アクセル・ワールド 03 夕闇の略奪者 [Akuseru Wārudo 3: Yūyami no Ryakudatsusya]

アクセル・ワールド / Accel World Light Novels #3

by Reki Kawahara, Reki Kawahara, HiMA (Illustrator)

第15回電撃小説大賞＜大賞＞受賞作、怒濤の第3弾登場！

「ゲームオーバーです、有田先輩……いえ、シルバー・クロウ」
学内一の美少女・黒雪姫との出会いによって人生が一変した少年、ハルユキ。デブでいじめられっ子だった彼も、立派な≪騎士≫として成長していた。季節は春。二年生となったハルユキたちの前に、奇妙な新入生が現れる。≪ブレイン・バースト≫のマッチングリストに現れず、しかし日常では≪ブレイン・バースト≫を巧みに使いこなす謎の一年生。
黒雪姫が修学旅行で不在の中、≪ダスク・テイカー≫と呼ばれる歪なデュエル・アバターを出現させた一年生は、圧倒的な力でハルユキから『大切なもの』を奪っていく。再び中学内格差（スクールカースト）最底辺に堕ちたハルユキ。絶体絶命の彼がその時とった行動とは……!!

Genres: Light Novel, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Manga, Action, Japanese Literature, Anime

360 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2009

About the author

Kawahara Reki (川原礫) is the writer of Sword Art Online and Accel World. He also uses the pen name Kunori Fumio. His hobby is cycling.

Reviews

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ Re-read in 2021. ]

In this third volume we got a new evil guy, Nomi Seiji/Dusk Taker, who is by far one of the worst assholes I’ve ever read in a book. He steals Silver Crow’s wings and takes everything from Haru. He even manipulates Haru and Chiyu in the real world and threatens him in a way that make me want to punch his girl-like face.

Now, of course this takes its toll on Haruyuki, since he only felt worthy due to his ability to fly. But a friend/rival of his, Ash Roller, kind of helps him and this is why we meet another Burst Linker who could jump so high, she almost flew.

Sky Raker, that so called Icarus, teaches him about the Incarnate System which basically is the power of will: if you believe your avatar can do something, by the power of your will, it will eventually be able to do it so. Your mind over-writes an image in the game.

After training for a whole week in the Accel World, Silver Crow decides to confront Dust Taker and, even though Cyan Pile/Taku fights against him first, they join forces and take him down. Or at least, that’s what they believe. The third volume leaves us with a plot twist that will make you want to read the next one ASAP.

Now, I think this volume gave us more world building and it is entertaining to the point I couldn’t stop reading. As far as character development, both Haruyuki and his friends have changed from the first moment we meet them.

I know it is not a perfect story since it has a few fan service moments, but they weren’t that cringy, at least not for me.

I’m absolutely in love with Kuroyukihime and Haru’s interaction, the way he really loves her and how she truly believes in him no matter what other people think. Haruyuki is a good guy who’s only flaw is that he cannot see what others see in him. So it’s pleasant to read about an underdog becoming the hero. I’m always up for that kind of stories.

I would totally recommend to watch the anime and complement it with the light novels! Can’t wait to read vol. 4!

PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book another hack, this Burst program is supper easy to interfere with and look like its bug filled, the main villain is such a dick that I was about to dump this book and the cliff-hanger was totally WTF. We still can´t see any progress towards the main goal and they’re just being normal kids, there’s not much excitement about the world and it’s just him learning yet another cool and Over Powered ability, but at least this time he’s hold accountable for his OP flying thing. Perhaps I’m not able to enjoy this books so much because I just read the ending of the Alicization Arc in Sword Art Online and all of this quirks, abilities and life changing things were originated there, as the author says the SAO story is older but was only available online and then he out the Accel world into a contest, won and was published. I might continue to read this story, but the stakes are too low and the characters don’t seem to be very excited to reach the end goal I really hope that both SAO and Accel are connected because that would make everything here way more exiting and interesting.

[Tuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another literary masterpiece from the literary mastermind of the light novel genre. Kawahara has greatly disrupted the virtual games novel genre by introducing one of the best engines around. The Incarnate Engine using the power of the will and imagination to cause the Burst Link program to make the impossible possible was greatly brought to life the Haru's desire to overcome the new enemy in front of him. I love this system alot as it transcended the typical power leveling plot that most video game fans know. Rather it made it feel as if this is the VRMMO that anyone would want to play. From enhancing ones attack abilities to just making new means of motion and more there are endless possibilities for such a system. The chapter highlighting it was just as good as those mentioning Seiji Nomi. I cant wait to see how Haru will use this to overcome this foe in the next volume.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 3 out of 5]

So having been a while since i read the 2nd volume, i decided to come back and read the third one. While i really liked the first light novel, the second one was....meh? So i was hoping the third would pick back up. and what do i have to say about the third one? well, it's both better and worse than the second one at the same time. Let me explain.

