4 Near-Perfect RPG Books to Read If You Need a Dungeon Crawler Carl Replacement

Image: Harcourt Childrens Books, Tor, and HarperCollins

While Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl certainly catapulted LitRPG—a subgenre where game mechanics and leveling systems define the narrative—into the mainstream, it’s not the only way to weave the spirit of role-playing games into fiction. Beyond the stat-heavy power fantasies, several authors are finding clever, innovative ways to mirror the tabletop experience within their prose.

The following four selections run the gamut from lighthearted romance to unsettling horror, with two hitting bookshelves just this year. In each, the act of playing a game—whether digital or analog—serves as the catalyst for the narrative.

Two essential reads to pick up today

4
Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

Image: Harcourt Childrens Books

Released in 2004, this YA sci-fi gem remains a must-read for anyone who appreciates the high-stakes frustration of a fantasy roguelike.

Heir Apparent follows Giannine Bellisario, a teenager who heads to a local arcade to celebrate her birthday. She plugs into a cutting-edge, immersive virtual reality experience, only to find herself trapped in a brutal, cyclical game. To claim the throne as Janine de St. Jehan, she must survive a three-day assassination gauntlet. If she fails, the game resets; if she loses too many times, the hardware could fry her brain.

It’s a masterclass in tension, as Giannine must master every variable of this digital kingdom to secure her escape.

Grab your copy of Heir Apparent at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

3
Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods

Image: Penguin Random House

Every seasoned gamer knows that the best D&D sessions are about more than just combat—they’re about the connection between players. In Roll for Romance, protagonist Sadie Brooks joins a new campaign and finds herself falling for her friend’s suave elf bard, both in-game and in reality.

As Sadie’s cleric, Jaylie, navigates a fantasy world alongside the charming bard played by her crush, Noah, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur. It’s a delightful exploration of how tabletop gaming can create genuine, heartfelt bonds.

You can find Roll for Romance at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

Upcoming releases to watch for

2
Strange is the Light by Sarah Maria Griffin

Real life rarely allows for a perfect, continuous campaign, but in this uncanny upcoming novel, a group of friends is pulled back to the table twenty years after a game-testing disaster left reality fractured. They carry the weight of accidental magical debts, and finishing the game is the only way to save their world—and mend their fractured friendships.

Think of it as Stranger Things meets the emotional depth of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. It’s set to be a haunting, high-stakes odyssey.

Preorder Strange is the Light (releasing Sept. 11) via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

1
The Ship of Death by Kyle Winkler

Presented entirely through an unsettling collection of emails, reports, and journals, this supernatural thriller is the literary equivalent of a cursed tabletop session. When Cole and Lorraine are hired to playtest an obscure board game, they think it’s just a way to pay the bills. They couldn’t be more wrong.

As the game creeps into their real-world existence, it creates a claustrophobic, reality-warping nightmare perfect for fans of House of Leaves.

Preorder The Ship of Death (releasing Sept. 29) via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

Source: Polygon