Read for Fun - Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14

 This is the conclusion of the "Human Half" of the Alicization storyline. It is basically a sequence of battles on the top floor of Central Cathedral. In that sense, it is kind of like how the Final Boss of a RPG video game has multiple forms and/or stages. Fitting, isn't it? (Even though Underworld is not at all a game. This isn't Aincrad.)

Our heroes face off against Integrity Knight Synthesis 32, Prime Senator Chudelkin, Administrator's secret weapon and then finally, Administrator herself. The pacing is good. This plot structure doesn't feel like a boss slog, like in the above analogy. Each fight has its meaning for the characters and a purpose in the narrative. Reading about them is a different experience than watching the anime. 

The reader can feel Euego's guilt more deeply here, and Kirito's emotional state comes across more clearly as well. Here, in the source material, he is more like a normal boy who doesn't believe himself to be an epic hero. 

We also get a better sense for Quinella/Administrator. While she is translated well enough to animation, we don't get a sense for quite how uncanny/eldritch the author envisioned her to be. By the time Kirito meets her, she is this not-quite-human THING that is both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Even after she loses both arms, her hair is melted, and her face is cracked, her sheer presence radiates "unfathomable beauty" to him. 

Cardinal's fate is still stupid. When I saw it happen in the anime, I hoped that it had suffered adapation compression, and that the source material would have a better explanation. No, that is unfortunately not the case. It is basically the same here. It makes sense. Don't get me wrong. I can understand why Cardinal makes that choice, in that situation, but it is a stupid choice. 

On the other hand, I like the transition to the trouble outside Underworld better. I feel like the anime provided more information earlier to provide more context, and perhaps be less confusing, but that harms the narrative shift. In this volume, one can better sympathize with Kirito's W.t.F. reaction to hearing gunshots after previously going through the grueling boss fight and the calm that came after. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14 a B+

Click here for my next book review:  Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau book 1

Click here for my previous book review: Robin Hood (Barefoot Books version)

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13

I've already watched the anime and I must say I'm enjoying reading the source material. There is so much context and additional material to found, it's like experiencing the story all over again. 

For instance, in the anime, we don't get such a strong sense of the bond between Kirito and Eugeo, and particularly their respective envy and admiration. 

On one side, Euego sees Kirito as this ace warrior: flawlessly confident, highly skilled, possessing the wisdom to know how to act in all situations, and can even toss a witty quip in combat while concentrating on a spell.

On the other side, Kirito sees Euego as this sword prodigy who will definitely surpass him in short order and who possesses the determination that he lacks. It's like he thinks of Euego as the real deal, a real swordsman hero out of a story, while thinking of himself as only a gamer who happens to have lots of experience playing such a role.

Because of this, they both see themselves as less capable facing their respective challenges in this volume than the other. It also underscores the setback each of them faces in the latter parts of the novel. 

I could go on about how much I like this story, such as Euego's cleverness in his duel with Bercouli, or Kirito talking Alice onto his side, and how Alice breaks the Seal of the Right Eye, the fair-folk way that Quinella charms Euego, and how all this is written, and the emotional content added to make it all more than simple exposition, but that would make this review too long. Suffice to say, the source material is well worth a read, even if and especially if you've watched the anime already. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13 an A+

Click here for my next book review:  She Proclaimed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:  Magical JxR volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

SAO spinoff - Girls' Ops volume 4

I bought this volume after finishing volume 3, because it was excellent. I had a feeling that the series had found its stride in volume 3, and I was correct. This volume is just as good as volume 3, if not better. It continues the story of Lux and Gwen's troubled friendship while also delivering on story-plot satisfaction and set-pieces battles. There is also a bit of humor that I know SAO fans will appreciate (even haters might enjoy this part!)

The premise of this particular volume is a joint effort by the Slyphs and the Cat-Siths to defeat a new group of Player-Killers, the Batty Bat guild, which is led by Lux's old friend-turned-evil, Gwen. The Batty Bats have been going around Slyph territory killing players and causing other trouble, and so Lady Sakuya of the Slyphs wants to stop them and maintain order. The Girls Ops group are recruited to be part of this operation.

What follows is a confrontation between the Girls Ops group and the Batty Bats guild in their hideout. There are three distinct segments of this battle, and all three of them are well-developed, both in terms of the art and panels and in the progression of the battles themselves. There are some clever tactics (Angel Rings, FTW!) and a key difference between the two groups hits in a majorly emotional and satisfying way.

