Regardless of where you are in the world right now, finances are feeling tighter and strained for readers across the globe. While I am bad for buying a few new titles every month, I have found myself cutting back to save a few bucks and falling into a bit of a reading slump as a result.
After recently being part of a discussion about Magic: The Gathering lore in the Fantasy-Faction Facebook group, I realized I have no shortage of free reading material both for my own purposes and to share with others. While some of us internet-savvy nerds often take these resources for granted, the truth is that a lot of readers do not realize there is a plethora of free reading opportunities out there!
The universe that sparked the idea: A card game?!
Trading card games (often shortened to TCGs) have been an integral part of nerd culture since the early 90s with the creation of Magic: The Gathering (MtG). While TCGs are a notoriously expensive hobby, it is a well-kept secret that the franchise that started it all has an expansive, decades old fantasy storyline that is still going strong. People who are not into TCGs often have no reason to “buy in” (literally) to the plot of something they have no idea if they’ll like or not.
But good news! MtG’s parent company, Wizards of the Coast, has dedicated lore-writers who keep an updated timeline of short stories on their website… for FREE. You heard me, free. While these short stories will be most appealing to people who play the card game, they are well-written and 100% stand on their own as fantasy works of fiction! My personal favorites are Bloomburrow from 2024 and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan from 2023, all written by Valerie Valdes.
You can access these short stories going as far back as 2014 at Wizard’s story archive page for Magic: The Gathering. If you find yourself loving the universe and the writing, there are no shortage of novels available for purchase in the universe, including the most recent: Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos by Seanan McGuire.
Have some (Web)Toons for your troubles.
Did you grow up enjoying comics, graphic novels, or manga? How about the Sunday funnies? Craving more Dungeon Crawler Carl content while you wait for the next book to be written? I have just the fix for you.
Enter Webtoon. Webtoon is a personal favorite resource of mine, describing itself as “a global storytelling platform that enables creators and users to discover, create, and share stories.” It originated as a platform in South Korea as a place for creators to release their serialized web comics, often within romance and light novel genres. You may have heard of it through the traditional publication and circulation of a popular Webtoon title, Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe.
Since its creation, Webtoon has become a wonderful place for readers to find new stories, and a jumping-off point for new writers to build a community and fan base for their stories. Content on Webtoons is serialized, often coming out weekly or monthly, depending on the title and writer. As more chapters get uploaded, previous chapters become available to access for free—meaning eventually, you will always have access to the complete story!
My personal favorites from Webtoon are the previously mentioned Lore Olympus, Inuu by dionne_ong, and Africa by Arven92. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is also currently being adapted into a graphic novel through Webtoon, with new episode releases every Friday!
I read it before it was cool (a.k.a. Advance Reader Copies)
You know the saying about opinions and other such things that everybody possesses. As readers, a lot of us are very opinionated (to the point of acting like the other such things we possess) about our likes, dislikes, and preferences when reading within our preferred genre. If you are someone who likes to read deeply and then discuss your thoughts and rankings for each new title, consider making a NetGalley account and applying to read Advance Reader Copies (ARCs).
When marketing a new title, especially for authors trying to break through, having flashy reviews and quotes from readers can make the difference between your book flopping and hitting the Bestseller’s list. Websites like NetGalley provide a unique opportunity: authors and publishers get free, honest reviews for their titles before the publication date, and ravenous and critical-minded readers get to devour new titles before they even hit the shelves. The only caveat is when you are granted access to your requested titles, you are expected to review them—otherwise, you risk your feedback ratio falling and future publishers rejecting your requests and applications.
As long as you are willing to work for your reads, NetGalley is an amazing source of new reading material. From breakthrough indie authors to big names like R. F. Kuang, T. Kingfisher, Brandon Sanderson, and John Gwynne, there is no shortage of options on the website. They even have accessible options for their readers, allowing you to browse and search audiobooks that are available to be read.
If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work, check out NetGalley’s website.
What about for my kids?
As a teacher, I am horribly aware of the current literacy crisis my country is currently facing. Kids are reading less and less, and are becoming more resistant and apathetic to reading as a result of too many factors to list. For that reason, I feel like I would be failing as a teacher to not include at least a few free options in this article for the young reader.
First and foremost, I recommend Storyline Online. Storyline Online is a children’s literacy program started by SAG-AFTRA in which famous actors read beloved children’s stories out loud. From their website, “Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration, and general academic aptitude, while also inspiring a lifelong love of reading.” While the website is mostly packed with storybook style titles intended for PreK through 3rd grade students, I have found that on hard days even my middle schoolers appreciate winding down with some read aloud time.
My next kids’ recommendation requires a little bit of teacher buy-in, though I believe you would be hard-pressed to find a school that doesn’t have at least one teacher using this resource in the building. Epic! is the world’s largest digital library for kids, boasting over 40,000 titles in their catalogue. While it does require a subscription for families to use at home, it is free for educators to access and provide links to their students—and most school librarians or ELA teachers will be more than willing to create an account to give access to their students! From non-fiction titles with teacher-created comprehension quizzes to audiobooks to graphic novels, Epic! really does provide titles and options for every reader, regardless of their reading ability.
The Old-Fashioned Way
We come to my final recommendation, which is one I feel is often taken for granted in this digital age. When was the last time you went to your public library? Libraries not only provide access to free books, but they can also provide valuable services like printing, resume assistance, standardized testing prep, access to movies, music, audiobooks, and video games, and even just a safe place to relax during bad weather or emergencies. Public libraries in the United States tend to work as a “use it or lose it” resource—the more participation, usage, and traffic a public library gets, the more funding is allotted to it by the local government. Libraries are a fantastic way to read on a budget, and without filling up your living quarters with piles and piles of books you might not have room for.
Not only can you access physical media through public libraries, but many of them are often paired with digital reading services such as Hoopla or Libby.
Did I miss your favorite resource or free reading material? Drop a comment here or go yell at me on BlueSky! I’m always looking for new resources to share with friends and students.
Featured image by Shunya Koide.
