Matt Dinniman on Dungeon Crawler Carl eight and tattoo fandom
Author Matt Dinniman describes “Dungeon Crawler Carl 8” and shares the wild fandom behind the series.
New achievement! Author Matt Dinniman’s dream just came true, thanks to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
Dinniman, the writer of the popular (and lengthy) “Dungeon Crawler Carl” series, stopped by the Queen City last week to speak at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Downtown location and Joseph-Beth bookstore in support of his eighth edition of the series, “A Parade of Horribles,” which was released May 12.
Following his trip, the author posted about it on social media. He thanked several of the city’s staples, such as Graeter’s and the Cincinnati Bengals. He also thanked the Cincinnati Zoo for making his dream of meeting Fiona the hippo a reality.
“Huge thanks to the [Cincinnati Zoo] for helping make my dream of meeting Fiona and family come true today! My tour stop in Cincinnati has been amazing, and everyone in the city has been so welcoming,” he wrote on Instagram, adding that he “can’t wait to come back.”
The author inscribed a dedication to Cincinnati’s famed hippo in his first series novel, “Dungeon Crawler Carl.” He even brought a printed version to the zoo.
“This version of Dungeon Crawler Carl is dedicated to the star of one of the greatest, most inspiring, most amazing survival stories of our time. Fiona. Fiona the hippo… Sorry, Mom,” the dedication reads.
Fiona, who became a national sensation, was the zoo’s first newborn hippo and the smallest premature hippo to survive in human care. Fiona was born Jan. 24, 2017 – six weeks premature. She weighed only 29 pounds, making her the “smallest hippo to ever survive.”
Matt Dinniman says newest Dungeon Crawler book is ‘chaos’
During a quick backstage interview with USA TODAY at BookCon in late April, Dinniman shared three words to describe the upcoming Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 8: “chaos, focused and explosive.”
BookCon fans also got a treat when audiobook narrator Jeff Hays read a passage from “A Parade of Horribles,” flawlessly switching back and forth between characters live.
“This new one is just so much fun, it’s so fast-paced but … the last 25% of the book is just super heavy lore reveal stuff that just hits you hard,” Hays said. “Matt gives you a bunch of answers that you’ve been dying to know about for a long time.”
“A Parade of Horribles” released May 12 from Ace, an imprint of Penguin Random House. We’ll meet back up with Carl and Donut on the 10th floor, tasked with a series of races while panic spreads outside in the wake of Faction Wars.
USA TODAY’s Clare Mulroy contributed to this report.
