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Welcome to Night Vale #1
Welcome to Night Vale
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2015)From the creators of the wildly popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves...no matter where we live.
Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.
Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.
Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.
Diane's search to reconnect with her son and Jackie's search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: "King City". It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures...if they can ever find it.
Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.
Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.
Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.
Diane's search to reconnect with her son and Jackie's search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: "King City". It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures...if they can ever find it.
401 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2015
3913 people are currently reading
61168 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Fink
22 books2,541 followersJoseph Fink is the creator of the Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead podcasts, and the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Welcome to Night Vale, It Devours!, and The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home (all written with Jeffrey Cranor) and Alice Isn’t Dead. He is also the author of the children’s novel, The Halloween Moon. He and his wife, Meg Bashwiner have written the memoir, The First Ten Years. They live together in the Hudson River Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,053 reviews
October 28, 2015
Here's the short version: This book is a marvel and a wonder. You should try it.
Here's the medium version: Seriously. Try it. It might be a little outside your usual reading habits, but it's not thick of cumbersome at all. It's delightfully clear and strange and unlike anything else I've ever read. And I've read a *lot.*
I even liked it enough to give it a blurb: "As a fan of Welcome to Night Vale, Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink have delighted me with stories that are clever, twisted, beautiful, strange, wonderful, and sweet. This book does all of that and more. I think this might be the best book I’ve read in years."
I don't say things like that lightly.
Here's the long version:
First off, I'm going to assume that if you're a fan of the Welcome to Nightvale show (Craynor and Fink's twice-monthly podcast) then you've already bought this book.
If you haven't. You should. It's everything you love about the show and so much more besides.
For the rest of you who aren't yet convinced, here's some reasons you should pick it up.
It's amazingly well written:
I know what I'm talking about here. It's a clear and easy read. Good setting. Good Character. Tension. Plus the rarest of all writing elements: humor.
What's more, they stick the ending (Which is a huge deal, as you know. Few things are worse than a good book with a flop of an ending.)
It's delightfully different:
If you're like me, you tend to do most of your reading in a familiar genre or two. And if you follow me here on goodreads, those stomping grounds are at least partly (if not mostly) in fantasy.
And that's fine. Everyone has a couple favorite flavors of fiction they like the most. But it's healthy to try new stuff. This book will give you a chance to try something different without leaving the realm of the fantastic behind entirely.
The language is lovely.
If you're a language person, there's a lot that will please you in this book.
Do you like Tom Stoppard? Odds are you'll like this.
Did you like Slow Regard? I'm guessing there's something for you here. Not because this book is written in anything resembling Auri's odd, ornate, off-kilter phrasing. But because this book has an odd off-kilterness all its own that is marvelous to read. (And honestly, this book is much less vocabulous than Slow Regard. Which is to its credit, in my opinion.)
Also, if you're an aspiring writer, you should read this book. Then you should resist the urge to do something similar yourself. You can't.
Now I'm not saying you're not as good as Fink and Craynor (Though let's be honest here, you're probably not) what I'm saying is that they've found their own wonderfully left-of-center phraseology. They've spent time developing it, polishing the craft of it, and it's absolutely beautiful.
So don't try to play their game. You can't do that any more than you can wear their skins. (Again, trust me.) Instead, just read their book, appreciate how cool it is to see folks writing something their whole own goddamn way. Then work toward finding what *your* way is. Do that instead.
It's playful and strange:
There is a sense of play here that's rare in novels. The story and the world of Night Vale is dangerous and dark, but the playfulness of the storytelling keeps things from being gritty and oppressive in the way that a lot of modern fiction (and fantasy in particular) seems to be.
There's genuine humor here. This book made me laugh. But there's more than that too, language itself is… I'm tempted to call it whimsical, but that gives the impression that it's silly. That's not it at all. It's simply….
Let me explain it this way.
The other day I was talking to a friend who compared this book to Douglas Adams. And while that comparison never would have occurred to me, I completely understood where he was coming from. The styles aren't the same. The voice and tone of the books are utterly different. But Adams would sometimes through a little narrative flourish into his books for no purpose other than the fact that he found it amusing. It's one of the best things about his books. They're a series of lovely digressions.
You'll find similar treasure in this book.
Okay. I'm done. If this hasn't convinced you, then nothing will.
Highly recommended. Absolutely worth your time on so many levels.
P.S. While you'll probably get more out of it if you've listened to the Podcast, I'm also of the firm you can also pick this book up by itself.
Here's the medium version: Seriously. Try it. It might be a little outside your usual reading habits, but it's not thick of cumbersome at all. It's delightfully clear and strange and unlike anything else I've ever read. And I've read a *lot.*
I even liked it enough to give it a blurb: "As a fan of Welcome to Night Vale, Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink have delighted me with stories that are clever, twisted, beautiful, strange, wonderful, and sweet. This book does all of that and more. I think this might be the best book I’ve read in years."
I don't say things like that lightly.
Here's the long version:
First off, I'm going to assume that if you're a fan of the Welcome to Nightvale show (Craynor and Fink's twice-monthly podcast) then you've already bought this book.
If you haven't. You should. It's everything you love about the show and so much more besides.
For the rest of you who aren't yet convinced, here's some reasons you should pick it up.
It's amazingly well written:
I know what I'm talking about here. It's a clear and easy read. Good setting. Good Character. Tension. Plus the rarest of all writing elements: humor.
What's more, they stick the ending (Which is a huge deal, as you know. Few things are worse than a good book with a flop of an ending.)
It's delightfully different:
If you're like me, you tend to do most of your reading in a familiar genre or two. And if you follow me here on goodreads, those stomping grounds are at least partly (if not mostly) in fantasy.
And that's fine. Everyone has a couple favorite flavors of fiction they like the most. But it's healthy to try new stuff. This book will give you a chance to try something different without leaving the realm of the fantastic behind entirely.
The language is lovely.
If you're a language person, there's a lot that will please you in this book.
Do you like Tom Stoppard? Odds are you'll like this.
Did you like Slow Regard? I'm guessing there's something for you here. Not because this book is written in anything resembling Auri's odd, ornate, off-kilter phrasing. But because this book has an odd off-kilterness all its own that is marvelous to read. (And honestly, this book is much less vocabulous than Slow Regard. Which is to its credit, in my opinion.)
Also, if you're an aspiring writer, you should read this book. Then you should resist the urge to do something similar yourself. You can't.
Now I'm not saying you're not as good as Fink and Craynor (Though let's be honest here, you're probably not) what I'm saying is that they've found their own wonderfully left-of-center phraseology. They've spent time developing it, polishing the craft of it, and it's absolutely beautiful.
So don't try to play their game. You can't do that any more than you can wear their skins. (Again, trust me.) Instead, just read their book, appreciate how cool it is to see folks writing something their whole own goddamn way. Then work toward finding what *your* way is. Do that instead.
It's playful and strange:
There is a sense of play here that's rare in novels. The story and the world of Night Vale is dangerous and dark, but the playfulness of the storytelling keeps things from being gritty and oppressive in the way that a lot of modern fiction (and fantasy in particular) seems to be.
There's genuine humor here. This book made me laugh. But there's more than that too, language itself is… I'm tempted to call it whimsical, but that gives the impression that it's silly. That's not it at all. It's simply….
Let me explain it this way.
The other day I was talking to a friend who compared this book to Douglas Adams. And while that comparison never would have occurred to me, I completely understood where he was coming from. The styles aren't the same. The voice and tone of the books are utterly different. But Adams would sometimes through a little narrative flourish into his books for no purpose other than the fact that he found it amusing. It's one of the best things about his books. They're a series of lovely digressions.
You'll find similar treasure in this book.
Okay. I'm done. If this hasn't convinced you, then nothing will.
Highly recommended. Absolutely worth your time on so many levels.
P.S. While you'll probably get more out of it if you've listened to the Podcast, I'm also of the firm you can also pick this book up by itself.
Want to read
March 28, 2015Dear God, thank you.
You too, Glow Cloud.
You too, Glow Cloud.
November 9, 2023
I will be writing, have been writing, or have already written (depending on when you see this. Time is strange here on GR) a review of Welcome to Night Vale. But until/when/after I do (or until you return from whatever time stream you are in to read this, or move ahead into another one) I can offer one definite bit of advice. Listen to a few of the Night Vale podcasts. If they float your boat, or, lacking water, elevate you at least several inches off the ground for a period of about twenty minutes, you will love this book. Proceed directly to the beginning of the actual review.
==========================NOT ENCHANTED?
If you find the podcasts uninteresting, really, did you touch one of the pink flamingos? Something is wrong. OK, Ok, I know there are some folks who will not be enchanted by the Night Vale podcasts. This book is probably not for you. But if you go to the local library, you are sure to find something more to your liking. Hurry, go now. You might want to stop by and visit the dog park on your way. Be sure to say hi to the friendly figures in the hoods. Y’all take care now, and return directly to the section titled “Not Enchanted?”
=============================ACTUAL REVIEW
A Cecil Baldwin sandwich with the authors in the role of bread
In July, 2013, Welcome to Night Vale became the most downloaded podcast on iTunes. It all began in 2012, a twice-a-month podcast that is Lake Wobegon by way of David Lynch, Lovecraft, told in the form of a community radio newscast.
We, as readers, seem to have a soft spot for this genre. I don’t know if there is a name for the type that this fits into, storytelling-wise, but if there is a short term for “A small town where something is…off,” this book would fit in there quite nicely. (I know it is far from wonderful, but I hereby nominate the word “Oddsville” for the genre, capital of the great state of Unease. All in favor?) There is a rich tradition of such writing. Rod Serling was a fan of this trope in his Twilight Zone writing (Where is Everybody? , Monsters are Due on Maple Street, People Are Alike All Over). Stephen King has made a career in them, Derry, Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot…ad infinitum. TV has mined this heavy lode as well. In addition to Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, X-files, and god-knows how many more, there are some more recent shows that indulge, including Wayward Pines, the town of Hope in The Leftovers, Haven, Eureka, Royston Vasey from The League of Gentlemen. Small towns, it would appear, are in our literary, and certainly in our entertainment DNA. So the something-off-small-town of Night Vale should feel familiar. Of course this one is a bit more unusual than your typical Oddsville offering, being rather flamboyant in its strangeness, to the point of silliness at times.
As for the story, Jackie Fierro has been 19 for many, many years (like some of us?). She runs the town pawn shop, and will accept pretty much anything. A mysterious man in a tan jacket, gives her a slip of paper with “KING CITY” written on it. Every time she tries to get rid of the thing, or even to put it down, it keeps coming back to her, which, as you might imagine, is alarming. So she goes in search of tan-jacket man but no one in town can seem to recall seeing him. Hmmm.
