
This story was... Ok. Its what it is or what it felt like was a filler book that plays it safe. We have been building to the faction wars for years and I was left wanting. I know in the minority with my ratings but I am not giving up on this series...not be a long shot.
December 16, 2025
What else is there to say? Matt Dinnaman can simply do no wrong in this series.
Perfection.
Perfection.
May 21, 2025
And that's me up to date with DCC, listened to all 7 back to back. Such a lot of fun and with far deeper characters than you'd expect from the premise. The biggest praise I can give it, is that I'm eagerly awaiting book 8.
December 5, 2024
Que gozada de libros, así de simple.
Y digo esto aun teniendo lagunas por leerlo en inglés y perderme algunos detalles, a lo que se suma que los primeros los leí con una traducción chusca y eso me generó más lagunas. Pues aún con todo esto dicho, UNA PASADA.
Lo he puesto varias veces y lo pongo una vez más: Si el inglés no es un problema para ti, prueba estos libros que te lo vas a pasar de lujo.
Y digo esto aun teniendo lagunas por leerlo en inglés y perderme algunos detalles, a lo que se suma que los primeros los leí con una traducción chusca y eso me generó más lagunas. Pues aún con todo esto dicho, UNA PASADA.
Lo he puesto varias veces y lo pongo una vez más: Si el inglés no es un problema para ti, prueba estos libros que te lo vas a pasar de lujo.
December 8, 2024
This book was much different than the rest of the series. I found it hard to get into the story because of all the war and battalion talk. There was a lot of switching between view points that also made it hard to follow.
There were some LOL moments as usual and I'm excited to see what happens next still. But definitely was a darker and slower story than the rest of the series.
There were some LOL moments as usual and I'm excited to see what happens next still. But definitely was a darker and slower story than the rest of the series.
May 3, 2025
5.0 stars—-
Second best book in the series for me, behind the Butcher’s Masquerade (book 5).
Second best book in the series for me, behind the Butcher’s Masquerade (book 5).
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