However, the sword and sorcery battles and anti-PK mission are not the only selling points here. No, there is more to it. One could say a "fourth" battle takes place, one very different from the previous three. It is just as well developed, and has a very sweet and satisfying aftermath. I'm looking forward to volume 5.

Defeat Means Friendship is a trope that is used in a lot of fighting series, and often times the bridge between "defeat" and "friendship" is not made clear. Basically, the fighters reach some kind of understanding during the fight or become fire-forged friends while later fighting a common foe. That is not the case here. 

After the battle is over, Lux has to put in a lot of effort to mend her friendship with Gwen. It requires quick thinking, a good bit of faith, and an honest heart-to-heart in physical reality. Even then, it might not have worked out if Gwen didn't realize that she wanted to mend their friendship as well, even if it meant accepting changes to that friendship (such as sharing Lux with three other friends). 

The art continues to be cute, and continues to deliver on battle sequences as well.  There is a battle with a large creature in this volume, similar to volume 1, but I had an easier time following it. Overall, it appeared better presented. The middle fight is fantastic; very atmospheric.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online spinoff - Girls' Ops volume 4" an A+

Oh, you wanted to know which humor that even SAO haters might like? I can't do it justice here. Trying to explain it wouldn't be as funny. 

Click here for my next book review:  I've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level, light novel volume 1

Click here for my previous book review: Wandering Witch - The Journey of Elaina 1 (read for fun)
_____________________________________________________________

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

SAO Spinoff Girls' Ops volume 3 (read for fun)

This is where the Girls Ops series truly kicks off. I checked this out of my local library at the same time as volumes 1 and 2. The first pair had their flaws, especially the second one, but the third one does not. 

For one thing, it doesn't rely on Kirito's shadow. The "Kuro" avatar does not appear. Likewise, Kazuto himself does not appear. This volume is completely about the Girls' Ops main cast, so their own characters are on display in a way that hasn't happened since the second volume of the main series. 

For the second thing, it doesn't rely on fanservice, not even in a Take-That sort of way, like the second volume. The closest thing to it is more like Fan Disservice, and it is a powerful and dramatic moment. Don't worry about a repeat of volume 2; this one is pure story and feels. 

You see, this story goes into Hiyori's past in SAO, during the two years she spent living as "Lux". It was very unpleasant for her to say the least. It is here that the significance of many things in volume 1 and volume 2 become clear. Why did her friendship with Rossa mean so much to her? Why wasn't she able to trust anyone before meeting Rossa? What was that mark on her thigh that Silica glimpsed when the Lux avatar appeared for the first time in Alfheim? Why did she wear a pareo like a security blanket? The third volume delivers on the answers to these questions, and in a majorly emotional and skillful manner. 

I say with no exaggeration that it is volume 3 that redeemed the series for me. Volume 1 was okay, nothing special. Volume 2 was a borderline disgrace, saved only by Lisbeth realizing that she was being Wrong Genre Savvy about Beach Episodes. Volume 3 took all the build-up from the first two volumes and delivered a magnificent pay-off. 

What is the actual volume's content? Lady Sakuya of the Sylphs calls the main cast for a tea party so she can tell them about a new group of player-killers in Sylph Territory. Shortly afterward, the main cast discovers that the leader of the player-killers is an old friend of Hiyori's. Well, former friend by now. The encounter triggers the release of Hiyori's past as Lux. 

Hiyori really didn't want her new friends to learn about her activities during SAO, because she is deeply ashamed of them. They involve the infamous assassin guild, Laughing Coffin, and how they made her an offer that she couldn't refuse. It is a wonderful delivery of exposition, with a satisfying climax that serves as a springboard into the next volume. 

The art work here does a great job of delivering the emotional content of the story. The battles are also easier to follow here than in volume 1, likely due to the human sized enemies. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Girls' Ops volume 3" an A+

Click here for my next book review (for fun): Sleepy Princess in Demon Castle volume 2

Click here for my previous book review (for fun): SAO Spinoff Girls Ops volume 2

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

SAO Spinoff Girls Ops volume 2 (read for fun)

 This is the second volume of the Sword Art Online spinoff, Girls Ops'. I checked this out of my local library at the same time as volume 1 and volume 3. I must say I have mixed feelings about this one.  It is about a contrast of content. 

Spoilers. Yes, lots of spoilers here. I need to spoil in order to make my point. So take heed, ye be warned of the dreaded spoilers!

