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pato_myers's review
3.0
I saw the anime first which gave me expectations of delving deeper into character thoughts, but apparently there was a word limit to story which was already surpassed and since the anime was based on this book they covered it pretty well.
apathriel's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
_stephany_'s review against another edition
5.0
Als ich herausfand, dass SAO auf einem Buch basiert, musste ich es sofort lesen. Ich fand den Anime großartig und wie zu erwarten: das Buch ist noch viel besser.
Im Jahre 2022 sind die Spielkonsolen so weit, dass man sich einen Helm aufsetzt und mit vollem Bewusstsein im Spiel ist, während der eigene Körper im Stuhl oder auf dem Bett liegt. Dieser Helm, das NerveGear, unterbindet die Signale des Gehirns an die Muskeln und leitet sie um in den Avatar des Spielers. So kann man voll und ganz in eine vollkommen anderen Welt eintauchen. (Der gute Kawahara hat die Story 2002 geschrieben. Ja, er hatte scheinbar hohe Erwartungen in unsere Zukunft, aber ich hab Nachsicht mit ihm
Im Jahre 2022 sind die Spielkonsolen so weit, dass man sich einen Helm aufsetzt und mit vollem Bewusstsein im Spiel ist, während der eigene Körper im Stuhl oder auf dem Bett liegt. Dieser Helm, das NerveGear, unterbindet die Signale des Gehirns an die Muskeln und leitet sie um in den Avatar des Spielers. So kann man voll und ganz in eine vollkommen anderen Welt eintauchen. (Der gute Kawahara hat die Story 2002 geschrieben. Ja, er hatte scheinbar hohe Erwartungen in unsere Zukunft, aber ich hab Nachsicht mit ihm
i_attri_'s review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
libriotecha's review against another edition
4.0
Got reading after hearing about how disjointed the anime was compared to this. Still a bit of jumping around but overall a much better version of the story.
billblume's review
4.0
I'm giving this four stars, but I should probably qualify it by saying that it's really only a four-star book if you've watched the anime series first. Reading the book adds some layers to what happens in the anime, and it's certainly worth the time for Sword Art Online fans. I'm not sure a person who's never watched the anime would enjoy the book as much, but it still delivers a clever spin on virtual reality, multi-player gaming. You can tell the author loves MPG, and that knowledge adds a layer of realism to things happening here. I also think he's the only author I've seen give a book about a story in a virtual world such strong, real stakes. Definitely enjoyed reading the book, and I'll definitely explore more of the books to add to my enjoyment of the anime.
unicornbanzaiiking's review
4.0
Looking forward to completing the series... just wish it wasn't all messed up chronologically.
alice_digest's review
2.0
Sword Art Online is one of those where I absolutely love the idea but am really disappointed by the execution. I probably should have known better because I didn’t really like the anime when I tried to watch that, but I thought maybe I’d get on better when the novel. The novel pretty much reads like a description of the anime (I know the novel came first), although I’ve not read anything Japanese before so I don’t know if that is the style to exaggeration emotions and psychical responses. I dislike far more anime and JRPG games than I like (so far found two I only two I did like – Eternal Sonata and Tales of Vesperia) so I probably need accept that these are genres that aren’t for me!
The idea of Sword Art Online is just brilliant! Gamers become trapped inside a virtual world (a VRMMORPG) by the insane creature of the programme, with their real life bodies held hostage in the outside world. The virtual world now becomes their reality as they must work to beat the game if they ever hope to escape alive. It’s just awesome, and the world of Aincrad is very well built as are all the mechanics of the game (which is pretty standard fantasy world just without magic). The author also does a good job of exploring the various reactions and emotions players experience as a result of being trapped in the game.
