I'm an avid reader of web serials and I was wondering if there others like me here. (Statistics say there should be.)
For people who don't know what I am talking about, web serials belongs to web fiction and means that a novel is released one chapter or installment at a time on the internet. Similiar to web comics, just with more letters. ![]()
My favourite web serials at the moment are (click the titles for more details):
1. The Gods are Bastards is still fairly new but it is such an excellent mix of high fantasy and the Wild West, it took the first spot immediately. The characters are all believeable, the setting is interesting, the story leaves you wanting for more and overall it's really funny. There are serious moments as well of course... but so far every chapter made me laugh or at least smile a lot. The serial is still ongoing with regular, fairly long updates every other day or so.
2. Worm is very dark superhero fiction. It needs to be said, this isn't just grim and realistic, it illustrates the horrors possible in a world where people have superpowers. The story is great, unpredictable and captivating. The characters are human, with their weaknesses and blind spots despite their powers. The world in this setting isn't a happy one and some supervillains are actively trying to make it worse. There are some funny spots in the story but overall it's more about actions, consequences and morality. Very, very good read... but beware the trigger warnings. Worm finished a year ago and clocks in with about 1.75 million words. That's Wheel of Time length.
3. Pact is urban fantasy, written by the same author as Worm. It's set in the modern world, in Canada. Magic is real but hidden. If you are a fan of Supernatural, you might enjoy this one, too. Be warned though, it is very dark. Trigger warnings etc. Again, there are some funny moments and crowning moments of awesome but the overall tone is rather grim. The characters come in all shades of grey and black and nothing is as it seems at first. I enjoy reading Pact because it's a new story, which is rare in these days. Pact updates Tuesdays and Saturdays, with an occasional bonus chapter on Thursdays.
4. Superpowereds is realistic superhero fiction, set in a world just like ours... only with superheroes. It is all very organized and regulated though, so to become a superhero, you need to go to college and attend the (secret) courses there. The story shows the life of 5 former "Powereds", people who had no control over their abilities and who are ostracized and pitied by society. Through a secret procedure they attained control and became supers but have to hide their past from their friends and rivals. Good balance between realism and humor, the characters often give me flashbacks to my own college time and the story works on multiple levels. There's of course the coming-of-age element and the pressure of becoming a superhero but in the background there is a lot more going on, which leads to some surprising developments. The story is ongoing, updates Tuesdays and Thursdays and also has a spin-off called Corpies, which starts after the 2nd year of the main story.
5. Pay Me, Bug! is an almost classic space opera. If Oscar Wilde had written in a Space Opera in the 1970's it might have looked like this. A "great heist" caper set in the far future, featuring cunning smugglers, star-spanning empires, cheerful amorality, evil cyborg slavers, and a hyperintelligent bug. Reading this story was just fun, it hit all the high notes of action, suspense, humor, likeable characters and science fiction. The serial is finished, spanning 42 chapters and a follow up with 12 chapters has been started but there have been no updates in a while.
There are a lot more web serials I read, like Legion of Nothing, Curveball and Tales of MU ... and while those are good, they didn't quite make it into my top5. I still recommend them though.
What are you reading? ![]()





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