Web Serial Novel: Difference between revisions

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Subtrope of [[Web Original]] and the prose equivalent of [[Web Comics]] such as ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' or ''[[Girl Genius]]'' (among many others) which happen to have distinct [[Story Arc|Story Arcs]]. An author, usually an amateur, publishes a [[Novel]] in many short installments (often daily or weekly) on a website.

Quite often, the work in question is some sort of [[Fanfic]], but sometimes they are [[Web Original|completely original works]]. Most long-form [[Fanfic]] is posted on places like [[Fanfiction.net|fanfiction.net]] in installments, and thus would qualify as this trope.

[[Spiritual Successor|Spiritual Ancestors]] of this trope are the serialized novels which [[Charles Dickens (Creator)|Charles Dickens]]' (and ''many'' other authors of that time) originally published in serial form in newspapers and in [[Dime Novel]] form.

See [https://web.archive.org/web/20131020123259/http://webfictionguide.com/ Web Fiction Guide] for an incomplete listing of serial novels, among other forms of online prose fiction.

* Though the results aren't nearly long enough to be considered "novels", ''[[Bionicle (Franchise)|Bionicle]]'' includes web serials as part of their canon. They supplement the books and comics in that they can focus on and flesh out side characters - [[Villain Episode|including the villains]] - or continue to tell adventures of those [[Merchandise-Driven|whose toys are no longer on the market]].

* ''[http://buildingtales.blogspot.com/ Building Tales]'' is a set of serialised short stories, novellas and, apparently, will contain novels in the future. It is written by the artist of ''[[The Life of Nob T. Mouse (Webcomic)|The Life of Nob T Mouse]]'' and ''[[All Over the House]]''.

* ''[[Chaos Fighters (Literature)|Chaos Fighters]]'', a serial novel series with extreme amounts of fighting scenes.

* ''[[Chakona Space]]'': A [[Web Original]] [[Shared Universe]] [[Furry Fandom|Furry]] setting, based on a Web Serial Novel, "Forest Tales", by Bernard Doove, ([http://www.chakatsden.com/chakat/FT-index.html available here (NSFW)]) that started as a ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Fanfic]] and became its own series. "Forest Tales" was the first series in the setting, but others have been written, by Doove and an army of Chakat fans. Some of these fans are better writers than others.

* ''[[Cirno and Purple Steve (Literature)|Cirno and Purple Steve]]'' is the story of Cirno Excalibur, who found a pole in his back yard, got struck by weird lightning, and went with his new talking pole to go fight the demons. It's an experimental adventure story published weekly.

* ''[[Color Shock (Literature)|Color ShockColorshock]]'' is a tale of two cities. One is an unmappable, black and white maze called the city of all cities where street addresses are replaced with dates that mysteriously stop right before the millennium and musicians play the only color in the world into existence. The other is a high-tech metropolis where three teenage gangs (the Reds, the Blues, and the Greens) fight with colored solid light they can throw from their fingertips. In both cities, a mysterious force seeks to blot out all the color in the world forever. [http://colorshock.blogspot.com/ Here's the link, till I get around to making a page].

* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130712110444/http://www.darkwatchinstitute.webs.com/ DarkWatch]'' follows a team of agents who protect the world from supernatural threats. Relatively new, but updated frequently.

* ''[[Decembersville (Literature)|Decembersville]]'' tells the tale of a young girl who is sucked into a world of freaks, murder, and mystery.

* ''[[The Descendants (Literature)|The Descendants]]'' is a [[Superhero]] story formatted in such a way that it's a comic book without pictures.

* ''[[Deucalion Chronicles (Literature)|Deucalion Chronicles]]'' is a [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]] [[Space Opera]], with time travelers, mages, androids, werewolves and more all rubbing elbows and often as not beating the crap out of one another.

* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20100518204029/http://www.pc-productionz.net/dimensionheroes Dimension Heroes]'', a web novel series skewed towards a younger demographic featuring five teens who discover futuristic battle suits and are subsequently thrust into an adventure in which they must save their world from colliding with a parallel dimension.