Diane Crayton is a single mom to a shape-shifting fifteen-year-old son (what parent of a teenager cannot relate?). Of late she has been seeing Josh’s long absent Y-chromosome source all over town. Josh has been showing an interest in tracking down his father, despite Diane’s attempts to dissuade him. Diane and Jackie’s quests, and Josh’s too, lead them in a direction that is as obvious as an MC Escher roadmap. Does an endpoint even exist?
Diane and Jackie are certainly likeable sorts, and their tale is intriguing, with plenty of challenges to face and mysteries to solve, but the real deal with Welcome to Night Vale consists of three things, location, location, location. Fink and Cranor are trying to re-create in book form the delightfully weird experience of their podcast world. The story seems secondary. The atmosphere is rich with intense strangeness. I found most of it delightful, a dry delivery masking outrageousness. Sometimes they try too hard, generating eye-rolling that has been made mandatory by the City Council. You really, really do not want to fight city hall here, particularly on days when human sacrifice is on the calendar. But it is good, weird fun most of the time. The authors must have had some bad experiences with librarians in their youth. Literary comeuppance is had.
The locale includes, among other things, roads that lead nowhere, mysterious lights floating above the town, black helicopters, yes those black helicopters, a faceless old woman who lives, unseen, in someone’s house, a sentient house, a diner waitress who struggles with fruit bearing tree branches growing from her body, car salesmen who offer howlingly good deals, a woman who keeps reliving her life in a perpetual loop, a sentient patch of haze, angels named Erika, people who exist but when you try to recall them, you can’t. Wait, what was I talking about? I just bet that if someone opens a nightclub in NV, they name it Studio 51. The list goes on, plenty to keep your brain engaged and your funny bone tickled.
When you partake of the Night Vale Kool Aid, you will be joining a horde that has sprung up in impressive numbers. There are fan sites galore, with artwork, fan fiction, and a host of ways in which what remains of your consciousness can be further shaved and fed to the glow-cloud. I have included some links to those in the usual place.
You have never read anything like this before. Unless, of course you are in a time loop and are living your life over and over and over. This means you, Sheila. Yes, I know you have read this book many times, all for the first time. OK, happy? But for the rest of us…
Fink and Cranor’s sense of humor is definitely not for everyone. But if you check your kitchen cabinets and find that your supply of weird is running a little low, I suggest heading over to Night Vale. They are running a special and you won’t want to miss out.
PS – more volumes are planned. Be sure to keep up with your local community newscast for further details.
Review Posted – 11/6/15
Published – 10/20/15
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s, well to Night Vale’s main, Twitter and FB pages
You can download individual podcasts here
Interviews
-----Early Influences - The Arcade
------Stephen Colbert appearance, including a reading of the Community Calendar
-----Jackie Lyden’s NPR interview with the authors - Welcome to Night Vale: Watch out for the tarantulas
Some fan sites
-----The Shape from Grove Park
-----Fuck Yeah Night Vale
-----A Softer Night Vale
A Night Vale Wiki
The actual Wikipedia entry for Night Vale
A fun vid from the Idea Channel that links Night Vale to HP Lovecraft - How Does Night Vale Confront Us With the Unknown?
==========================NOT ENCHANTED?
If you find the podcasts uninteresting, really, did you touch one of the pink flamingos? Something is wrong. OK, Ok, I know there are some folks who will not be enchanted by the Night Vale podcasts. This book is probably not for you. But if you go to the local library, you are sure to find something more to your liking. Hurry, go now. You might want to stop by and visit the dog park on your way. Be sure to say hi to the friendly figures in the hoods. Y’all take care now, and return directly to the section titled “Not Enchanted?”
=============================ACTUAL REVIEW
It is a friendly desert community, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.Whew! I’m so glad we got rid of those people.
A Cecil Baldwin sandwich with the authors in the role of bread
In July, 2013, Welcome to Night Vale became the most downloaded podcast on iTunes. It all began in 2012, a twice-a-month podcast that is Lake Wobegon by way of David Lynch, Lovecraft, told in the form of a community radio newscast.
It was started completely as a hobby,” Fink begins, when asked about how the podcast has gotten to this point. “Y’know, my friends and I, it was just something we enjoyed doing. Our entire goal, when we started it, was that maybe someday there’d be a few people who weren’t friends or family listening to it. We certainly had no goals beyond that, other than to enjoy making it.” - from interview in The ArcadeIt is read by Cecil Baldwin who shares a first name with his fictional manifestation, Cecil Palmer, the radio broadcaster. The podcast is weird, creepy fun, rich with non-sequiturs and reasons to be afraid, many reasons. Cecil’s steady tones make it seem practically normal.
I've always been fascinated by conspiracy theories. And also, to a lesser extent fascinated by the Southwest desert. Fascinating things probably happen there on a regular basis. So I came up with this idea of a town in that desert where all conspiracy theories were real. - From Jackie Lyden’s 2013 NPR interview with the authorsAnd whether it was a result of a desire for expression in a new medium, an action taken in compliance with an order from one of the hooded figures in the dog park, or an angel in old woman Josie’s house, Fink and Craynor have committed their world to print.
We, as readers, seem to have a soft spot for this genre. I don’t know if there is a name for the type that this fits into, storytelling-wise, but if there is a short term for “A small town where something is…off,” this book would fit in there quite nicely. (I know it is far from wonderful, but I hereby nominate the word “Oddsville” for the genre, capital of the great state of Unease. All in favor?) There is a rich tradition of such writing. Rod Serling was a fan of this trope in his Twilight Zone writing (Where is Everybody? , Monsters are Due on Maple Street, People Are Alike All Over). Stephen King has made a career in them, Derry, Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot…ad infinitum. TV has mined this heavy lode as well. In addition to Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, X-files, and god-knows how many more, there are some more recent shows that indulge, including Wayward Pines, the town of Hope in The Leftovers, Haven, Eureka, Royston Vasey from The League of Gentlemen. Small towns, it would appear, are in our literary, and certainly in our entertainment DNA. So the something-off-small-town of Night Vale should feel familiar. Of course this one is a bit more unusual than your typical Oddsville offering, being rather flamboyant in its strangeness, to the point of silliness at times.
As for the story, Jackie Fierro has been 19 for many, many years (like some of us?). She runs the town pawn shop, and will accept pretty much anything. A mysterious man in a tan jacket, gives her a slip of paper with “KING CITY” written on it. Every time she tries to get rid of the thing, or even to put it down, it keeps coming back to her, which, as you might imagine, is alarming. So she goes in search of tan-jacket man but no one in town can seem to recall seeing him. Hmmm.
Diane Crayton is a single mom to a shape-shifting fifteen-year-old son (what parent of a teenager cannot relate?). Of late she has been seeing Josh’s long absent Y-chromosome source all over town. Josh has been showing an interest in tracking down his father, despite Diane’s attempts to dissuade him. Diane and Jackie’s quests, and Josh’s too, lead them in a direction that is as obvious as an MC Escher roadmap. Does an endpoint even exist?
Diane and Jackie are certainly likeable sorts, and their tale is intriguing, with plenty of challenges to face and mysteries to solve, but the real deal with Welcome to Night Vale consists of three things, location, location, location. Fink and Cranor are trying to re-create in book form the delightfully weird experience of their podcast world. The story seems secondary. The atmosphere is rich with intense strangeness. I found most of it delightful, a dry delivery masking outrageousness. Sometimes they try too hard, generating eye-rolling that has been made mandatory by the City Council. You really, really do not want to fight city hall here, particularly on days when human sacrifice is on the calendar. But it is good, weird fun most of the time. The authors must have had some bad experiences with librarians in their youth. Literary comeuppance is had.
The locale includes, among other things, roads that lead nowhere, mysterious lights floating above the town, black helicopters, yes those black helicopters, a faceless old woman who lives, unseen, in someone’s house, a sentient house, a diner waitress who struggles with fruit bearing tree branches growing from her body, car salesmen who offer howlingly good deals, a woman who keeps reliving her life in a perpetual loop, a sentient patch of haze, angels named Erika, people who exist but when you try to recall them, you can’t. Wait, what was I talking about? I just bet that if someone opens a nightclub in NV, they name it Studio 51. The list goes on, plenty to keep your brain engaged and your funny bone tickled.
When you partake of the Night Vale Kool Aid, you will be joining a horde that has sprung up in impressive numbers. There are fan sites galore, with artwork, fan fiction, and a host of ways in which what remains of your consciousness can be further shaved and fed to the glow-cloud. I have included some links to those in the usual place.
You have never read anything like this before. Unless, of course you are in a time loop and are living your life over and over and over. This means you, Sheila. Yes, I know you have read this book many times, all for the first time. OK, happy? But for the rest of us…
Fink and Cranor’s sense of humor is definitely not for everyone. But if you check your kitchen cabinets and find that your supply of weird is running a little low, I suggest heading over to Night Vale. They are running a special and you won’t want to miss out.
PS – more volumes are planned. Be sure to keep up with your local community newscast for further details.
Review Posted – 11/6/15
Published – 10/20/15
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s, well to Night Vale’s main, Twitter and FB pages
You can download individual podcasts here
Interviews
-----Early Influences - The Arcade
------Stephen Colbert appearance, including a reading of the Community Calendar
-----Jackie Lyden’s NPR interview with the authors - Welcome to Night Vale: Watch out for the tarantulas
Some fan sites
-----The Shape from Grove Park
-----Fuck Yeah Night Vale
-----A Softer Night Vale
A Night Vale Wiki
The actual Wikipedia entry for Night Vale
A fun vid from the Idea Channel that links Night Vale to HP Lovecraft - How Does Night Vale Confront Us With the Unknown?
September 9, 2015
All right, I'm going to be honest.
It's not actually that good?
It pains me to say it, you know? I love the podcast oodles, I attended the live show, which was amazing. I was very excited to get my hands on an ARC, and got to reading it right away.
And let me tell you, it was hard fuckin work to get through. It took me a while to figure out why that was, but I got it - there's nobody for the reader to identify with. The very premise of Night Vale is that weird things happen, but everyone goes on like it's business as usual. In a twenty minute podcast, it works, and it's hysterical. In a 400 page novel... it falls incredibly, incredibly flat. It's 400 pages of weirdness, and 400 pages of people reacting apathetically to it. Just once, I'd have liked someone to acknowledge that things weren't as they should be. Just once, I'd have liked someone to have an emotional response to something. It's intensely difficult for the reader to connect to what's happening on the page, when the characters don't seem to connect to anything at all.
It's just weird happenstance after weird happenstance, nihilistic philosophy after nihilistic philosophy... and it's too much. It's exhausting.
I wanted to like it very much, but alas.
It's not actually that good?
