Unexplored gems in reading - Web Serials

[Phani]

Hi all,

We all would have come across great books which might be under-appreciated once or the other time. I too came across books like that. But, what I want to talk about is a new kinda books called web serials. Loosely, web serials are published by independent authors on their blogs/websites. The caveat is that they don't publish the book, but rather upload chapters regularly(some update daily, others weekly or biweekly etc.,).

Now one concern might be that since they are free to read, the quality may not be good. But that's not the case. Some it the web serials are far better than many books I read.

For more about web serials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_fic...


I have read and liked the following web serials

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Worm: It's a must read web serial.
Genre: Super hero,sci fi.

Think about this: Suppose you have a superpower which is to control insects(cockroaches, spiders, mosquitoes and other bugs), what do you think you can do? But...

...people who you'll fight may have powers like flying, shoots lasers, armoured skins, get stronger as you fight, stop things in space and time just by touching them and other crazy powers you can think of... What do you think you can do?

Not sure what you can do? Then read worm.

You can start reading here: https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2011...

Praise and reviews:
http://nlsquirks.in/10-reasons-why-yo...
http://monotonecritic.com/2015/06/26/...


Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:
Genre: Fan fiction, sci fi, ya, rationalist fiction.

This is the best fan fiction for Harry Potter I have read. The basic premise is "What if Harry was a prodigy and approaches magic in a methodological fashion the way science is done."

This has popularized a genre called rationalist fiction and inspired many people so much so that there are even fan fictions for this fan fiction. The main idea is that the main character tackle and solve problems by analyzing them rationally.

You can start reading here: http://www.hpmor.com/chapter/1

For other rationalist fiction:
http://rationalfiction.io/story/ratio...
http://rationalreads.com/

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Mother of Learning 1:
Genre: Magical Fantasy, Sci Fi.

Suppose you are stuck in a time loop which repeats every month, then what will you do? Not sure? Then read Mother of Learning 1.

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The Zombie Knight Vol. 1:
Genre: Science Fantasy, Magic Fantasy.

This is also one of my favorites. Don't go by the name. There are no zombies..ahem... there are ...but not the kind we imagine because of popular literature.

A young man dies, and a grim reaper offers to revive him in exchange for servitude. Responsibilities include saving other people’s lives and occasionally fighting unspeakable horrors. But this particular young man already has a few problems of his own, such as crippling shyness. No, seriously. He can barely even speak to people. It's really bad.

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I have also read and liked:
How to Avoid Death on a Daily Basis: Book One
Opening Moves

[Indrani]

Very interesting!! Thanks for sharing.

[Phani]

Further resources for web serials:
http://topwebfiction.com/
http://webfictionguide.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comm...


Also, some web serials are available in .epub format so that you can read on kindle or phone. Message me if you need help.

[Gorab]

Ineteresting concept... But I see most of them are sci-fi fantasy. May be bcoz that's the genre you prefer?
Shall check out more. Thanks!

[Phani]

There are web serials in other genre also. You can check web fiction link I gave above.

Let me know what kinda books you like. I'll let you know web serial of that genre.

Read first page of the zombie knight. If you like it, then you can continue... The writing style is quite humouring.

[Gorab]

I like sci-fi (not dystopian or fantasy)
Also like realistic family dramas...
Anything with eccentric and funny characters...

But above all, I like experimenting with new stuff. So the links you shared should suffice.

[Phani]

Then you would love worm for the story. Even though it's sci fi in the description, the story is detailed, complex enough that you'll like it. But it's a bit dark though.

Also zombie knight have enough eccentric characters for you to enjoy. Just try reading first page of it.

[Gorab]

Was tempted to try Worm last year when you were reading it... then saw 5000 pages :O and backed off.
Not trying it at least this year.

[Phani]

Gorab wrote: "Was tempted to try Worm last year when you were reading it... then saw 5000 pages :O and backed off.
Not trying it at least this year."

But it's worth it. The writing style is so good and captivating that you won't feel the length. Do try it your holidays.