The First Sword Art Online Audiobook Is So Good It Changed My Opinion of the Novel

Yen Press

In late August, Yen Press contact me to ask whether I’d like to review the brand-new audiobook version of Sword Art Online: Aincrad volume 1. I was brimming with excitement. Not only do I love all things SAO, but I hadn’t even heard of this new endeavor and was keen to check it out.

For anyone unfamiliar, there are many versions of the SAO Aincrad story. There are the light novels, the Progressive light novels that retell the story floor by floor, the manga version, the Progressive manga, and the anime series—and soon, there will be an anime film based on the first book of Progressive. Each version is different to varying degrees, and each version has its own strengths and weaknesses. While there isn’t one right way to enjoy Sword Art Online, I do have my personal preferences, and the original light novel wasn’t something I particularly cared about.

Until now.

My first interaction with the light novel was many years ago, when I read it out of curiosity. It was right around the time I first watched the SAO anime, and I’d heard the story was extremely short in book form. After reading it, I decided the anime was better and didn’t give the book any more thought.

It should be noted there is a reason for the light novel’s length. In the author’s note of SAO volume 1, creator Reki Kawahara explains that he originally wrote SAO for a writer’s contest. After he went over the word count limit, he decided not to trim the story and instead created a website to post what he’d written. It was only after he won the same contest with Accel World that SAO got approved for publication and was taken off the website.

The restrictions under which the book was written mean the original story is distilled down even from what you see in the anime. There’s no Lisbeth, Silica, or Yui. There’s no murder investigation. There is mention of what happens to the Moonlit Black Cats, but it’s brief. The light novel starts on floor 74 of Aincrad and then gives a lengthy flashback to SAO’s launch day. Most everything else you see in the anime comes from later novels and side stories Kawahara has written.

So, if the story is this simplified in book form, what was it about the audiobook that made me change my mind and love it? Two things.

First, during my listen, I realized there’s a lot from the light novel that couldn’t be adapted to the screen. It’s written in first person, which gives a unique peek into Kirito’s mind. The anime receives plenty of criticism about his muddy motivations, but that is a nonissue in the light novel. The book portrays Kirito as being more insecure and unsure of himself. He’s deeply afraid of being responsible for anybody else because if he fails at all, people could die. Hearing his thoughts and hesitancy provides a depth that we don’t get in the anime medium.

Kawahara also goes into great depth describing the world-building and rules of SAO. If everything was explained in the anime how it is here, I have a feeling the pacing would have been thrown off and the exposition would have felt grating. But within the confines of a book, it’s all interesting. Kawahara devotes an entire chapter to explaining the sociological ramifications of being trapped in a death game. There’s no dialogue in this chapter, but it’s fascinating. What he says is completely believable. I thought many times as I listened, Yeah, in this situation, I think humans would behave that way.

Bryce Papenbrook voices Kirito in the English dub and reads Aincrad part 1 for the audiobook. Courtesy of Yen Press

The other main reason I changed my mind about Aincrad volume 1 is because of the audiobook’s narrator. Bryce Papenbrook, who voices Kirito in the English dub, reads this audiobook. Since the story is told entirely in the first person, his voice emphasizes the feeling that Kirito is talking to the listener. It was this wonderfully strange phenomenon where I could almost believe we were sitting across from each other in a coffee shop as he told me what happened in Aincrad. It made for an emotional listening experience.

Papenbrook puts all of his voice-acting skills into this reading. Emotion carries through from dialogue to narration in perfect synchronization. The pacing of his reading is neither too fast nor too slow. He also manages to channel the other voice actors with stunning accuracy. Even though it’s Papenbrook’s voice, Kirk Thonrton’s way of inflecting comes out in Klein’s dialogue. Agil’s voice was so spot-on, I actually rewound the audiobook and listened to the dialogue again to make sure Patrick Seitz didn’t make a random guest appearance.

In all, listening to the audiobook made me appreciate the light novel’s strengths. Yes, it’s a narrower story than the anime version, but the focused plot means it’s more character driven. It doesn’t set up any expectations that it’s going to be a battle shōnen story. Instead, the book is more about how people live through extraordinary circumstances. It’s slower, more thoughtful, and deeply engaging.

I’ve already encouraged friends to purchase the audio version. No matter how many times you’ve watched or read SAO, this audiobook is sure to spark a new love for the series.

And it isn’t just for longtime fans of the SAO universe, either. I think it’s a great entry point for new fans who might enjoy the specific information on how the game works. New fans might also enjoy getting to know Kirito and Asuna in a smaller setting before being introduced to the tertiary characters.

The Aincrad volume 2 and Fairy Dance volume 1 audiobooks are slated for release in October and December 2021, respectively, and I’m most curious to see how Yen Press decides to tackle these two light novels. Aincrad volume 2 comprises four short stories with four different viewpoints and will be read by Papenbrook and Cherami Leigh, who voices Asuna. Fairy Dance volume 1 switches between Kirito’s first-person point of view and Leafa’s third-person point of view; at the time of this writing, narrator information for that volume hasn’t yet been released, but it’s exciting to think about other voice actors coming in to breathe life into their characters. It’s my hope that all the SAO books get adapted someday. My favorite arc, Alicization, has so much more content packed into the light novels than the anime, and it would be a treat to hear Papenbrook read them. In the meantime, I’ll be looking forward to the next release.

The audiobook for volume 1 of Sword Art Online: Aincrad is available across multiple platforms, including Audible, Libro.fm, Google Play, Kobo, and Nook.