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.hack//AI Buster #1
.hack//AI buster
AI Buster, the prequel to .hack follows the avatar Albireo, as he tries to discover why The World -- the most advanced game ever created is in danger of falling apart .
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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450 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 25, 2013
The .hack series really caught my attention as I was growing up. Over time, I lost interest the more I understood the likely motivations for yet another series, book, game, promotional website, anything .hack related on a quantity scale. The series offers scant breadcrumbs over the same well tread mysteries. What's up with the world, morgana, how and why do these people end up in comas, all that stuff that never really gets strictly answered, and it's left room for yet another game or show or project, with a tale of discovery that ends up relatively fruitless.
AI Buster is one of those stories. There's not enough new information learned to add much to your repertoire of .hack theories. You'll learn some things about Aura, not much. As for what it provides to the actual lore I find it somewhat insubstantial. I did not feel motivated to read the other buster novels, although this one does have some good action and description. There are also some full page manga style illustrations to establish what characters look like. There are about two of these, and both are bland shots, one of the protagonist and one of a female sidekick character. Usually with pictures in a book you want to pick a very powerful scene and show a piece of it visually. I felt the pictures were a wasted opportunity to show some of the interesting scenes in the end. We know from the cover what the characters look like anyway.
What's also frustrating is that the writing and tone covers familiar territory and knowledge, treating the reader like a newcomer to the series, which makes no sense. This is a prequel, a product meant to appeal to fans.
So, it was a decent, short and action driven .hack story of limited conclusions. It's decently fun while it lasts, so for a .hack fan I'd recommend it, but not with high praise.
AI Buster is one of those stories. There's not enough new information learned to add much to your repertoire of .hack theories. You'll learn some things about Aura, not much. As for what it provides to the actual lore I find it somewhat insubstantial. I did not feel motivated to read the other buster novels, although this one does have some good action and description. There are also some full page manga style illustrations to establish what characters look like. There are about two of these, and both are bland shots, one of the protagonist and one of a female sidekick character. Usually with pictures in a book you want to pick a very powerful scene and show a piece of it visually. I felt the pictures were a wasted opportunity to show some of the interesting scenes in the end. We know from the cover what the characters look like anyway.
What's also frustrating is that the writing and tone covers familiar territory and knowledge, treating the reader like a newcomer to the series, which makes no sense. This is a prequel, a product meant to appeal to fans.
So, it was a decent, short and action driven .hack story of limited conclusions. It's decently fun while it lasts, so for a .hack fan I'd recommend it, but not with high praise.
June 10, 2010
Enjoyable. AI Buster links up nicely with the Legend of the Twilight manga. This book isn't just another offshoot of the series. Characters and plots from this actually play a role in not only the manga, but the game as well, because it shows how Balmung and Orca got their "Azure" title. A must read for all .hack//fans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2011
The .hack series is mainly about a video game - an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) called The World. .hack//AI buster follows the story of one of the games players. Albireo (the name of his character) is a member of the Colbalt Knights (an administrative team in charge of debugging the game). They search around the game for bugs, cheats, and vagrant AIs (artificially intelligent programs outside of the company that runs The World’s control).
Albrieo finds one such AI in a dungeon and has to work through her quest in order to debug and delete her. He also is forced to deal with a new player who tags along on his adventure and to whom he has to explain how the game works. He also encounters The One Sin - a quest in the game that is thought to be unbeatable.
This is a fun book, especially if you enjoy video games. There are lots of silly things in it that just would not really happen that can be overlooked, but if you know anything about how computers work will leave you chuckling and shaking your head. For instance, debuggers going into the game to debug it instead of looking at the lines of code and AIs being created randomly.
Albrieo finds one such AI in a dungeon and has to work through her quest in order to debug and delete her. He also is forced to deal with a new player who tags along on his adventure and to whom he has to explain how the game works. He also encounters The One Sin - a quest in the game that is thought to be unbeatable.
This is a fun book, especially if you enjoy video games. There are lots of silly things in it that just would not really happen that can be overlooked, but if you know anything about how computers work will leave you chuckling and shaking your head. For instance, debuggers going into the game to debug it instead of looking at the lines of code and AIs being created randomly.
January 5, 2019
Since I recently played the .hack//GU games for the first time, I'm on a bit of a .hack kick. So I searched around to find the chronology of all the .hack stuff.
I don't think this light novel will make much sense to those not already fans of .hack. The postscript by the author mentions they were writing it while the TV show (.hack//sign)) was being produced and the games were in.. in production? Already a thing? I'm not sure lol.
Anywho, I doubt it makes sense to anyone not a fan of the .hack universe but it's a good read and a nice puzzle piece for those of us who do. Though most if not all of the mysteries have been solved by now, I still like this little story about Albireo and a vagrant AI he meets. Stories that take place in MMOs really fascinate me and .hack came before the Sword Art Online craze. I think it must have started the whole "trapped in the game" scenario.
Anywho, the story is a fun adventure. Not the best written but some of that may be because of translation. I still feel like the reveal of Albireo's understanding of the event is a sudden thing. But ah well.
I don't think this light novel will make much sense to those not already fans of .hack. The postscript by the author mentions they were writing it while the TV show (.hack//sign)) was being produced and the games were in.. in production? Already a thing? I'm not sure lol.
Anywho, I doubt it makes sense to anyone not a fan of the .hack universe but it's a good read and a nice puzzle piece for those of us who do. Though most if not all of the mysteries have been solved by now, I still like this little story about Albireo and a vagrant AI he meets. Stories that take place in MMOs really fascinate me and .hack came before the Sword Art Online craze. I think it must have started the whole "trapped in the game" scenario.
