Reviews of The 9-Square

“WOW. I bow to a master. I bow again to a master. You made magic. It’s so beautiful. I was completely floored by the mastery of both the mechanics of the new medium and the actual writing was some of the best I’ve ever read.”

“What a trip. It's difficult to put into words, but images and moments will stick with me for contemplation. This definitely feels like an experience to be reworked for a more thorough revelation. The system certainly feels like it works, for some reason. I didn't have any stumbling in moving across it, and found each section held something important. The repetition also worked well. And the music. Definitely a dark dream sequence story.”

“That was beautiful. The music really complimented the experience. It truly moved me; kind of saw some similarities to myself.”

“I'm having trouble summing up my experience with this masterful work of storytelling after just finishing it. So often I see writers and myself even try to encapsulate our ever-evolving Internet world into clichés and bumper-sticker like observation. Instead of this, Kramer has constructed a narrative that does not insult the reader's intelligence or sensibility. Stop what you're doing and give it a go. I promise you will be rewarded for your curiosity.”

“I enjoyed 9-Square immensely. Narratives accomplish a delivery of mindset and control over the teasing out of revelation, and you have recognized and used this advantage. Kramer draws from a deep well. And he reminds me of Borges in the sense of both puzzle construction and the tendency to populate his imagined world with artefacts which are then uncovered and referenced.

My only quibble is my own stylistic bias - there is a lot of simile here. I enjoy when the method of delivering imagery is varied (kinda like a balanced metaphorical diet), as a consideration of the aesthetic of avoiding repetition (of device only - the story itself is a constant flow of originality). As I said, this is a private preference, a bias, perhaps even a neurosis, acquired from spending too much time with dead writers and not enough with living ones. But the similes themselves were stunning, and some were perfect.

The best part of all: the story was great and paced exceptionally well. I was compelled to explore every involution and did so several times until I felt I had exhausted its substance.

Anyhow, it’s really fantastic. I mean that sincerely.”

“I was so captivated. Thank you for these stories.”

“This reminded me of friendship, loss, and pain. I was brought to tears, but I am thankful for the experience, and I feel like I was in need of a good cry.”

“The 9-Square builds a world and a story within that world so well that you are immediately sucked in and unable to escape until you have reached the end. Jacob Kramer's work synthesizes many different mediums into a stirringly unique experience that feels completely different from anything else I have read. I can't wait to see what's next!”

“So much to say, so much to feel. It’s so good I just can’t even compliment it properly. Sounds like I'm not the first (and I doubt the last) that has been brought to tears. Experiencing the 9 square makes me think of how it might feel to see a new color.”

“Lovely, wonderful, experimental, challenging.”

“I loved the experience- it was like being in a choose-your-own-adventure Philip K. Dick story. I’m glad I did the IRL version. There was something cool about having to go sit at a side table to read the bit of backstory.”

“Fan-frickin’-tastic! Learned a lot.”