* Similarly, ''[[The Dionaea House (Literature)|The Dionaea House]]'', which was told in segments appearing on different websites, every October for three years.

* ''[[Domina (Literature)|Domina]]'' is a series about the titular city, which has evolved a unique culture based around [[Bio Augmentation]]. Also, it is written by [[Tropers/Discar|a troper]].

* ''[[The Dragon Wars Saga (Literature)|The Dragon Wars Saga]]'' is a young adult fantasy serial in which four British teenagers are dragged into another world to become warriors and save said world from disaster.

** ''[[Fine Structure (Literature)|Fine Structure]]'' by the same author.

* ''[[Elcenia (Literature)|Elcenia]]'' is the [[High Fantasy]] / [[Slice of Life]] story of half-elven mage Rhysel, who has been summoned from one superficially [[Standard Fantasy Setting]] to another and is stranded there. Despite superficial similarities the two worlds are at least as different from each other as either is from Earth.

* ''[http://fartago.blogspot.com/ Fartago]'', a serialized blog novel by author Tony Caroselli about the adventures of a tribe of cavemen who have found a monolith similar to the one from the opening chapters/scenes of the book/movie ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. ''Not [[Fan Fic Recommendations|fanfic]]'' as [[Word of God|Caroselli has said]] the cavemen are not the same ones seen in the book and movie (the lead one of whom is named "Moon-Watcher" in the book, a name not seen in the blog novel). Indeed, ''Fartago'' takes place at least 1 million years ''after'' the opening chapters of the book ''2001'', the tribe in ''Fartago'' is apparently much larger and better organized than the one in ''2001'', and Caroselli has said the monolith has not been created by the same race and not for the same purpose. Caroselli insists the premise is [[Shout -Out|an homage]], ''not'' fanfic.

* ''[[The Finite Life of a Dating Sim Heroine (Literature)|The Finite Life of a Dating Sim Heroine]]'', is an [[Gender Bender]] story about a boy who gets sent into a [[Dating Sim]] and forced into the body of the game's heroine.

* ''[[First Do No Harm (Literature)|First: Do No Harm]]'' is a Web Serial Novel by Insanity Lord (Justin J. on Fictionpress). It follows the life of Chastity 'Vanilla' Jackson, a doctor and scientist in the 22nd Century, and the lives of her family and those close to her.

* ''[[The Flying Cloud (Literature)|The Flying Cloud]]'', an alternate universe where World War 1 ended early and airships rule the skies.

* ''[[Grandmaster of Theft (Literature)|Grandmaster of Theft]]'' is an [[Action]] [[Thriller]]/[[Mystery]] which features multiple volumes of story lines and overarching story starring 1st person [[Classy Cat Burglar]] Cassidy Cain.

* ''[[Guns Swords and Steam (Literature)|Guns, Swords and Steam]]''

* ''[[GutsandGuts Sassand (Literature)Sass|Guts and Sass: An Anti Epic]]'' deconstructs many popular fantasy tropes, providing both parody and a serious exploration of being [[Trapped in Another World|zapped]] to a [[Magical Land]] with feudal agriculturalist monarchy, semi-domesticated pastoralist, [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Races]], and hunter-gatherers.

* ''[[Hackett (Literature)|Hackett]]'' is a serial novel that details the adventures of an interdimensional taskforce that works for (and with) the titular Hackett.

* ''[[Ilivais X (Literature)|Ilivais X]]'' can be summed up as the tribulations of a slightly psychotic young woman and her [[Humongous Mecha]], the titular Ilivais X.

* ''[[The Impossible Man (Literature)|The Impossible]] [http://www.fictionaut.com/groups/the-impossible-man-series Man]'' is a comedy web novel also written by H-M Brown, about an Anime and Manga Store owner and the random antics he gets into.

* ''[[Interviewing Leather (Literature)|Interviewing Leather]]'' is a short story about a freelance writer for a music magazine who is sent to interview a supervillain.

* ''[[John Dies At the End (Literature)|John Dies Atat the End]]'' got started as a bunch of self-proclaimed "retarded horror stories" written as Halloween specials. However, it was taken offline when it was published in book form.

* ''[[Kindness From Strangers (Literature)|Kindness Fromfrom Strangers]]'' by [[Tropers/Leradny|Leradny]]; a series of generally unrelated short stories with five common themes.

* ''[[The Kingdoms of Evil (Literature)|The Kingdoms of Evil]],'' in which an [[Ordinary High School Student]] finds out he's the [[Big Bad]] of a [[Crapsack World]]. Hilarity and [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] ensue.

* ''[[Kira Is Justice (Fanfic)|Kira Is Justice]]'' is partially this, except the author is bad at updating in a frequent basis.

* ''[[Last Mage (Literature)|Last Mage]]'' is an [[Urban Fantasy]] story about Elijah Valentine's struggle to protect the Earth from forces Humans cannot comprehend.

* ''[[The Last Skull (Literature)|The Last Skull]]'' is a comic-book-inspired series featuring "teenaged superheroism, explosions and time-travel".

* ''[[Legion of Nothing (Literature)|Legion of Nothing]]'' is a web novel about the descendants of [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] superheroes who inherit their grandparents' powers and take on their costumed identities.

* ''[[Lovers and Beloveds (Literature)|Lovers and Beloveds]]'' is a story following the young Prince Temmin as he leaves his childhood home for the courtly intrigues of the capital city. It started as the web serial ''[[An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom (Literature)|An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom]]''. The serial drew significant crowdfunding from the readership, and has been edited and published in paperback. It is [[Meilin Miranda]]'s first novel.

* ''[[TheMabaka Magic for Idiots (Literature)|Mabaka!- Magic is for Idiots!]]'' follows the story of an amateur wizard who falls through a black hole-like transportation system, and winds up crashing into a girl's yard in the first dimension - Earth. Thing is, he's not strong enough to get back by himself, and that transport system only comes around once a year... [[Hilarity Ensues|Let's just say that he and the human girl end up living together for a while.]] Updates are freqeunt, but not following any kind of schedule. [httphttps://web.archive.org/web/20151106062028/https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2739233/1/Mabaka_Magic_is_for_Idiots Found on FictionPress.]

* ''[[Magical Security Taskforce (Literature)|Magical Security Taskforce]]'' follows a group of high schoolers drafted into the titular peacekeeping organization. Written by Adam Pulver, also known for his anime/reality show spoofs and various Digimon fics, including the already-recced-on-this-site '' [http://www.firstagent.net/fanfic/connhome.htm The Connection]''.

* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120502231454/http://writetocreate.tumblr.com/ Memetic Narration]'' is a recently started serial involving a third-person omniscient narrator that the main character hears in his head and internet memes that come to life in darker and edgier forms to cause trouble (Pedobear causing the rape and murder of a little girl, for instance).

* ''[[Mirrorfall (Literature)|Mirrorfall]]'' - a geeky urban fantasy series whose [[Playful Hacker]] main character who is more likely to sneak off and look at Tropes than do her [[The Men in Black|Men in Black]] paperwork.

* ''[[My Little Pony Chronicles (Fanfic)|My Little Pony Chronicles]]'' is this. It updates somewhat sporadically. Is essentially an [[Adaptation Expansion]] of the 80s [[My Little Pony]] cartoons.

* ''[[The Mystery Sphere (Literature)|The Mystery Sphere]]'' - a strange but interesting story about a pirate accused of the theft of a nobleman's dragon.

* ''[[Oktober (Literature)|Oktober]]'' is an interesting web novel. It's updated weekly on Fridays, hasn't missed an update yet. Each chapter is told four different times, once from each character's perspective. It follows the adventures of a journalist, a rockstar, a hunter, and an assassin as they drive across the US, and has a feel of an American road novel mixed with House of Leaves.

* ''[[Paladin Academy (Literature)|Paladin Academy]]'' - A ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'' inspired story on the [[Order of the Stick|Giant In The Playground]] forums.