The quest for this book is a swim suit beauty contest. Yes, really. The whole thing takes place on a beach area in Alfheim Online, and the main cast wears swimsuits for the whole thing. It is basically a Fanservice Episode. However, it is also a Take-That against fanservice episodes, and fanservice in general. Basically, that pandering to fanservice is missing the point as a storyteller, being ultimately a shallow means of grabbing attention that closes the teller off from a broader audience. 

Going off the prior volume's ending, the main cast needs to repair their armor because it was damaged in the prior volume's quest. So they travel to a renowned tailor who was recommended to Lisbeth by Asuna. This tailor, Ashley, tells them a surprisingly high price for the repairs. After explaining the debuffs currently afflicting their armor, Ashley points them towards the swim suit beauty contest. Its first prize will net them enough to pay the repair fee. 

The swim suit beauty contest rules encourage the contestants to "be the hero of the beach". Rankings in the contest are determined by the amount of attention gathered by each contestant, as determined by focused stares. However the rules clearly state that the Ethics Code is still in full effect, and that "unnecessary staring" will be reported to a game master. So right here we see the contrast, which is made explicit by Leafa: are contestants supposed to attract the sort of attention that could violate the Ethics Code?  

Reki Kawahara and the artist Neko Nekobyou cover many different types of fanservice. It is invoked by Lisbeth to attract the sort of attention that she thinks will win her group the contest. However, the more blatantly she goes into fanservice, the more her group's collective rankings drop. While they brainstorm, a crying NPC girl walks by . 

This leads to accepting the little girl's quest, to find her older sister. This ultimately leads to fighting a giant octopus monster, who had captured said older sister. They do this in front of everyone on the beach, thus gathering the most attention and winning the contest. It is implied that those higher in the rankings were completing similar quests this whole time. 

Evidently, the quest designers planned on someone taking the little girl's quest and finding the giant octopus. After realizing that the monster possessed a great advantage in its lair, the players would drive it out to the beach to deny it this advantage. Defeating this monster would earn them a great deal of attention, thus making them more likely to win the contest. 

So Lisbeth was wrong-genre-savy about the contest. The contest was never about sex appeal. It was about helping others in a beach setting. We can see this in the first chapter, where selling yokisoba was more effective in gaining attention than playing volleyball or dressing up in fanservice costumes. That is, fan service costumes other than swimsuits, of course. 

The message is loud and clear, but the volume still has the main cast and the background characters in swim suits for 90% of the story. Then there's the octopus, who engages in Silica's infamous running gag, and is also the villain of the piece. 

There are other pluses to this story that don't fit into my argument. These include Lux's continuing character development. A lot of foreshadowing is dropped regarding the history of Hiyori's "Lux" avatar, and it becomes the center piece of the next volume. Winning this beauty contest also sets up the plot for the next volume, and it happens in a very smooth way. 

So I have mixed feelings about this piece. 

I don't want to dock points for personal distaste, but I also sincerely don't think this volume is worthy of an A. I know this because volume three is worthy of an A, and volume two isn't as good as volume three. So I will settle in the middle. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "SAO Spinoff Girls Ops volume 2" a B

SAO Spinoff Girls' Ops volume 3 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review: Sword Art Online Girls' Ops volume one

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Sword Art Online Progressive volume 1 (read for fun)

The Progressive series goes back to the beginning. This is the first floor of Aincrad,  and we see the details of Kirito's life there, how he met Asuna and the start of the march through the floating castle. This is SAO the way it was meant to be.

The original volume had to end with the game being cleared due to real life context i.e. a contest's deadline. So Reki Kawahara didn't have space or time for really digging into the mechanics of the game or the relationships of the players. This volume does both.

For instance, there is the distinction between safe zones in a dungeon and inns within the town limits. While both are clear of monsters and allow players to rest, the former is still an area within a dungeon. It is dimly light, the surfaces are stone-hard and the monsters can still be heard prowling and growling. So while a player can technically rest they won't be truly rested. This tidbit is used to develop the character of our leading couple.

Kirito, the VR nerd, fully buys into the reality of Aincrad. He considers it to be reality as far as day-to-day living and surviving go, and so he is surprised when Asuna tells him that she is camping out in the dungeon. As the academic achiever who has never touched a game before using her brother's copy of SAO on a whim, she fully rejects the reality of Aincrad. She considers everything to be fake except for sleeping, which she isn't doing much of anyway because of the camping-in-a-dungeon thing.

