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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I recently discovered WTNV (the podcast) and was instantly in love with the town and all of its citizens. So as you can imagine , upon hearing about a book, I had to read it straight away! At first, the book felt a but clumsy and awkward to read as it is unusual seeing the writing style and humour written down, let alone reading it rather than listening. However after a few reading out loud sessions i soon got into the swing of the book. The story was a bit haphazard to begin with but the book does a great job of creating characters that you want to invest your feelings in. It was nice to get the perspective of some of the normal citizens as well as incorporating the lovely Cecil and Carlos. The book progressed during the last 150 pages or so and i found myself loving the heartfelt ending and pretty good backstory info about the man in the tan jacket. I am still mid-podcast in the 2014 area so until i get further along I'm not getting to the next book quite yet. So i take you now, dear review readers, to the weather.
This book was AMAZING. The only thing that readers need to know if they want to read this book is: you need to listen to AT LEAST 3-5 episodes of the WTNV podcast to understand the stories told in the book and understand why the book is written the way it is. If you don’t do that then you probably won’t like this book at all
If you're not a fan of Welcome To Night Vale the podcast, don't buy the book. It's a really bad place that get into the series. The book is a lot of fun for people already familiar with the setting, but with "in jokes" being pretty front loaded, you'll just feel confused and frustrated.
I would say it's a must read for fans of the show. It shines its brightest when it's just talking about the town and the little people who make it what it is. Even without the weirdness of Night Vale, it's a great look at people - how we can feel the same, worry the same, but still be so distant.
I would say it's a must read for fans of the show. It shines its brightest when it's just talking about the town and the little people who make it what it is. Even without the weirdness of Night Vale, it's a great look at people - how we can feel the same, worry the same, but still be so distant.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Welcome to Night Vale," -- the podcast, that is -- has grown pretty hit-or-miss over the last couple years. As its world has expanded and developed, it sometimes loses track of the humor and the horror as it gets caught up too much in fan-service and plot, and the moments of unexpected profundity grow fewer and farther between. It is certainly still worth listening to and continues to produce gems among its episodes, but I feel like its best days might be behind it.
Which is all to say that this novel feels completely unburdened by the aging of the show, even though it is populated by many of the same characters and is full of shout-outs and references to the podcast. It is perfectly funny and spooky down to every single paragraph. It’s a slow read, especially early on. Each spooky and weird and confusing chapter kind of feels like a whole podcast’s worth, and sometimes you need a break. But it is really worthwhile to keep with it, and it captures the best of the podcast (except for The Weather).
Which is all to say that this novel feels completely unburdened by the aging of the show, even though it is populated by many of the same characters and is full of shout-outs and references to the podcast. It is perfectly funny and spooky down to every single paragraph. It’s a slow read, especially early on. Each spooky and weird and confusing chapter kind of feels like a whole podcast’s worth, and sometimes you need a break. But it is really worthwhile to keep with it, and it captures the best of the podcast (except for The Weather).
More like 3.5 stars rather than 3.0 - I'm a huge fan of the podcast but am slightly disappointed in the book. The first half dragged on a bit longer than needed, but the last half picked up the pace and was more enjoyable.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
It nearly took three months to read and was a terrible agony. In the end I determined that I was going to finish it. I decided I was going to hate-finish this book.
There is nothing here. It's a waste of time. It's as substantial and meaningful as Splenda. It's diet soda that is boiled away and all that is left is inexplicable dust. It is not pleasant, it is not good for you. You want all the characters to die from impact after falling from great heights.
It makes you want to set every Diane and Jackie you'll ever meet on fire. You'll want to throw Josh into a bottomless pit and forget all about it and imagine you didn't misplace three months struggling for a literary payoff that is just like diet pop being boiled away. Nothing.
The book consumes space and weighs something and that I think annoys me the most. I cannot delete it. It just sits there, turning the promise of the amazing Welcome to Night Vale podcast into a worthless meaningless waste of time just like trying to leave Night Vale. In that regard it's much like Night Vale itself, a blank blotch somewhere in some desert, you can't find it but once you arrive you wish you never started looking for it.
This book is a literary Hotel California. Once you check in, you can never leave. You keep on waiting for something to be left after it boils away. Keep on waiting. But in the end it's diet pop and there is nothing at all once it's boiled off.
Except all that time you can never get back. Yes, that's gone forever. This book hurts my head. It's offensive in ways I never imagined a book could be. But I thank god it's over.
It may have also helped me get over the podcast. Ugh.
There is nothing here. It's a waste of time. It's as substantial and meaningful as Splenda. It's diet soda that is boiled away and all that is left is inexplicable dust. It is not pleasant, it is not good for you. You want all the characters to die from impact after falling from great heights.
It makes you want to set every Diane and Jackie you'll ever meet on fire. You'll want to throw Josh into a bottomless pit and forget all about it and imagine you didn't misplace three months struggling for a literary payoff that is just like diet pop being boiled away. Nothing.
The book consumes space and weighs something and that I think annoys me the most. I cannot delete it. It just sits there, turning the promise of the amazing Welcome to Night Vale podcast into a worthless meaningless waste of time just like trying to leave Night Vale. In that regard it's much like Night Vale itself, a blank blotch somewhere in some desert, you can't find it but once you arrive you wish you never started looking for it.
This book is a literary Hotel California. Once you check in, you can never leave. You keep on waiting for something to be left after it boils away. Keep on waiting. But in the end it's diet pop and there is nothing at all once it's boiled off.
Except all that time you can never get back. Yes, that's gone forever. This book hurts my head. It's offensive in ways I never imagined a book could be. But I thank god it's over.
It may have also helped me get over the podcast. Ugh.
I don't think it will be especially memorable, but it generally felt like the podcast, and was a very quick read. Not as good as many episodes of the podcast have been, but a cute enough side story. Jumping around visiting characters from the podcast for unclear reasons did feel a little forced, but it picked up somewhat after that.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated