My first foray into the world of online novels was in 2004 when I read The Tower of Sorcery by James Galloway (Fel) on a website. I was instantly hooked and read the entire book online. This was the first time I experienced reading a book that was updated week to week. The Tower of Sorcery is the first book in a fantasy series that spans eight very enjoyable books split into two series namely the Firestaff Series(5 books) and the Pyrosian Chronicles (3 books). I've read and re-read these books over the years and I can still remember frequently checking Fel's website for updates to the books. Since then he has written other books most notably the Subjugation series which is a science fiction series about the occupation of the Earth by aliens in the future. All books by Fel can be found here.
Over the years I have read many books online and the hardest thing is to sift through all the books available to find the true gems. Websites like webfictionguide.com and topwebfiction.com are really helpful in this regard. You have to be prepared to invest a lot of time when it comes to online novels because by their very nature they are very long and there is no indication on when they will end. It all depends on the particular writer and their level of creativity. I am currently reading a number of online novels and two of the best among them in my opinion are Legion of Nothing and Brennus.
Both novels are about superheroes but each is very different in tone and subject matter. Give them a try I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
A subset of online fiction is fan fiction. As the name states fan fiction are books written by fans based on their favourite books, TV shows, movies and even games. The amount of fan fiction available is quite amazing and most if not all can be found online. Fanfiction.net can help to navigate the wide range of reading material available.
Online novels are popular around the world, especially in China where popular web novels garner a wide following. A number of popular Chinese online novels have been turned into dramas like Boss & Me and the recent My Sunshine.
Apart from the regular online novels, a lot of what I read online are translations of foreign books I would otherwise have no access to like light novels. Light novels are novels published in Japan with illustrations, and through translations by websites like Baka-Tsuki and Japtem I can read these novels in English online. There are quite a number of translated books available online. Some that I would recommend to read include Legendary Moonlight Sculptor and Arifureta.
If you have written what you consider to be a good book or have an idea for a great book and don't think you will be published, posting your writing online is a viable alternative to give readers access to your work.
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