Thus the stage is set for the beginning of their relationship. Despite being from vastly different backgrounds, Reki Kawahara quickly draws a parallel between them. Whether it is competitive gamers or ambitious students, both want to reach the highest score and neither wants to fall behind their peers. There is also mutual admiration of each other's skills. Kirito immediately compares Asuna's agility and grace to that of a shooting star while Asuna is amazed by the finesse and efficiency of Kirito's combat maneuvers.

But this book is not solely about Kirito and Asuna. Reki Kawahara has other nicely developed characters to interact with them and push the plot forward.

Diavel is a set up as a counterpart to Kirito, a beta-tester who is focused on surviving and scoring L.A. bonuses but there is a key difference. Diavel presents as a knight, a classic knight in shining armor, while Kirito is totally into his solo selfish swordsman identity. By his confidence and charisma, Diavel pulls together and leads the first floor-boss raiding party. In contrast, Kirito totally freezes up in any social situation that is not pure game based (the first thing he says to Asuna is about monster-overkill). 

Then, of course, there is Argo, the information broker with a teasing sense of humor. Also a beta-tester, she contrasts the two boys with her different approach to the game, sneaking and spying instead of slaying monsters. She contrasts the aloof-and-proper Asuna in a similar way in their interactions with others.

Back to the game mechanics now, only one of which is the focus of the third "arc" of this volume. It is the weapon upgrading system. I didn't know anyone could make reading about two people grinding for monster drops exciting, nor create so much suspense rooted in manipulation of a player's menu window.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online Progressive volume 1" an A+

Click here for my next book review (for fun): If It's For My Daughter I'd Even Fight a Demon Lord

Click here for my previous book review: Xanathar's Guide to Everything (D&D rulebook)

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Read for Fun: Sword Art Online volume 10

Sword Art Online volume 10 is the second part of the Alicization arc,  Alicization Running. Aside from Reki Kawahara's skill in general, I'm continuing to enjoy this arc because of how distinct it is from previous ones.

First of all, it is split in two segments, one for Asuna and one for Kazuto.

I like the first one because it has a genre shift to Mystery. Asuna has to put her head together with Silica, Suguha and Yui to find Kazuto so that they can rescue him. It can be seen as a flip of the alpha couple's situation at the start of volume 2, and, in fact, Yui points this out. She has a MUCH harder time of it than Kazuto.

He was forwarded a picture taken in a publicly available server. She has to search for clues, piece them together, and make logical deductions that drift rather far into conspiratorial speculation. Then she has to devise a way to enter a private, highly secured, area. It is not action-y but it is awesome. Really, that scene was my favorite part of the book.

The continuing development of the mechanics of Underworld fascinate me. It is a shame that SAO's haters don't read the light novels. Then they would see that Reki Kawahara's is not some hack terminally dependent on harem fanservice. There is a ton of thought and foresight and literary skill going into the science fiction here, and more goes into how it is set up and delivered through the narrative.

There is this one scene in particular where a human talks with his fluctlight clone, and the clone has a critical case of Cloning Blues. It is genuinely unsettling. It is an existential terror.

As for Kazuto's section, he is still inside Underworld where he goes by Kirito. This book is about the VR nerd part of him. He spends basically the whole of his section trying to figure out how the Underworld works, and he does it through experimentation. The OP Mary-Sue that haters insist that he is cannot be found here; he has three fights and two of them are against practioners with more experience than him. The later two are struggles and neither of them is a victory. Neither is the harem seeker his detractors deride him as present in this volume. On the contrary, he resolves to be a Celibate Hero out of faithfulness to Asuna.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online Volume 11: Alicization Running" an A+

Click here for my next book review (also  for fun): Dungeons and Dragons - Dungeon Master's Manual
Click here for my previous book review (also for fun): Don't Know Much About History


Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Sword Art Online - Ordinal Scale review

Sword Art Online - Ordinal Scale is an amazing movie. Before watching it, I read a review that said it did a good job of using the franchise's strengths and avoiding its weaknesses. I agree with that sentiment.

 
The interacting of physical existence and digital existence, for instance, is well executed in the movie's augmented reality. It has many different uses beyond games like "Ordinal Scale", such as working as a GPS, counting calories in food, and staying in contact with A.I. friends. The game itself is part of this by allowing the player to be conscious while playing. This combines the appeal of games such as Sword Art Online (adventure, fighting monsters, earning treasure etc.) with vigorous physical excercise, and helps the players to stay in shape in the open air.

 
People who dislike Kazuto/Kirito for being an overpowered solo player will rejoice at seeing him make a fool of himself the first time he plays Ordinal Scale. Being a VR nerd, he is absolutely unsuited for combat in AR, and he doesn't become effective until his little sister puts him through a training montage. Even after that, his victories are a team effort.