It pains me to say it, you know? I love the podcast oodles, I attended the live show, which was amazing. I was very excited to get my hands on an ARC, and got to reading it right away.
And let me tell you, it was hard fuckin work to get through. It took me a while to figure out why that was, but I got it - there's nobody for the reader to identify with. The very premise of Night Vale is that weird things happen, but everyone goes on like it's business as usual. In a twenty minute podcast, it works, and it's hysterical. In a 400 page novel... it falls incredibly, incredibly flat. It's 400 pages of weirdness, and 400 pages of people reacting apathetically to it. Just once, I'd have liked someone to acknowledge that things weren't as they should be. Just once, I'd have liked someone to have an emotional response to something. It's intensely difficult for the reader to connect to what's happening on the page, when the characters don't seem to connect to anything at all.
It's just weird happenstance after weird happenstance, nihilistic philosophy after nihilistic philosophy... and it's too much. It's exhausting.
I wanted to like it very much, but alas.
March 21, 2017
I know, I know, a two star rating for THE Welcome to Night Vale novel.
Oh the humanity.
And before we begin, yes, I actually DO have the book. This isn't just some attempt on my part to spit on dreams and fart on hopes for the fun of it.
Ok, so, I've been a fan of WtNV for awhile now, I like it, it makes my drive to and from work more pleasant, I look foreword to new episodes and I was excited about the new book coming out. Having now finished it however, may I just say "Meh"?
The first problem is that it's written largely in Cecil's voice without Cecil being present. What I mean by that is that there's pages and pages and PAGES of meandering, hesitant descriptions that back up and rewrite themselves, and while this makes sense listening to Cecil while he's fumbling to describe whatever image it is he's looking at, it does not make for great or easy reading. I felt like I was slogging uphill the entire time, internally screaming GET ON WITH IT every time we hit another rambling mess of words. It's boring, frustrating, mind numbing reading.
I honestly believe the only way this book is going to be semi enjoyable is in the audiobook format. It just doesn't work to do the same voice as the show in a printed version like this for so. many. pages.
And oh god, are there a lot of pages for what it is they're trying to say.
Another gripe I have is the characters. While there are some fun parts here, and a few questions are answered (and a few new ones brought up) about some of the citizens of Night Vale, honestly I just didn't care that much about them or their plight. It would be like writing an X-man novel about Slipstream instead of Wolverine. It's not like I'm against spending time with someone we haven't seen before, but when you can't even make these characters likable or intriguing it becomes tedious and frustrating.
The more I think about it, the more perplexed I am that there isn't more Cecil in this novel. I mean, ok, ok, I get it - WtNV has a whole host of supposedly interesting characters out there. But you know what? I really don't care about them that much. The reason for it is primarily being that we never spend time with them. I care about Cecil and Dana as characters because I know them. I know their voices, I know their likes, I know their hobbies and their families and their favorite youtube videos. I don't know these people, and after reading a whole book about them I'm still left feeling cold. Seriously! There were so many other interesting stories this could have contained. Like - what happened to Cecil's missing brother? Dana's first few months as an intern. What Old Woman Josie was doing when she was hanging out with the angels. But no - we get these people instead. Honestly I forgot half of what happened as soon as I finished it.
At the end of the day it won't matter a bit though. There's already hoards of fangirls and fanboys giving this all the stars they can, and I'm sure to some people this book could just be the words
A CUCKOO IS CALLING
over and over again and they'd still say it was the best damn WtNV novel they've ever read. Actually, that does sound like the best damn WtNV I could ever read.
2.5 stars
Oh the humanity.
And before we begin, yes, I actually DO have the book. This isn't just some attempt on my part to spit on dreams and fart on hopes for the fun of it.
Ok, so, I've been a fan of WtNV for awhile now, I like it, it makes my drive to and from work more pleasant, I look foreword to new episodes and I was excited about the new book coming out. Having now finished it however, may I just say "Meh"?
The first problem is that it's written largely in Cecil's voice without Cecil being present. What I mean by that is that there's pages and pages and PAGES of meandering, hesitant descriptions that back up and rewrite themselves, and while this makes sense listening to Cecil while he's fumbling to describe whatever image it is he's looking at, it does not make for great or easy reading. I felt like I was slogging uphill the entire time, internally screaming GET ON WITH IT every time we hit another rambling mess of words. It's boring, frustrating, mind numbing reading.
I honestly believe the only way this book is going to be semi enjoyable is in the audiobook format. It just doesn't work to do the same voice as the show in a printed version like this for so. many. pages.
And oh god, are there a lot of pages for what it is they're trying to say.
Another gripe I have is the characters. While there are some fun parts here, and a few questions are answered (and a few new ones brought up) about some of the citizens of Night Vale, honestly I just didn't care that much about them or their plight. It would be like writing an X-man novel about Slipstream instead of Wolverine. It's not like I'm against spending time with someone we haven't seen before, but when you can't even make these characters likable or intriguing it becomes tedious and frustrating.
The more I think about it, the more perplexed I am that there isn't more Cecil in this novel. I mean, ok, ok, I get it - WtNV has a whole host of supposedly interesting characters out there. But you know what? I really don't care about them that much. The reason for it is primarily being that we never spend time with them. I care about Cecil and Dana as characters because I know them. I know their voices, I know their likes, I know their hobbies and their families and their favorite youtube videos. I don't know these people, and after reading a whole book about them I'm still left feeling cold. Seriously! There were so many other interesting stories this could have contained. Like - what happened to Cecil's missing brother? Dana's first few months as an intern. What Old Woman Josie was doing when she was hanging out with the angels. But no - we get these people instead. Honestly I forgot half of what happened as soon as I finished it.
At the end of the day it won't matter a bit though. There's already hoards of fangirls and fanboys giving this all the stars they can, and I'm sure to some people this book could just be the words
A CUCKOO IS CALLING
over and over again and they'd still say it was the best damn WtNV novel they've ever read. Actually, that does sound like the best damn WtNV I could ever read.
2.5 stars
October 11, 2018
I have no idea what I just read but I want the book! 😂🤣
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐺🐾🎃👻
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐺🐾🎃👻
April 10, 2017
Who am I kidding . . .
Unless this turns out to be a manual on how to abuse puppies and small children, OF COURSE I'm going to give it five stars!
More to come in October.
Update: 10/20, 4:45 pm
When my UPS heartthrob FINALLY arrives with my preordered copy, I'm waiting at the end of the driveway. He already thinks I'm nuts, but I may have gone too far this time.
And now, I'm reading . . .
10/23 - Done!
Okay, to be honest, I was hoping for more of a travel/tourist guide along the lines of Discovering Scarfolk. . . BUT . . . the novel turned out to be just as quirky and involving as the podcast. Cecil and Carlos are here, as well Old Woman Josie, the Angels, and John Peters (you know, the farmer?) Familiar landmarks include Big Rico's Pizza and the lights over the Arby's (No - not those lights! The other ones.) And the library is still a place to be feared and avoided.
If you're unfamiliar with the show, some references may leave you scratching your head (Don't look - it may be Catharine's tarantula!), but if you like the strange and unusual, you may find yourself right at home in Night Vale.
But for god's sake - Stay out of the dog park!
If you have lots of free time on your hands and want to get addicted to the podcast, listen up here - http://podbay.fm/show/536258179
Unless this turns out to be a manual on how to abuse puppies and small children, OF COURSE I'm going to give it five stars!
More to come in October.
Update: 10/20, 4:45 pm
When my UPS heartthrob FINALLY arrives with my preordered copy, I'm waiting at the end of the driveway. He already thinks I'm nuts, but I may have gone too far this time.
And now, I'm reading . . .
10/23 - Done!
Okay, to be honest, I was hoping for more of a travel/tourist guide along the lines of Discovering Scarfolk. . . BUT . . . the novel turned out to be just as quirky and involving as the podcast. Cecil and Carlos are here, as well Old Woman Josie, the Angels, and John Peters (you know, the farmer?) Familiar landmarks include Big Rico's Pizza and the lights over the Arby's (No - not those lights! The other ones.) And the library is still a place to be feared and avoided.
If you're unfamiliar with the show, some references may leave you scratching your head (Don't look - it may be Catharine's tarantula!), but if you like the strange and unusual, you may find yourself right at home in Night Vale.
But for god's sake - Stay out of the dog park!
If you have lots of free time on your hands and want to get addicted to the podcast, listen up here - http://podbay.fm/show/536258179
June 10, 2016
What the fuck just happened?
This book is a whole lot of things; it is weird and completely perplexing; it is hilarious and confusing; it is cynical and brilliant. But, most importantly, it is impossible to put down. Nothing makes any sense. So I had to reach ending, and fast, to discover what the fuck was actually going on. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean the novel was good.
It had moments of greatness, real greatness, though when you stand back and look at its entirety it’s just a little bit vague. Everything is subverted to the point of death. It’s covered with layers of meaning that are, quite frankly, a little hard to grasp. It left me with many questions. I’m not entirely sure what the novel was trying to portray. At points the government are compared to children, and the populace are associated with self-centeredness. People only see what they want to see, and what they expect to see in life. They forget people and the interactions they have, which suggests the world is full of narrow-minded people. But for all the critique, the novel possesses no alternative to what it perceives as problems.
And here is where the problem resides. What is this novel trying to say? What is this “thing” that is constantly sought by people? Initially, it appears that the characters are seeking their identity in this bizarre world; they are searching for a mysterious man that can neither be seen nor remembered. His only distinct feature is a tan coat. I have no idea what the point of any of it was. Was he suggestive of the meaning of life, a need for answers that we will never attain? I don’t think the writers were that clever. I’m not entirely sure what this was getting at. It felt pointless for the sake of pointless, and when I finished reading I incredibly dissatisfied with it. It was just, well….a little bit weird.
Am I missing something?
I have no idea what to make of it. Is it nonsensical or secretly brilliant? Certainly, I enjoyed parts of it, but as a whole it was one big mess. Or is that the point? It terms of lasting impression, this is a story I’d rather forget that I read. In terms of plot resolution this was completely lacking. In terms of actual plot it was lacking. It terms of character development it was lacking. It was lacking everything conventional. But, again, perhaps that’s the point. Either way, it was very uncomfortable to read in parts.
Honestly, after the first one hundred pages or so I may as well have put this thing down. Everything it tried to say, it said very early on. It never gave me any answers. The rest felt like filler material. I don’t think this needed to be half so long. This would have been better as a short story perhaps or even a series of short stories because this had no overall plot drive. I think I’m going to try and forget about his book. Not an author I'd ever try again.
This book is a whole lot of things; it is weird and completely perplexing; it is hilarious and confusing; it is cynical and brilliant. But, most importantly, it is impossible to put down. Nothing makes any sense. So I had to reach ending, and fast, to discover what the fuck was actually going on. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean the novel was good.
It had moments of greatness, real greatness, though when you stand back and look at its entirety it’s just a little bit vague. Everything is subverted to the point of death. It’s covered with layers of meaning that are, quite frankly, a little hard to grasp. It left me with many questions. I’m not entirely sure what the novel was trying to portray. At points the government are compared to children, and the populace are associated with self-centeredness. People only see what they want to see, and what they expect to see in life. They forget people and the interactions they have, which suggests the world is full of narrow-minded people. But for all the critique, the novel possesses no alternative to what it perceives as problems.
And here is where the problem resides. What is this novel trying to say? What is this “thing” that is constantly sought by people? Initially, it appears that the characters are seeking their identity in this bizarre world; they are searching for a mysterious man that can neither be seen nor remembered. His only distinct feature is a tan coat. I have no idea what the point of any of it was. Was he suggestive of the meaning of life, a need for answers that we will never attain? I don’t think the writers were that clever. I’m not entirely sure what this was getting at. It felt pointless for the sake of pointless, and when I finished reading I incredibly dissatisfied with it. It was just, well….a little bit weird.
Am I missing something?
I have no idea what to make of it. Is it nonsensical or secretly brilliant? Certainly, I enjoyed parts of it, but as a whole it was one big mess. Or is that the point? It terms of lasting impression, this is a story I’d rather forget that I read. In terms of plot resolution this was completely lacking. In terms of actual plot it was lacking. It terms of character development it was lacking. It was lacking everything conventional. But, again, perhaps that’s the point. Either way, it was very uncomfortable to read in parts.
Honestly, after the first one hundred pages or so I may as well have put this thing down. Everything it tried to say, it said very early on. It never gave me any answers. The rest felt like filler material. I don’t think this needed to be half so long. This would have been better as a short story perhaps or even a series of short stories because this had no overall plot drive. I think I’m going to try and forget about his book. Not an author I'd ever try again.
October 17, 2022
This wacky, wonderfully weird book was already on my radar when one of 'my' High School students enthusiastically recommended it. Of course that moved it right to the top o' the stack and I'm so very thankful.
This reads as if Tom Robbins ate acid, then paired up with Hunter S. Thompson to create a completely funky pseudo-Prairie Home Companion-experience.
I'll be donating my copy to my favorite High School classroom library later this week when I introduce books that can challenge the reader. Cannot wait!
This reads as if Tom Robbins ate acid, then paired up with Hunter S. Thompson to create a completely funky pseudo-Prairie Home Companion-experience.
I'll be donating my copy to my favorite High School classroom library later this week when I introduce books that can challenge the reader. Cannot wait!
October 28, 2015
Oh my god, I’d been looking forward to this release all season you guys. I thought FOR SURE this would be a slam dunk, NO WAY the Welcome to Night Vale novel would be anything but satisfactory. A GRAND, FIRE-WORKY finale to this season’s Spooktacular slog.
And then it was just kind of ok.
So, the thing about Night Vale as a podcast: I love it, obviously. It’s weird and fun and thoughtful and quirky and weird and sometimes creepy, but mostly it’s weird. That Night Vale style of nonsensical, nonsequitur, in-your-face quirky random storytelling is charming when it’s being delivered aurally in Cecil’s distinctive cadence for ~30 minutes twice a month. But four hundred and one straight pages of nonsensical nonsequitur quirky random storytelling? Please somebody kill me now.
I know, I know! “What did you expect? That’s literally Night Vale’s whole thing!” I know! It doesn’t bother me in the show, and I didn’t expect I’d have a problem with the book, but holy god I got like maybe four chapters in before I sat back and thought, “Wow, having to sort through all of that affected weirdness to get to the story is really annoying.”
It’s just, a lot of the weirdness doesn’t really have anything to do with furthering the plot. Sometimes I guess you could call it world-building – a bit redundant for Night Vale fans, but maybe helpful in establishing the status quo for people just coming in. I would still say that you could do all that while still making it relevant to what’s going on, but whatever.
But a lot of stuff is just…textual flavor? They’re little asides that have nothing to do with anything, recurring interruptions to the flow of the story, sometimes explicitly acknowledged as such, and I’m sitting there like “WELL IF IT DOESN’T MATTER THEN WHY DID YOU MAKE ME READ IT?”
It’s that affected quirk, you know? It’s too much all at once, like enjoying a cupcake every now and then, and then eating an entire cake expecting a similar experience. Some things are better in small doses. Apparently ~30 minutes twice a month is just the right amount of Night Vale for me.
In terms of plot, the book felt kind of needlessly drawn out. Jackie’s thread especially read more like a fan-servicey tour than an actual storyline as she went from Old Woman Josey to Carlos to Dana to John Peters to Steve Carlsberg for reasons that were often ill-defined. It took forever for either her or Diane’s plot to actually drum up any forward motion, and the first half or so of the book leveled off for me in terms of interest as it spun its wheels in a series of same-y wacky encounters. I actually got bored. With Night Vale.
Once Jackie and Diane’s storylines finally began to intersect, my interest did pick up again. The last half-to-quarter of the book was much more compelling, but goddamn did I never expect to be bored by a Night Vale novel.
While the ending itself was interesting in terms of character development and things-that-were-actually-happening, the explanation for King City, Troy, and the Man in the Tan Jacket was pretty bullshit. Night Vale bullshit, you know, in that Night Vale is just so casually weird that it’s apparently totally okay to resolve a mystery you’ve been building for four hundred pages by just shrugging and saying “Eh, Night Vale.” I guess it’s not entirely unexpected, but that doesn’t make it any more satisfying.
The strongest part of the novel, by far, were its characters. I liked both Jackie and Diane quite a bit. Individually and together, they were strong and flawed and complicated and tragic and relatable and well-developed. The arcs here were A+, far more interesting and satisfying in their resolutions than the actual plot, and maybe that was the point all along.
There were some nice moments scene to scene, certainly some darker ones than I imagined, and things that were creepy in concept, if not in execution (for me). The exploration of King City was interesting and tense, as was the library sequence. It’s the sort of thing I’d love to see on film, with audio and visual elements to add to the tension.
Anyway, the tl;dr is that this book wasn’t bad by any stretch. If you’re a fan, I’m sure you’ve already got the book and are reading it and are probably enjoying it and that’s great. If you’re not a fan and are considering buying it, I would say first, take like a half an hour out of your day to listen to the first episode of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, and then just imagine that for four hundred pages, keeping in mind the loud whimsy of the whole thing, and the tendency towards deus ex machina to overcome obstacles. If that all sounds tolerable to you, then, you know, welcome to Night Vale.
For more reviews like this, check out You'reKilling.Us
And then it was just kind of ok.
So, the thing about Night Vale as a podcast: I love it, obviously. It’s weird and fun and thoughtful and quirky and weird and sometimes creepy, but mostly it’s weird. That Night Vale style of nonsensical, nonsequitur, in-your-face quirky random storytelling is charming when it’s being delivered aurally in Cecil’s distinctive cadence for ~30 minutes twice a month. But four hundred and one straight pages of nonsensical nonsequitur quirky random storytelling? Please somebody kill me now.
I know, I know! “What did you expect? That’s literally Night Vale’s whole thing!” I know! It doesn’t bother me in the show, and I didn’t expect I’d have a problem with the book, but holy god I got like maybe four chapters in before I sat back and thought, “Wow, having to sort through all of that affected weirdness to get to the story is really annoying.”
It’s just, a lot of the weirdness doesn’t really have anything to do with furthering the plot. Sometimes I guess you could call it world-building – a bit redundant for Night Vale fans, but maybe helpful in establishing the status quo for people just coming in. I would still say that you could do all that while still making it relevant to what’s going on, but whatever.
But a lot of stuff is just…textual flavor? They’re little asides that have nothing to do with anything, recurring interruptions to the flow of the story, sometimes explicitly acknowledged as such, and I’m sitting there like “WELL IF IT DOESN’T MATTER THEN WHY DID YOU MAKE ME READ IT?”
It’s that affected quirk, you know? It’s too much all at once, like enjoying a cupcake every now and then, and then eating an entire cake expecting a similar experience. Some things are better in small doses. Apparently ~30 minutes twice a month is just the right amount of Night Vale for me.
In terms of plot, the book felt kind of needlessly drawn out. Jackie’s thread especially read more like a fan-servicey tour than an actual storyline as she went from Old Woman Josey to Carlos to Dana to John Peters to Steve Carlsberg for reasons that were often ill-defined. It took forever for either her or Diane’s plot to actually drum up any forward motion, and the first half or so of the book leveled off for me in terms of interest as it spun its wheels in a series of same-y wacky encounters. I actually got bored. With Night Vale.
Once Jackie and Diane’s storylines finally began to intersect, my interest did pick up again. The last half-to-quarter of the book was much more compelling, but goddamn did I never expect to be bored by a Night Vale novel.
While the ending itself was interesting in terms of character development and things-that-were-actually-happening, the explanation for King City, Troy, and the Man in the Tan Jacket was pretty bullshit. Night Vale bullshit, you know, in that Night Vale is just so casually weird that it’s apparently totally okay to resolve a mystery you’ve been building for four hundred pages by just shrugging and saying “Eh, Night Vale.” I guess it’s not entirely unexpected, but that doesn’t make it any more satisfying.
The strongest part of the novel, by far, were its characters. I liked both Jackie and Diane quite a bit. Individually and together, they were strong and flawed and complicated and tragic and relatable and well-developed. The arcs here were A+, far more interesting and satisfying in their resolutions than the actual plot, and maybe that was the point all along.
There were some nice moments scene to scene, certainly some darker ones than I imagined, and things that were creepy in concept, if not in execution (for me). The exploration of King City was interesting and tense, as was the library sequence. It’s the sort of thing I’d love to see on film, with audio and visual elements to add to the tension.
Anyway, the tl;dr is that this book wasn’t bad by any stretch. If you’re a fan, I’m sure you’ve already got the book and are reading it and are probably enjoying it and that’s great. If you’re not a fan and are considering buying it, I would say first, take like a half an hour out of your day to listen to the first episode of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, and then just imagine that for four hundred pages, keeping in mind the loud whimsy of the whole thing, and the tendency towards deus ex machina to overcome obstacles. If that all sounds tolerable to you, then, you know, welcome to Night Vale.
For more reviews like this, check out You'reKilling.Us
November 28, 2018
I've waited several weeks to write this review because I want it to be as honest as possible without my emotions getting too much in the way. So, here it is: this is not a good book. To be more acurate, I'm not even really sure that this is a book at all. Bear with me on this one.
Welcome to Nightvale was originally a podcast, one that up until recently I'd listened to for three years now. So, when they announced a novel, I was hesitant but interested. I'd heard excerpts on the show. I'd even heard the weird aftermath of the novel in an odd publicity move to push the novel slightly before release. Weird, but Nightvale is weird. Whatever.
The novel becomes available, and of course I get it. The opening chapter is spectacular. It lays the groundwork for a very tight and interesting story. Moreover, the narrator is top notch. He reads the absurd with such conviction and intensity that it's both hilarious and chilling -exactly the atmosphere the podcast became known for. However, subsequent chapters begin to fall apart, and when something balanced so precariously on the borders of absurd and suspenseful misses its mark, it does so to great and miserable effect.
This is not a story. Stories have plots and characters who try to do things. Nightvale only tries to be a story in its opening chapter and its final chapters (at which point it comes much much too late to be acceptable, interesting, or redeemable). Instead, most of the book focuses on characters going from points A to B to C ad infinitum to get around dealing with the plot presented to us in the opening of the book. They meet other characters and the narration will do what it does best: go off on long, long tangents.
Here's the thing: anyone who is seriously dedicated to the craft of writing or who is at least an average reader should know that the process of writing is natrually also the process of decision-making. An author and editor need to work together to make decisions about what should be included and what should not. These are purposeful decisions made in order to create a consistent and engaging experience for the reader.
This novel, I dare to say, never made any such decisions. The narration is presented as so meandering that it is difficult to understand what is the plot and what is important. It's like the narrator is just saying whatever comes to mind in the form of a "spot-the-refference" game for virtually every single aspect of the podcast. Not only does this make it impossible for newcomers to get invested, but it creates a serious problem with crafting the story's experience.
This is especially troubling because the setting of Nightvale is an absurd town of conspiracies and magic. The abnormal IS normal in this town. So, when the tangential narration persists in pointing out every single absurdity, it becomes impossible to tell which absurdities are plot-related and which are just the town's own eccentricities.
For example, one of the main recurring issues that is actually plot-relevant is people's forgetfullness of a particular person. Now, one of the main characters goes to interview another character about this particular person. The interviewee talks about her family, and when the interviewer makes reference to her family, the interviewee sudenly claims she has none. What is this supposed to mean? What am I as a reader supposed to do with this information? I read the entire book. I can assure you that this instance of forgetfulness and all others not related to the character in question are not relavent. So, why are they included? You can't call this a red herring. This book doesn't stick close enough to a plot to even merit having red herrings, and no other characters treat such disinformation like so.
And a lot of this tangential narration has nothing to do with anything. The better part of one chapter, for instance, is all about social-justicing on behalf of women's self image. No, there is not a character who is expressing their opinions. This is pure, unadulterated narration. Nothing prompted this discussion. It comes out of nowhere and informs nothing. I'm in no way against books pushing an agenda, but I have a particular aversion when it's pushed on me so blatantly rather than being expressed through story.
More on the structural side of things, I don't understand how anyone could read the physical copy of this book. This isn't at all set up to be read like a novel. After every second or third chapter there is a "Voice of Nightvale" section. It's not written in narration. It's for all intents and purposes a piece of the podcast script. The information revealed in these sections is not only quite long, but ultimately unrelated at all to the plot except for the completely off-the-wall revelation that garden flamingos are weird and probably a plot device that no one asked for.
Then there's an entire chapter which consists of exclusively one character talking and info-dumping. There's no narration, no conversation. It's literally just a monologue.
The characters finally decide to come together in the eleventh hour of the story and actually do something. It tries to give a heartwarming message about family and growing up, but none of it is earned. The entire book leading up to that point was nowhere near focused enough on the main characters, the plot, or even the theme of family to deserve to try pulling the emotional moments it attempts to serve the audience.
This is not a story. This is bits and scraps of something that could have been made into episodes of the podcast. It exemplifies the worst that the series has to offer and has the gall to suggest at the end that you try listening to the podcast.
I am apalled that something of this poor structural quality is allowed to exist, and I am sick to my stomach that I paid money for this. This novel not only ruined my perception of the creators, but retroactively ruins every character I was ever interested in.
There is no real consistency with characters or the past mythos. Knowing what I now know about the man in the tan leather jacket from this book, there is no possible way that he's the same mysterious hero I first heard about in the podcast 3 years ago. There is no reason why the character presented to me in this book would have helped save the town from the bowling alley invasion in the podcast (trust me, you just had to be there). The creative team doesn't treat their past with respect and change the very nature of previous characters and concepts to suit their present needs.
This is not a story. This is not worth my money. Welcome to Nightvale, the book and the podcast, are no longer worth my time.
Welcome to Nightvale was originally a podcast, one that up until recently I'd listened to for three years now. So, when they announced a novel, I was hesitant but interested. I'd heard excerpts on the show. I'd even heard the weird aftermath of the novel in an odd publicity move to push the novel slightly before release. Weird, but Nightvale is weird. Whatever.
The novel becomes available, and of course I get it. The opening chapter is spectacular. It lays the groundwork for a very tight and interesting story. Moreover, the narrator is top notch. He reads the absurd with such conviction and intensity that it's both hilarious and chilling -exactly the atmosphere the podcast became known for. However, subsequent chapters begin to fall apart, and when something balanced so precariously on the borders of absurd and suspenseful misses its mark, it does so to great and miserable effect.
This is not a story. Stories have plots and characters who try to do things. Nightvale only tries to be a story in its opening chapter and its final chapters (at which point it comes much much too late to be acceptable, interesting, or redeemable). Instead, most of the book focuses on characters going from points A to B to C ad infinitum to get around dealing with the plot presented to us in the opening of the book. They meet other characters and the narration will do what it does best: go off on long, long tangents.
Here's the thing: anyone who is seriously dedicated to the craft of writing or who is at least an average reader should know that the process of writing is natrually also the process of decision-making. An author and editor need to work together to make decisions about what should be included and what should not. These are purposeful decisions made in order to create a consistent and engaging experience for the reader.
This novel, I dare to say, never made any such decisions. The narration is presented as so meandering that it is difficult to understand what is the plot and what is important. It's like the narrator is just saying whatever comes to mind in the form of a "spot-the-refference" game for virtually every single aspect of the podcast. Not only does this make it impossible for newcomers to get invested, but it creates a serious problem with crafting the story's experience.
This is especially troubling because the setting of Nightvale is an absurd town of conspiracies and magic. The abnormal IS normal in this town. So, when the tangential narration persists in pointing out every single absurdity, it becomes impossible to tell which absurdities are plot-related and which are just the town's own eccentricities.
For example, one of the main recurring issues that is actually plot-relevant is people's forgetfullness of a particular person. Now, one of the main characters goes to interview another character about this particular person. The interviewee talks about her family, and when the interviewer makes reference to her family, the interviewee sudenly claims she has none. What is this supposed to mean? What am I as a reader supposed to do with this information? I read the entire book. I can assure you that this instance of forgetfulness and all others not related to the character in question are not relavent. So, why are they included? You can't call this a red herring. This book doesn't stick close enough to a plot to even merit having red herrings, and no other characters treat such disinformation like so.
And a lot of this tangential narration has nothing to do with anything. The better part of one chapter, for instance, is all about social-justicing on behalf of women's self image. No, there is not a character who is expressing their opinions. This is pure, unadulterated narration. Nothing prompted this discussion. It comes out of nowhere and informs nothing. I'm in no way against books pushing an agenda, but I have a particular aversion when it's pushed on me so blatantly rather than being expressed through story.
More on the structural side of things, I don't understand how anyone could read the physical copy of this book. This isn't at all set up to be read like a novel. After every second or third chapter there is a "Voice of Nightvale" section. It's not written in narration. It's for all intents and purposes a piece of the podcast script. The information revealed in these sections is not only quite long, but ultimately unrelated at all to the plot except for the completely off-the-wall revelation that garden flamingos are weird and probably a plot device that no one asked for.
Then there's an entire chapter which consists of exclusively one character talking and info-dumping. There's no narration, no conversation. It's literally just a monologue.
The characters finally decide to come together in the eleventh hour of the story and actually do something. It tries to give a heartwarming message about family and growing up, but none of it is earned. The entire book leading up to that point was nowhere near focused enough on the main characters, the plot, or even the theme of family to deserve to try pulling the emotional moments it attempts to serve the audience.
This is not a story. This is bits and scraps of something that could have been made into episodes of the podcast. It exemplifies the worst that the series has to offer and has the gall to suggest at the end that you try listening to the podcast.
I am apalled that something of this poor structural quality is allowed to exist, and I am sick to my stomach that I paid money for this. This novel not only ruined my perception of the creators, but retroactively ruins every character I was ever interested in.
There is no real consistency with characters or the past mythos. Knowing what I now know about the man in the tan leather jacket from this book, there is no possible way that he's the same mysterious hero I first heard about in the podcast 3 years ago. There is no reason why the character presented to me in this book would have helped save the town from the bowling alley invasion in the podcast (trust me, you just had to be there). The creative team doesn't treat their past with respect and change the very nature of previous characters and concepts to suit their present needs.
This is not a story. This is not worth my money. Welcome to Nightvale, the book and the podcast, are no longer worth my time.
August 19, 2016
Disclaimer: I've never listened to the podcast. Don't plan on it now, either.
Good lord, what a mess. You wanna know how long it takes for a novel that's compiled completely of funny little moments of weirdness and oh-you-thought-one-thing-but-it's-actually-the-opposite-ha-ha-get-it to get real goddamned annoying? About one page.
I held on hoping the preciousness would have some real motivation or explanation behind it. Nope. Just cleverness for the sake of cleverness, and it didn't evolve or add up to anything, thereby rendering it not very clever at all. And plot? Oh a stranger comes to town, eh? Sorry, you don't get a free pass just because the town is wacky.
I love existentialist crap, and some of the things in this book are shit I would say to my high school students to throw them off guard or mess with them, but goddam it just was not very funny after a few pages of them. If I want to be entertained by the bleakness of life and the uselessness of anything in a vast, uncaring universe, I'll just watch Rick and Morty.
Good lord, what a mess. You wanna know how long it takes for a novel that's compiled completely of funny little moments of weirdness and oh-you-thought-one-thing-but-it's-actually-the-opposite-ha-ha-get-it to get real goddamned annoying? About one page.
I held on hoping the preciousness would have some real motivation or explanation behind it. Nope. Just cleverness for the sake of cleverness, and it didn't evolve or add up to anything, thereby rendering it not very clever at all. And plot? Oh a stranger comes to town, eh? Sorry, you don't get a free pass just because the town is wacky.
