'Sword Art Online' New English Novel Release Date Revealed

Before Sword Art Online was a phenomenon as an anime or anything else, it was originally a light novel series by author Reki Kawahara. That same series of light novels is continuing to be translated into English, and it would appear that the next installment officially has a release date.

According to Yen Press' official website, the 17th light novel is set to go on sale in English starting October 29th. The 15th volume is currently available, and the 16th is expected to go on sale starting May 21st. Here's the full description of the 17th novel, courtesy of Yen Press:

"The Priestess of Light, Alice. If we sacrifice all members of the army of darkness, she will be within our grasp...

"It is the second day of the final stress test. The army of darkness, driven to desperation by the coordinated onslaught at the hands of the Integrity Knights, has begun to retaliate with incredibly reckless tactics. Critter, who had been observing the events of the Underworld from the outside, has successfully created a gateway for the masses under the guise of an invitation for "A limited-time beta test for a new VRMMO in production." This digital invite has bolstered the forces of the army of darkness by over fifty thousand people.

"Asuna, unable to compete with such a level reinforcement, begins to sink into depair. But all is not lost! Two new deities of the Underworld will descend to lend their aid: The Blazing White Solus and the Earthmother Terraria. And the ones in possession of these super-accounts are none other than Sinon and Leafa!"

Sword Art Online was originally created by Reki Kawahara with illustrations provided by abec. The series follows a boy named Kirito after he and thousands of gamers get trapped in a virtual reality video game known as Sword Art Online. The gamers must band together to defeat the game's final level to escape, but Kirito and his guild learn there is more behind their prison than they were originally told.

If you have yet to catch the new season of Sword Art Online's anime adaptation, the original Japanese release of Sword Art Online: Alicization can currently be found streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu. The English dub of the series is now airing Saturday nights on Adult Swim's Toonami block.

[H/T SAO Wikia]

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