Ahh I was aware that Kawahara had re-written some of the earlier novels with the progressive series. I haven't read them myself nor do I know much about them since I don't really read Light Novels. Translations can be difficult to find sometimes and I'm usually not impressed by their quality, but it's nice to hear that he's somewhat improving as a writer. I hope that will reflect on the anime, but I'm not sure if SAO will be able to shake its stigma in the online community at this point. I can totally understand not interested in something like this.
It'll be interesting to see what's in store for Alcinization, so I'm glad to hear the Light Novel had some interesting elements to it. I find SAO interesting for its cultural significance more so than it's value as a series, but it's always nice to hope for the best.