By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen Press.

As I was reading this volume, I kept thinking that there was a pacing issue, and that events were happening far faster than I was expecting. As I came to the end, the reason why occurred to me: other than the first book, this is the only stand-alone Sword Art Online novel. In the main series, Books 2 and 8 are short story collections, 3-4 and 5-6 are two-volume arcs, and 9 onward is an epic 9+ volume arc. But this book completes its story in one compact volume, and it’s even pretty short compared to some other books in the series. Once the brain has adjusted to that, the reader can see what’s really going on: this is one of the best books in the series, where Kawahara finally balances storycraft and emotional manipulation perfectly, to the benefit of Asuna, who’s the co-star and narrative focus of this book.

Fear not, Kirito isn’t the other star of the book; for once he only has a small supporting role. (Though he does appear on the cover, apparently at the request of the editor.) No, the other star is Yuuki, the spunky girl with the sword you see next to Asuna on the cover. The first half of the book introduces her to us and has as its main mystery why she is so good with a sword – to the point where she can defeat Kirito, twice. She defeats Asuna as well, but Asuna gets closer than anyone else, so Yuuki introduces her to the rest of her Guild and asks for her help in taking down the boss of one Level – in a party of seven. Boss fights normally have at least 50. Clearly there’s another reason why they’re so desperate, and as Asuna discovers it despite Yuuki’s best efforts, we get the last third of the book, which will put a lump in your throat.

The second half of the plot is Asuna’s stormy relationship with her mother, who has demanded that she transfer out of the SAO survivor school and also set up a marriage for her (with her second cousin, because Japan). The repressed frustration and anger that Asuna feels whenever she talks to her mother will be achingly familiar to many readers, and it’s through Yuuki and her own struggles that Asuna finds the strength to fight back and stand up for her own life and experiences. (As an aside, I note that Yuuki seemed quite happy when she talked about getting married to Asuna in order to get around one of her problems.) SAO may have been a traumatic death game in many ways, but it did allow Asuna to really grow and reach out to others, and her refusing to be put back in her mother’s little box is a triumphant moment.

I’m trying to avoid spoiling more than I usually do in a review, but the book isn’t perfect. I am not a medical person, but even I could see that a lot of the details of the medical treatment and cause for it was a bit sketchy here. Also, I grow rather weary of the plot continuing to talk about how noble and good Kayaba was long after his death, given that he trapped 10,000 people in a game where they were allowed to die as his thought experiment. That said, Asuna and Yuuki are pitch-perfect in here, and for once the emotional and gut-wrenching final feels fully earned (Bonus points for not featuring sexual assault as a plot point, at last). Even if you gave up on SAO during Fairy Dance, I’d recommend getting this volume, as it’s one of the best in the series.

By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen Press.

In general, I am not a fan of the theory that the writer does not control their characters and that they do things that are unexpected. Yes, the plot and characters can go in a different direction than the writer intended, but it’s still the writer who thinks of that new direction. And thus I tend to be more forgiving of characters than I am of writers. This is especially useful when reading something like Sword Art Online, where we see Kirito still managing the get the cover focus, saving the day, and helping to stop yet another rape threat of yet another heroine in peril. This wasn’t fun in Fairy Dance and it’s not fun here, though Sinon does at least manage to fight back more than the typical heroine in this position, particularly impressive given this is the one friend she’s made in the past five years, and he’s deliberately triggered her PTSD.

Having gotten that out of the way, I still greatly enjoyed this volume, the longest in the main series to date. I don’t game, but the descriptions of Gun Gale Online were smooth enough that I didn’t really need to know much more than what was explained to me. More importantly, Sinon is a really strong character, even with the sexual assault threats. Her PTSD is triggered mid-game, which understandably causes a minor freakout, but after a talk with Kirito she manages to work past it and realize that her attempts to become strong have been headed in the wrong direction, and that growing and learning requires remembering tragedies in the past and moving beyond them. This applies as much to Kirito – it wouldn’t be an SAO novel without Kirito getting contrasted with his not-quite-love interest – who is reminded of his execution of the Laughing Coffin members, something he too had tried to bury rather than move past.

As you’d expect, Asuna and the rest do not have much to do in this book beyond staying behind and providing support – Asuna’s support literally saving the day when her holding Kirito’s hand reminds him of the other gun he has (the one that’s not a lightsaber). She deals with the government official far better than Kirito does, finding out what’s going on and immediately figuring out what she can and can’t do to help. What she and Lisbeth can do is provide Sinon with some closure, in a final scene that a bit deus ex machina but I’ll forgive it because it was touching. I also like the way that they’re keeping Yui involved in the plots, both as a sort of AI for hire and as Kirito and Asuna’s daughter – they can’t let her push herself.

There’s a lot of macho posturing in this book, make no mistake, both by the characters and by the author. He states he had to rewrite it from the ground up, as opposed to his other books which were light retouches of his original web novel. But I suspect those still reading are aware of the author’s flaws and managing to enjoy the series nevertheless. As a reward, they’ll get a 7th volume in April that focuses on Asuna as the heroine, with Kirito in a support role. Can’t wait.

By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On.

The cover of this volume of Sword Art Online features Asuna and Kirito shot from above, both relaxing happily as they float down a river in their gondola. It’s a fitting image, as this volume is also very relaxed and leisurely, and though there are some well done action scenes and sword battles, this volume lacks the tension that the first volume had, content to develop the themes it’s had since the beginning: how this world differs from the beta before it, how Kirito and Asuna are both getting closer to each other while also being socially awkward, the ongoing war between the Forest Elves and the Dark Elves, and the pretty scenery of the game itself.

While Asuna once again gets no narrative voice, we as the audience are learning more about her slowly; she’s clearly from a rich family, and Kirito wonders if her talk of ‘real castles’ means she’s seen some before. But her mixed feelings on Christmas also show us a girl who’s grown up very lonely, and is finally coming into her own as a person thanks to the game – though I suspect she feels guilty about that. As for Kirito, he’s gotten better at seeing when Asuna’s upset, but he’s still terrible at guessing why. In this respect, much as he’s the elite gamer who cannot be defeated and always gets the Last Attack bonus (this remains a highly amusing running gag), he’s still very much a 14-year-old boy, one with his own family issues.

There are several cute bits written for the seasoned fan of Sword Art Online. Lisbeth isn’t named, but we do catch site of someone who clearly matches her description early in the book. Argo appears less than I’d like, but her one major appearance is possibly the best part of the entire novel, as she walks on the water alongside Kirito and Asuna’s gondola, showing off her amazing agility and ability to tease Kirito to the max. There are also some interesting quests, such as Asuna and Kirito’s attempts to get their gondola made by the grumpy retired shipwright in the region, which requires them to fight a giant mutant Prophecy bear, and a secret quest to spy on some fallen elves, which requires them to hide in a crate and leads to accidental gropings that are possibly “amusing” to some.

Which there are some serious moments in the book, particularly Kirito and Asuna both worrying about how long they’ll survive and also keeping pace with one another, overall this book is very light and pacey. If it has a fault, it’s that it may be a bit too light – it’s nice to see Kizmel again, and I sense we’ll get more elves as we go on, but honestly not a lot really happens in this book. It’s a shame, as we’ve now caught up with Japan, so I suspect a wait for the 4th book – where the author has promised a tougher boss fight than the one that barely gets three pages here – will be a while. Still, recommended to Sword Art Online fans, especially those who just like to focus on the two leads.