I love existentialist crap, and some of the things in this book are shit I would say to my high school students to throw them off guard or mess with them, but goddam it just was not very funny after a few pages of them. If I want to be entertained by the bleakness of life and the uselessness of anything in a vast, uncaring universe, I'll just watch Rick and Morty.
dreaded-dnf
May 4, 2016DNF at 30%. By this point the reader should have some kind of idea what the hell is going on, don't you think? I have no freaking clue.
The narrators were good though. :)
The narrators were good though. :)
November 9, 2017
1. I HIGHLY recommend listening to the podcast first. In my opinion, the podcast is amazing. In my opinion, the podcast was handcrafted to appeal to me with its eerie sci-fi vibe and hilarious deadpan humor. Definitely listen to several episodes first to see if this is for you. If you just read the book, you are doing yourself a disservice and won’t experience the book the same way.
2. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. Cecil is back narrating just like he does in the podcast. He adds so much to the story with his awesome delivery. You can read it, but you will read it with Cecil’s voice in your head anyway, so try and find the audiobook if you can. Trust me.
If you like the podcast, it’s a no-brainer. Read the book. It has everything I and you love about the podcast in its pages- all the familiar characters and locations, callbacks to previous events, etc. it’s literally just a long transcript of the show without “the weather” which maybe you don’t like anyway. If you don’t like “the weather”, this should be perfect for you.
Now, now, now... let’s discuss what happens when you turn a podcast into a novel. The podcast is about 25 minutes with minimal plot, just lots of random weirdness going on. Turning that into a novel is tricky, and at times it felt like I just wanted to be done and go on to another Night Vale story... but, honestly, who cares about the plot anyway? It starts very mysterious and goes into all kinds of craziness, but who cares? The joy is in HOW it’s written, which is beautifully and hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot. I LOLed or 😂 or whatever.
I love the podcast. I loved this book. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a book in quite some time. It’s completely and utterly ridiculous and mindless, but I just absolutely love this stuff. I could listen to these tales over and over again.
If you’re a fan of Night Vale already, you should have read this by now. If not, do it.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, check out the podcast immediately. Share your thoughts with me after you do. Seriously. I’d love to hear them. Then, read the book. Then, listen to more of the podcast.
2. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. Cecil is back narrating just like he does in the podcast. He adds so much to the story with his awesome delivery. You can read it, but you will read it with Cecil’s voice in your head anyway, so try and find the audiobook if you can. Trust me.
If you like the podcast, it’s a no-brainer. Read the book. It has everything I and you love about the podcast in its pages- all the familiar characters and locations, callbacks to previous events, etc. it’s literally just a long transcript of the show without “the weather” which maybe you don’t like anyway. If you don’t like “the weather”, this should be perfect for you.
Now, now, now... let’s discuss what happens when you turn a podcast into a novel. The podcast is about 25 minutes with minimal plot, just lots of random weirdness going on. Turning that into a novel is tricky, and at times it felt like I just wanted to be done and go on to another Night Vale story... but, honestly, who cares about the plot anyway? It starts very mysterious and goes into all kinds of craziness, but who cares? The joy is in HOW it’s written, which is beautifully and hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot. I LOLed or 😂 or whatever.
I love the podcast. I loved this book. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a book in quite some time. It’s completely and utterly ridiculous and mindless, but I just absolutely love this stuff. I could listen to these tales over and over again.
If you’re a fan of Night Vale already, you should have read this by now. If not, do it.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, check out the podcast immediately. Share your thoughts with me after you do. Seriously. I’d love to hear them. Then, read the book. Then, listen to more of the podcast.
December 21, 2021
Maybe I needed to listen to the podcast because I am still at a loss on what this book is really about. I had to reread some things twice and yep nope still lost with no map. I think this is what it feels like to be high off LSD 😹 I wondered about my soberness a few times. It is a strange read. I liked it.
😺😺😺
😺😺😺
August 18, 2022
I've listened to a few episodes of the podcast — enough to be able to hear the text as if narrated in Cecil's voice. But I'm not very good at listening, so the novel was a better choice for me.
I floundered around a bit trying to come up with a way to describe this... Demurely sinister with a side order of melancholy, perhaps? But eventually I realized that the best description is "surreal." Surreal, freaky, weird, bizarre, creepy, odd...
If surreal is a word that sends you fleeing, trust your instincts and take a pass on this one. But I have a weakness for the surreal — to my occasional regret. No regrets here, though: Originally I borrowed this from the library (no sharpened spear required), but when I finished I bought a copy of my own. That's pretty much my ultimate stamp of approval.
Hmmm, sounds like the world I live in. If it sounds like the world you live in too, you might enjoy this book.
"Most people in Night Vale get by with a cobbled-together framework of lies and assumptions and conspiracy theories. Diane was like most people. Most people are."
I floundered around a bit trying to come up with a way to describe this... Demurely sinister with a side order of melancholy, perhaps? But eventually I realized that the best description is "surreal." Surreal, freaky, weird, bizarre, creepy, odd...
"She drove home and grabbed the things she would need to check out a book: strong rope and a grappling hook, a compass, a flare gun, matches and a can of hair spray, a sharpened wooden spear, and, of course, her library card."
If surreal is a word that sends you fleeing, trust your instincts and take a pass on this one. But I have a weakness for the surreal — to my occasional regret. No regrets here, though: Originally I borrowed this from the library (no sharpened spear required), but when I finished I bought a copy of my own. That's pretty much my ultimate stamp of approval.
"There had to be something she had missed, some connection to be made in the events and individuals moving about in the memory of her day. But if there was, she couldn’t see it. Maybe she wasn’t smart enough. Or maybe the world wasn’t. Maybe the world wasn’t smart enough to put together a story that made sense."
Hmmm, sounds like the world I live in. If it sounds like the world you live in too, you might enjoy this book.
May 8, 2021
I am not able to decide if I would rather like to have the book or the audiobook. I guess I'll have to listen to the hooded figures who tell me to buy both, then.
April 25, 2019
YES! A book of my favourite audio. Expect many images in this thought-box!
Do you remember how we all had Nightvale reviews and grramazon deleted them. It would show good faith if we had them returned, don't you think?Nightvale was not allowed because it didn't make them a penny; it is youtube based phenomenom that will be available in 'product form' in the autumn and make lots of money. Double standard much, Bezos?
Those new to the concept, check out the first episode here
Before our reviews were deleted we discussed the clothes
... and cushions...
1 - Pilot✅
2 - Glow Cloud✅
3 - Station Management✅
4 - PTA Meeting✅
5 - The Shape in Grove Park✅
6 - The Drawbridge✅
7 - History Week✅
8 - The Lights in Radon Canyon✅
9 - Pyramid✅
10 - Feral Dogs✅
11 - Wheat and Wheat By-Products
12 - The Candidate
13 - A Story About You
14 - The Man in the Tan Jacket
15 - Street Cleaning Day
16 - The Phone Call
17 - Valentine
18 - The Traveler
19 - The Sandstorm
August 3, 2016
As an avid listener of “Welcome to Night Vale”, this was exactly what I wanted from its literary debut. As an avid consumer of books, this was exactly what I didn’t realize I’ve been looking for. At once devastating and funny and sweet, the story perfectly captures Night Vale’s ability to draw you right to the brink of terror, hold you there with bated breath, and then suddenly and completely release that tension with a flippant comment. It’s a technique, characteristic of the podcast, that I wasn’t sure the creators would be able to translate into written text. But they do, and they do it so well—complete with goosebumps, and hairs prickling on the back of your neck, and oh-god-what-if-there’s-a-tarantula-on-me-right-now, and then the sudden realization that you’ve actually come to care for the tarantula and maybe it’s not so bad if it’s there.
This book takes us further into the desert town of Night Vale, even deeper into the bizarre, near-surreal culture through the eyes of perpetual-nineteen-year-old Jackie Fierro (who runs the pawn shop) and single mother Diane Crayton (whose son, Josh, has a rapidly- and constantly-changing appearance). These two women’s stories come together to paint an exceedingly (perhaps surprisingly, to those unfamiliar with Night Vale’s penchant for searingly-accurate depictions of reality in the midst of strangeness) honest portrayal of family, responsibility, and humanity in their many and ever-changing forms.
With a deliciously lyrical style, in-depth worldbuilding, and intricately crafted characters, there’s much to attract those who have yet to experience the unique world contained in this little desert town. With short, sweet appearances from familiar (and sometimes forgettable) faces such as the Man in the Tan Jacket, Steve Carlsberg, John Peters (you know, the farmer?), and everyone’s favorite public radio host and his perfect boyfriend, there’s little to disappoint the more-veteran citizens of Night Vale.
But this is all completely irrelevant compared to what the book does in three sentences about a quarter of the way through it:
“Diane’s parents are also two different races. It matters which races, but it matters only to Diane and her parents and their family and friends, not to those who do not know them. Not everyone gets to know everything about everybody.”
I am myself a person with parents of different races; and to read such an accurate, succinct, and honest appraisal of a feeling that I’ve experienced my entire life but never myself had the words to express in a work of popular fiction is entirely unprecedented for me. Nothing else in the entire text meant anything to me in comparison to what those three lines did. Nothing else made me close the book and sit quietly on the verge of tears in a breakroom full of my coworkers. It didn’t have to be there—but it was. It affected nothing in the overall story—but it changed everything for me.
This is why we love Night Vale. This is why we are devoted to Night Vale. This is why we would kill our doubles for Night Vale.
Night Vale is the future of storytelling—at least, we can only hope that it is—a great, frightful, gleaming future in which we can shout to the Void, “Representation matters!” and the Void answers back, “Yes,” and a team of artists and creators come together to actually do something about it.
As with all things, they do it well. They do it with a candor that doesn’t feel forced, with a subtlety that doesn’t get lost, with an awareness that seems to stem from a self-imposed sense of responsibility, with intention and precision and tenderness.
And that social consciousness comes together with the strength of this story and its characters to create a thing of beauty and wonder that is an absolute honor to behold. I firmly believe that Welcome to Night Vale is the most important book coming out this year, and I cannot wait for everyone to have the opportunity to read and experience it as I have.
This book takes us further into the desert town of Night Vale, even deeper into the bizarre, near-surreal culture through the eyes of perpetual-nineteen-year-old Jackie Fierro (who runs the pawn shop) and single mother Diane Crayton (whose son, Josh, has a rapidly- and constantly-changing appearance). These two women’s stories come together to paint an exceedingly (perhaps surprisingly, to those unfamiliar with Night Vale’s penchant for searingly-accurate depictions of reality in the midst of strangeness) honest portrayal of family, responsibility, and humanity in their many and ever-changing forms.