I was happy to see the focus on Kazuto and Asuna's relationship. Since the end of Mother's Rosario, she has been urging him to meet her mother and the primary subplot, their character arc, is about a promise they made to each other while in Aincrad. When tragedy strikes, the depth of their bond is on full display and there are many tender moments.

The new girl, Yuna, shows absolutely no interest in Kazuto. Her character arc is entirely separate from him. He's not even the only player she asks for help, just the only one who figured out her message.

The story's villain is a quite a contrast with the usual. He is much more sympathetic in his goal and his methods show multiple motivations instead of the For The Evulz that previous villains have held.

The battles are fantastic. Most of them are against bosses from SAO that were not seen in the original cannon so there is no reptition. We also get to see Klein's guild, Furinkazan, in action. This means we see the truth of their status as a front-line guild. Their coordination is flawless.

Beyond the battles themselves the film itself looks fantastic. It is crisp, clean, bright and overall stunning.

If I had to name a flaw in the film, it is the speed by which Kazuto climbs the ranks of Ordinal Scale and becomes skilled enough to challenge its best player. It is a montage of what appears to be several days but could be longer. It's a little jarring but frankly, I see it as a Necessary Weasel based on the time constraits of the film itself.
 
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale" an A+


Click here for my review of the chronologically next story (or rather the start of it): Sword Art Online Volume 9 - Alicization Beginning



Brian Wilkerson is a freelance book reviewer, writing advice blogger and independent novelist. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Read for fun: Sword Art Online Volume 9

I finished reading Sword Art Online Volume 9 recently. This is the start of the Alicization Arc, which, as of this posting, has not been adapted for an anime (although one is in the making). This was a novel experience for me as I watched the first four arcs before reading them (technically, I've only read the first two). I will examine Plot, Character, and Polish before assigning a grade.

　
PLOT
　

What I like about this arc, and this volume in particular, is the three layers of plots. On one hand is the immediate plot about Kirito investigating the new world, Underworld. There's also the in-universe storyline which he himself is a part of; the history of the Human Empire within the End Mountains. The third is the most far-reaching, the ongoing conflict with Laughing Coffin. It began when he clashed with them in Aincard and continued in confronting Death Gun and now there's a conflict in real life. There are hints of something more going on in real life with Rath and the Soul Translator, but I'm not that far yet.

The beginning is kind of disorienting since it starts in what does not appear to be a virtual world or the real world but a more typical medieval fantasy setting and has a boy named "Kirito" who acts as though he is a native of this world. This is thoroughly explained after the prologue and I found it interesting regardless. It was intriguing even, whether or not this was a role play.

This arc is quite different from previous ones in that it is an ontological mystery. When the story proper starts, Kirito has to figure out where he is and what he's doing there before he can do anything else. He even considers the possibility that he's been transported to another dimension, before dismissing it as ridiculous. He has no idea what's going or what's happening so he has to figure it out as he goes. For a guy once derided as a "beater", this is indeed a new experience.

In every way, he's starting out at level 1; not even his meta knowledge about VRMMORPG in general is useful because this game features real pain, no predictable spawning points, and no level-grinding (at least, nothing that he can track; I think stat increases are based on feats rather than grinding). Criticism about how Kirito is "uber-broken" or whatever has no place here.

There's also humor here, such as jokes about Kazuto being a henpecked husband and some self-deprecation to the general shonen genre and even previous arcs of SAO itself such as Kirito trying to predict the storyline he's been flung into.

There's more focus on Kirito and Asuna's relationship as well, which I think is nice given the perception about the franchise being in the harem genre. It's an understandable misconception that stuff like this volume clears up. An exemplary moment is when, shortly after being stranded in Underworld, Kirito considers himself a "CPU that's missing half its cores" because Asuna isn't around; endearing nerdy for the VR-addict.

There is an excellent split ending - the series' conflict is set up and ongoing but the specific conflict in this volume (centered on the Gigas Cedar) is closed.

CHARACTERS

Kazuto/Kirito continues to be introspective in this volume. As in Volume 4, where he contemplates the difference between physical reality and virtual reality, in this one he thinks about the nature of existence and life itself. Part of this is that Yui, his beloved A.I. daughter, is not fully "alive" in the way he himself and Asuna are because she is mimicking human behavior based on watching the 3,000 SAO players for two years. However, Fluctlight based programs, like the natives of Underworld, are just as alive as he is because they are clearly not limited in knowledge/behavior/expressions/etc. to a limited pre-programed database. This leads to pondering if he is a Tomato in the Mirror, i.e. one of those Fluctlight based programs based on the real Kazuto.

