Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel

Welcome to Night Vale is twice a month podcast that has expanded into the written world. this book is just an amazing look into life in night vale through the eyes of two different characters. seeing them interact with favorites from the show and chapters written in the voice of Cecil is amazing. the audio book is so worth the buy to hear it read by the voice of night vale himself

This is a wonderful book, a must for anyone who is a fan of the podcast this is based on. And I think it's a good way to introduce someone new to the series as well.
I loved how we get to know more about some of the characters that get mentioned in the regular show. And there are excerpts from the community radio show that are wonderful.
I just wish they would write more books in this setting.

This is even better than the podcast. This was meant to be listened to not read. It has everything crazy, unimaginable, and wonderful in Night Vale all wrapped up into one great story.

If you love the podcast. I highly recommend this book. If you haven't listened to the podcast..still get this book. And remember it will be safer to purchase than visit the dreaded Library!

I really loved the book! Although the format is a bit unusual. I had to find it chapter by chapter in random places at home, office, or some strangers just silently gave them to me on the street. And it was hard to keep up at times, as each page had different expiration time. Sometimes I had an hour or a day, sometimes just a couple of minutes before they expired and dissolved into thin air so that too was a bit uncomfortable. Anyhow, would love to read it again sometime!

I got the audiobook version and really enjoyed it, and I also purchased the paperback version for my sister as a gift. She says that she thinks it would have been better if she had listened to the audio version instead of print.
One hing that was a bit odd about it was that the book is mostly narrated by Cecil, but here are sections that have guest speakers on the radio. It was a bit odd to listen to the entire book in Cecil's voice but have just a few lines from other actors in it.

I find the tone of this book to be surprisingly Brautiganesque, if that is a word. It's not, but I will wield it carefully as though it were. I haven't finished reading it yet, in fact barely begun. I would be further along, but I suspected from the beginning that each word had been removed and replaced with an exact copy of itself. Upon closer inspection I realize that the entire book has been written in idemonyms (words that are spelled the same and pronounced the same, but have the same meaning) making it a bit of a slower read, but certainly an appreciably ambitious undertaking. I'm sure I will enjoy the rest of it as much as I will enjoy the parts I haven't read yet.

I loved the podcast before they went full social justice warrior, and bought this book. It reads exactly like the podcast script. That's a bit like saying it reads a bit like a Shakespeare play. There's an entertaining story here, but the style and pacing are off-putting. So slow, so tired, so, well, boring.

The story wad interesting and I generally enjoyed the book. It just seemed sometimes that it went in for longer than out needed to.
I will say that I wish I had it as an audio book. The characters being listened to as on the podcast instead of read wood have given it at least one more star.

I actually ended up with two copies of this book, one I bought myself, another as a present. If you love the podcast you will love this book. I was so excited when I read the first chapter and it was about a resident of Nightvale that wasn't Cecil. I love Cecil but this is something new a different. There was so much more described about the wonderful desert town than is told in the podcast. Even with the change of main character you still get to read about town favorites like Old Woman Josie and the Ericas. I love this book.

I've loved listening to WTNV for years, and after receiving a copy of this novel, I read nearly the entire thing with Cecil's voice ringing low in my mind. The writing was wonderfully deep and satirical, as usual, with just enough poignant storytelling and mysterious plot to keep me riveted the entire time. A great work from an amazing podcast and crew, and I recommend it to any and all that are lovers of dark humor, floating cats, and small desert communities with appropriately terrified and terrifying citizens. Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel

I didn't remember ordering this book, or having an the store account, or any bit of my identity or history. All I know is that I woke up a few days ago in the middle of the road with this book in my hand. So I did what anyone would do (I could only assume, because I had never met, nor remember being, a person) and sat down in the middle of the road and read the book cover to cover. I found it to be an engaging experience, but the constant honking and shouts didn't make the task easy. Although I can't blame those things on the book... except for the shouts that came from the book itself, but when those came, rumbling like a storm on the horizon and filling anyone hearing them with a very real and specific sense that their family -- every last member doting the globe, or perhaps every single person (we're all related someway or another, right? I don't know.) -- was in serious danger, they tended to scare off anyone who might have been attempting to address me at the time. When I finished, I stood up, walked to what I assumed to be my house, got in what I assumed to be my bed, and took what I assumed to be a long nap (it could have also been a short death). When I awoke I remembered, or at least invented, my past in its entirety. Every single moment, without gaps or lapses. Without gapses. I even remember looking at my eyelids for hours each night for my entire life. Did I never sleep? Every bruise, every paper cut, every time the faceless old woman who lives in my house threw a fit. It's pure torture having my entire timeline available to me in perfect detail, knowing exactly where I went wrong, exactly what I should have done differently. Luckily, as each day passes the memories seem to take a step back. Maybe one day they will all be completely out of reach again. What a joy it is to know nothing at all. The book? Yes, it is a book. It has a cover, and pages, and words are printed on the pages, and if you read them in the intended order they will begin to form meanings within your head, stories, whole worlds. And yet it is also not a book, because books don't have conversations with you in the middle of the night when you're trying to get to sleep because you have to wake up for work in six hours and even if you fall asleep in ten minutes that's still only five hours of sleep which just isn't sustainable, so will you please stop talking to me, close your cover, and get back on the shelf where I left you? I'll write a review of you if that'll make you stop! Is what I might have said if I felt in any way coerced to write this glowing review. Why is it glowing? Did I turn up my computer brightness? The light it's. It's blinding me! I can't see what imt yping anymoer I ca'nt see amytjing at all help[

'This book was perfection. But paired with the audio-book, it is a sublime experience. This was like the pod-cast, just extended. Very accurate on what a couple of days are here. It is the usual blend of lovecraftian existential horror, Twin Peaks-like small town kitschy gossip with investigation of the unknown and Twilight Zone weirdness with old and new heartfelt characters and relationships. Definitely worth my tears.'
I whisper to the plastic flamingos at Jackie's.
:`)
'Thank you'
The plastic flamingos whisper back.
:``)

The story wad interesting and I generally enjoyed the book. It just seemed sometimes that it went in for longer than out needed to.
I will say that I wish I had it as an audio book. The characters being listened to as on the podcast instead of read wood have given it at least one more star.

I actually ended up with two copies of this book, one I bought myself, another as a present. If you love the podcast you will love this book. I was so excited when I read the first chapter and it was about a resident of Nightvale that wasn't Cecil. I love Cecil but this is something new a different. There was so much more described about the wonderful desert town than is told in the podcast. Even with the change of main character you still get to read about town favorites like Old Woman Josie and the Ericas. I love this book.

I've loved listening to WTNV for years, and after receiving a copy of this novel, I read nearly the entire thing with Cecil's voice ringing low in my mind. The writing was wonderfully deep and satirical, as usual, with just enough poignant storytelling and mysterious plot to keep me riveted the entire time. A great work from an amazing podcast and crew, and I recommend it to any and all that are lovers of dark humor, floating cats, and small desert communities with appropriately terrified and terrifying citizens. Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel

I didn't remember ordering this book, or having an the store account, or any bit of my identity or history. All I know is that I woke up a few days ago in the middle of the road with this book in my hand. So I did what anyone would do (I could only assume, because I had never met, nor remember being, a person) and sat down in the middle of the road and read the book cover to cover. I found it to be an engaging experience, but the constant honking and shouts didn't make the task easy. Although I can't blame those things on the book... except for the shouts that came from the book itself, but when those came, rumbling like a storm on the horizon and filling anyone hearing them with a very real and specific sense that their family -- every last member doting the globe, or perhaps every single person (we're all related someway or another, right? I don't know.) -- was in serious danger, they tended to scare off anyone who might have been attempting to address me at the time. When I finished, I stood up, walked to what I assumed to be my house, got in what I assumed to be my bed, and took what I assumed to be a long nap (it could have also been a short death). When I awoke I remembered, or at least invented, my past in its entirety. Every single moment, without gaps or lapses. Without gapses. I even remember looking at my eyelids for hours each night for my entire life. Did I never sleep? Every bruise, every paper cut, every time the faceless old woman who lives in my house threw a fit. It's pure torture having my entire timeline available to me in perfect detail, knowing exactly where I went wrong, exactly what I should have done differently. Luckily, as each day passes the memories seem to take a step back. Maybe one day they will all be completely out of reach again. What a joy it is to know nothing at all. The book? Yes, it is a book. It has a cover, and pages, and words are printed on the pages, and if you read them in the intended order they will begin to form meanings within your head, stories, whole worlds. And yet it is also not a book, because books don't have conversations with you in the middle of the night when you're trying to get to sleep because you have to wake up for work in six hours and even if you fall asleep in ten minutes that's still only five hours of sleep which just isn't sustainable, so will you please stop talking to me, close your cover, and get back on the shelf where I left you? I'll write a review of you if that'll make you stop! Is what I might have said if I felt in any way coerced to write this glowing review. Why is it glowing? Did I turn up my computer brightness? The light it's. It's blinding me! I can't see what imt yping anymoer I ca'nt see amytjing at all help[

'This book was perfection. But paired with the audio-book, it is a sublime experience. This was like the pod-cast, just extended. Very accurate on what a couple of days are here. It is the usual blend of lovecraftian existential horror, Twin Peaks-like small town kitschy gossip with investigation of the unknown and Twilight Zone weirdness with old and new heartfelt characters and relationships. Definitely worth my tears.'
I whisper to the plastic flamingos at Jackie's.
:`)
'Thank you'
The plastic flamingos whisper back.
:``)

Very interesting. I suggest it to any listeners to welcome to nightvale and for people who just want to read the book listen to at least two episode of there podcast so you know what you will be getting yourself into if you buy the book and want to know if it your cup of tea.

The authors are much better over the air than on the page. The first half of the book drones on with ramblings related to the podcast and even in the second half, the plot is weak, if not nonexistent. It seems like a story that could have been written by a child. While I support the podcast, I do not recommend the book.

Kind of a difficult read. I am familiar with the podcast and so can understand the story line, but the character thoughts are all over the place. A couple of times it wasn't clear which character was talking/thinking.

I received a letter in the mail instructing me to purchase this book. The letter was written in my handwriting, though I have no memory of writing it. More troubling was the fact that it was written on human skin. It took some effort finding the book in the the store shop on my Kindle because the screen started bleeding uncontrollably. I finally purchased the book successfully, which was no small task, because eventually my eyes started bleeding as well. Upon opening the book my Kindle started screaming loud enough for the neighbors that live half a mile away to hear. I was never able to read very far because the screaming made my brain vibrate in my head. I made several attempts at reading the book, to the same effect each time. Eventually all I could do was curl up in my closet and weep silently. I recieved a visit from the Sherrif's Secret Police yesterday. They very kindly informed me that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. They were very convincing, so I definitely recommend this book to others.

3.5 stars. 4 stars for the last third or so, 3 stars for the first two-thirds. The first part of the book only a fan of WtNV could love, and even then it could stand to lose about 75 pages. If you’re not a fan (and I am), you should try the podcast to see if you like it. If you don’t, you’ll never make it through to the good part.

