10 Books Recommended By Matt Dinniman

Published Oct 10, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage and co-lead of Superheroes, Tom Bacon now works with the movies and books teams. He's a lifelong fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and loves franchises such as Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

Matt Dinniman is one of the best fantasy authors of the present day, best known for his epic Dungeon Crawler Carl. He's best known for his fast-paced, almost addictive storytelling and the creative use of video-game mechanics such as leveling-up, quests, and stats. Dinniman originally self-published the series, and has rightly become a modern literary phenomenon.

Naturally, all the best writers are also readers. Over the years, Dinniman has openly discussed some of his favorite books; ones that influenced him, modern tales he's fallen in love with, and even childhood favorites. If you're a fan of Matt Dinniman, these are definitely books to consider checking out — although it must be noted that they speak to the wide range of his interests, ranging from horror to young-adult classics. Still, Dungeon Crawler Carl fans can definitely consider these ten books to be ones that have gotten Dinniman's seal of approval.

10 Swan Song by Robert McCammon

A classic horror published in 1987, Swan Song is the story of an ancient evil roaming the desolate landscape of America in the aftermath of a nuclear war. It's generally considered one of the best dystopian fictions of all time, even though the premise of nuclear war is a little overused in modern fiction. Swan Song can get pretty bleak, and the monstrous presence is truly terrifying, but Swan Song has an undercurrent of hope that carries you through the book regardless.

In an interview with Goodreads, Dinniman described it as one of his favorite '80s horrors. "It's basically [McCammon's] answer to Stephen King's The Stand," he explained. "They're similar setup, but very different novels."

You can buy Swan Song from retailers like Amazon.

9 Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

"This is the book that made me fall in love with the art of the written word," Dinniman said in an interview with Page Six. "As an author, I don’t write anything even remotely similar or with 1/100th of the beauty, but this is the book I always come back to when someone talks about fantasy literature."

Published in 1990, Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered. It's a tragic masterpiece, celebrated for its flowing prose.

You can buy Tigana from retailers like Amazon.

8 Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

Dinniman certainly seems to be a fan of McCammon's works, highlighting Boy's Life in the same interview with Page Six. Published in 1991, this is the story of an idyllic town in Alabama shaken by a murder. "If Tigana made me fall in love with the art of writing, this book made me fall in love with the art of storytelling," Dinniman explained. "The book that made me want to be a writer. It fell into my lap at the perfect time in my life. I read it when I was 17 years old, which is the perfect age to consume this book."

You can buy Boy's Life from retailers like Amazon.

7 The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Published in 2024, The Tainted Cup is the first in a series of novels by Robert Jackson Bennett. An award-winning biopunk murder mystery, it combines a tremendous fantasy setting with a Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson dynamic. It's a fast-paced adventure that absolutely grips you from start to finish, with a wonderfully well-developed fantasy world. Dinniman identified it as a personal favorite in a Reddit Q&A in February 2026.

You can buy The Tainted Cup from retailers like Amazon.

6 Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons

Speaking to Goodreads, Dinniman highlighted the late Dan Simmons' 1989 book Carrion Comfort as another personal favorite. Dinniman isn't the only one to love it; Stephen King recommends this book as one of the greatest horror novels of the 20th century. The book explores the concept of "mind vampires," people who are able to bend others to their will, and he develops the concept of a group of beings who have this Ability. Characters are wonderfully well-developed, the monsters are terrifying, and the stakes are incredibly high.

You can buy Carrion Comfort from retailers like Amazon.

5 Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam

Published in 2025, Anji Kills a King is the story of a castle servant who turns against the king and winds up on the run after slitting his throat. Circumstances force the assassin into a partnership with the bounty hunter who's caught her, raising deep questions of morality and creating a thrilling character dynamic. This is no epic fantasy; it's a surprisingly deep character study, and an enjoyable read. Dinniman highlighted it in the same Reddit Q&A.

You can buy Anji Kills a King from retailers like Amazon.

4 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy has a secret notebook that she fills with utterly honest jottings about her parents, her classmates, and her neighbors. Every day on her spy route she "observes" and notes down anything of interest to her — but when her notebook is found by her schoolmates, the secrets explode. "It’s considered a YA classic for a reason," Dinniman told Page Six.

You can buy Harriet the Spy from retailers like Amazon.

3 The Troop by Nick Cutter

Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip – a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But this year, an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite like a wild animal. The Troop is a disturbing body horror story, and Dinniman told Goodreads he recommends it "if you like squeamish horror."

You can buy The Troop from retailers like Amazon.

2 Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

The first book in Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga, Pandora's Star is the beginning of a space opera to rival Star Wars. The opening is a little slow-burn, but there's a reason Hamilton's books are considered sci-fi masterpieces; the world-building is unparalleled, and Hamilton skillfully weaves personal stories into cosmic spectacle. "It’s a long series that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time," Dinniman told Page Six.

You can buy Pandora's Star from retailers like Amazon.

1 Discount Dan by James Hunter

Dinniman has mentioned Discount Dan at several conventions, a fantasy novel that's often compared to Dungeon Crawler Carl itself. The main protagonist is trapped in an endless, ever-changing dungeon cobbled together from twisted carnivals, abandoned shopping malls, janky laundromats, and condemned insane asylums, because he's accidentally "Noclipped" into an Alice in Wonderland world full of daner, and is being hunted by this world's version of the Queen of Hearts.

You can buy Discount Dan from retailers like Amazon.

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