Volume 3 is about the main girl going off on a trip to okinawa. while she's gone, haruyuki and takumu meet this new burst linker called Nomi. He basically learns about Haruyuki's burst linking and tries to blackmail him into him giving Nomi points so he can keep burst linking without having to fight. and nomi also steals Haruyuki's wings and now Haru has to go off on a rocky style training montage to get the power of flight back. Oh also his annoying friend Chi is a healing burst linker now.

So why is this better than the previous one? Well, it's better because A, it makes more sense than the previous one, where volume 2 kind of threw a LOT of jibberishy jargon at you, and the battle took FOREVER. like literally the battle in the 2nd volume took half the book and i got battle fatigue after a while. The final battle in this one was only about 30-40 pages so i was grateful for that. So there you go.

What is probably the best thing for me in this book was the introduction of a new character "Sky Raker" she's this girl with prosthetic legs who teaches Haru how to fly again. She's rad and probably my favorite character in the series so far.

Positives:
- faster end battle
- less complicated.
- introduction of Sky Raker

Now for why it's WORSE than volume 2. First of all, the villain Nomi is AWFUL. he's one of those little pieces of crap that thinks he's super awesome and smug. you know, the kind who needs a good slap across the face. Has no real power and uses manipulation and cheating to win everything. The villain from the 2nd volume was a hulking monstrosity and seemed like an unstoppable force. this guy's just a little weasel and i honestly can't stand him.
Also, as i said before, Kuro (Aka the girl on the cover) is MIA for almost the whole book. She's on a school trip and basically can't be involved in the main story. so that's lame. i assume this is done because like.. if she was around, she'd beat the main villain in 15 seconds and there would be no need for this arc. i get that, but MAN was this annoying. It almost feels to me like this is a justice league movie "wait for superman" situation which pisses me off.
Also, it ends on a cliffhanger. Normally these light novels are pretty self contained, however, this one ends on a cliff hanger and reading some stuff on the wiki, yeah, 3-4 are really meant to be read together so..pfffff. now i gotta read 4. If nothing else, to see this little idiot get his teeth knocked in.

Bad
- ends on a cliffhanger
- kuro is off on vacation (out of the 90% of the story)
- Villain is AWFUL
- Chiyu (friend) is more annoying than usual

So overall, it has its mix of good and bad. this one definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth because it's one of those BAD cliffhangers, so i'm gonna have to buy volume 4 dang it. Ah well.

Mixed bag..but it was FINE. Not great, not good, but fine. 3 out of 5.

[Michael A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting better

The first two books felt a bit slow but I like the concept enough to give book three a try. This book was a improvement and much more intense.

This is the first part of a two story arc that ends with a betrayal that I did not see coming, nor did I see some of the twists coming. Very enjoyable book.

[Kevin Hozak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the best in the series so far

Wow, this might be the best in the series so far. So much tension, so much on the line. And what a cliffhanger. I like where this series is heading.

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nomi stresses me out so much

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining enough

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not convinced the new system will work. Funnily enough the author writes exactly this in the afterword. Ends on a clif hanger and I will most definitely pick up book 4. Looking forward to the conclusion of the story. As such, not bad or great, 3 stars.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accel World is a really interesting series. It feels kind of like a candy-sweet cyberpunk junior set of books, like Burst Link, the in-series game, is what kids busy themselves with while the higher stakes and intrigue of more adult novels are being fought in network virus riddled boardrooms. For the first two volumes of this series, I really did have trouble with the fact that all of this high drama is surrounding a video game, albeit one that's really fantastic.

Here, in the third volume, I feel like Accel World has finally clicked. Sure, the stakes are low, and the characters often act irrational. In this volume, however, it finally feels like the characters act like they do because they're junior high students, not because they're idiots. Here, the social structures and complexities of being in junior high are simply, but cleverly written. The bullying is more harrowing than the fights, petty and ridiculous jealousies subtly work their way into the backgrounds of conversations, and finally, Kawahara has built a world where a video game, as a method of self-definition in the hellish world of junior high, does seem like a matter of life and death.