I received my copy at a book signing event, and upon receiving it, it immediately began to vibrate and hum softly. It wasn't long before it became hot in my hands, and when I dropped it, it fell towards the floor only to stop two inches above the carpet. I was able to get it home, but not without heavily sedating it. It now growls whenever I get near it, so I have yet to actually read it. Here's hoping the Kindle copy is more tame...

Nope. A bag full of nope. If a book could troll you... actually I'm pretty sure this book did troll me. It felt like a clever, novel joke that was rephrased and written over and over, until it filled chapters. Not that I'd know. I gave up after 10. First book I've read that I just couldn't finish. For that, 1 star.

I'm sure their are plenty of fans of Night Vale out there.Never saw the original casts of this fictional town but found this book incredibly repetitive and marginally funny at best. Go buy John Dies at the End of This Book if you want something really funny and clever.

Man, this novel is such a trip - literally! Every time I open the book, I end up transporting to a new place. The middle of a parking lot. The bottom of a lake. Cleveland. And each time I end up somewhere, there's a cat with some bus fare for me and clear instructions to not use it for any means of public transportation. But they do love scratches behind their ears! Glad this time I ended up someplace with internet so I could write this review!

The book itself is a fantastic work, as is the audio itself, but the audio quality provided by Audible's PC download is frankly terrible. 12 hours + of audio should not be 160MB in total, especially when the CD mastering of the same production comes on 12 discs. The sound simply isn't as crisp as it ought to be.

The podcasts are fun, but something is lost when this quirky community goes into print. I think it would have been better as a multi-part episode narrated by Cecil. Carlos didn't get nearly enough exposure.

Where does one even start. The plot is non-existent. The only scene that holds together is the library and even that is fairly underwhelming. The world doesn't feel fleshed out. The characters feel very one dimensional. Very displeased overall.

I really wanted to like this book, but sadly it’s just not enjoyable. The writing is boring, and the events in the story just aren’t fun. I used to be a huge welcome to night vale fan, but all the political commentary and politically correct undertones really undermine what welcome to night vale used to be. This book really is hard to read and is just painfully boring.

Was very excited for the book, since I love the podcast. But the book's got two or three problems: First, the plot's pace is slower than it needs to be. My sense is that pages 100 through 300 - roughly half the book - could have been condensed into a couple dozen pages without affecting the plot. Second, even for Night Vale, there's too much deux ex machina, whether it's angels, flamingos, or something else. Third, the book is only tangental to the WTNV universe. Some of the show's well-known characters appear, but none are integral to the plot. Indeed, the book could have been written about random citizens in Desert Bluffs with minimal changes. I get why that had to happen - they're writing podcasts and live shows while also working on the book - but the book suffers from it.

I was so excited when I saw this sitting in my mail box. However upon unwrapping and opening the book, I noticed that rather than words, and a story, the pages of the book seem to have been cut out and the empty space left by the stolen words has been filled with what appear to be human, and some inhuman, teeth. While not as advertised, the teeth are in better condition than most you find on the store, and I will definitely keep this book in mind whenever I have a need for teeth.

I was so excited to get this book in the mail, until I noticed something strange.
Each time I opened the book, time seemed to disappear. As I learned about the characters in the story, their lives, their troubles, their happiness and their sorrows, time for me in (what I assume to be) the real world vanished! I start reading, and before I'm even a few chapters in, an hour is gone!
Are these "characters" taking the time from me?
Is this what I get for reading books?
I also cannot believe I had to provide my own weather forecast. I'm not a meteorologist!
---------
I get lost in what's happening, the characters are fleshing out before my eyes, and I feel like I'm knowing NightVale even better now, which makes me so happy. You could easily read this book without knowing the podcasts at all, (though I recommend you do just because they're awesome) and it wraps up in such a way that makes it perfect as its own stand alone story. It reads just like listening to a podcast and it's wonderful.

The writing style is good and the author seems to be extremely gifted. However, the story was not good at all. One of the main characters had a boy that could change his shape to anything, including a fly or other animal and he would be talking or driving. Just stupid really. I am willing to go with loops and curves, whatever, but much of the material as mentioned was too much of a stretch for me. Maybe if I was 8 years old... Thought it would never end...

As much as I avoid audiobooks (and have on many instance reiterated this fact), I love listening to the Night Vale podcast. There is something about Cecil's voice that makes me want to keep hearing, no matter if he is describing a blood stone ritual or a rain of animal carcasses. Night Vale is weird, period. And we have almost always heard only Cecil's version of the town. With this novel, we see Night Vale anew from the eyes of Jackie Fiero, owner of Night Vale's sole pawn shop and Diane Crayton (who has made many appearances before), the PTA head. When the Man in the Tan Jacket comes once again in Night Vale, he leaves chaos in his wake (but honestly, isn't Night Vale basically a chaotic alternate universe of our world?) in the form of slips of paper that won't leave their owner's hand and only read 'King City'.

Jackie is one such recipient and with her life in upheaval, she vows to get to the bottom of it, even if she has to brave the deadly Libraries of Night Vale. Diane, a single mother, doesn't know how to communicate with her shape-shifting teenage son, Josh, especially now that his dad, is come back into town and is literally everywhere. Jackie's and Diane's paths cross in ways you wouldn't imagine, with the Man in the Tan Jacket at the crux of it. Familiar characters like Old Woman Josie and Erikas, John Peter (you know, the farmer?) and Steve Carlsberg make frequent appearances in the plot, as does our lovable radio host, Cecil, and his boyfriend Carlos.

While this is about Night Vale, it is not strictly necessary to have listened to the podcast before, because the characters stories and new and you can even get the plot despite being a greenie. And even in the midst of weird happenings and strange universes, the novel finds time to devote to character backstories, which just goes to show how brilliant the writers of Night Vale are. What their motivations are, how they feel about Night Vale, what they think about Cecil (hee hee). We also get a hint into the canon of Night Vale, and how disconnected from our world it is. Honestly, it is weird but brilliant.

I love the podcast and I've been listening since very close to its inception, but this book is too much of a good thing. It wasn't long before I grew bored of the way that things couldn't just be described but over described. One of the protagonists has a piece of paper in her hand that she can't get rid of no matter how hard she tries and you will read about that over and over again. There's a tarantula loose in an office and any scene set in that office includes descriptions of how the tarantula moves or what may be thinking (but not in a human way, we are literally reminded every time. Even the action scenes, well...

"There was a shadow against the blinds. The blinds were closed. There was a person just on the other side.
The person was neither tall nor short. She did not know if the person could see her. They were not leaving."

Throw in another page of writing like this (and not quite like this) (but not entirely different from this) including a bit about the tarantula (who does not have human language) (though possibly could, we don't know) before the janitor leaves (but he knocked) (and he could still be out there).

I know that's the way of the podcast and ordinarily I'd say that it's not fair to compare something across several different forms of media (the Avengers movie is not the comic is not a novel is not a video game) but the book hews so closely to the established forms and tropes of the podcast that it fails to stand on its own. Instead it gets mired in its own weirdness and I wanted nothing more but to get on to the next actual plot point instead of another moment of tired surrealism.

There's a good short story in here. There's probably a good idea for an anthology of loosely connected stories in all manner of voices in here. For me, I'll stick to the podcast and be very leery of any further novels in Night Vale.

Usually I absolutely love weird, trippy books, but this was just horrible. It would say one thing was a fact, then the next sentence would say the previous sentence wasn't true. Something would happen, then the next paragraph everyone would forget. Repeat until end of book. Absolutely impossible to follow and trying way too hard to be "weird". Garbage.

Fans of the 'Welcome to Night Vale' podcast will no doubt lap this up. For the uninitiated, this is a weird bundle of pages, combining US conspiracy theories with the cheesiest of 1950s science fiction, and with a dash of surrealism and sly humour thrown in for good measure. While there is plenty of imaginative stuff here, the fact that literally anything can happen (from time-travelling plastic flamingos to various monsters, apparitions and non-existent angels) does make it difficult to build up any tension and worry for the novel's two heroines. In short, fun, but for me the novel is the wrong sort of format for this inspired - but better taken in small, bite-sized chunks - madness.

I have the Audible version of this book and I'll review there as well. I had never heard of the podcast series, so I went into this book not being a fan or anything, but I knew it would be quirky. I can enjoy quirkiness when done right, but this book does not do it right. There are concepts that are interesting~ like the mysterious angels, Troy being in multiple places, Josh being a shapeshifter.... all these things are woven into the "story" as if they were relatively normal, which is good quirk.

I'm on chapter 27 right now and nothing has happened. LITERALLY. The excessive strange in this book completely takes away from the main story line. For example, Diane is receiving texts from an unknown person, which I assume is part of the main story~ then the narrative shifts to something like, "there is a lot we don't understand about orange juice... the house thought". I heard this, and through the sheer absurdity and misplacement of that sentence, I involuntarily rolled my eyes.

Another example is the scientist character.... Cecil's "radio" show interjections, which I think is a good concept, but just inserts more oddness in an odd world that has already been established as odd, initially introduced the scientist as a woman named Carla (I think?) who goes on to describe how clouds are tiny drops of water that you can't see, but form the mist that makes clouds. This makes sense because it's completely true! The people listening to the show reject this as nonsense, which makes it funny because of the irony in that it's not nonsense. Later, I can't remember which character visits the scientist, but now he's "Carlo" and he's studying a pink lawn flamingo, acting like a child discovering his hands. Carlo reminds the visitor that "he's a scientist! he has equations!" This interaction completely stole the fun out of the original introduction, reducing the peculiar role of scientist into a moronic bag of potatoes.

Apparently people hold jobs in this world, and it's hard for me to understand how this world hasn't collapsed in on itself from the weight of whimsy for the sake of whimsy. Like I said, I'm on chapter 27, but it's unlikely that I'll finish it. It's sad, because I like the idea of the story, and the author is talented-- he can insert strange concepts into the narrative in a way that the reader adopts as normal... but there is just too much. Too much.

I love the Night Vale podcast, but I wish I had waited to read reviews about the book instead of pre-ordering it. Kind of pisses me off that none of the actual main characters are part of the story. I guess I don't really regret buying the book bc it goes well with my collection of Night Vale merchandise, but I don't plan on reading it any time soon. Maybe if I get reeeeeaaaally bored one day.

I'll start this off by saying that while I like the Night Vale podcast, I am not obsessed with it. I am a causal fan. I also listened to this as an audiobook, and I could see it feel different in audio and paper form.
Over all I thought "Welcome to Night Vale" the novel was a fun listen, but it didn't go much farther than the podcast itself. It just felt like an extended episode, and I don't think I learned anything new about Night Vale the city which I didn't know before. I had thought (and hoped) that maybe Fink would reward people with more information about Night Vale for bothering to pay for the product (or, like me, at least bother to check it out from the library), but that didn't happen.
If you have listened to the Night Vale podcast you will get a lot more out of the book than those who have not. I actually think it could be rather hard to get into the book without knowing the podcast. You may get an idea of how the world works, but I could imagine it being frustrating and you'd miss a lot of the in-jokes that come from events in the podcast --What is the glow cloud? What is special about the dog park? Why are they talking about pterodactyls? What happens with all the interns? I also am not sure how the book would come across on paper rather than audio format. They got the reader of the podcast to do the audiobook, so he gets all the right inflections, etc. I figure people will imagine him reading it as they read, but some jokes still work better in one form or another.
Overall, Welcome to Night Vale the novel successfully blends humor and horror, lets you see Night Vale regulars, and feels just like a long episode. I personally hoped to get a little more, but it was still fun.

It was alright. I listened to this book on Audible largely because multiple people claimed it was like Douglas Adams wrote the Twilight Zone... it's actually more like if someone who grew up reading Douglas Adams and watching the Twilight Zone wrote a book. In places is tries WAY too hard and in others falls rather flat. All-in-all it was a fine story that was by no means a waste of time but it probably won't be your next favorite book either.

For those who will also use Audible to consume this novel: the dude who reads it isn't very good and reads extremely slow. His delivery on the extremely dry humor is poor in places but you get used to him over time. I ended up speeding the book up to around 2x which helped it get to a better rhythm.

At the end of the day it's a fun summer read that isn't very heavy and will have you chuckling to yourself enough to have a good time but not enough to make the other people around the pool wonder if you've gone mad.

As much as I avoid audiobooks (and have on many instance reiterated this fact), I love listening to the Night Vale podcast. There is something about Cecil's voice that makes me want to keep hearing, no matter if he is describing a blood stone ritual or a rain of animal carcasses. Night Vale is weird, period. And we have almost always heard only Cecil's version of the town. With this novel, we see Night Vale anew from the eyes of Jackie Fiero, owner of Night Vale's sole pawn shop and Diane Crayton (who has made many appearances before), the PTA head. When the Man in the Tan Jacket comes once again in Night Vale, he leaves chaos in his wake (but honestly, isn't Night Vale basically a chaotic alternate universe of our world?) in the form of slips of paper that won't leave their owner's hand and only read 'King City'.

Jackie is one such recipient and with her life in upheaval, she vows to get to the bottom of it, even if she has to brave the deadly Libraries of Night Vale. Diane, a single mother, doesn't know how to communicate with her shape-shifting teenage son, Josh, especially now that his dad, is come back into town and is literally everywhere. Jackie's and Diane's paths cross in ways you wouldn't imagine, with the Man in the Tan Jacket at the crux of it. Familiar characters like Old Woman Josie and Erikas, John Peter (you know, the farmer?) and Steve Carlsberg make frequent appearances in the plot, as does our lovable radio host, Cecil, and his boyfriend Carlos.

While this is about Night Vale, it is not strictly necessary to have listened to the podcast before, because the characters stories and new and you can even get the plot despite being a greenie. And even in the midst of weird happenings and strange universes, the novel finds time to devote to character backstories, which just goes to show how brilliant the writers of Night Vale are. What their motivations are, how they feel about Night Vale, what they think about Cecil (hee hee). We also get a hint into the canon of Night Vale, and how disconnected from our world it is. Honestly, it is weird but brilliant.

I love the podcast and I've been listening since very close to its inception, but this book is too much of a good thing. It wasn't long before I grew bored of the way that things couldn't just be described but over described. One of the protagonists has a piece of paper in her hand that she can't get rid of no matter how hard she tries and you will read about that over and over again. There's a tarantula loose in an office and any scene set in that office includes descriptions of how the tarantula moves or what may be thinking (but not in a human way, we are literally reminded every time. Even the action scenes, well...

"There was a shadow against the blinds. The blinds were closed. There was a person just on the other side.
The person was neither tall nor short. She did not know if the person could see her. They were not leaving."

Throw in another page of writing like this (and not quite like this) (but not entirely different from this) including a bit about the tarantula (who does not have human language) (though possibly could, we don't know) before the janitor leaves (but he knocked) (and he could still be out there).

I know that's the way of the podcast and ordinarily I'd say that it's not fair to compare something across several different forms of media (the Avengers movie is not the comic is not a novel is not a video game) but the book hews so closely to the established forms and tropes of the podcast that it fails to stand on its own. Instead it gets mired in its own weirdness and I wanted nothing more but to get on to the next actual plot point instead of another moment of tired surrealism.

There's a good short story in here. There's probably a good idea for an anthology of loosely connected stories in all manner of voices in here. For me, I'll stick to the podcast and be very leery of any further novels in Night Vale.

Usually I absolutely love weird, trippy books, but this was just horrible. It would say one thing was a fact, then the next sentence would say the previous sentence wasn't true. Something would happen, then the next paragraph everyone would forget. Repeat until end of book. Absolutely impossible to follow and trying way too hard to be "weird". Garbage.

Fans of the 'Welcome to Night Vale' podcast will no doubt lap this up. For the uninitiated, this is a weird bundle of pages, combining US conspiracy theories with the cheesiest of 1950s science fiction, and with a dash of surrealism and sly humour thrown in for good measure. While there is plenty of imaginative stuff here, the fact that literally anything can happen (from time-travelling plastic flamingos to various monsters, apparitions and non-existent angels) does make it difficult to build up any tension and worry for the novel's two heroines. In short, fun, but for me the novel is the wrong sort of format for this inspired - but better taken in small, bite-sized chunks - madness.

I have the Audible version of this book and I'll review there as well. I had never heard of the podcast series, so I went into this book not being a fan or anything, but I knew it would be quirky. I can enjoy quirkiness when done right, but this book does not do it right. There are concepts that are interesting~ like the mysterious angels, Troy being in multiple places, Josh being a shapeshifter.... all these things are woven into the "story" as if they were relatively normal, which is good quirk.

I'm on chapter 27 right now and nothing has happened. LITERALLY. The excessive strange in this book completely takes away from the main story line. For example, Diane is receiving texts from an unknown person, which I assume is part of the main story~ then the narrative shifts to something like, "there is a lot we don't understand about orange juice... the house thought". I heard this, and through the sheer absurdity and misplacement of that sentence, I involuntarily rolled my eyes.

Another example is the scientist character.... Cecil's "radio" show interjections, which I think is a good concept, but just inserts more oddness in an odd world that has already been established as odd, initially introduced the scientist as a woman named Carla (I think?) who goes on to describe how clouds are tiny drops of water that you can't see, but form the mist that makes clouds. This makes sense because it's completely true! The people listening to the show reject this as nonsense, which makes it funny because of the irony in that it's not nonsense. Later, I can't remember which character visits the scientist, but now he's "Carlo" and he's studying a pink lawn flamingo, acting like a child discovering his hands. Carlo reminds the visitor that "he's a scientist! he has equations!" This interaction completely stole the fun out of the original introduction, reducing the peculiar role of scientist into a moronic bag of potatoes.

Apparently people hold jobs in this world, and it's hard for me to understand how this world hasn't collapsed in on itself from the weight of whimsy for the sake of whimsy. Like I said, I'm on chapter 27, but it's unlikely that I'll finish it. It's sad, because I like the idea of the story, and the author is talented-- he can insert strange concepts into the narrative in a way that the reader adopts as normal... but there is just too much. Too much.

I love the Night Vale podcast, but I wish I had waited to read reviews about the book instead of pre-ordering it. Kind of pisses me off that none of the actual main characters are part of the story. I guess I don't really regret buying the book bc it goes well with my collection of Night Vale merchandise, but I don't plan on reading it any time soon. Maybe if I get reeeeeaaaally bored one day.

Let me start by saying I love Night Vale. I'm wearing the pants that say creepy on the butt right now. But this book was a bit of a let down. It wasn't as engaging or interesting as the podcast, and it didn't captivate me like I expected it to. It wasn't terrible, but the writing wasn't particularly sophisticated or enticing. The mechanics are simple and straightforward, and it doesn't exactly engage you in any critical thought about a meaningful topic. But if you're looking for something to kill the time, with a decent plot and a fair amount of quirkiness, go for it. You might want to opt for the audiobook, though.

I'll start this off by saying that while I like the Night Vale podcast, I am not obsessed with it. I am a causal fan. I also listened to this as an audiobook, and I could see it feel different in audio and paper form.
Over all I thought "Welcome to Night Vale" the novel was a fun listen, but it didn't go much farther than the podcast itself. It just felt like an extended episode, and I don't think I learned anything new about Night Vale the city which I didn't know before. I had thought (and hoped) that maybe Fink would reward people with more information about Night Vale for bothering to pay for the product (or, like me, at least bother to check it out from the library), but that didn't happen.
If you have listened to the Night Vale podcast you will get a lot more out of the book than those who have not. I actually think it could be rather hard to get into the book without knowing the podcast. You may get an idea of how the world works, but I could imagine it being frustrating and you'd miss a lot of the in-jokes that come from events in the podcast --What is the glow cloud? What is special about the dog park? Why are they talking about pterodactyls? What happens with all the interns? I also am not sure how the book would come across on paper rather than audio format. They got the reader of the podcast to do the audiobook, so he gets all the right inflections, etc. I figure people will imagine him reading it as they read, but some jokes still work better in one form or another.
Overall, Welcome to Night Vale the novel successfully blends humor and horror, lets you see Night Vale regulars, and feels just like a long episode. I personally hoped to get a little more, but it was still fun.

It was alright. I listened to this book on Audible largely because multiple people claimed it was like Douglas Adams wrote the Twilight Zone... it's actually more like if someone who grew up reading Douglas Adams and watching the Twilight Zone wrote a book. In places is tries WAY too hard and in others falls rather flat. All-in-all it was a fine story that was by no means a waste of time but it probably won't be your next favorite book either.

For those who will also use Audible to consume this novel: the dude who reads it isn't very good and reads extremely slow. His delivery on the extremely dry humor is poor in places but you get used to him over time. I ended up speeding the book up to around 2x which helped it get to a better rhythm.

At the end of the day it's a fun summer read that isn't very heavy and will have you chuckling to yourself enough to have a good time but not enough to make the other people around the pool wonder if you've gone mad.

I'm a die-hard super fan of Welcome to Night Vale (like I own clothing and various etsy-like things related to the show, etc.), but I struggled keeping my interest in this book.

Why four stars then? Because I still love the setting and many of the characters. The main issue with this book, I think, is that all our leads are characters we haven't really spent any time with before and aren't invested in. Over time, I got to like Jackie (one of the leads) a little because she was proactive and her chapters always drove the story. But the other lead, Diane, was SO BORING. Like bury my head in my hands and start skimming paragraphs boring.

Can I explain how much I don't care about Diane and her son's relationship? All the neat mysteries (man in the tan jacket, the dog park, miniature cities, lights in the desert, angels) take a backseat to page after page after page of teenage angst and single-mother relationship drama. That's why I have to give the book three stars. If that's your thing, you'll enjoy it. It's between well -written and very over-written (the repetition of phrases, reversal, repetition of reversal that work well on the podcast become irritating here), but it is not at all what I want out of Night Vale.

About 1/4th of the book is Jackie trying to solve an intriguing mystery (but we really spin our wheels on this. It's like the Lost writers stretching two episodes worth of plot into an entire season). Another 1/4th are Cecil's radio broadcasts (which are great, as always. Easily the highlight of the novel). But the final half of the book is Diane's slow, plodding, interminable plot where every other chapter is her having a heart to heart with her teenage son about trust issues and how much she cares for him, etc. ad naseum. Lifetime original movies contained less sacharine melodrama.

Now this sounds like I hated the novel, but I didn't. I love Night Vale with all my heart, but I think I (and most people) love the setting and the imagination more than the characters. Yes, except for Cecil & Carlos, I know. This book is extremely character driven and it just doesn't work in context, because the rules to their world are constantly shifting, the utter randomness brings you out of the drama instead of how the community radio shows draw you in with it.

Mr. Fink and Mr. Craner will always have a fan in me so I hope this first novel was just a little bit of growing pains. Still, 3 stars for a book with a fantastic setting, high imagination, some neat twists, and just to support two very talented creators.

Anyway, listen to the podcast.

I was not actually able to finish the book. Due to my small stature, the blood sacrifices required to read this were too much for me. However, after the third time I blacked out, I awoke with a sense of nostalgia and the taste of burnt cottage cheese in my mouth, and I could not stop crying. But I was happy, in a nostalgic and crying sort of way...will I ever see them, again? Maybe. Life is unfathomably and consistently inconsistent.

Anyways, I highly recommend this book to anyone who posses a high blood volume.

As a fan of the podcast, and an audience member going to see them live in April, I was excited to finally get my hands on the Night Vale novel published in October 2015. The book is a surprising mix of a variety of styles and execution, and it is well written save for some parts that didn't really speak to me as a reader but were somewhat necessary considering the contents and execution of the book.

Essentially, Night Vale (and the separate, confusing space-time offshoot city that is the centerpiece of this book) as portrayed in this novel is an incredibly surreal and bizarre hodgepodge of a deconstruction of communication, society, reality, and physics. The book is somewhat of a different monster than the podcast, however it is still something magical and horrific. As I was reading this, my mind could only go to one place – if David Lynch was a successful novelist, or there was some kind of successful literary spinoff of all of his films and programs, this book would be it. It successfully immerses the audience in this bizarre world where an older woman and a younger woman are in search of the older woman's son via a mysterious man who has something to do with his disappearance and a piece of paper that no one can get out of their hand.

Spiraling through this universe, one is met with both literary and three-dimensional non sequiturs as the women traverse space and time to investigate these strange happenings, and happen upon bizarre obstacles, people, and lawn flamingos, all under the watchful eye of cameras everywhere run by a shadowy oppressive government narrated by a voice on the radio.

My only complaint about this book was the frequency of the clever non-sequitur one-liners that at times made the text clunky with clever philosophy but made the reading go rough. It seemed at times there was one moment every paragraph where I would nod with some impressed approval at a clever turn of phrase, sometimes even laughing out loud,… but it became redundant and stood in the way of the narrative. In a podcast, this works, but to me it didn't really in a novel. Was it awesome? Yes. But it stood in the way of my experience and got a bit boring.

A great book, though, and if you wish that David Lynch teamed up with Stephen King to write a creepy interpretation of a John Cheever or John Updike small town happening, boy is this your book. If you've never tuned into the podcast.... Well.... Keep living in your daydream of reality.

So, I read a sample from this book somewhere and immediately tracked down the podcasts, (on YouTube). They were so awesome I had to read the rest of the book ASAP. While the book is fine on its own it's even better when you have Cecil's creepy deadpan voice in your head and the podcast music somewhere in the background.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book has an actual plot. From the sample I assumed that the book would be little bits and pieces, with tight writing but mostly one-shot references and brief shaggy dog tales. Not so. We follow actual characters who navigate the deep weirdness of Night Vale in order to solve a particularly troubling and yet totally right mystery about a mysterious mystery man. Not to mislead you - there are plenty of really satisfying throwaways, (Cecil and Carlos, the mortality rate for radio station interns, the Dog Park), and loads of razor sharp single sentence grabbers. But, all of that works better if there is some sort of framing plot that keeps everything moving forward. You have that here.

It's hip; it's postmodern hijinks; it's fun. This is clever, knowing stuff that falls right into the heart of smart weird fun. A very nice one of a kind.

It’s impossible for me to imagine how I would view this book without first listening to the Night Vale podcast show... For that matter, it is impossible for me to imagine Night Vale... It is impossible to imagine. Do not imagine anything... The Secret Police are listening...

For the uninitiated: Welcome to Night Vale is a sci-fi/comedy/horror podcast series that’s aired twice a month since 2012 (wow, has it been that long already?). The series is narrated by Cecil Baldwin, the voice of Night Vale’s public radio station, who tells the community about strange happenings in town. No matter how weird everything is (for example: miniature armies, monster librarians, and an almighty, glowing cloud that drops dead animals on people) it’s played with a straight face, like sure, this strangeness is odd and alarming, yes… but it’s also just the usual day-to-day for a universe as messed up as ours. And that’s what I find interesting about the series: it uses these WEIRD ideas to tell very human stories about love, loss, depression, acceptance, and other big, important topics.

Welcome to Night Vale is nearly impossible for me to review. It’s one of those things that’s best experienced for yourself. If you liked the podcast, you’ll probably enjoy the book. If you didn’t like the podcast, the book ain’t gonna change your mind any. I’m a fan of Welcome to Night Vale. I’ve been listening to the show years. There are times (including recently) where I fall behind, but something about the series keeps drawing me back.

Though it’s been said too often about too many things, I think it’s fair to say that Welcome to Night Vale is a one-of-a-kind experience (or, at the very least, the first of its kind—I do believe others have tried to duplicate what Night Vale’s done, with varying degrees of success). Like most things that are so unique, it requires a unique sort of audience. Welcome to Night Vale is not for everyone. It might not be for you. And that’s fine. Me and my strange dog like it just fine. At least, I think he’s a dog? He might be a crow. I’m not sure.

The audio series focuses on broadcaster Cecil Baldwin and while Cecil has a supporting part in the book, the real focus here is on two women who are connected by a man in a tan jacket and the mystery of a place called KING CITY. A lot of other familiar characters pop up, like Carlos, the angels who are all named Erika, and the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. As strange as a story as this is, writers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor craft a complete mystery, one that not only answers many of its own questions, but also addresses questions that have been left unanswered for years in the podcast.

I didn’t read the book, rather I listened to the audiobook which features much of the podcast’s voices and is narrated by Cecil Baldwin. Just like I feel it’s impossible to visit the book without first being introduced to the podcast, I also feel it’s impossible to visit the strange town of Night Vale without Cecil Baldwin as my guide. I don’t mean to dis either Fink or Cranor’s prose, but I feel like the audiobook is the natural choice for fans of the series.

I really liked this book. But I’m not giving it my highest rating or recommendation. Here’s why: Night Vale is a very strange place and I’d like to visit but I’d never want to live there. The audio series can be listened to for 30 minutes at a time, which amounts to a brief but fully enjoyable visit. The book feels more like renting a spot in the weirdo universe as it doesn’t let you go quite as easily as the podcast does. It’s almost too much at times and I was happy to set it aside for a few days before resuming the story.

In the end, though, it’s easy to recommend this to fellow fans of the podcast. I personally recommend the audiobook, though whatever format you choose will result in a one-of-a-kind story full of mystery, humor, and the unexplainable.

ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD.

It’s really hard for me to separate my thoughts/feelings about this book away from those about the podcast, especially because I listened to this as an audiobook (narrated by Cecil, naturally). What I mean is, I liked the book about as much as I like the podcast, and if the one is not your thing, I can’t imagine you’d like the other much more. But the novel definitely shows that Night Vale stories can work in long-form, and it’s always nice to see female-centric narratives. (WTNV is written by two dudes, but the two protagonists are women, as are plenty of the supporting characters.) Like the podcast, the WTNV book features a nice display of diversity of gender, race, and sexuality among its characters, always presented matter-of-factly and never as someone’s most interesting feature. Recommended for fans of the podcast, but maybe listen to an episode or two of that first before diving into the book if you’re not a fan already.

First Impression: Wow, this is very...very....unique. Now for those who know nothing on WTNV this book is based on a world created within a podcast of the same name. I was not aware of the podcast when I started this book, but I stopped reading and dove into it to see what the fuss was about. It changed this novel completely so if you are thinking of reading this book, the podcast needs to come first...I will explain. (WARNING: I tried to stay of the topic of the podcast when reviewing the book and failed miserably, it is better than this book, but only just.)

Summary Of The Story:

Welcome To Night Vale.... A town where time does not work properly and everyone who lives there are many things but no of them are normal. Come along and meet the charming, strange, eccentric, outlandish, peculiar and incredibly bizarre bunch of characters that the reader will accompany throughout their visit to Night Vale.

In this novel we have two protagonists. First we meet Jackie, a 19 going on...(no one knows, she refuses to turn 20). Jackie runs the local pawn shop and she has all the qualities that come with that line of work. Jackie is stubborn, tough and willing to take risks. One day a customer in a tan jacket with a deer skinned briefcase comes in to pawn his piece of paper...she agrees...and now she stuck with it, all it says is 'KING CITY' (the paper literally says these words...). She wants rid of the paper but she can't remember who gave it to her....

Secondly we meet Diane. Diane is a single mother, her son Josh is a typical teenage handful with the added grief of constantly transforming into a new creature or object every day. Diane is focused on raising Josh and things are not going to badly, until Josh brings up the subject of his father again. She avoids the bait...until the father starts showing up, and he is everywhere!! Diana has to find Josh's father (he may be everywhere but she can't seem to be able to talk to him) and put an end to this insanity. Before she can Josh goes missing and is presumed to be in KING CITY.

In between the ladies escapades we get short messages from the man himself Cecil, the radio show presenter who shares city wide news, advertisements and mainly warnings to avoid the hooded figures, the glow cloud and any rubbish with a red flag stuck in it...among other things.

Eventually together Diane and Jackie must team up to find the man in the tan jacket with the deer skinned briefcase and make it to KING CITY to save Josh. Be prepared to be confused, annoyed, amused, scared and many other feelings that WTNV may conjure up within you...

My Review:

Before even considering reading this book please go and check out the podcast. It sets the tone, the atmosphere, the humour and the foreboding sense that nowhere is entirely safe in Night Vale. I am not going to do a review for the podcast...you have to hear it for yourself...it will smooth over any cracks that may appear when you try and understand what is actually happening in Night Vale. Anyway back to the book....

I am going to use both bizarre and wonderful to describe this story and the world it is set in. Though it is not entirely solid due to the constant changes in both tempo and weirdness, the story is quite pleasant. A caring mother who wants her son but is unable to get to him and a tenacious diva who wants to help...eventually. If you hold on and wrestle the wacky then there is some great parts to this novel. The world that JF and JC have created is phenomenal and it shows from the podcasts success. Night Vale may be slightly insane and complicated but it is rich with evil, good and everything in between. Angels, librarian monsters, transforming teens, hooded figures, time-transporting flamingos...it has it all.

The characters are all well written, they interact well with each other and they all add to the effect that Night Vale has on the reader/listener. (I have heard that the audio book for this novel is outstanding). Diane is caring and the one every reader can sympathise with and back. Jackie is frustrating, confusing and emotional. Cecil is hilarious as usual and the other cast of characters are brought to life straight from the world already established in the podcasts. To the negativity! The main problem this novel has is that the bizarreness can be grating...it can get rather confusing. The characters do seem to change and react inconsistently and the authors introduce and forget quite a few little plot points. Of course they need to include lots of references to the podcast but maybe too many? thats for you to decide...

Overall I love this book, the podcast and the world it is set in. It is very original, it makes you think in new ways and you can get lost mentally strolling through Night Vale when you get a spare five minutes and experiencing all the odd and interesting goings on when your there :D Please get involved, you will be pleasantly surprised...or give up after 5 mins..

9/10

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A friendly desert town where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while everyone pretends to sleep…Welcome to Night Vale…

Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fiero is given a piece of paper marked “KING CITY” by a man in a tan leather jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about this is slightly unsettling until Jackie realizes she can’t get rid of the paper in her hand and no one who meets the strange man remembers anything about him afterwards. Finding her own mind beginning to unravel, Jackie is determined to find the truth behind the strange man and the equally strange message.

Night Vale PTA Treasurer Diane Crayton is a single mother with a teenage son named Josh. This would not be odd save for that Josh is a shape shifter and lately everywhere she goes Diane keeps seeing her estranged husband but he hasn’t seemed to age a day. With her son showing a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, Diane feels helpless to stop the incoming disaster should the two eventually meet.

Jackie’s search for her routine life and Diane’s search to reconnect with her son collide as both women find themselves coming back time and again to two words – “KING CITY”. They realize King City holds the vital clues to their pasts and their futures. Now they just have to find a way to leave Night Vale and get there…

Welcome to Night Vale is one of those strange fandoms where you either love it or wonder what the hell is going on. A bi-weekly podcast, I think the best way to describe it is: If Silent Hill had public radio, it would be Welcome to Night Vale.

The novel itself fits somewhere during Night Vale’s second season which is currently being broadcast. It introduces us to new characters but also brings back familiar faces such as Old Woman Josie and the Erikas. With the majority of the action surrounding lesser known characters with only occasional appearances by more well known individuals, one doesn’t need to be a rabid fan to enjoy the book.

For me, one of the things that stand out about Welcome to Night Vale is the fact that both main protagonists are women. It is a rare treat to see this, especially with both characters being strong and independent. They each walk their own path and rely on their own selves, something we unfortunately do not see that often portrayed in media.

Fans of the WTNV podcast will definitely enjoy this book. It gives the reader a better glimpse into life in Night Vale and explorers lesser known characters. Having at least a passing acquaintance with the podcast and such definitely helps though because otherwise the casual reader will find this book just plain weird. Which is what brings so many of us back time and again.

Authors Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor are the undisputed masters of absurdist fiction. They have expanded their addictive and mind-bending Night Vale podcast into a full length tie-in novel. This is a story independent of the podcast, but closely related, like many Night Vale residents.

Night Vale is a dark, desert encircled town, populated by people, glow clouds, mysterious hooded creatures, not angels, and literal monsters. It is a place where they have bee-filled piñatas, bloodstone circles, librarians (hideous creatures of unimaginable power), a forbidden dog park guarded by the hooded figures, officials from a vague yet menacing government agency, a shanty town barista district, and much more that cannot and should not be explained (like whether mountains do or do not exist).

The audiobook is, or course, narrated by Cecil Baldwin, the voice of Cecil Palmer, broadcaster of Night Vale community radio on the megabit podcast.Cecil, needless to say, does a fantastic job reading the book. In fact, one cannot imagine anyone else doing justice to the story.

This book features 2 parallel stories that converge into 1 parallel story. One from the viewpoint of perennially 19-yearl old Jackie Fierro owner of the local pawnshop, and the other of Diane Crayton and her son Josh who has the ability to constantly morph into new and varied forms. Jackie is investigating the existence of a man in a tan jacket holding a deerskin suitcase Who gave her a mysteriously indestructible slip of paper that says King City. Diane is trying to find out what happened to Evan who used to work at her office, but no longer does, and no one remembers him. Josh’s father Troy has suddenly reappeared all over town after a 15 year absence.
As one would expect, the story meanders over a strange and familiar, yet unfamiliar landscape. As Jackie and Diane’s quest merges together they have to team up to do the impossible (and life threatening), like to go into the library to find forbidden information and try to get to King City.

We are treated to excerpts from Night Vale community radio shows hosted by Cecil Palmer. So, in a self-referential in-joke, we get podcast fragments imbedded in the book.

We also learn about the origins of the Sheriff’s Secret Police and who is the man in the tan jacket with a deerskin suitcase.

Fink and Cranor’s twisted sense of surrealistic humor give you sense of “Wait, they didn’t say that did they”. For example describing sections of the library they say "No one knows why science fiction is kept separately from the rest of nonfiction.” Or one of the many random tidbits like "What are people but deaths that haven't happened yet."

If you are a fan of the Night Vale podcast or absurdist humor, you will love this book. It will keep you laughing all the way through.

Okay, so I know a lot of people are torn on this novel. I personally recommend listening to the audio version of the book. I just enjoyed it more that way and it's hilarious to hear Cecil going, "Did I mention he's my boyfriend?" twice in a row. Okay, other than that, let's get on with why I THINK people may love (or hate) this book.

In all fairness, I think unless you've been listening to the Nightvale show for a while you probably won't get this book. The book is obviously meant for fans of the show since it delves a lot into characters that are brought in from it and inside jokes/references fans will understand. It's certainly not meant to be a 'love all, end all' type of novel. When I was listening to it all I could think about is how it just felt like an extension of the show. A very LONG extension of the show, but a very good one none the less.

The story does start out pretty slow. You can't really work out the plot until you're about a good 2/3rds way through the book, but when you do the explanation for how things kind of work in Nightvale is kind of interesting. It's nothing ground breaking, but certainly interesting none the less. Towards the end I actually did feel a bit for the parents in Nightvale, and for anyone whose reading the book will understand what I'm talking about. Hopefully.

I enjoyed the slow pace the book. I imagine Cecil wrote it and I can see him getting off topic about what's going on in front of him instead of reporting it directly. I felt it fit in more since that seems to be a major complaint with a lot of people who have read the book, but here I feel it fits. Cecil is a little...well, he's focused on a certain someone obviously, so of course he's not going to go straight in a line. One the storyline has picked up though the book was pretty enjoyable from start to finish for me.

You're not going to find a literary masterpiece here. There's nothing really "new" or "amazing" going on. This is just speculation, but I feel the people who wrote this book just did it for fun. They love the world of Nightvale and just wanted to share another piece of it with their fans. Don't go in expecting anything amazing, but take the book for what is it. It's an enjoyable read if you're a fan of the show, and the audio book version is certainly worth buying.

My first introduction to the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast was through a friend (isn’t it always?). I’m not really a podcast person but I found myself charmed with the 20-odd minutes spent with Cecil Baldwin – the voice of Night Vale’s community radio. I was excited, therefore, when the book was announced. I mean, quirky, supernatural, AND tongue-in-cheek? What’s not to like?!

Well, I didn’t really enjoy the novelization of “Welcome to Night Vale”. It has its moments, it made me laugh, but it just seemed like such a chore to read. Working against the book is Joseph Fink’s writing style. It’s cute and charming for a bit, however, it quickly begins to grate on the very fabric of your well-being. After reading a plethora of sentences that read similar to:

The car was red.
The car was not blue.
The car was not an armadillo.

One begins to froth at the mouth and muttered an embittered “Oh, S.T.F.U.” towards poor, defenseless inanimate objects. Keep in mind, this is the same style that makes the Podcast so successful. This brings me to the real issue with “Welcome to Night Vale” book. It’s too long. The podcasts last around 20-minutes and are narrated beautifully. The have just the right amount of quirk and don’t stick around long enough to piss you off. The book, however, is 400 pages long. I would recommend reading it in small doses, however, it reads as a continuous story.

I know it sounds like I am completely bashing this book, but that’s not entirely the case. I love the town of Night Vale, I love the characters and the subtle supernatural quality to it all. Maybe the problem is that I wanted this book to be “Sideways Stories From Wayside School”. Maybe it would have been more successful as bunch of short stories that are related and that have reoccurring characters, but are not dependent on one another.

"A friendly desert community, where the Sun is hot, the Moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep".

Welcome to Night Vale, is a surreal humor / horror podcast styled as a community radio broadcaster in an American desert town and has been ongoing since 2012. So I'm a bit late to the party on this one - indeed, I'm still late to the podcast as my introduction to Night Vale has been its creators' debut novel, but I'm hooked!

The creators conceived of Night Vale as a desert town where all conspiracy theories are real - as well as urban myths and other surreal fantasies. And so Night Vale is an eldritch location, a Fantasy and Conspiracy Kitchen Sink setting, where the laws of time and space and nature in general don't apply, or at apply only spasmodically. The citizens of Night Value simply roll with it, accepting surreal fantasy side by side with mundane reality.

The show has been described as "the news from Lake Wobegon as seen through the eyes of Stephen King" - or perhaps the Illuminatus Trilogy and the Invisibles filtered through H.P. Lovecraft and crammed into one desert town. Or the surreal dream logic of David Lynch on crack or in acid flashback (or both). The focus of the podcast is the Night Vale radio station, narrated in deadpan fashion by its host Cecil Palmer (as assisted by the Voice of Night Vale's notoriously short-lived interns). Cecil's broadcasts are peppered throughout the book as intermissions, but the main characters of the novel’s narrative are minor characters from the podcast – Jackie, the perpetually nineteen-year old owner of Night Vale’s mystical pawnshop, and Diane, treasurer of the town’s PTA, each seeking to solve intertwined mysteries. Not to mention braving Night Vale itself – the Sheriff’s Secret Police along with all the other government surveillance agencies and spy satellites, Old Woman Josie surrounded by angelic beings all named Erika, the Glow Cloud (all hail the Glow Cloud!) and plastic pink flamingos that warp time and space.

And then you have the really dangerous entities and eldritch abominations - the car salesman loping like wolves through their yards, the mysterious hooded figures in the town's forbidden dog park, the City Council (in the council building draped nightly in black velvet) and worst of all, the Library and its most dangerous part, the fiction section filled with lies…

RANKING: TOP 10 FANTASY BOOKS (FIFTH PLACE)

I've been listening to Welcome to Night Vale for a few years now, and it's safe to say that I'm a fan. No, I'm not an obsessive, and no, I'm not the kind to attend the live shows - I'm determinedly casual in my fandom. But I can't deny that I kind of love the weird, wonderful world of Night Vale, which gives us local radio broadcasts from a town that seems stuck somewhere in The Twilight Zone, or perhaps on the boundaries of Lovecraft's strange otherworlds. Sentient haze, mind-dominating glow clouds, dog parks with no dogs (but lots of shadowy figures), malevolent and dangerous librarians - Night Vale has it all and more, delivered in 30-minute segments twice a month.

Now comes the (first) novel about the town, giving creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor a chance to tell a story that's a little more sprawling, a little more traditionally plotted. And, for better and for worse, they carry through the spirit of the podcast in flying colors.

Let's get that "for worse" out of the way. For much of the first half, the book mirrors the scattered nature of the podcast, packing in asides and small derails that never failed to make me laugh or shudder a bit. But while that rambling nature works well for a local radio broadcast that's covering all of the various news of the moment, it works less well in a novel, as you're trying to tell a single large story. Is it funny? Undoubtedly. But there are times where you feel like the novel can't settle into a coherent shape for all the ideas and oddness it's conveying. Maybe that's a side effect of trying to bring in a new audience who doesn't know much about this weird little borough; maybe it's just figuring out a new medium.
For all of that, though, I still thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, even if I occasionally wondered if things would settle down. And settle down they do, eventually keeping its focus on the uneasy relationship between two women, both of whom have an interest in figuring out what's going on with the eminently forgettable man in the tan jacket. And as the book focuses, it starts delivering some knockout setpieces, especially a raid into the library that's every bit as effective a horror sequence as anything I've read in a while, all while still keeping the dark comedy bites the show is known for.

More than that, though, the book starts reminding you of the fact that the show can surprise you with its heart and soul. How else to explain the fact that the mother-son relationship is so touching, even though the son is a shape-shifting creature who sometimes appears as a horsefly? How else to explain that somehow the book takes the idea of a woman who's eternally 19 years old and turns it into a metaphor for the frustration of being constantly dismissed as immature or too young? And how else to explain that beautiful, wonderful final chapter, which fits on a character level and yet genuinely touched me?

Welcome to Night Vale is easily accessible, even for newcomers to the show. It won't take you long to get used to the odd asides, the strange details, the gleefully weird sense of humor. (Though longtime fans will enjoy a lot of the nods along the way, of course.) But more than that, what you'll find is that these guys have a pretty great and unique voice, and one that grows in confidence, structure, and style as the novel goes along. It's not without its flaws, and your feelings about those flaws will definitely vary. But for those who enjoy this oddball creation, the book is a blast - fun, funny, creepy, and surprisingly and wonderfully heartfelt when you least expect it.

Even as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the Epilogue (again). I absolutely devoured this book, and it met my expectations. In fact, I went into this book with very high expectations but very little understanding of how this book would meet my expectations.

As you may know, or you may not know, Welcome to Night Vale has been a story podcast since 2012 written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, produced by Jeffrey Cranor. The narrator, Cecil Baldwin has a lovely, soothing voice, and as such I had a hard time not reading the whole book with his voice in my head. It was hard. I'd love to hear the audiobook sometime, as I'm sure that would relieve my poor mind from wondering, would Cecil put the inflection here? or here?  

When I wasn't working to perceive Cecil's voice in my head, I was working to make sure I didn't zone out. This is not a beach read. This book will keep your mind active. Welcome to Night Vale connects smart (or should I say smart-aleck?) writing with science fiction for a beautiful blend that can only be described as Night Valian. For example, "Jackie ordered coffee. Eventually coffee was given to her. These moments were related." May I remind you that this is a tame sample? This book will keep you on the edge of your toes.

I was quite impressed with the story line, as I've felt that the podcast story line has been a little bit lacking lately (sorry guys). The plot maintained its trajectory and picked up speed as it went on, including high speed chases, grand theft, company deception, and perhaps a run-in with librarians (of course, keep in mind that this description is in laymen's terms and not how events would be described by Cecil or other residents of Night Vale).

I can imagine people jumping into the world of Night Vale without prior introduction may find the writing distracting. I would recommend listening to the podcast. I recently got my brother hooked on it, and he doesn't enjoy podcasts or books. What I mean by that is that you should give the podcast a try, maybe four episodes or so. If you start at the beginning, you're only investing about an hour's worth of time, which is the drive to work and back, right? If you don't like the writing style by that point, maybe this book isn't for you.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Perennial in exchange for an honest review.

You can read more of my reviews at https://showthisbooksomelovewordpresscom.wordpress.com

Sometimes, the hardest part of an endeavor is the beginning; once you get rolling, said endeavor can sometimes become easier and easier as you go along. Sometimes not. I don't know which of these this book review will be. I'll only know by the time I get to the end of it.

Welcome to Night Vale = the podcast - takes the form of a radio show on a community radio station in the town of Night Vale, located somewhere in the Southwestern United States. The podcast relates the strange goings on in the town, where nothing is normal and everything is accepted for what it is. The town is populated by strange characters - human and otherwise - going about their daily lives doing things we would consider outside the realm of normality. The podcast is strange, surreal, bizarre, and funny. Oh yes - it is extremely popular. In the three years the podcast has been broadcast, a large number of characters have been introduced, their stories told, their lives documented. Sometimes the stories have gone on for a long time, some are done in a flash. But all are just a little offbeat.

And therein, I think, lies the problem with attempting to review WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE, the novel. A friend of mine said that he has the novel on his Kindle as part of his to-read list, but it's stuck behind other books on the list. He said he had never listened to the podcast, but that the book sounded interesting. That statement prompted me to start thinking about how not having listened to the podcast would affect a reader's enjoyment of the book. As I thought about this question over the last week or two, I came to the conclusion that the book can be read and enjoyed on its own, without the reader having listened to the podcast. Certainly, the reader's experience with the book would be enhanced if he or she had read the book, but it wasn't necessary. The lack of familiarity with the podcast becomes an issue for the book, oddly enough. Then again, the rest of Night Vale is odd, so why not this?

So, why is reviewing the book difficult? It shouldn't be. After all, when a review sits down to write, the reviewer is working from the premise that the reader has yet to read the book and is searching for opinions that would sway him or her one way or another. Why is this book any different? Maybe it's not. Let me try. If you get lost reading what's coming up, well, let it be known that Night Vale is a strange and weird place anyway, and you getting lost may just fit right in.

Our two main characters are Jackie Fierro and Diane Crayton. Jackie works at Night Vale's pawn shop - where transactions are just a bit strange (I've been saying that a lot, so maybe you should just take my word for it and I'll stop saying it.). Diane is the mother of Josh, who is changing. Changing a lot. Changing his form, that is. It seems to be different every day. This may or may not be normal for a boy growing up in Night Vale, but it certainly is straining his relationship with his mother. Jackie and Diane (Am I the only one who keeps hearing John Mellancamp in his head when those two names are put together like that?) are among many people in Night Vale who receive a visit from The Man in the Tan Jacket (yes, that's what the character is called) during which he leaves them with a piece of paper that has the words "King City" written on it. No one knows what that means.

What Jackie and Diane (just doin' the best they can) have figured out is that the appearance of The Man in the Tan Jacket and the reappearance of Diane's ex-husband and father of Josh, Troy, can not be just a coincidence, and so they eventually form an uneasy alliance to solve the mystery that is facing them. And they're pretty sure it involves the town of "King City".

I mentioned earlier that the lack of familiarity with the podcast becomes an issue for the book, but it's important to note that the reader should have no problem. The problem is that Fink and Cranor spend a good chunk of the first half or more of the novel trying to shoehorn all the bits and pieces of characters and places into the novel so that readers unfamiliar with the podcast can fall right in. That has the negative affect of slowing the book down, especially for those who listen to Night Vale regularly. The characters that make appearances include The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home, Old Woman Josie, Mayor Dana Cardinal, all the angels named Erika that you can't admit exist, Cecil, the radio announcer, and his scientist boyfriend Carlos. I don't actually remember a reference to Hiram McDaniels, the actual 5 headed dragon, and locations like the dog park where you can't take your dog. The list goes on and on, and at some point, Fink and Cranor finally get on with it and get around to telling the actual story, which isn't too bad, but it's nothing spectacular. Then again, I don't think it could be told if it wasn't a Night Vale
story.

I think that one of the reasons that this book doesn't quite hit home for me as it may for other people is that it doesn't have the feel of the podcast, and that is probably due to the fact the novel is not written as if it was a community radio program. Every two weeks, Cecil Palmer, the announcer on the program who is magnificently voiced by Cecil Baldwin, comes into our ears with a familiar voice that is perfect for telling us stories about the town of Night Vale. The radio program makes several appearances in the novel, but is not the mechanism by which the story is told.

All in all, WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a nice little novel - it's not bad, but it's not outstanding. It just is. Which, I guess, is what Night Vale is all about anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend that any fan of the podcast read it. The novel has the feel of an extended podcast and offers a new outlook on the town of Night Vale. It is strange and sweet, and deals with real world conflicts in an unconventional way. It deals with aspects of becoming an adult, growing up with an absent parent, being a single parent, and connecting to other people in a world that can sometimes seem to be against you. The first half of the novel was fun and interesting, but the second half was where the novel really stepped away from the podcast and became its own entity. I will definitely be reading it again.

Let me start off by saying that I adore the Welcome to Night Vale podcast series. It’s weird and quirky and is a delight to listen to. When I finally got my hands on a copy of this book, I was expecting something just like the podcast. I was not disappointed. This novel is full of references from the podcast that could be confusing to people who have not listened to it.

The book is written in the podcast’s form. The descriptions are unique in a way that is exactly as you would expect in Night Vale’s world. I really enjoyed reading about how the people actually live in the town – you don’t get much of it through the podcast. Usually the plot in the bimonthly episodes resolves itself after you thought that it couldn’t get any worse, so it was nice to see the characters try to better the situation that was spinning out of control. The book delves into the infamous library and you’re meeting many of the main characters of the podcast, including Carlos, Dana, Old Woman Josie, and John Peters while, of course, Cecil’s radio show is a constant throughout the book. Cecil will mention the main characters in small snippets of his program as they’re walking past a radio which reinforced the ever omnipresence of Cecil and the government. Plus, it’s always nice to see positive queer representation anywhere I can find it with Carlos and Cecil’s relationship always going strong.

As much as I wanted to enjoy the book, it was overall just okay and wasn’t for me. The first half of the book did seem a little drawn out and boring, but it was a quick read after the halfway point with the added in adventure scenes. The novel focuses on two characters, Diane and Jackie, who were relatable and flawed and unique in their own ways. I loved them. Their friendship was unlikely and pleasant to read it develop throughout the book. The ending was a twist definitely worthy of bearing the Night Vale name.

I would have probably enjoyed it more if I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it, based on how much I like the podcast. But, reading this book was still an enjoyable experience.

I don't know how to describe this book. It was fantastic. I think the best way to appreciate this book is listening to the audio version. I usually am not great with audio versions because I have a set way I want to hear the characters but this was fantastic. It was so enjoyable. I look forward to hearing the podcasts soon about Night Vale. This is such a strange town. I would not want to live in this town but it is great to hear about. I especially could not live in a town where I could not go to the library. I hope there will be more Night Vale stories. I got the audio version from my local library after my son told me I should read it.

I've been a fan of the Night Vale podcast for a while so I was excited to check out a novel that took place in the small desert town. At first I was put off by the writing style. I felt like I had to trudge through a whole lot of nonsense that didn't matter to get to the actual story. A lot of it was unnecessary and contradictory description. I'd use the word 'zany' but that would make it seem like an insult. The style absolutely works for the podcast but not for a book.

Or so I thought.