Anywho, the story is a fun adventure. Not the best written but some of that may be because of translation. I still feel like the reveal of Albireo's understanding of the event is a sudden thing. But ah well.
February 24, 2020
wow, what a trip down memory lane. i never played the video game portion of the franchise (ironically), but voraciously consumed the manga, anime, and novels growing up; i can and do 100% attribute my early interest in cyberpunk, constructed mythologies in digital world-building, and AI technology particularly to the series. so, a goal of mine this year was to revisit all of the .hack//another birth light novels (tall order, given that none of the .hack novelizations are available online), and when i found AI buster at a used book shop this past weekend, couldn't resist branching out. so glad i did--not only are the intermittent illustrations are utterly charming, but the lore of the .hack universe it expands upon is so wonderful and compelling. if you're looking for 'serious' storytelling in the vein of a traditional novel, look elsewhere--these books are ultimately intended to be companions to the video game series (and tie-in anime+manga), but wow, they are so immersive. so glad to have rediscovered AI buster and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel i impulsively ordered off of ebay earlier (: what a gem.
November 12, 2012
~Apology in advance if this review doesn't appeal/ make sense. Yes I know this is set before Sign and etc~
I LOVE .HACK! Having watched .hack//Sign, I thought Albireo would be another Tsukasa being unable to log out. Luckily Watarai could actually take off his headset and continue his daily life. Though near the end it surprised me that Albireo was Watarai, that explains why he's a loner and all. I wish Al didn't have to delete Lycoris, she would have been a nice companion to have while exploring The World. I just love all the .hack//sign and liminality references like Emma Wielant and Harald Hoerwick.
~Off to read the rest of the series~
I LOVE .HACK! Having watched .hack//Sign, I thought Albireo would be another Tsukasa being unable to log out. Luckily Watarai could actually take off his headset and continue his daily life. Though near the end it surprised me that Albireo was Watarai, that explains why he's a loner and all. I wish Al didn't have to delete Lycoris, she would have been a nice companion to have while exploring The World. I just love all the .hack//sign and liminality references like Emma Wielant and Harald Hoerwick.
~Off to read the rest of the series~
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2015
SO boring... I'm a fan of the .hack//SIGN and .hack//ROOTS anime series and wanted to start the in-world timeline from the beginning, but this book really failed to keep me engaged. The characters are one-dimensional and the plot is predictable for one who's familiar with The World and its major characters.
It's been on my currently-reading shelf for 8 months now and I'm barely halfway through. I can't bring myself to trudge through the rest, so I'm writing this review and marking it as dropped. Finally out of my hair.
It's been on my currently-reading shelf for 8 months now and I'm barely halfway through. I can't bring myself to trudge through the rest, so I'm writing this review and marking it as dropped. Finally out of my hair.
April 21, 2010
Set even before the adventures with Kite and BlackRose, A.I. buster VOL 1 follows the story of the player character Alberio, who works for the company that runs "The World", CC.Corp.
After stumbling upon an odd Rogue A.I., his life is changed by the emotional challenges he hasn't faced, along with meeting a few new people along the way who change his life forever.
After stumbling upon an odd Rogue A.I., his life is changed by the emotional challenges he hasn't faced, along with meeting a few new people along the way who change his life forever.
February 2, 2010
I was so sad when Lycoris got drain. I was about to cry, even if she wasn't as good as Aura why did she have to die? Freaking Morgana. It was good though, I learned a lot about the story behind .hack.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2008
Awsome Mystery Novel with a video game sci-fi feel. i have to say the ending really surprised me the most about this book. The book is very creative and wriiten in a very detailed first person angle.
October 20, 2013
A great side-story for the .hack universe (and just before it all became a little too much...)
October 18, 2023
While a bit cheesy, this is my favourite book of all time.
January 22, 2020
This is, first and foremost, a book for younger folks. I read it in just a couple hours.
I will say, if you're a diehard fan of the .hack// series like I am, there's probably some interesting trivia in this book. We get to see Orca and Balmung in their prime, as well as get some back story on the goings-on in CC Corp. It's a fun little story and should be entertaining for fans of .hack//SIGN, or really any of the .hack// side stories.
I will say, if you're a diehard fan of the .hack// series like I am, there's probably some interesting trivia in this book. We get to see Orca and Balmung in their prime, as well as get some back story on the goings-on in CC Corp. It's a fun little story and should be entertaining for fans of .hack//SIGN, or really any of the .hack// side stories.
August 26, 2019
Not bad but also not too complex. Gives slightly more detail and story to the .hack world
January 31, 2020
Quite good actually, a good introduction to the .hack// universe.
December 15, 2022
Albireo-sama!!!!
June 28, 2023
Adds a little to the .hack world, but nothing much, probably because the author was writing it during .hack’s production and was given little to work with
October 30, 2016
AI Buster takes place. little before the .hack//SIGN anime. it follows Albireo, a high level Long Arm class charger who prefers to play solo. In this story we meet the wondering AI Lycoris and newbie Hokuto.
Reading this gave me flashbacks of playing the 4 volumes of the first game. Some scenes just reminded me of how annoying the game could be. We get to follow Albireo through 3 days of trying to figure out the mystery of Lycoris.
We also get to see Orca and Balmung become the legends we know them as in the games.
This book is definitely a must read for any fan of he .hack// series (like me.)
Reading this gave me flashbacks of playing the 4 volumes of the first game. Some scenes just reminded me of how annoying the game could be. We get to follow Albireo through 3 days of trying to figure out the mystery of Lycoris.
We also get to see Orca and Balmung become the legends we know them as in the games.
This book is definitely a must read for any fan of he .hack// series (like me.)
December 14, 2018
[REVIEW TO COME LATER UPON RE-READ.]
March 23, 2016
It gets three stars for a light novel not for a normal novel.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews