Book:
Is there an ebook available?: yes
Is there an audiobook available?: No 
Is there an all-furigana version available?: no
Summary - Japanese
≪プログレッシブ≫シリーズ、ついに刊行開始!!
キリトが≪黒の剣士≫となったエピソード『星なき夜のアリア』他全三編。アインクラッド攻略を第一層から描いていく≪プログレッシブ≫シリーズ、ついに刊行開始!!
Summary - English
There’s no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die…"
One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba’s deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead.
Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in doing so, survive?
Sword Art Online: Progressive is a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that starts at the beginning of Kirito and Asuna’s epic adventure—on the very first level of the deadly world of Aincrad!
Content warnings if known
Some passing mentions of suicide and despair amongst the general player base, iirc. Nothing more graphic than that though.
Why are you nominating this book: it’s a very fun retelling of the beginning of Sword Art Online. The dynamic between the two main characters is enjoyable, and there are interesting tensions and novelties between different groups and subcultures in the book. Progressive series in general feels a bit more accessible and interesting than the main SAO series. It’s a bit more lighthearted, and you get both Kirito and Asuna’s perspective, plus more exposure to a bit more of what’s going on with other background characters and groups. Also interesting musings about where the line between AI & humans in a fully VR game is.