With a deliciously lyrical style, in-depth worldbuilding, and intricately crafted characters, there’s much to attract those who have yet to experience the unique world contained in this little desert town. With short, sweet appearances from familiar (and sometimes forgettable) faces such as the Man in the Tan Jacket, Steve Carlsberg, John Peters (you know, the farmer?), and everyone’s favorite public radio host and his perfect boyfriend, there’s little to disappoint the more-veteran citizens of Night Vale.
But this is all completely irrelevant compared to what the book does in three sentences about a quarter of the way through it:
“Diane’s parents are also two different races. It matters which races, but it matters only to Diane and her parents and their family and friends, not to those who do not know them. Not everyone gets to know everything about everybody.”
I am myself a person with parents of different races; and to read such an accurate, succinct, and honest appraisal of a feeling that I’ve experienced my entire life but never myself had the words to express in a work of popular fiction is entirely unprecedented for me. Nothing else in the entire text meant anything to me in comparison to what those three lines did. Nothing else made me close the book and sit quietly on the verge of tears in a breakroom full of my coworkers. It didn’t have to be there—but it was. It affected nothing in the overall story—but it changed everything for me.
This is why we love Night Vale. This is why we are devoted to Night Vale. This is why we would kill our doubles for Night Vale.
Night Vale is the future of storytelling—at least, we can only hope that it is—a great, frightful, gleaming future in which we can shout to the Void, “Representation matters!” and the Void answers back, “Yes,” and a team of artists and creators come together to actually do something about it.
As with all things, they do it well. They do it with a candor that doesn’t feel forced, with a subtlety that doesn’t get lost, with an awareness that seems to stem from a self-imposed sense of responsibility, with intention and precision and tenderness.
And that social consciousness comes together with the strength of this story and its characters to create a thing of beauty and wonder that is an absolute honor to behold. I firmly believe that Welcome to Night Vale is the most important book coming out this year, and I cannot wait for everyone to have the opportunity to read and experience it as I have.
September 14, 2015
First off: If you are a dedicated WTNV fan, this review will not be useful to you. I hope you read the book and enjoy it :)
As someone who isn't a regular WTNV listener (I think I've heard two of the podcast episodes), this book seemed like something of a mess to me. There are a ton of in-jokes and references that feel like they're there for the fans, but that left me cold and dry. The setting itself was baffling to me -- it's like a particularly dark Dali painting, where nothing makes any sense, but it's also not obviously allegorical, and it's not played for laughs. I kept trying to figure out how the town still has anyone left alive in it, or how people can talk about catching up on TV shows when every TV only displays the local news, etc. etc.
The plot was more interesting to me, but I felt like it crashed and burned in the last quarter. I wasn't satisfied with any of the explanations surrounding Troy or the man in the tan jacket, and felt like they were arbitrary and poorly-defined. Given that I had felt invested in what happened to Jackie in particular, I walked away from the book feeling let down.
The main takeaway from this may just be that I'm the wrong reader for this book. I do think, however, that many readers from outside the WTNV fandom may also find this one tough going.
As someone who isn't a regular WTNV listener (I think I've heard two of the podcast episodes), this book seemed like something of a mess to me. There are a ton of in-jokes and references that feel like they're there for the fans, but that left me cold and dry. The setting itself was baffling to me -- it's like a particularly dark Dali painting, where nothing makes any sense, but it's also not obviously allegorical, and it's not played for laughs. I kept trying to figure out how the town still has anyone left alive in it, or how people can talk about catching up on TV shows when every TV only displays the local news, etc. etc.
The plot was more interesting to me, but I felt like it crashed and burned in the last quarter. I wasn't satisfied with any of the explanations surrounding Troy or the man in the tan jacket, and felt like they were arbitrary and poorly-defined. Given that I had felt invested in what happened to Jackie in particular, I walked away from the book feeling let down.
The main takeaway from this may just be that I'm the wrong reader for this book. I do think, however, that many readers from outside the WTNV fandom may also find this one tough going.
September 23, 2020
I am going to thank my foresight in borrowing this book from the library. If I had paid for this book I would be even more annoyed than I am now. It's not good. That's all I can really say. I know this started off as a podcast, but sometimes moving things over to book form does not work. This is definitely one of those times. The writing is choppy, the characters are not developed at all. The ending was...well it happened.
"Welcome to Night Vale" is about the people living in the strange desert town of Night Vale. The book follows several characters and then we get "breaks" throughout from a radio announcer who just discusses the many ways the interns keep coming to a bad end that work there. The characters we follow the most is one named Jackie who is a 19 year old girl who runs the town's pawnshop. Jackie has been 19 it seems for centuries. And then there's Diane who has a son who is a shapeshifter. There's a tenuous thread tying these two characters together. And there's a mysterious man in a tan jacket that has wrecked havoc (somehow) in Night Vale.
I can't say much about any character. There was too much going on and we don't get a chance to even understand anyone because we seem to be rushing to mini-stories throughout this book.
The writing was not my cup of tea at all. There's horror elements of course, but also I guess the writers for trying for funny horror and I just got tied of all of the library jokes after a while. The flow is really bad. I can see why a lot of people just DNFed this one. I can't imagine listening to it via audiobook either cause I would have probably lost it.
The setting of Night Vale sounds interesting. Maybe this would have worked if you just followed random characters during a typical day in the odd little town and have the book end. I think the writers were trying for vignettes, but decided to make some of the character's story-lines longer and then tried to tie things together badly in the end.
I read this book for the "Genre: Horror" square.
"Welcome to Night Vale" is about the people living in the strange desert town of Night Vale. The book follows several characters and then we get "breaks" throughout from a radio announcer who just discusses the many ways the interns keep coming to a bad end that work there. The characters we follow the most is one named Jackie who is a 19 year old girl who runs the town's pawnshop. Jackie has been 19 it seems for centuries. And then there's Diane who has a son who is a shapeshifter. There's a tenuous thread tying these two characters together. And there's a mysterious man in a tan jacket that has wrecked havoc (somehow) in Night Vale.
I can't say much about any character. There was too much going on and we don't get a chance to even understand anyone because we seem to be rushing to mini-stories throughout this book.
The writing was not my cup of tea at all. There's horror elements of course, but also I guess the writers for trying for funny horror and I just got tied of all of the library jokes after a while. The flow is really bad. I can see why a lot of people just DNFed this one. I can't imagine listening to it via audiobook either cause I would have probably lost it.
The setting of Night Vale sounds interesting. Maybe this would have worked if you just followed random characters during a typical day in the odd little town and have the book end. I think the writers were trying for vignettes, but decided to make some of the character's story-lines longer and then tried to tie things together badly in the end.
I read this book for the "Genre: Horror" square.
May 8, 2021
I'm not a listener of the podcast. but this is so fascinating in all its surrealism and absurdness. such a different read for me, but nevertheless lovely.
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2015/1...
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2015/1...
July 31, 2017
Super Short Review: So many have gone before me on this one that I don't have much to add. A completely different kind of read for me. I truly believe I enjoyed this so much due to listening to it in the audio format. Fink has such an knack for making the ordinary become profound. The interactions between the characters may seem mundane but there is a glimpse of deeper meaning if you think on it. A great story and now I will have to check out the podcast a bit more.
March 4, 2016
I love weird things and metaphors and female friendships. This could only please me
August 22, 2025
Nope!
March 9, 2016
I thought this would be a fun Halloween read. I was wrong of course, and was going to say bad things about it. Fortunately the book itself understood this and informed Night Vale's agents from a vague yet menacing government agency. After their free personality reassignment sample, I've seen the error of my ways. The book is wonderful. It is perfect. You all should enjoy it.
Beware of copies that are missing words, but filled with teeth. Despite claims that they are a limited edition, the teeth are in fact not limited, but connected to some other world filled with unlimited teeth. Most are not human teeth, but from some sort of animal none of us have seen before, or hopefully ever will see. They should also not be touched with your hands... or seen with your eyes. Keep your eyes closed and ignore those copies of the book at all times. Keep them safely on a shelf and forget.
_________
Now that the agents from a vague yet menacing government agency are gone, it's time for an honest review with a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
1. It has the charm and humor that Night Vale is known for. It is delightfully weird and like stepping into a lighter hearted David Lynch film.
2. If one has not heard the Night Vale podcast before, it serves as a nice introduction to new people. There are in-jokes, but nothing that goes completely unexplained (unless the joke is that it is unexplained).
3. We get to see the world of Night Vale outside of Cecil's point of view and see how people of the town both agree and disagree with the insight we usually get from him.
4. The return of a lot of side characters that we have heard in the show before, but with more insight into who they are.
5. Cecil may not be the main character, but there are still sections of the book titled "The Voice of Night Vale" that read like a transcription of his radio show (that serves as something of a fun "missing episode" sort of thing).
Cons:
1. Repetition. So much repetition. It works in the podcast, as it is a radio show with a host emphasizing points, but in the novel it feels like too much (as if even in literary form, Cecil is still controlling the tone).
2. The character of Jackie. She's not a bad character, but in order to make her sound like she's 19, the authors made sure to throw in "dude" or "man" in nearly every sentence. After a while it became almost comical. I get setting up a character quirk, but it became a borderline parody of teenagers.
3. After years of buildup, the were dealt with a bit too easily (though that is still easily my favorite section of the book).
Most of these complaints I recognize could be considered personal pet peeves and may not bother other readers; while I still find that the good of the novel outweighs the bad, they were bothersome enough to lower my rating to 3 stars.
In conclusion: The book is fun. It is enjoyable and pretty good... but it is not as good as I wanted it to be. It is entertaining and keeps the charm of the series, but doesn't translate into a novel as well as I hoped. That said, if there is ever another novel for the series, I would be more than happy to give it a shot as well.
Fun side note: they released an episode of the show titled "An Epilogue" that serves as an aftermath to everything that happened in the book. It was released before the novel, so it manages to serve as a rather hilarious advertisement as well as a fun aftermath.If you're interested in picking up the book, but are unsure about it, try giving that a listen.
And that ladies and gentlemen of goodreads was my first review. Hopefully more will follow.
Beware of copies that are missing words, but filled with teeth. Despite claims that they are a limited edition, the teeth are in fact not limited, but connected to some other world filled with unlimited teeth. Most are not human teeth, but from some sort of animal none of us have seen before, or hopefully ever will see. They should also not be touched with your hands... or seen with your eyes. Keep your eyes closed and ignore those copies of the book at all times. Keep them safely on a shelf and forget.
_________
Now that the agents from a vague yet menacing government agency are gone, it's time for an honest review with a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
1. It has the charm and humor that Night Vale is known for. It is delightfully weird and like stepping into a lighter hearted David Lynch film.
2. If one has not heard the Night Vale podcast before, it serves as a nice introduction to new people. There are in-jokes, but nothing that goes completely unexplained (unless the joke is that it is unexplained).
