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A review by maliciousways
Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink
2.0
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, because, if you know anything about Welcome to Night Vale, its dependence rests entirely on it's wonderfully charming narrator, Cecil Baldwin who shares his first name with the host. Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast about a small dessert community "where the sun is hot, the moon is bright, and strange lights pass overhead as we all pretend to sleep." It's a strange, but endearing podcast, which I feel is like a mash up of Parks and Recreation and the Twilight Zone/Alfred Hitchcock Presents/the X-Files. I do not believe this book would be understood or liked by someone who is not a fan of the podcast - it's an extension of the podcast and can't really stand up on it's own.
As of late, the podcast seems to have lost it's charm (shifting away from the focus of the main character Cecil and his shenanigans, which was the main focus in the podcast's early seasons). Unfortunately, this book reflects that loss of charm. I was hoping the book could breathe life into the characters again & remind me of why I liked the podcast, but it just went straight into the realm of contrived absurdity. I actually got angry with this book because it's random and weird just for the sake of being random and weird. The authors got so caught up in being weird and random that they forgot to tell a good story. I also believe that they do not remember what drew people to the podcast in the first place, which is it's hero and narrator, Cecil. The book focuses entirely too much on senselessness and new characters in the town, when in reality fans want stories about Cecil and Carlos and the how they interact with each other and their weird little community. Cecil, Carlos, and Dana (the only surviving radio intern) make appearances in the book, but the story was not about them. I really wish it had been.
Cecil Baldwin was flawless and wonderful, as always, in his voice acting and narration, but he could not save the audiobook.
I was a fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, but this book left me disappointed, frustrated, and feeling like I wasted my time. Heck, it even made me stop listening to the podcast.
As of late, the podcast seems to have lost it's charm (shifting away from the focus of the main character Cecil and his shenanigans, which was the main focus in the podcast's early seasons). Unfortunately, this book reflects that loss of charm. I was hoping the book could breathe life into the characters again & remind me of why I liked the podcast, but it just went straight into the realm of contrived absurdity. I actually got angry with this book because it's random and weird just for the sake of being random and weird. The authors got so caught up in being weird and random that they forgot to tell a good story. I also believe that they do not remember what drew people to the podcast in the first place, which is it's hero and narrator, Cecil. The book focuses entirely too much on senselessness and new characters in the town, when in reality fans want stories about Cecil and Carlos and the how they interact with each other and their weird little community. Cecil, Carlos, and Dana (the only surviving radio intern) make appearances in the book, but the story was not about them. I really wish it had been.
Cecil Baldwin was flawless and wonderful, as always, in his voice acting and narration, but he could not save the audiobook.
I was a fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, but this book left me disappointed, frustrated, and feeling like I wasted my time. Heck, it even made me stop listening to the podcast.