Don't Die Dave: A LitRPG Action Comedy Death Game

by A.R. Witham

A death game where the prize isn’t power or money — it’s health insurance.“Ready Player One meets Dungeon Crawler Carl...an absolute riot.” - FanFiAddict

+Insert coin to keep breathing+

To erase his crippling medical debt, 50-year-old Dave signs a contract that uploads his mind into RiftBorn™ — a brutal pay-to-win dungeon-crawler death game watched by millions.

Dave doesn’t need to level up or get loot. He has 20 days to win over a generation raised on TikTok and Twitch, or the system pulls the plug on his real-world body.

The problem? He skipped the tutorial and has no idea what he’s doing.

Broke, bald, and armed with nothing but discarded loot and blistering sarcasm, Dave is trapped in a world where every quest is sponsored, every death is monetized, and every mistake goes viral. And for a social hermit like Dave, being watched might be worse than dying.

To survive, Dave must outthink influencers, sabotage engagement systems, and fight back against a healthcare machine that profits if he dies.

Figure out the rules. Survive the game. Don't die, Dave.

Genres: Litrpg

338 pages, Paperback

Published April 3, 2026

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly written and genuinely witty book. This was my first LitRPG, and honestly, it was so funny it had me full on laughing. Don't Die, Dave is hilarious and beyond clever, and A.R. Witham's writing really shines. From the characters to the story, everything about it just worked, easily making this a top-tier read for me.

[Ricardo Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good references and I want my own Pepper

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of good things I liked about this book. There were also several things I didn't like, most of them technical, but immediately took me out of the story.

I liked the commentary on our capitalist society, the abysmal state of US healthcare, and how kids growing up in the digital age can lose sight of, well, humanity. The plot is decent. The story moves along quickly. As a voice actor, the author is great. I love Pepper.

This book reads like a love letter to GenX (and Matt Dinniman).

What I *didn't* like were typos or complete misuse of words. At one point he referenced the "hold" of the ship as if it were the deck, where typically cargo holds are below deck. After research, however, I did find out that more modern ships do have holds *on* the deck, but that was also something that took me out of the story for a brief second. But this is the one that really bugged me: at one point, he used the word "dias" and I would've chalked it up to being a typo, except in the audiobook he pronounced it dye-us, when what was being described was a dais. Not to mention, he uses the correct word with the correct pronunciation at the end of the book.

Speaking of the audiobook, there were several paragraphs in the kindle book that were missing from the audiobook. There were also a couple of sentences in the audiobook that weren't in the kindle book. This completely took me out of the story. I'm not sure which is canon, the book of the audiobook, but not having them match up when you're listening along while reading is so distracting. I would post screenshots, but imgur isn't working right now and I don't want to mess with it. ANYWAY, the inconsistencies between the book and the audiobook derailed me, and that wasn't enjoyable.

This could be a 4-star book but it's wrapped in 3-star packaging.

[Jessari Tanelorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Pleasant Surprise!

I'm fairly new to LitRPG, and I honestly haven't found anything in the genre to keep my interest besides Dungeon Crawler Carl. Maybe that's my problem - I started with the best, so everything else seems lackluster. Imagine my surprise, then, when I started a book that I knew would be a DNF because of the goofy cover, and got totally sucked in! The narrator's voice was strong and genuine, and the plot stayed engaging throughout. It was also educational as I (and the main character) learned modern lingo such as fire, rizz, and cap. I would highly recommend this book to anyone just entering the genre, or anyone who loves DCC. Mongo would approve.

This book is fire, fam, no cap!

[Patrick M Kenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll here this compared to Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it stands on its own merits

The only commonality it has is regular guy in a competition fighting the man. In this case we are taking on the US Health Care system which is ripe for ridicule. A fun ride through multi player online gaming with depreciating assets (sick people) pumped into the game and told to entertain or be unplugged.

I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to book 2.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to explore the LitRPG genre after reading dungeon crawler Carl and absolutely loving it. This was fun. Definitely had a similar vibe to DCC. Loved the fact that the villains in this book was an evil giant insurance corporation using people in medical debt to play a new video game. Also loved how some of the humor was geared towards millennials and Gen X. Looking forward to reading the next one!

[Ben Macomber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Die Dave was such a fun read. The story kept me on my toes and laughing to myself the entire time. I ended up buying a signed copy when I was only halfway through because I was enjoying it that much.

If you’re looking for an entertaining, fast-paced story with humor, heart, and a main character you’ll cheer for, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a shot. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes Dave.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried my hardest not compare Don’t Die Dave to Dungeon Crawler Carl but given they are both LitRPG it was very hard not to. There are definitely similarities. I think Dave sets the two apart the most. Dave is not meant to be a player. He’s meant to be more of a guide for actual players. He uses this to his advantage often which is what makes Dave entertaining to read. Also having my favorite animal as the adorable sidekick doesn’t hurt either!

I did receive an ARC from the author in exchange for a review.

[Elizabeth Juarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun quick read with a timely BBEG

I loved this quick paced romp in the spirit of Dungeon Crawler Carl and Discount Dan! This one is an evil hospital system in a dystopian future.

The writer has proven that he's got a fun engaging story and I can't wait to read more from Pepper and Dave!

[EricTheAccidentalReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Litrpg has a lot of different approaches. I was looking for something after dungeon crawler and came about this. The sidekick of this story is awesome and reminds me of that good angel on your shoulder when all he wants to do is be a little bad. If you need to scratch the DCC itch. Pick this up and you won’t be disappointed.

[John Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripsaw gamer fun with ALL of the archetypes

When you get it, you get it. When you don’t you’re either too old or too young. But when you get it together even it could just work.
Dave is old and dying, the health care company wants their money back but the game CAN be beaten!

A great, if sometimes frenetic, romp with some heart and soul.

[Hannah Goin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much of an attempt to be Dungeon Crawler Carl. Lots of teen lingo. Penguin Pepper was about the only redeeming part of the book, in my opinion.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely lovable main character. Fun premise, excited for book 2

[Patrick Donaghy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Read

Don't Die Dave is a great read. DDD was a fun ride. I wish I could read it all over again!

[James Mcewan · Rating 4 out of 5]

grows into a great story

I was frustrated at the beginning of this book. There was only Dave to relate to. Most of the peripheral cast were incredibly annoying caricatures, however the second half really pulls through as a great book