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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Full disclosure, I am a fan of the podcast. That said, the audiobook version is really worth the purchase. It's narrated by Cecil himself, and there are radio segments in between chapters. It felt a little like an extended podcast with a lot more storytelling. The book is as delightfully weird as I had hoped it would be, and I especially enjoyed the dangerous expedition into the library. Of course I would. I've worked in one for years now. I'm a survivor. ;)
Sometimes you need a little weird in your life. Sometimes you need a huge helping of weird, and Welcome to Night Vale is the perfect fix. Chock full of bizarre, existential crisis-inducing randomness, Welcome to Night Vale also portrays very real relationships between family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and strangers. Your primal fears are tickled even as you can't stop laughing at the absurdity of the situations and explanations. Sometimes deceptively lulling, sometimes maddeningly fast paced, this book scratches itches you weren't even aware of. Or maybe that's just the tarantula.
Fans of the podcast will love this book. If you've never listened to the podcast, it might still be your jam if you're into absurd speculative fiction or invisible pie. Learning what it's like to live in Night Vale is an enjoyable experience. If possible, check out the audiobook for Cecil's gorgeous voice. If you've heard the podcast, you know just how soothing and rich Cecil's voice is, and he had the honors of narrating the audiobook.
Fans of the podcast will love this book. If you've never listened to the podcast, it might still be your jam if you're into absurd speculative fiction or invisible pie. Learning what it's like to live in Night Vale is an enjoyable experience. If possible, check out the audiobook for Cecil's gorgeous voice. If you've heard the podcast, you know just how soothing and rich Cecil's voice is, and he had the honors of narrating the audiobook.
Here's a list of things I loved about this book:
Everything.
Alright, alright, seriously, this was an amazing novel. I'm not going to lie, I was so excited when this book was announced, so I had reasonably high expectations. And it met and exceeded every single one. There's someone for everyone in this book. Weaving in snippets from Night Vale Community Radio while juggling Jackie's and Diane's stories stays true to the podcast roots while allowing readers explore the reality as the Night Vale residents live in it. It was wonderfully weird, exciting, and, on more than one occasion, touched on very real feelings and problems that we all experience in our own lives, whether we're living it or watching it.
For hardcore fans of the podcast, I recommend you drop everything and catch the flesh-eating reading bacterium.
For the uninitiated, I recommend that you listen to at least a few episodes of the podcast before your embark on this wild journey. I promise, you will appreciate it so much more as the memory of Cecil's voice echoes the words on the page in your brain.
UPDATE: Once you're finished with the novel, go listen to episode 76 of the podcast, which is basically the epilogue.
Everything.
Alright, alright, seriously, this was an amazing novel. I'm not going to lie, I was so excited when this book was announced, so I had reasonably high expectations. And it met and exceeded every single one. There's someone for everyone in this book. Weaving in snippets from Night Vale Community Radio while juggling Jackie's and Diane's stories stays true to the podcast roots while allowing readers explore the reality as the Night Vale residents live in it. It was wonderfully weird, exciting, and, on more than one occasion, touched on very real feelings and problems that we all experience in our own lives, whether we're living it or watching it.
For hardcore fans of the podcast, I recommend you drop everything and catch the flesh-eating reading bacterium.
For the uninitiated, I recommend that you listen to at least a few episodes of the podcast before your embark on this wild journey. I promise, you will appreciate it so much more as the memory of Cecil's voice echoes the words on the page in your brain.
UPDATE: Once you're finished with the novel, go listen to episode 76 of the podcast, which is basically the epilogue.
This book is great, but boy can it be a slog. One of the few I think that would have benefitted from an audio book. Much like Lemony Snicket in ASOUE, Fink and Cranor take their sweet *ss time saying something with 100 words, where about 10 would do; and they do that for the whole d*mn book. Once again, like Snicket, it's done usually in a comedic way and it works! But I still felt a sort of hollowness where I would usually be hearing Cecil speaking to me, which brings me to my other point: this book doesn't really have Cecil or Carlos in it at all. It's about a couple of side characters and swaps between POVs with them. The plot was kind of weak in my opinion, as I wasn't really interested in the mystery but rather the characters and how they solve it. All of the main characters are interesting and likable, and despite one of the m/c being a single mom of a shape-shifting teenager and myself not ever being a mother myself or even wanting to be one, I felt really connected to both her and her son because the way they struggle to communicate and find common ground. The sort of disconnect they go through is very relatable. The comedic moments and characters were enough to save this for me.
I used to be a huge fan of Welcome to Night Vale, but stopped keeping up with episodes and now I'm extremely behind. But I wanted to read this book anyway so I did and... ehhyeah, it really fell flat. I have to agree with a lot of other reviewers when I say that it might have done better as an audiobook. But I'm still not sure it would help that much, since the book focuses on two characters for most of the plot.
Now, there were some things I enjoyed in the novel. I loved the focus on Steve Carlsburg, Dana and Carlos. These were familiar characters that were already built up a lot in the podcast, so the expansion of them felt right for that established personality. A few other familiar characters made appearances: Larry Leroy out on the edge of town, Old Woman Josie and her "angel" friends, John Peters (you know, the farmer) and others. There were a LOT of inside jokes and references to things that happened in the podcast, and while I understood almost all of them, it just wasn't the same without Cecil's signature voice.
And speaking of Cecil, that was probably the only part of the book I enjoyed. Whenever it cut to The Voice of Night Vale, I was enjoying it and laughing out loud. I don't know if it's just the way it's laid out or how much more simple it is, but it was so good. I found myself skimming past the Jackie and Diane stuff so I could get back to him.
Other than that, I'd say my main problem with this book is that it answers questions. The man in the tan jacket carrying a deerskin suitcase was introduced very early on in the podcast, and I always just took it as one of those weird things that happened in Night Vale. I honestly wasn't expecting to follow his story throughout the whole novel or to learn why no one could remember him or what they talked about. "Why" was never a relevant question in Night Vale, so I don't get the reasoning behind it here.
So yeah, overall extremely disappointing. I think I'll stick to the podcast. Maybe even catch up on the episodes.
Now, there were some things I enjoyed in the novel. I loved the focus on Steve Carlsburg, Dana and Carlos. These were familiar characters that were already built up a lot in the podcast, so the expansion of them felt right for that established personality. A few other familiar characters made appearances: Larry Leroy out on the edge of town, Old Woman Josie and her "angel" friends, John Peters (you know, the farmer) and others. There were a LOT of inside jokes and references to things that happened in the podcast, and while I understood almost all of them, it just wasn't the same without Cecil's signature voice.
And speaking of Cecil, that was probably the only part of the book I enjoyed. Whenever it cut to The Voice of Night Vale, I was enjoying it and laughing out loud. I don't know if it's just the way it's laid out or how much more simple it is, but it was so good. I found myself skimming past the Jackie and Diane stuff so I could get back to him.
Other than that, I'd say my main problem with this book is that it answers questions. The man in the tan jacket carrying a deerskin suitcase was introduced very early on in the podcast, and I always just took it as one of those weird things that happened in Night Vale. I honestly wasn't expecting to follow his story throughout the whole novel or to learn why no one could remember him or what they talked about. "Why" was never a relevant question in Night Vale, so I don't get the reasoning behind it here.
So yeah, overall extremely disappointing. I think I'll stick to the podcast. Maybe even catch up on the episodes.
expanded on side characters from the podcast in a way i really enjoyed. it was fun to watch the plot come together. written in the same way (about some of the same things) as in the podcast, so it really feels like an extension of the show.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes