A review by birdiepoe
Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink

1.0

If I could, I would give this zero stars. I can't even in good conscience call this a book. For something to be a book, you need a plot, and that was entirely absent here! Perhaps the last 15-20% of the book contained some semblance of a plot but that's far too little too late. There were characters introduced that didn't contribute anything at all and too many asides of the radio program that did nothing at all to further any kind of story. Pages and pages of bizarre descriptions that had no point other than to BE bizarre.

Don't get me wrong, I like weird things! I like weird things that lead to interesting characters or plots or situations! I enjoy unusual scenarios that I haven't come across before when they further a story along! Plastic flamingoes that if touched can send you back in time? I'd read that story! A woman who can't turn older than 19? Sign me up! But those examples are not relevant to anything else at all in this book other than to be another example of just how wacky the town is. This was weird just to be weird. Every other sentence here was mired down with a strange thing that virtually had nothing to do with anything other than for the authors to feel pleased with how creative they could be.

And before you ask, no, I haven't listened to the podcast. If it's anything like this mess, I never will.