* ''[[Patchwork Champions (Webcomic)|Patchwork Champions]]'', a [[Superhero]] story, was a webcomic for two and a half years, and continues to this day as one of these.

* ''[[Pay Me, Bug (Literature)|Pay Me Bug!]]'' - [[The Caper]] [[Recycled in Space|in space]]. "...featuring cunning smugglers, star-spanning [[The Empire|empires]], cheerful amorality, evil [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|cyborg slavers]], and a [[Starfish Alien|hyperintelligent bug]]."

* ''[[The Philosophical Significance of Soda Bubbles (Literature)|The Philosophical Significance of Soda Bubbles]]'' is a web novel which begins as a coming of age story and before [[Deus Ex Machina]]-ing into a science fiction satire on philosophy, revolving around a group of immortals confused by whether they are gods or scientific flukes, searching dysfunctionally for a messiah.

* ''[httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20180806204951/http://playingforkeepsnovel.com/ Playing For Keeps]'' was also a podcast novel/comic book before getting published.

* ''[[The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain (Fanfic)|The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain]]'' was essentially this, when taken in its entirety; the five-part series rang in at a grand total of close to 200,000 words written over a span of four years.

* ''[[Raya (Literature)|Raya!]]'' is a [[Magical Girl Warrior]] novel.

* ''[[Registry of Time (Literature)|Registry of Time]]'' is a series of sci-fi stories set in [[The Future]], exploring the various cultures and technology the universe has to offer.

* ''[[SacreyasSacreya's Legacy (Literature)|Sacreyas Legacy]]'' is a completed web serial about a [[Our Zombies Are Different|zombie private detective]] whose case forces him to return to the doomed city he came from.

* ''[[The Saga of Tuck (Literature)|The Saga of Tuck]]'' has been running since 1997, and currently comprises 142 chapters and a bit more than a year of in-story time, not to mention an [[Alternate Universe]] side story.

* ''[[Sapphire (Literature)|Sapphire]]'' in [[Two Words]]: [[Spy Fiction|Espionage]] [[Psychic Powers|Fantasy]].

* ''[[Silicon Wolfpack (Literature)|Silicon Wolfpack]]'' is an [[Urban Fantasy]] story about a [[Our Werewolves Are Different|werewolf]], a [[Nice Guy]], and a [[Grey Hat Hacker]] being chased by Mooks and [[The Hunter]]. Can be found [http://siliconwolfpack.wordpress.com/ here].

* ''[[The Slave Breakers (Literature)|The Slave Breakers]]'' is a long running series of erotica novels and stories about a dysfunctional family that trains and sells slaves in a world where slavery is an acceptable means to control poverty. Despite the premise, it's very [[WAFF|fluffy]] for its genre. Can be found [http://maculategiraffe.livejournal.com/10338.html here].

* ''[[Small Problem (Literature)|Small Problem]]'' is a blog written by a woman six and a half inches tall.

* ''[[SPARK of Tyranny (Literature)|SPARK of Tyranny]]'' is a [[Space Opera]] with an [[Anti-Hero]] [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type II/Type III]] Captain and his [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]], struggling against the [[Xanatos Gambit|behind the scenes machinations]] of the [[Humanoid Aliens|Kilon]] [[The Federation|Federation]], which has created a [[Vichy Earth]].

* ''[http://stonesoulserial.blogspot.com Stone Soul]'' is a high fantasy serial written similarly to the print fantasy serials of yesteryear.

* ''[[Super Stories (Literature)|Super Stories]]'' is a new series about superpowered people trying to leave their mark on the world.

* ''[[Tales of MU (Literature)|Tales of MU]]''.

* ''[[Tasakeru (Literature)|Tasakeru]]'', a serial novel series using warring [[Petting Zoo People|humanoid animals]] as allegories for human conflicts. It's described as "''[[Redwall]]'' for teens and young adults."

* ''Tales of the Big Bad Wolf'' is an example of a Fairy Tale and Fantasy trope mixed together using the Red Riding Hood story as the entryway into a larger number of other stories [http://talesofthebigbadwolf.com here].