Incidentally, he considers faithfulness to Asuna to be fundamental to his personality and identity.

Several new characters are introduced, such as Euego, Alice and Selka (though I imagine readers will see far more of the first two than the third). Euego is this Beware The Nice Ones kind of character - friendly, helpful, understanding, and also brave, solid and has a lot of practice swinging an axe. Alice strikes me as an Iron Lady in-the-making because of her determination and bossiness, but also has a mischievous streak via Loophole Abuse and some cute traits like asking her friends' opinion of her cooking (and "secretly" getting her mom's help with it).

POLISH

I don't recall any technical errors.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online Volume 9" an A+

Click here for the next book review (also for fun): Medieval Towns a Reader

Click here for the previous book review (a request): A Change of Heart - The Royal Blood Chronicles

Brian Wilkerson is a freelance book reviewer, writing advice blogger and independent novelist. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Read for fun: In defense of SAO volume 4

In defense of SAO - Volume 4

Once, the original light novel makes clear that "OMG! Kirito is so overpowered!" complaint is baseless. This is over and beyond what the anime shows and the anime shows a lot. There's his attempt at soloing the Grand Quest at the World Tree, which fails just like it does in the anime and in the light novel we get an inner monologue of him berating himself for being so stupid and arrogant as to attempt something like that. Also, during the detour into Jotunheimen, he has to twice rely on a friendly monster to win a battle. The only way he manages to reach the top of the World Tree tower is with a lot of help from a lot of powerful people. Even then he would have failed if not for help from Yui and Asuna.

Yes, the supposed "Damsel in Distress" was instrumental in her own rescue. This is part of Adaptation Dissolution I suppose. The light novel makes clear how Asuna ended up in Sugou's bird cage and how long she's been there. Furthermore, it talks about how she's already tried everything short of the escape plan in the main narrative and the massive difference in power between her and her Game Master captor. Just because she's not a butt-kicking guild sub-leader all the time doesn't mean she's useless.

Sugou's minions using slug avatars still doesn't make any sense so that infamous scene doesn't appear to have any in-universe justification to make it any less icky, however, it is just one scene. It is not the whole novel and certainly not the whole series. Also, the novel shows how Asuna used the scene to acquire the Admin Access card critical for her ultimate escape.

There's also this theme of "real power" that I quite enjoyed. All through this volume and the previous, Kazuto has been using what amounts to a New Game Plus in ALO which gives him a tremendous advantage when he starts playing. However, he himself recognizes that this is not "real power" because it is just game code. Compared with Sugou in both the game and the real world, he can't compare because the man is a game master and an adult executive at the company hosting the server that contains Asuna's mind. Suddenly Kirito's sky high stats don't mean a thing. Then he gets a pep talk from "Kayaba" of all people on this subject and the idea of "real power" shifts; Sugou is just piggybacking on Kayaba and his "real power" doesn't belong to him. Then the theme is extended further with combat in real life and even with ALO players banding together to purchase ALO's servers from the bankrupt RECT Progress in the epilogue.

One thing I particularly liked about the 4th volume is how Suguha is viewpoint character. She gets a lot more development here than in the anime. The reader can see the "Kirito is Kazuto" reveal from her perspective and it is much more powerful than the anime, which, by its nature, is more limited in this regard. This is not to say that the anime does a bad job, but that, in my opinion, the light novel gives it greater room and weight.

The conclusion of the Grand Quest of Alfheim didn't get enough closure in the anime, in my opinion. Here we get a long scene confirming that, yes, everyone gets eternal wings as a result of the successful attempt on the World Tree. Leefa spends twenty minutes flying around at top speed. She loves flying which is entirely separate from her Kissing Cousins plot thread.

This volume marks another great entry into the series.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online Volume 4" an A+

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Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Read for Fun: Sword Art Online volume 2 Aincrad 2

This is the second volume for Sword Art Online. Again I must say that all the "problems" of the haters have to do with the way the story was adapted to TV, and the anachronistic nature of the two volumes. Thus, this is my second Defense of SAO. (To read the first click here) As before I will examine plot, characters and polish while responding to common critiques.

