Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans Have Another Reason to Pay Attention to Princess Donut Before Book 9

By Ahaqir Ishaq

Princess Donut is getting her own purple dice set for the Dungeon Crawler Carl tabletop RPG this November. I’m more intrigued by what she’ll be doing in the deluxe hardcover of Book 1. On November 17, Ace is giving Donut the interviewer’s chair for a bonus Q&A with Matt Dinniman. The character who knows exactly what to do when someone hands her a microphone gets to ask the questions this time.

What comes in the Princess Donut dice set?

Renegade Game Studios lists the Princess Donut Dice Set at $25 for a November 2026 release. Trade publication ICv2 reports a November 23 retail date. The set contains seven translucent purple dice, including two d20s, and a two-sided chip. The dice work with the Dungeon Crawler Carl tabletop RPG or another game that uses standard polyhedral dice. If you already own a set, the Donut design is the reason to buy these.

There’s also a free way to spend a little more time with Donut. Maeve Chocolate released Mama’s Night Off in July, a browser game in which you have 30 seconds to blast falling cherries. Jeff Hays recorded fresh audio for it, so if you know Donut from the audiobooks, turn up the sound. Use the Play button on Maeve’s site to open the game.

The Donut interview is the extra I’d flip to first

The November 17 hardcover is a $65 collector’s edition of the first novel, with new artwork by Victo Ngai and a solvable maze under the dust jacket. For readers who already own the 2024 Ace hardcover, the Donut-hosted Q&A is the bonus to look for. Both hardcovers include the first installment of “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”

What I like about the idea of Donut interviewing her own author is how neatly it reverses the setup of the first book. The dungeon is a reality show, and the people running it expect to decide how the crawlers come across. Donut enters with a show cat’s understanding of what an audience can do for her. Give her a camera and she has a chance to win people over, which matters in a game where viewers and sponsors can help shape what happens to her and Carl.

That’s the part of her character I’d watch on a reread. Pay attention to what Donut says when a crowd is listening and what she lets Carl see when they’re alone. The difference gives some of her funniest scenes an extra edge. It also makes the Q&A a fitting bonus for Book 1. Dinniman built a world where everyone has an angle, then handed his own interview to the cat who figured that out early.

What Matt Dinniman has shared about Book 9

The Beautiful Place is the working title of Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 9. Dinniman posted the prologue to Patreon in June, the first two chapters in August, and chapters three through five plus an interlude in October. As of November 13, 2026, Book 9 has no confirmed publication date. The November 17 date is for the deluxe edition of Book 1, and November 23 is the reported retail date for the dice.

If you’re caught up and want the cliffhanger fresh in your mind, our A Parade of Horribles recap covers where Carl and Donut end up in Book 8. If you’re still making your way through the crawl, start with our Dungeon Crawler Carl reading order.

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