The protagonist and narrator is Kiroto a sixteen year old gaming fanatic, he was a beta tester so had the advantage of prior knowledge of the game come release day (the day they got trapped) and he has trained to a very high level. He plays solo, not wanting to be part of a Guild or the Army. Then we also have Asuna, which is where things started to take a dive for me. Asuna is also a very high level player, incredibly skilled with a rapier sword (enough to earn her the moniker The Flash) and is supposedly a vice-commander in the best/biggest Guild in the game. So far so good… but then a lot of time is spent describing how beautiful she is, and how great her body is... and it is THIS that makes her special, not her skill. Apparently no attractive or thin girls play games (in fact hardly any girls, SOA is a bit of sausagefest), so as a pretty one in a sea of uglies she stands out is something of celebrity (I should point out that their avatars were turned off and their real life appearances revealed early on). Ok maybe I can see past the painful sexism in that… but then there are too many descriptions of her good looks, and coupled with the illustration of her in in underwear (actually the copy I have has two.. one in full colour. Note that all the illustrations of Kiroto show him being hero and fully clothed). She’s constantly sexualised and it makes me feel icky.
I also don’t really understand her personality. I expected her to be a badass and as a vice-commander have ab it of authority, a bit of something about her. She seems to essentially be a trophy for the Guild, you don’t see her involved in it at all other than her wish to leave to be with Kiroto. She has armed escort all the time, and it seems like she is just kept locked away. When it comes down to it all she wants is to be Kirotos wife and live in a little cottage (she’s a master Cook too.. he loves her sandwiches *eyeroll*). They run off and give up the fight at one point to do this! I suppose Japanese society is still pretty male chauvinist, and this is fairly typical of the genre... but that doesn’t mean it didn’t deeply irritate me!
This is a love story when it comes down to it... and once again one I didn’t believe in. They feel in love really fast, and ok yes they’re teenagers, but it was all a bit intense with very little foundation. It all comes to a bit of an abrupt end too which surprised me... I know this is series, so I don’t know how the timeline works on in further books. I think I’d rather have read about the early days than the two year leap forward that we get in this book.
I also struggled a bit with the way it was written. Because it is an English translation of the original Japanese I found it overly descriptive, and often you get three or four words to describe something that if the original language would be conveyed with just one word. Everything is exaggerated too but I have a feeling that is part of the style. It is easy to read, but not to be personal taste.
There are things to love about it but there as more I hated. Very disappointing because I am in love with the idea of being trapped in the VRMMORPG!
The idea of Sword Art Online is just brilliant! Gamers become trapped inside a virtual world (a VRMMORPG) by the insane creature of the programme, with their real life bodies held hostage in the outside world. The virtual world now becomes their reality as they must work to beat the game if they ever hope to escape alive. It’s just awesome, and the world of Aincrad is very well built as are all the mechanics of the game (which is pretty standard fantasy world just without magic). The author also does a good job of exploring the various reactions and emotions players experience as a result of being trapped in the game.
The protagonist and narrator is Kiroto a sixteen year old gaming fanatic, he was a beta tester so had the advantage of prior knowledge of the game come release day (the day they got trapped) and he has trained to a very high level. He plays solo, not wanting to be part of a Guild or the Army. Then we also have Asuna, which is where things started to take a dive for me. Asuna is also a very high level player, incredibly skilled with a rapier sword (enough to earn her the moniker The Flash) and is supposedly a vice-commander in the best/biggest Guild in the game. So far so good… but then a lot of time is spent describing how beautiful she is, and how great her body is... and it is THIS that makes her special, not her skill. Apparently no attractive or thin girls play games (in fact hardly any girls, SOA is a bit of sausagefest), so as a pretty one in a sea of uglies she stands out is something of celebrity (I should point out that their avatars were turned off and their real life appearances revealed early on). Ok maybe I can see past the painful sexism in that… but then there are too many descriptions of her good looks, and coupled with the illustration of her in in underwear (actually the copy I have has two.. one in full colour. Note that all the illustrations of Kiroto show him being hero and fully clothed). She’s constantly sexualised and it makes me feel icky.
I also don’t really understand her personality. I expected her to be a badass and as a vice-commander have ab it of authority, a bit of something about her. She seems to essentially be a trophy for the Guild, you don’t see her involved in it at all other than her wish to leave to be with Kiroto. She has armed escort all the time, and it seems like she is just kept locked away. When it comes down to it all she wants is to be Kirotos wife and live in a little cottage (she’s a master Cook too.. he loves her sandwiches *eyeroll*). They run off and give up the fight at one point to do this! I suppose Japanese society is still pretty male chauvinist, and this is fairly typical of the genre... but that doesn’t mean it didn’t deeply irritate me!
