Seven Poets Review

There's nothing else out there quite like Seven Poets. While episodic content has been popularized by firms such as Telltale Games, it's not really something that's been embraced elsewhere. Seven Poets does so by offering a real-time, serialized story, something that brings comparisons to 24, just in book form.

Readers initially download the app for free, before being given the option of $0.99 weekly payments or a $6.99 one off season pass charge. For the money, they're given the story of seven children as they escape from terrorists that have attacked the London Olympics. There's a deep and dark story within and, while it's not going to win literary prizes, it's certainly interesting. The story is set to unfold over 12 weeks so, understandably, there's that twitchiness to see what happens next. Much like a great TV series, you'll be waiting for next week quite enthusiastically.

Seven Poets offers more than just standard reading material, however. There's the presence of The Broadside, a fictional newspaper incorporated within the story, which provides a different perspective. Each day it updates to new articles reflecting the events within the world of Seven Poets. Some pieces might just be short news posts but others are more involved and provide extra context to the events unfolding.

Interactive features also emerge in the form of the challenges that unlock upon finishing a chapter. A set amount of time is given to the reader to complete these so that they can unlock further content. The latest challenge, for instance, is to write a journal entry. It's not essential to participate in those but it adds an extra dimension to what Seven Poets has to offer.

Seven Poets isn't going to be to everyone's taste but it is wonderfully creative. $6.99 for a season pass might seem expensive but given the price of most novels, it's a fair price to ask. For fiction fans, it'll be a gripping read in an unique format.