The nonsensical descriptions and the contradictions and the unnecessary details slowed down my reading and provided a setting that was potent because it wouldn't give me a constant, steady place. And that is absolutely Night Vale.

The characters were strong and relatable, even if some of them constantly shifted their form from human-ish to insect to bird-thing to who knows. They made you feel for them and their situations. With all the weirdness and cosmic danger going on all throughout the story, it was ultimately a tale about humanity.

Also, I read the whole thing in Cecil's voice. I think he would like that.

This book is a weird kind of amazing best appreciated by those with a sense of humor. I listen to the audiobook version of this novel and I can honestly not imagine any other format it could take. So while I do rate this book highly and recommend it with gusto, I must say a few things.

The first is that I think people who listened to the original podcast would like this book best and those who have not find pick up the book and be confused, or start listening to the audiobook and wonder if what they are listening to is an audio play or an audiobook.

In a way, the story of Welcome to Night Vale is almost a different genre entirely from paranormal or humor - so audiences may scratch their heads wondering what to make of it. I love that about the novel just like I love that about the podcast, but there is certainly going to be some people who just cannot bring themselves to like this book. It's WEIRD.

However, on to the actual story I must also say that I really liked it, but that it seemed too drawn out compared to what I am usually interested in listening to as a Welcome to Night Vale book. I also think the storyline, while interesting, doesn't truly take advantage of the main characters. I know this was done because the creators did not want their listeners to feel as if they had to buy the book in order to keep listening to the podcast, but I felt a shorter related podcast and a book derived from that would have been more appropriate as the first in a series.

But I did love this book, and I think you should check it out despite my criticisms because it is rather special, even if I have some reservations, and I like knowing that it's waiting in my audiobook library to listen to again if I feel so inclined.

I'm really torn on how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it's full of references to the podcast and the characters we've grown to love. The phrasing and abuse of the English language is signature for these writers. We've answered a few questions and we've asked a few more. As a fan of the podcast, it was tons of fun.

On the other hand, if you have never listened to the podcast, it is unlikely that you will understand even half of what is going on. It make the book very exclusive for its fans and unapproachable for new audiences. While the phrasing is wonderfully quirky, it must make for a difficult reading experience. I listened to the always amazing Cecil Baldwin read the novel, so the tempo, cadence, and pacing all really work. But if I had read the physical copy I'm almost certain I would be irritated beyond measure.

And speaking of Cecil; part of the reason I love the podcast is because Cecil is such a good host. But he's a host and so he only has to speak in his own voice. I'm not convinced that Cecil was the best choice to narrate the whole book. Yes, he most definitely should have narrated the radio scenes, but he doesn't do other characters very well. I think I would have rather had a female narrate the scenes with Diane and Jackie with Cecil narrating the radio scenes.

I have never, in all my years of reading hundreds and hundreds of books, read a book like this one. It is, as the show itself, bizarre and excellent, as if Dali took a class in narrative structure or Lovecraft a course in racial sensitivity and adequate prose writing. It attempts, at many points, to explain to you the inexplicable, and it manages to put just enough in your head to feel the bits that won't quite fit in all their mindbending extra dimensions. The characters are written in such a way that you feel them, and understand them, and see yourself in them, and their development and relations are excellently presented. The book is at turns sad, strange, reflective, exciting, poignant, insightful, joyful, comforting and disquieting. It also occasionally causes showers in the real world to scream, so do be cautious.

My sixteen year old son introduced me to the Night Vale podcasts several months ago. I totally love them and understand why my son loves them too. I listened to all of them before getting the book. My husband asked me if the book would make sense to people who have not listened to the podcasts. I think it could be read/listened to without having heard the podcasts, but you would not have a lot of the background information and it is better if you have been following the podcasts. I got the audio book and the physical book and listened to most of it and read some of it. I think I like the audio better than the written book. I love the narrator and I think he adds something to the story that is just not the same without him. The story is a bit like the old Twilight Zone TV series in that many inexplicable and creepy things go on in Night Vale, but are seen as perfectly normal for the most part by the people who live there. This story follows Jackie Fierro (I have a cat named Fierro - had him and his name long before this podcast and book came out though) who is the perpetually 19 year old pawn shop owner and Dianne Crayton whose son Josh changes his physical form on a regular basis. Their lives become entwined as they both need to find The Man in The Tan Jacket who everyone forgets and Troy, who proves to be quite elusive. I thought the plot twists in the book were quite interesting and I enjoyed it very much! I hope they keep up with the podcasts and perhaps write another book - or maybe it could make an intriguing movie.

Diane’s shape-shifting son Josh is curious about his father, Troy. Jackie, who is 19 because she never decided to turn 20, can’t get a paper that says King City out of her hand. When Josh runs away, Diane and Jackie set out for King City, but when you are coming from Night Vale that is much easier said than done and might require the use of some peculiar flamingos.

Welcome to Night Vale is a very strange book which is perfect because the Podcast is very strange, too. The story will be going along like a normal story and then a sentence will be inserted that makes you stop and have to re-read it or just laugh hysterically. The humor is amazing. Every few chapters a bit of a broadcast by Cecil appears. I highly recommend this book to all Welcome to Night Vale fans.

The book is, in essence, a very long episode of welcome to Night Vale, and in my opinion, that exacerbates the weaknesses of the podcast and erases its strength. The WNTV podcasts are 30 minute multi-segment self-contained episodes, and due to that, they tend to resolve whatever weirdness is going on perfunctorily in the last two minutes -- the army of invaders turns out to be tiny, Carlos saves the day, or whatever the problem of the week is just goes away or becomes yet another odd inhabitant of Night Vale. The strength of the podcast is both the little weird details that are mentioned in passing, and the identifiably human concerns of the characters.

Unfortunately, in the novel, this wears thin very quickly. The novel is overstuffed with gratuitous details of Night Vale's weirdness -- transmissions that only work when you whisper a secret into them, waitresses who are mobile trees, selling tears at a pawn shop for $11, but you get pounded with so many of them, and they are so disconnected from each other that you find yourself gasping for air. It's a shame, as the strength of Night Vale isn't the oddness, it's the juxtaposition of the oddness with the intense mundanity and recognizable concerns of its characters. This is a town where a lovecraftian abomination will end up engaged in political maneuvers on the school board, after all. There is a touching story about two characters trying to understand and define themselves while also accepting all of Night Vale's weirdness, but I feel like I have to extract it from the mazes of asides that ultimately add little to the plot.

For Night Vale fans, the book is obviously required reading (or listening, as Cecil Baldwin performs the audiobook), but I don't feel it's a suitable introduction to the podcast and it doesn't play to the series' strengths. Hopefully the authors will be able to write a leaner and more focused sequel.

I spent six weeks in Nightvale and am now questioning librarians, plastic flamingos, and spiders.

...What I mean is, holy crap you're in for a ride!

The first 40% are spent building the world around you. I highly recommend experiencing this story by audiobook for exactly that reason. Cecil, the narrator, has a way of explaining things that makes you buy in. Like it's totally normal for two humans to birth a spider (or is it...).

Nightvale is an ongoing podcast that I have now subscribed to, my first ever.

I became as interested in learning about Jackie as she was. I worried about Josh. I got angry when Diane was angry. I love that the cast of characters is small because you really get to know them.

I picked up this book because the cover intrigued me and I needed a new audiobook. I finished this book because I was as interested in Nightvale as Jackie was in her past.

Every time I try to "Add to cart", the device I'm using catches fire. I first tried ordering on my Samsung Galaxy (a few years old, not the one with a reputation), then the iPhone I replaced it with. Then I decided not to risk my third phone, so I tried on my iMac. The entire desk erupted in flame...as did my phone (another iPhone, I'd decided I liked it better), which wasn't even on the store at the time! Good thing I bought the insurance this time

All I know is, this book must be good, if the vague-yet-menacing government agencies don't want me to have it. If I can gather the courage, I may consult my local librarian for a copy. I should probably brush up on my judo, fencing, and knife-fighting skills first. Oh, and self-surgery...just in case

Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of the podcast, and the series in general. But the formula for the podcasts just doesn't translate at all into a novel format. The podcasts have a fun way of taking strange plots and making them last for a whole episode. While quirky and out of left field, there's always some attempt of a story that exists per episode that drives each episode of the podcast series on. And yet, this book really fails to capture having the same type of quirky story that the podcast has, instead relying far too much on odd Night Vale esque sentences and phrases instead of an actual attempt at a story. There's way too many jokes and way too little story. I read this book over the course of a year, and never had to backtrack to remember the story, because there was hardly a story there to follow. There were so many times I skimmed over paragraphs because I knew that there was nothing relevant to the plot in those sentences, only mindless attempts at oddball humor. As someone who just recently graduated college, I completely understand how my professors felt reading fluff papers, because at the end of the day that is exactly what this book is. Save yourself the cash and instead buy one of their Welcome to Night Vale Volumes recollecting the episodes of the podcasts.

I don't remember much about the day that I got this book. I had just gotten in from walking my pet axolotl when I heard the door bell give its usual chime (you know, that upbeat version of Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music" that comes standard on the chimes you get from Home Depot). I don't recall opening the door, but next thing I knew I had the audio book in my hands. This was an odd experience, holding an audio book in my hands. But, I stuffed it into my ipod, listened to it, and very much enjoyed it.

I was worried about reading this book due to some of the reviews I read on here. I had super high hopes and have been looking forward to reading this over a year before it even came out when I first heard talks about a book even being written. I love the podcast and what all the guys do, and I was not disappointed in any way shape or form with this book. Read it in only a couple of days. I couldn't put it down. It's weird, funny, and just the right amount of Night Vale creepy. I hope they continue to write about Night Vale. I was sad when I finished it. Such a good book. And if you like the podcast, then you'll love this.

I have not actually finished the book yet, so take my words with a grain of salt. The only criticism I have for the story is that I feel the authors work better in a spoken format. As such, it can be a slightly difficult read, because the style feels so off. Tat is the only reason I haven't finished it yet. I personally plan to get the audiobook as soon as possible. That being said, it's spirit is absolutely true to that of the podcast -- all the cute, curious, creepy, and crazy I love from the show can be found here! I definitely recommend this, and the podcast, to everyone!

Exceptionally bizarre book spun off from the exceptionally bizarre podcast. One part non-sequiturs, three parts deadpan humor, two parts ridiculous conjecture, and four parts creepy overtone. Think stream of consciousness meets X-Files meets absurdist humor. The brand of creepy humor is undoubtedly an acquired taste. That said, in times of trouble, anxiety, and uncertainty, should it be to your taste it will surely satisfy the need to escape to a very, very strange world.

I tried to order this on the store but the webpage kept saying "You cannot have what has never been yours" repeatedly and in different fonts. For some reason I still got a copy in the mail slot on the door though I don't remember having a mail slot before. Every day when I wake up, the book inexplicably appears in a different location next to some dead lilacs and a copy of "NOW that's what I call the screams of the forgotten." I keep throwing the cd out but it keeps showing up next to the book. At least it's still better than that free U2 album.