PLOT

This volume takes the form of four short stories set before Kirito clears the game. As I said in my review of the first volume, three of them occur before the main narrative of the first volume. This means that they form the earliest episodes, and because they are stand alone short stories, they are disconnected from each other and the main plot of volume 1 other than the fact that they are all within the grand narrative of the Aincrad Death Game. Thus they look like filler in the anime, but they have a specific purpose.

The first volume is all about the elite. It's focused on the clearers who are in the latest dungeon, fighting the latest bosses and pushing the frontier closer and closer to the top of the castle. This is only a couple hundred people out of thousands trapped in the game. This second volume is focused on the middle grade players, who build new lives for themselves inside the game while waiting for the clearers to free everyone, as well as the bottom rung players, who are too scared to leave the Town of Beginnings.

There is also a difference in perspective. Kirito was a first person narrator in the first volume, but here, he only takes that role in one story. Silica, Lisbeth and Asuna are the viewpoint characters in the other three. This doesn't translate well into the anime and so these episodes lose a lot of substance.

Given this set up, there is no ending within the book but the plots themselves are closed well.

CHARACTERS

I have a feeling that the misunderstandings produced by this volume are responsible for a lot of the hate towards Kirito as a Mary Sue. He is an elite clearer that is hanging out with players of substantially lower levels. All of these stories take place away from the frontier. This is why Kirito is so much more powerful than everyone else. The anime doesn't frame this appropriately and so Kirito appears unfairly high in level. In fact, Kirito talks about how unfair the level based system is during the first story (this line is included in the anime but it's an easily missed thing). Anyone reading this volume for fantastic and suspense filled fight scenes is going to be disappointed. Kirito is here to provide a contrast with the middle grade and low grade players in order to give the reader perspective.

Silica gets the short end of the stick in regards to adaption. She is the supporting protagonist in her story, she gets a lot more development and she shows her true power. She does not get either of those in the anime. In regards to her status as part of Kirito's "harem", it's understandable that she would get something of a crush. After the rescue in the dungeon, giving her high grade equipment, and then helping her revive her familiar, all without asking for anything in return and after a period of prolonged loneliness, a young person is naturally going to think favorably towards him.

Lisbeth is a first person narrator in her story. We get her past and motivations here as well as a great deal more personality development when they are missing in the anime adaption. Her progress from selling crude weapons on the street and living out of an inn to owning her own shop and being highly regarded among weapon smiths didn't make the cut. In regards to her status as part of Kirito's "harem", it's a minor thing. Asuna appears in this story before Kirito does and their friendship with each other is established first.  Lisbeth picks up on her crush and when she finds out it's on Kirito, she has a brief period of anguish and then goes into Shipper on Deck mode. Furthermore, I get the feeling that death game induced loneliness is a bigger part here than one more notch in Kirito's belt. It just looks like the later in the anime because it couldn't preserve the first person narration.

Asuna herself is the viewpoint for the third story and she gets more development here as well. There's her backstory before the game and as well as the first day and her rise to her current spot in the Knights of Blood. This story is the only truly romantic one of the stories because it is with the only real couple, and during their Honeymoon to boot.

Finally, Kirito is the viewpoint again for the fourth story. This is about his days with the Full Moon Blackcats. I imagine that any complaint a hater could bring against him about this incident, he would agree with. Yes their deaths were his fault, yes a high level player shouldn't have been messing around with them, yes he was a horrible person for showing off (when he was truly keeping them alive and making them stronger) etc. This is Kirito's darkest moment. He outright states that he doesn't expect to survive fighting Nicolas the Renegade and is basically committing suicide by boss fight; he's choosing this particularly boss in the hopes of reviving at least one person. Again, you don't get this in the anime because of adaption compression.

POLISH
Like the first, no spelling or grammar problems. The artwork continues to look good as well.

Trickster Eric Novels gives Sword Art Online Volume 2: Aincard 2 an A+

Click here for the next book review (which was a review request): Amanda Moonstone 1 The Missing Prince

Click here for the previous book review (which was a review request): Shadow of the Raven

Read for Fun: Sword Art Online Volume 1 Aincrad

I watched Sword Art Online when it first aired on Toonami and I liked it so much I bought the light novel when it was translated into English. To all the SAO haters out there, you need to read the light novel because most if not all of your complaints are due to the way the anime was adapted from the light novels. I will include these differences in my traditional three sections. I will examine Plot, Characters and Polish and then assign a grade.

PLOT

The general thrust of the book is that 10,000 players have been trapped in the VMMORPG, Sword Art Online and have to conquer the castle of Aincrad in order to escape. There are one hundred floors but the book only covers the 74th and 75th floors. This is two years after the game began. 

