Review: #505
Title: Sword Art Online 8: Early and Late
Series: Sword Art Online - 8th volume
Author: Reki Kawahara
Read Before: no
Comments: Early and Late is the eight volume in the light novel series Sword Art Online. Similar to the second volume, this is a collection of three side stories, set before the events of Volume 7. The first short story is “A Murder Case in the Area”, which takes place on Floor 57 of Sword Art Online. At this point in time, Kirito hasn’t shown off his Dual Blades ability yet and he and Asuna are not lovers, but are slowly warming up to each other. They investigate a murder case; someone is somehow able to kill another player within a safe area. As Kirito and Asuna looks into the mystery, they get deeper and deeper, with the result being that they discover a sinister plot of a small guild back in the past. It was a really good story in which it captures your attention, it makes you eager to find out how the murders were able to be pulled off and the mastermind behind it all. It was written well and the pacing was good. While the ending was a little bit weak in the reasoning and motive, this made a good mystery story. The second short story is “Caliber” which is Kirito along with his friends partying up in ALO to obtain the legendary sword Excaliber. It’s much more straightforward and action-oriented but it’s also because of this that it doesn’t engage you as much. There were some funny scenes but nothing surprises you. The third and last short story is “First Day” which takes place immediately after Kayaba announces the death terms to all players. Kirito rushes off to gain experience and equipment. We see Kirito’s first experience in teaming up with another player. This was actually more interesting than expected and goes into the thoughts of Kirito quite a bit. Overall, this is a good volume, while the jump in the timeframe can be jarring from story to story, they were all engaging and fun to read.
Rating: 7/10