3. We get to see the world of Night Vale outside of Cecil's point of view and see how people of the town both agree and disagree with the insight we usually get from him.
4. The return of a lot of side characters that we have heard in the show before, but with more insight into who they are.
5. Cecil may not be the main character, but there are still sections of the book titled "The Voice of Night Vale" that read like a transcription of his radio show (that serves as something of a fun "missing episode" sort of thing).
Cons:
1. Repetition. So much repetition. It works in the podcast, as it is a radio show with a host emphasizing points, but in the novel it feels like too much (as if even in literary form, Cecil is still controlling the tone).
2. The character of Jackie. She's not a bad character, but in order to make her sound like she's 19, the authors made sure to throw in "dude" or "man" in nearly every sentence. After a while it became almost comical. I get setting up a character quirk, but it became a borderline parody of teenagers.
3. After years of buildup, the were dealt with a bit too easily (though that is still easily my favorite section of the book).
Most of these complaints I recognize could be considered personal pet peeves and may not bother other readers; while I still find that the good of the novel outweighs the bad, they were bothersome enough to lower my rating to 3 stars.
In conclusion: The book is fun. It is enjoyable and pretty good... but it is not as good as I wanted it to be. It is entertaining and keeps the charm of the series, but doesn't translate into a novel as well as I hoped. That said, if there is ever another novel for the series, I would be more than happy to give it a shot as well.
Fun side note: they released an episode of the show titled "An Epilogue" that serves as an aftermath to everything that happened in the book. It was released before the novel, so it manages to serve as a rather hilarious advertisement as well as a fun aftermath.If you're interested in picking up the book, but are unsure about it, try giving that a listen.
And that ladies and gentlemen of goodreads was my first review. Hopefully more will follow.
November 9, 2015
There is not enough time in this life to say all the positive things I want to say (and should be said) about Welcome to Night Vale. There are also not enough brain cells for me to properly communicate to the readers of the world how truly remarkable this book is...or how I can even begin to explain it.
Instead, here are a handful of adjectives that, to me, encapsulate WtNV: Absurd, charming, beautiful, witty, playful, strange, FUN!
The best method is to not even try to pigeon-hole 'Night Vale' : just dive right in and let it take you where it may.
Yes, this book is many things (and more!). I guess, if I REALLY have to, the easiest way for me to describe it is weird, and I mean that. It is whacked-out gonzo odd (which is my favorite thing ever), but it's handled in such a sincere, dry and humorous kind of way, that it works so very well. Trust me when I say that this book had me chuckling, cringing, and cheering all hours of the day. The inhabitants of Night Vale treat each and every bizarre event in their town with the resounding equivalent of a *shrug* and a nonchalance of it being so absolutely normal to them. The wit and careful (de)construction of writing form and genre made me so disgustingly jealous I didn't think of this first.
Honestly, this reminds me why I write. The creators, Mr. Fink and Mr. Cranor, these two kooky characters, hands-down have the BEST GODDAMN IMAGINATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF TIME! Truly astounding the things they come up with; I was absolutely blown away! That's how I like to write/what I like to write. The fact that they do it so well makes me feel like my 'behind-the-Quiznos-dumpster' puddle of ideas will never stack up to their fucking ocean of creative genius.
Overall, this book is everything.
Instead, here are a handful of adjectives that, to me, encapsulate WtNV: Absurd, charming, beautiful, witty, playful, strange, FUN!
The best method is to not even try to pigeon-hole 'Night Vale' : just dive right in and let it take you where it may.
Yes, this book is many things (and more!). I guess, if I REALLY have to, the easiest way for me to describe it is weird, and I mean that. It is whacked-out gonzo odd (which is my favorite thing ever), but it's handled in such a sincere, dry and humorous kind of way, that it works so very well. Trust me when I say that this book had me chuckling, cringing, and cheering all hours of the day. The inhabitants of Night Vale treat each and every bizarre event in their town with the resounding equivalent of a *shrug* and a nonchalance of it being so absolutely normal to them. The wit and careful (de)construction of writing form and genre made me so disgustingly jealous I didn't think of this first.
Honestly, this reminds me why I write. The creators, Mr. Fink and Mr. Cranor, these two kooky characters, hands-down have the BEST GODDAMN IMAGINATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF TIME! Truly astounding the things they come up with; I was absolutely blown away! That's how I like to write/what I like to write. The fact that they do it so well makes me feel like my 'behind-the-Quiznos-dumpster' puddle of ideas will never stack up to their fucking ocean of creative genius.
Overall, this book is everything.
February 10, 2017
This is a very weird novel inspired by the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. It combines bizarro-type fantasy, social satire, parody, horror, magic realism and conspiracy theory. In the small California town of Night Vale, things have never been what you would call normal. Big Brother, it would seem, is always watching. Certain things and entities, including angels, are illegal. Certain things and places are off-limits. Libraries, as in many works of fantasy, are places of extreme danger. However, most of the inhabitants have learned to adjust and take these things in their stride. But when a mysterious stranger in a tan suit and carrying a deerskin case appears, he sparks off more chaos than usual. Diane Crayton, single mother of a most unusual teenager, and Jackie Fierro, stuck at one particular age and working in a pawn-shop, join forces to solve the mysteries that threaten to unravel their already tenuous hold on reality.
This was a bizarre but fascinating book that, quite apart from its link to the podcast of the same name, made me think of Douglas Coupland, Douglas Adams, The Twilight Zone and Gary Larson.
This was a bizarre but fascinating book that, quite apart from its link to the podcast of the same name, made me think of Douglas Coupland, Douglas Adams, The Twilight Zone and Gary Larson.
August 3, 2015
I received this book as an ARC, and it is almost everything I would’ve wanted from a Welcome to Night Vale book. I’ve gone back and forth on whether this is a book for fans or for everyone, and I’ve concluded it’s a little of both. Those new to the universe will find a mystery that’s competently crafted and compellingly written (though they’ll miss the semi-frequent references to events and characters from the podcast), while fans will get more of what they fell in love with, plus some answers to lingering questions, plus some more questions yet to be answered. A great mix of something like slam poetry, dark humor, horror, science fiction, and the grotesque, it holds up as an overall wonderful read, even taken out of context of the podcast and despite its failings as it comes to a close.
The writing style is what really shines about this book, even more so than the twin mysteries at the center of the plot. The authors have a knack for a style that’s somewhere between overwrought and perfectly plain. It’s wonderfully conversational, and you really feel like Fink and Cranor (or, let’s be real, Cecil) are sat across from you, just telling you the whole thing over coffee. If this style is to your taste (lyrical and a little meandering), you’ll love it, but I can see how it could grate on some readers (there are definitely times where it’s a bit Philosophy 101).
Fink and Cranor do a beautiful job of crafting complex women – something I wish wasn’t so commendable, but here we are. The women in this book are not only diverse (there is a gorgeous moment early on in the book that took my breath away, in which the authors describe what it’s like to be multiracial in America), but brimming with spirit and riddled with faults. They are charming but sometimes unlikable, and that’s what makes them feel incredibly real, despite all the idiosyncrasies of existence in Night Vale.
My main complaint is that I feel the book lost significant steam toward the end. It’s difficult to put my finger on what I felt was so incredibly disappointing (especially while avoiding any spoilers), but it may be that the answers to the mystery were just too easy, and there are some fascinating and creepy things introduced toward the end of the book that are never explored, a painfully missed opportunity. The climax as a whole felt extremely rushed, like the authors forgot they hadn’t actually finished until the night before their deadline. The final chapter gives us a saccharine-sweet, clichéd ending that felt out of character with the rest of the book, a note that's all the more sour to end on given how much I enjoyed the first three quarters or more of the story.
The writing style is what really shines about this book, even more so than the twin mysteries at the center of the plot. The authors have a knack for a style that’s somewhere between overwrought and perfectly plain. It’s wonderfully conversational, and you really feel like Fink and Cranor (or, let’s be real, Cecil) are sat across from you, just telling you the whole thing over coffee. If this style is to your taste (lyrical and a little meandering), you’ll love it, but I can see how it could grate on some readers (there are definitely times where it’s a bit Philosophy 101).
Fink and Cranor do a beautiful job of crafting complex women – something I wish wasn’t so commendable, but here we are. The women in this book are not only diverse (there is a gorgeous moment early on in the book that took my breath away, in which the authors describe what it’s like to be multiracial in America), but brimming with spirit and riddled with faults. They are charming but sometimes unlikable, and that’s what makes them feel incredibly real, despite all the idiosyncrasies of existence in Night Vale.
My main complaint is that I feel the book lost significant steam toward the end. It’s difficult to put my finger on what I felt was so incredibly disappointing (especially while avoiding any spoilers), but it may be that the answers to the mystery were just too easy, and there are some fascinating and creepy things introduced toward the end of the book that are never explored, a painfully missed opportunity. The climax as a whole felt extremely rushed, like the authors forgot they hadn’t actually finished until the night before their deadline. The final chapter gives us a saccharine-sweet, clichéd ending that felt out of character with the rest of the book, a note that's all the more sour to end on given how much I enjoyed the first three quarters or more of the story.
December 16, 2015
The popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale has ventured into the literary world with its first novel. Authors Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor present a story that follows two of Night Vale’s residents – Diane, an unassuming office worker with a shape-shifter for a son, and Jackie, a 19 year old pawn shop owner. As the narrative alternates between the two leads, the authors injected short excerpts from the local community radio host Cecil detailing the events happening in the tumultuous town. Unfortunately, this is where the story sort of lost me.
While I love that Fink and Cramer are keen to expand their universe outside of the podcast, there’s a certain charm that’s lost when moving from the delightfully creepy audio presentation to the written word. It was an oddly jarring experience absorbing Cecil’s information without his trademark voice and delivery.
Outside of a few quotable lines, I found the plot quite boring and struggled to see my way through to the end. This might have something to do with the fact I’ve only listened to the first twenty odd episodes of the podcast (I’m very behind), so perhaps a few references may have been lost on me.
For fans of the podcast, it might be worth your while to seek out the audiobook version for an experience closer to the original format.
While I love that Fink and Cramer are keen to expand their universe outside of the podcast, there’s a certain charm that’s lost when moving from the delightfully creepy audio presentation to the written word. It was an oddly jarring experience absorbing Cecil’s information without his trademark voice and delivery.
Outside of a few quotable lines, I found the plot quite boring and struggled to see my way through to the end. This might have something to do with the fact I’ve only listened to the first twenty odd episodes of the podcast (I’m very behind), so perhaps a few references may have been lost on me.
For fans of the podcast, it might be worth your while to seek out the audiobook version for an experience closer to the original format.
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