This is a love story when it comes down to it... and once again one I didn’t believe in. They feel in love really fast, and ok yes they’re teenagers, but it was all a bit intense with very little foundation. It all comes to a bit of an abrupt end too which surprised me... I know this is series, so I don’t know how the timeline works on in further books. I think I’d rather have read about the early days than the two year leap forward that we get in this book.
I also struggled a bit with the way it was written. Because it is an English translation of the original Japanese I found it overly descriptive, and often you get three or four words to describe something that if the original language would be conveyed with just one word. Everything is exaggerated too but I have a feeling that is part of the style. It is easy to read, but not to be personal taste.
There are things to love about it but there as more I hated. Very disappointing because I am in love with the idea of being trapped in the VRMMORPG!
twilliamson's review
2.0
Likely considered the gold standard for video-game isekai light novels, Sword Art Online presents an interesting premise buried under heaps of cliché. At its core is a question of the meaning of human lives in virtual realities, and while it isn't anything that cyberpunk hasn't already tackled, the light novel makes a faithful attempt to inspect human emotion--and especially human needs for an emotional connection to friends and partners in life--through virtual reality.
The conclusion, for example, is one of the best representations of the virtual world bleeding into our consciousness about the real world, as the protagonist agonizes over the loss of his VR partner and goes to seek her out in the real world. Its depiction of his emaciated body, the neglect suffered through a sadistic trick central to the novel's plot, is also one I haven't seen in too many other similar novels. It hits some beats that manage to stick the emotional core of the book, and also delivers some interesting twists along the way in what would certainly make for a compelling plot-driven anime.
Unfortunately, the book is ultimately held back by its rather unfortunate sexual politics. Like most other light novels, it just can't help but fall into cliché regarding its one female character. It's not likely as egregious as Ernest Cline's unfortunate sexual politics, but it does grow tiresome that the one female character depicted in the story is often relegated to being the sole motivation of the male protagonist, or largely defined by her sexual appeal or her abilities in traditional homemaking.
Mileage will vary as to whether or not the sexist problems of the novel are a dealbreaker, and while I don't think the problems are nearly as bad as in other light novels I've read or encountered, I still resent that these stories can't be a bit more progressive in their sexual politics than they are. I know it is more an issue with the culture of Japan than anything else, but the clichés that continue to resonate throughout much of Japanese popular literature are still a distasteful burden that drag down what should otherwise be a lot more enjoyable.
The conclusion, for example, is one of the best representations of the virtual world bleeding into our consciousness about the real world, as the protagonist agonizes over the loss of his VR partner and goes to seek her out in the real world. Its depiction of his emaciated body, the neglect suffered through a sadistic trick central to the novel's plot, is also one I haven't seen in too many other similar novels. It hits some beats that manage to stick the emotional core of the book, and also delivers some interesting twists along the way in what would certainly make for a compelling plot-driven anime.
Unfortunately, the book is ultimately held back by its rather unfortunate sexual politics. Like most other light novels, it just can't help but fall into cliché regarding its one female character. It's not likely as egregious as Ernest Cline's unfortunate sexual politics, but it does grow tiresome that the one female character depicted in the story is often relegated to being the sole motivation of the male protagonist, or largely defined by her sexual appeal or her abilities in traditional homemaking.
Mileage will vary as to whether or not the sexist problems of the novel are a dealbreaker, and while I don't think the problems are nearly as bad as in other light novels I've read or encountered, I still resent that these stories can't be a bit more progressive in their sexual politics than they are. I know it is more an issue with the culture of Japan than anything else, but the clichés that continue to resonate throughout much of Japanese popular literature are still a distasteful burden that drag down what should otherwise be a lot more enjoyable.
firefly99's review
3.0
If you liked the anime, you’ll like this. Has the same things I liked, some of the things I disliked, and a big thing I really disliked was gone. So I may pick up the next one, we will see. I was hoping it would have a little more depth, but maybe the later ones do!