Matt Dinniman is nothing if not generous with the many fans of his Dungeon Crawler Carl series, so it's exciting but not entirely surprising that he would offer up a substantial nugget of information about the highly anticipated, yet-to-be-officially-titled Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 9. Not only did he reveal a cool detail about the plot, but fans also got a sample of what's to come in the form of a brief reading by audiobook narrator Jeff Hays.
🛑 WARNING 🛑 This article contains spoilers related to the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, including Book 8 (A Parade of Horribles). If you're not caught up on the series, consider yourself warned! (Also, FYI Target is having a great deal on books this week, and it includes the DCC hardcovers, so check that out).
Introducing Crawler #12953455
At New York Comic-Con this week, Dinniman revealed that Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 9 will introduce a new Crawler. Audible shared a clip from the panel, where Dinniman said:
And they're going to meet a new Crawler. And it's probably not the Crawler you're thinking of if you've read Book 8.
When Jeff Hays questioned how many Crawlers were even left after the events of Book 8, Dinniman clarified that this is a Crawler we haven't met before. Next, Jeff Hays read an excerpt, which includes the introduction of this mysterious new Crawler. Check out the video below, then we'll break down some of the clues.
So, this new Crawler is Tabiti, they're #12953455, they appear to be a child, they're "human," and their class is "subjugator."
If you weren't able to watch the video of Hays' reading, I can't state firmly enough how hard he emphasized the quotes around the word human.
Also, this new Crawler is accompanied by Ferdinand (aka Gravy Boat), Princess Donut's old feline flame. As evidenced by how territorial she gets about him, it's clear that flame's still burning.
Is This The Same Child Spotted In Book 8?
One fan pointed out that we got a glimpse of an unidentified child near the end of A Parade of Horribles.
- At the end of book 8, you Carl sees a little girl with Lucia. I’m guessing that one of the kids in her head… popped out. (Aaronjk1987)
This happened in Chapter 98 of the book, which is the last chapter before the epilogue. It's not long after Scolopendra has been "defeated" and the portals have appeared.
But then, peeking out from behind her legs, was another person. It... it was a child. A girl, maybe five years old. She was too far away to examine. She held on to the side of Lucia's leg.
A Parade of Horribles
Whether or not having seen the child briefly in Book 8 qualifies as having "met" them, I'm not sure. Carl certainly noticed the child and was thrown by the sight of them.
Fans are also speculating about this new Crawler's possible true identity. Here are some of the comments fans left on Audible's post.
- New crawler and level 1 it can only be scolopendra transformed into a crawler (zophayelx)
- It’s not Lucia, it’s gotta be scolopendra, lvl 1, she was transformed into a crawler, “I wouldn’t have let any of you past lvl 6” ? Scolopendra…(mcneely_noelle)
- I'm thinking Cascadia or Agatha, but if its not who we think it is that could eliminate Agatha... (Theninjalibrarian)
Cascadia's name also came up among the comments in this Reddit thread.
- im gonna go a little wild here and say its cascadia. that shes been turned into a crawler as part of her torture (nbd9000)
What's the story with this new Crawler, jumping into the mix so late in the game? We'll have to wait and see. From this very brief tease of Tabiti during the NYCC panel, something tells me they aren't there to make the remaining Crawler's fight to survive any easier.
We're still waiting for more concrete details about Book 9. A release date has yet to be announced, and though we know the working title is The Beautiful Place, the official title has not been announced. Still, it's great to get these fun updates about what's in store. I also know I'm not alone in being on the edge of my seat waiting for updates about the Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show. Of the many book-to-screen adaptations in the works, that one's high on my list of things to be excited for!