You see, it's In Media Res. The first chapter is Kirito fighting an Elite Mook on the 74th floor. Then he flashesback to the first day up until Kayaba announces the start of the death game. Then he spends a chapter or so expositing on how the game works and general history: like how The Army got started and the four types of players in the game. After that, the plot goes directly to Kirito finding the Ragout Rabbit which would not happen in the anime until "The Sword Dance of White and Black". The content of episodes two through eight are all from other volumes. This is why there is no connection between them and the main story; they were created after the main story was published. They seem like filler because they were intended to be extra stories to flesh out the world and characters after the main story was completed.

The main story as presented in the light novel is straightforward; posessing little fat or digressions. Even the "honeymoon" Asuna and Kirito take serves its purpose by demonstrating what life in Aincrad is like away from the front lines. Thus, providing both a traditional heroic reason to go back to the front lines as well as a temptation to stay away from them.  It provides good emotional conflict without descending into meaningless angst or drama.

For those that have a problem with the climatic battle, there's something here too. Kayaba talks about how one of the great things about an RPG is having "one's expectations betrayed" and that includes his own expectations. Afterward, he talks about how he dreamed of a world that could surpass the rules of reality, including his own rules. While he is as surprised as anyone both in-universe and out-of-universe by the seemingly impossible feat that our leading lady accomplishes, he is not angry. That's how his world is supposed to work.

For those complaining about the status of the player's real bodies, and what would happen to them during a two year comma, there's an explanation for that too. The epilogue goes into detail about such things: food, body waste, bed sores, muscle atrophy etc.

The ending is good. The book's main conflict is closed but personal conflict remains. In fact, it's a perfect sequel hook for the next adventure "Fairy Dance".

CHARACTERS

I see a lot of bashing of Kirito in the anime. It's the typical mary sue variety; overpowered, bland, somehow attracts many admires etc. That's not the case here in volume 1.
--->Sure he's a powerful solo player with the inside knowledge of a beta tester, but he's not the "only" solo player or the only beta tester. He points this out himself as part of his self-depreciation. This just happens to be his story so it focuses on him instead of them.
--->Sure he has the Unique Skill Dual Blades. In the anime it comes out of nowhere, but it's not as great as it seems. The light novel explains that he can't use it often or he'll be seen as even more of a "beater" than he is already thought to be, or be hounded by people demanding to know how he got the skill. Since he doesn't know, they might think he's lying and dislike him for it. Thus increasing his social isolation. There's sufficient foreshadowing in the light novel that he has it as well as an explanation of why he keeps it a secret: it's his ace in the hole.
--->Overpowered character? He has to be rescued twice in this volume, runs away in fear from a floor boss, and he only clears the game because the final boss allowed him to.
--->Bland badass? In the Light Novel, we see his thoughts because he's a first person narrator. There's rarely a time when he "isn't" scared, either for himself, Asuna, someone else, or all of the above. We also see his intense interest in and experience of VMMRPG, as well as a great deal of Heroic Self Depreciation. He's constantly praising others: Asuna, Klein, Heathcliff, but has a poor opinion of himself and his own skills.
--->Too many female admirers? Asuna is the only girl in his life and they've known each for two years before their Relationship Upgrade.

There's a different perspective on Asuna as well. The anime introduces her during the raid of the first floor boss. This establishes her first as an action girl and then later episodes show her cooking talent and her love for Kirito. This leads some to think she is Chickified. In the Light Novel she is still the Sub-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath from her introduction and she finds Kirito because it's part of her job to find solo players for boss runs. However, her first scene with Kirito is this recruitment followed by the Ragout Rabbit stew, which is then followed by exploring a dungeon with Kirito. Instead of an Action Girl that becomes girly, we have an Action Girl that is girly from the start; Girly Bruiser. There is no separation.
Unlike the anime where she floats in and out of the picture, she's a constant presence here and makes significant contributions to plot development.


Because of the book's focus, Kuradeel is a bigger presence and a bigger threat. In the anime, the scope is smaller and he's just some one-off guy. Not so in the novel; in the novel he is introduced shortly after the beginning exposition and reappears many chapters latter.

POLISH
This is a first person narration and the narrator happens to be a hard core VMMORPG addict. Thus, all the talk about the history of the game, the mechanics of the system, all of it is perfectly in character. There is a great sense of things because of this perspective.

No spelling or grammar problems.

Trickster Eric Novels gives Sword Art Online Volume 1 Aincrad an A+

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