The Dungeon Crawler Carl series is getting a new entry this year and you can already preorder yourself a copy. The popular LitRPG series has been seeing an explosion in sales over the last few years, but for those of us who have been reading since the very beginning, the wait for book eight has been the longest yet. The new book from Matt Dinniman is officially titled "Parade of Horribles" and is set to release on May 12, 2026.
Preorders for this book are now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and pretty much every other online bookstore available. Cover art has yet to be revealed for the hardcover edition.
A Parade of Horribles Is Now Up for Preorder
If you're looking to get your preorder in early, your overall best option is Amazon. Not only is the hardcover edition cheapest there already, Amazon also offers a preorder price guarantee that ensures you'll pay the lowest price no matter when you place your order. That means if you preorder now and Amazon drops the price even further before May 12, you'll pay that lower price when your book actually ships. Amazon also offers free release day delivery, so you'll be able to read your copy on the day it comes out.
The Audiobook releases on the same day
If you prefer to listen to books rather than read them yourself, the audiobook will be coming out on May 12 as well. The audiobooks are very much worth your time if you haven't already listened to them. Voice actor Jeff Hayes does an incredible job voicing all of the different characters in the Audible version and he's back for the latest book once again. You can test out the first book with an Audible free trial and see for yourself.
What Is A Parade of Horribles About?
The upcoming book officially has cover art and a description. Here's the official synopsis from the Penguin Random House website:
"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."
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to indie games and books.