I still don't think Accel World is perfect. The action is predictable and the attempts at fan service are almost cringe-worthy. I'm surprised at how smart it is about showing just how dreadful it is to be twelve or thirteen, though. I'm glad that I stuck with this series for so long and look forward to continuing it.

[Matisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to love 'Accel World'. This volume goes back to the first novel's bullying theme, and challenges Haruyuki with his first real antagonist. The first 'Accel World' story allowed our hero to find salvation in a video game, and while that rang true to the adolescent experience, it wasn't entirely emotionally satisfying. Kawahara's third entry is an addendum: stripped of the powers that saved him, and isolated from the girl who generally-it's-supposed-to-be-ambiguous-but-come-on-she-clearly-likes him, Haruyuki has to finally stand up for himself, both in reality and in the accelerated world. It's got action sequences, the story admits that it shares beats with Hong Kong kung-fu flicks, and somehow, it's character-driven and introspective. Cyberpunk at its best, basically.

This volume makes you realize that Kawahara excelled at writing stories without real antagonists. Volume 3's Seiji Nomi is menacing for sure, but his mannerisms and dialogue seem a bit one-note, if not outright Anime-y. Haruyuki, Kuroyukihime, and the rest have had three books to grow into three-dimensional characters; Nomi has to hit the ground running, and while he's formidable, he doesn't seem as real as the rest of the cast. In a story about a video game, where the kids playing it are fully aware that they're letting a video game dictate their lives, a nemesis who lacks self-awareness seems a bit out of place.

Like with its sister series, Sword Art Online (which is more popular, somehow), Accel World vol 3 ends on a cliffhanger. Off to Barnes and Noble! =D

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways the best of the Accel World thus far, in other ways perhaps the worst.

Of course there are new introductions in this book. Kawahara seems to like to add people every time he puts pen to paper, but also because it is the beginning of a series and there are just people we haven't met yet. One of the however happens to be one of the singularly biggest jerks I've run across in a book in a long time. (Best and worst.)

This character certainly expands the concept and reason behind Accel World. The climax of the book was pretty good and then comes the cliffhanger. YEOWCH.

(Writing these without spoiling things is hard!) I am curious to see where Kawahara takes it in the next volume but I suspect it will not entirely be in the direction I'm thinking.

Verdict -- Be sure to start at the beginning, you want to read these in order... but if for some reason you found the start of the series to not quite do it for you, give this one a shot and see if it changes your mind!

EDIT -- PICK UP VOL 4 at the same time as this one, you'll be glad you did!

[Camy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was an unexpected F-bomb in this one, but since it’s Ash Roller saying it, it isn’t entirely surprising. And Haru’s interaction with Ash Roller was really awesome and I loved it. The author also again does a good job of introducing new characters in such a way that they’re significant and not confusing.

I was tensely wondering what was going to happen as I read this volume, but it wasn’t quite as entertaining as the previous 2. I didn’t quite like how helpless Chiyuri acted with Nomi and I also didn’t understand why Haru didn’t tell Taku or even Kuroyukihime what had happened. It might be partially explained by the emotional blow he took and by his naturally low self-esteem, but it was still rather frustrating.

What’s really interesting about the Incarnate System is that it’s an echo of the events of Sword Art Online. That series also flirts with the possibilities of the heart and will overcoming the limitations of the technology.

Ends on an unexpected cliff hanger, which is a great plot twist but I’m glad the next book was already out when I read this.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of books for a younger audience, but very rarely do I feel that I may be too old for a novel. This is that rare exception. The characters in Accel World are so unbelievably foolish, making poor decisions based on reasoning that I would have recognized as immature when I was their age(s) that I find it very difficult to sympathize with them all. While I do recognize that the Accelerated World is in the same category as Social Media Addiction (something I am not certain that the author is aware of), their consistently poor choices make this a frustrating read.

Maybe I'm too old for this *#@$.

[Toma Nishikido · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally didn't like this segment of the story. I usually like close battles and/or the main character dominating, but I don't like the main character being displayed as "weak" even if he is. I liked the rebellious spirit in him and takumu. Overall, I didn't like Dusk taker, because of his cheat-like powers, and I didn't like the main character's wings getting stolen, but the rest of the story was amazing.

[Brandon Varnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll write up a proper review later, but for now, I'd like to direct everyone to my youtube review for Accel World Vol. 3. I hope you enjoy it!