Crawlers, unite!
Dungeon Crawler Carl, author Matt Dinniman, is hard at work on book nine. Fans at New York Comic Con (NYCC) were treated to a live reading from the next book in the series, currently under the working title The Beautiful Place. Jeff Hays, who will voice Princess Donut in the upcoming Dungeon Crawler Carl series on Peacock, and has read all eight novels for Audible, read the excerpt to the sold-out crowd.
Among the reveals from book nine’s excerpt? A new crawler.
Moderated by Michael Simeon — who knighted Princess Donut as a gay icon — the panel was otherwise full of positivity and gratitude from Hays, Dinniman, and Simeon.
When asked about how Dinniman came to choose Hays as his series narrator, he explained, “I knew how good he was.” Dinniman knew he wanted a male narrator, since Dungeon Crawler Carl features a male character.
Dinniman elaborated on the dynamics between Carl and Princess Donut, Carl’s feline companion. “It’s the whole good-cop-bad-cop thing,” he said. “At the end, they have a mutual love and respect for each other. My original plan was to have Donut disappear. As soon as I had her talk as a sentient cat I knew I had to keep them together.” Dinniman likened their relationship and arc to that of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a reference that elicited cheers from the audience. “Plus,” he conceded, “She’s a talking cat.”
Hays shared that he found it easiest to perform Princess Donut’s voice. He also revealed that he didn’t like cats, but does now, “because of Princess Donut.”
Hays told the crowd his career in voice acting was inspired by actor Patrick Warburton, who is known for his deep voice. He was inspired by Warburton in the creation of Carl’s voice; Warburton currently voices Carl’s father in book six, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride.
Having voiced eight novels, Hays enjoys balancing horror and comedic tones. “There’s so much to think about,” he said. “It’s an absolute pleasure to have that challenge.” As a voice artist, “Book five stands tall for tone shifting.” His biggest challenge is the sad parts.
Dinniman said his biggest challenge now is Odette: “We don’t know if Odette is a bad guy or a good guy.”
While fans wait for the next book, they can look forward to a tabletop game, a pinball machine, and the live-action series on Peacock. “Dungeon Crawler Carl is my whole life now,” Dinniman said, noting that he got his start with Transformers fan fiction.
“Every single day something crazier happens than the day before, and I am so humbled,” Dinniman said. He referenced the series appearing on Jeopardy!, which made the series “real for some people,” including his mother’s friends. “There’s lots of stuff happening, but what’s really important to me is when you meet each other,” he said. “We created this community, and it’s really, really neat.”
Fans can hear Hays read the series and prepare for the next book through Audible.