* ''[[Tech Infantry (Tabletop Game)|Tech Infantry]]'', an earlier project involving the author of ''[[Associated Space (Literature)|Associated Space]]'', a collaborative series of stories by multiple authors set in a future world that combines elements of the ''[[Old World of Darkness (Tabletop Game)|Old World of Darkness]]'' and ''[[Starship Troopers]]''.

* ''[[Teds Caving Page (Literature)|TedsTed's Caving Page]]'' was presented as a spelunker's series of journal entries revolving around a mysterious cave and a creature inside (the actual cave being "Freeway Cave," as the author originally discusses [httphttps://web.archive.org/web/20050502091828/http://www.caves.org/soapbox/printthread.php?t=646 here] and is reposted [http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=762310&page=2 here]. The original story is intentionally left unfinished, leaving the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. The story was later used for Thomas Lera's short story [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828043638/http://duks.s3.amazonaws.com/Thefearofdarkness.pdf "The Fear of Darkness"], a backdated hoax that attempts to explain all of the supernatural elements of Ted's story with an added chapter.

* ''[[Three to One3:1 Ratio (Literature)|Three to One Ratio]]'' by [[Half Demon Cali]], a supernatural genre written-out graphic novel about a ghost who is given six months to survive on Earth while wearing a human skin and living with a [[Tsundere]] martial arts girl.

* ''[[Three Worlds Collide (Literature)|Three Worlds Collide]]'' by Eliezer Yudkowsky, a science-fiction [[First Contact]] story concerning the ethics of deals with aliens of very different morality.

* ''[[Ultimate Sleepwalker (Fanfic)|Ultimate Sleepwalker: The New Dreams]]'' and ''[[Ultimate Spider Woman (Fanfic)|Ultimate Spider-WomanSpiderWoman: Change With Thethe Light]]'' are both based on comic book characters, but since the author is so bad at drawing that he makes [[Sonichu|Christian Weston Chandler]] look like Leonardo da Vinci, they're in prose serial format instead.

* ''[[Unlikely Eden (Literature)|Unlikely Eden]]'' is a weekly updated Web serial told from the alternating points of view of two 10-year-old girls. The story begins with the destruction of the girls' home which forces them to escape into the surrounding area. They immediately run afoul of the residents of a small outpost and through fortunate coincidence, they encounter a crotchety old trucker and his teenage ward, who become their only friends besides each other. Throughout the course of the story, they gradually begin to learn the complicated sequence of events that led to the destruction of their home. From prophecies to roller skates to robot teddy bears, there's never a dull moment.

* ''[[Wingspan (Literature)|Wingspan]]'': based on the [[Chaotic Good]] angels [[Fallen Angel|fall]] theme with a twist; did you know the Christian idea of redemption had [[Power Perversion Potential]]?

* The longer [[Whateley Universe (Literature)|Whateley Universe]] stories would qualify if anyone cared to run them through a word counter. At the least, they are web serial novellas. In a sense, the stories make up a single, multi-author work with [[The Rashomon|many stories covering the same events from different points of view]]. It is infamous for being [[Entry Pimp|EntryPimped]] and [[Trope Overdosed]] to toxic levels.

* ''[[Worm (Literature)|Worm]]'' is a web novel about a girl with superpowers that let her control bugs.

* Fanfic author Copperbadge publishes original work [https://web.archive.org/web/20090819050102/http://community.livejournal.com/theoriginalsam/ here], and to date has two complete novels and is working on a third. Interestingly, he asks readers to comment on any mistakes and to raise questions about the work, which he considers during his revisions.

* Based on [[The Fear Mythos (Franchise)|The Fear Mythos]] is ''[[The Rapture Logs (Blog)|OH GOD THE RAPTURE IS BURNING]]'', a four-act epic that blends prose with a stream-of-consciousness journal style making it seem more like Twitter. It's an [[Alternate History]] tale of Rapture actually coming on October 21st, 2011.

[[Category:Web Serial Novel{{PAGENAME}}]]