I was off my medications when I read this book and it made perfect sence to me. Unlike a person in the book I get along very well with my Touranchela, but I keep it in my underwear. Much better arrangement, we'll except when it gets hungry. I'm stepping off to another demensions now but will be back in time for the end of the world. Do stop by the Library though their always HUNGRY for new members. Tah, tah,,,,,

If you miss Richard Brautigan's beautiful prose then read this book. I was reminded of his elegance, humor and depth many times when reading Welcome to Night Vale. I am familiar with the podcast, and the high strangeness is ever present; but was astonished with the authors' voice and their ability to conjure thought provocation, with child-like simple sentences. Many times over I was transported back to being a teen reading In Watermelon Sugar for the first time. That's a great place to be.
With that said, it could have been a little shorter. For instance the chapter devoted to the journalist really didn't advance the plot. I would have given the book 5 stars if it had been edited down by about 40 pages or so.

Okay, so I feel like I need to note that I'm a huge fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, and have listened to it almost religiously for the past year. I love the strangeness of the world's logic and am deeply into its unique lore. But, this book isn't great. I mean, it's not bad, but it's not great either. It's okay. The book is slow-paced through most of the book's content until the very end, where it revs up and just kind of... ends. And not very excitingly either. The most I can say about this book is that it answers one of the mysteries from the podcast, even if the answer isn't that interesting. Overall, it's a decent book with a strange pacing, and while I would recommend it to other fans of the podcast, I wouldn't recommend it as just a good novel.

A mysterious man in a tan jacket handed me this novel, it is a good novel. But I can't put it down? And when I try to sign my name on permission slips, anti-permission slips and required monthly parking tickets I just end up writing the entire text of this book, unable to stop until it's complete? The secret police have been getting very annoyed because it takes a really long time to transcribe an entire book, word for word,never stopping, never ending. Also, my hand is cramped from all that writing, and since ice packs have been outlawed? Anyway, overall this is a great book and you should definitely read it,

Really interesting book, I enjoyed it thoroughly. The notes scribbled around the blank parts of the page in my handwriting are a nice touch. I am unsure of what this “Crimson Dawn” the notes keep describing is all about, but the notes stop after the couple of pages covered in red paint so it’s probably not that important to the arc of the story.

This book was weird, and strange, and mysterious.
No I didn't listen to the podcasts- I didn't even know they existed before I read the book, and I don't have interest in them now. This book wasn't one of my normal reads. And I probably wouldn't read it again.
It was just strange, and weird. It brought up many questions into the mystery of Night Vale and King City, some answered, some not.
Jackie has been 19 for as long as she can remember. She has worked in a pawn shop also for as long as she can remember. Until a mysterious man in a tan jacket and deer skinned suitcase comes in and drops off a paper that says King City. Jackie can't let it go, and her life changes for the first time in years.
Diane's life is work and her son Josh. Until Evan from her work goes missing. No one else seems to remember him. She becomes solely focused on finding out about Evan.
Diane's son Josh wants to learn more about his absent father, even despite his mother not wanting him to know.
Diane's ex husband Troy keeps popping up around town. The diner, as a police officer, at the movie theater. He is everywhere.
If you want to know more about Jackie, Diane, Josh, Troy, the man in the tan jacket and even want to know about the mysterious librarian creatures, and about invisible pie- then pick up this book. You can learn about Night Vale, without having to first listen to the podcasts. It wasn't one of my favorite reads, but it wasn't all bad.

I can only imagine what a stranger to Night Vale must think picking this up. More of the great world and writing I love about the podcast. This tells a story of some of the town residents outside of the the Radio Show but with little interludes from Cecil and his show. A must read for loyal fans.

Welcome to Night Vale is a much loved podcast and though I haven't listened to it I figured the novel would be a good introduction to this strange world I've heard so much about.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. And I can see how so many other people like it which is why I still give it three stars. I found the way it was written too distracting. While I understand the purpose of how it was written, it just didn't work for me. I found it impossible for me to sink into the story. All the weird little happenings and asides were novel at first and was great while establishing the setting and how things work in Night Vale but I found myself wishing the author would have dialed it down a little bit after the first three or four chapters. I made it about seven chapters before I decided I wasn't really enjoying it anymore.

Again, I can see how this would appeal to some people but it just wasn't for me.

I got this as the audiobook, because if I'm going to consume Night Vale media I want it narrated to me by Cecil Palmer.

One thing though: the first few times I tried to listen, my nose would bleed and then I'd black out and wake up several hours later with no memory of the previous day. Eventually I figured out that I needed to switch the "Blood Magic" setting off in the app. That fixed everything!

ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD.

This book is one of the strangest books I've ever read and I loved it! The way all the little quirks of Night Vale are given to us so matter of factly, as if that's how things are done everywhere, and of course we know that already, is what drew me in and grabbed my attention from the start. As the story unfolds, the town of Night Vale becomes familiar and all of its quirks and charms meld and you really start to understand Night Vale (as much as an outsider can understand Night Vale). A great read! I'll definitely be checking out the podcast!

I am a total fan of Night Vale, listened to every podcast...even went to a live show. This book is unreadable. No joke, I just thew it across the room in the middle of chapter three. I wanted to like it, but no. Maybe try the audio book.

When it maintained a physical form it did take that of a novel (or sometimes a mirror that let me see a different me, a me pounding on the glass and screaming as though I was trying to escape some terrible, unimaginable horror). An enjoyable read when the letters stayed in their original positions, and helpful even when they moved as they would often spell out helpful messages like ‘don’t forget to eat’ or ‘did you take your tablets?’ or ‘beware, it is coming’. I loved reading it and snuggling close to it as it growled at the shadowy figures that stand at the edge of where we can see while I tried to sleep. Definitely worth buying.

I bought this as a gift for a friend and she absolutely loved it! It arrived quickly too so that's always a plus. I've read the book myself as well, but I obtained my copy from a bookstore. If you're a fan of Night Vale then you will almost definitely enjoy this book. It's got the same eerie feel to it as the podcast as well as Night Vale's signature brand of odd humor. I would definitely recommend it to any fan of the podcast.

I really liked it, but I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. My all black cat's front left paw has become withered and aged. The fur on it's paw is now the color of bone when it is left out in the sun to bleach. The paw has begun to thrum with an unknowable power. I am very upset that my cat could easily accomplish this, yet I have had no such luck. I have read the book three times and my left hand remains as pink and supple as ever. Had I known that only one creature could absorb it's power, I would have read it in the vault, or at the very least got two copies. I am beginning to think I would have been better off buying the Teeth edition.

Make sure you read it in an area where others cannot access the book, or at the very least do not put the book down to go heat up a hot pocket half way through. The book should include a warning about limited use. Oh. Don't bother calling customer service for a replacement, unless you wish an earful of screaming hot winds that carry the scent of charnel houses.

But as for the story, very well done. I am ordering the CDs as well and hoping that the audio version will fix everything.

I was super excited when I found out that there was going to be a WtNV book, though I wasn't sure how the strange nature of the show was going to translate into written word. But, Fink and Cranor came through in the best way on this! Its not one I could read all in one sitting (whenever I tried to, I would notice strange hooded figures watching me through the windows after about two hours, and glasses filled with spiders after four hours - I didn't push it past four hours), but its certainly a captivating story and sheds more light on the bizarre glory that is Night Vale.

A friend acquired this book for me at some sort of book-related event. There were delightful, swirling signatures on the first page in Sharpie. It was a very thoughtful gift.

The signatures are gone now. Sometimes there are brief messages in their place, but they're never written with a pen or another typical writing tool. One time I touched the words "NEVER AGAIN" and the letters smudged on my finger... I think it was eyeliner? In future I would hope for experimental mediums used in books to have a longer shelf life and not be so delicate. (The next words were written in viscera and not similarly smudged, so at least any damage is temporary.)

The Welcome to Night Vale novel hooked me from the beginning with references to favorite memories and characters from the podcasts. The story maintained the dark and creepy weirdness of the podcasts while looking "behind the scenes" at the people trying to live in the strange and surreal desert community. As the story progressed, it was the very *real*, touching, and relatable examination of the experiences and struggles of life, growth, and relationships that made this such an engaging novel.

I listened to the audiobook verison, though I usually prefer print books. I only wanted to hear this one in Cecil Baldwin's voice!

Loved the story, but was vaguely irritated by the soft weeping and sniffling the hardcover copy of the book would emit between the hours of 2 and 5 AM for the first week I owned it. My dreams since receiving the book included the color blue, and a ticking clock. Once night there was a loud, dreadful wail, and I have not heard the weeping since, nor have I dreamed. However, now there is a scratching and a chuckling every once in awhile from the back cover, echoed in my walls, and sometimes I wake up at 5 AM realizing I have been weeping. This has happened for the past six nights. I am filled with terror, though unsure why.

Overall, a great read!

An absolute joy from beginning to end, if you are a fan of welcome to nightvale you will love this book, it is everything you love about nightvale, you will be hooked on the book from page one and the payoff at the end of the book is well worth it, if you are new to nightvale then I still suggest you read it, it has all the information you need and explains everything very well, just be prepared for lovecraft meets Stephen King meets a vague yet menacing government agency.......you will understand later, amazing book. Done

This book is BRILLIANT! The negative reviews on here are probably made by those unfamiliar with the fact that Night Vale is not a normal town, by any standard. Reading this book, I could practically hear Cecil Baldwin in my mind, as if I was just listening to a lengthy episode of the podcast. Joseph Fink's style of writing may throw off some people at first, and that may be where some negative reviews are coming from as well. If you like how this book sounds, get it! While you're waiting for it to ship, listen to at least one episode of the podcast. You won't regret it!

This book is weird, strange, hard to get your head around at times, and challenging to finish. I almost quit reading it, but soldiered through. A little Kafka, X-Files, and outer limits mixed with sci-fi. Not for everyone, not for me, but it’s good to try new things, right?

This book came exactly as advertised, large, purple, corporeal, everything a book needs to be! However, I do have a problem with the fact that it seems to have attracted the attention of local librarians. Do not carry this book in public. They will find yo-

[this review was originally posted to goodreads on 10/6/16] this was just bad. i like the podcast but wtnv doesn't work in a book format imo. or maybe it would have worked if a) it was shorter or b) it was the same length but maybe with four shorter stories instead of one long one. because when you're listening in short bursts all the weirdness is fine but when you're reading it continuously you're just like 'wow i wish we could stop having so many quirky asides and actually like ...do something' and i still don't even know what the point of any of this was???

i really tried here. i wanted to like it. because i like wtnv and i like that this is a book about two very different women growing as people and growing close to each other and that's nice but there was just too much rambling and it was so unenjoyable. it literally took me over a month to read this. i read like 5 or 6 other books in between and listened to the last quarter of it on a free audible trial because i literally could not make myself read any more.

i would advise you to skip this book but i know you're probably like me and won't believe how mind numbingly dull it is until you read it for yourself.

I'm afraid to go to work tomorrow. I just through chapter 28, and I work at a library.

I'm listening to the book and idly wonder if it's a better listen than it is a read for fans of the podcast. I'm sure getting a kick out of it!

Since bringing this fabulous book into my home my cat,Billy Blake, has been floating 8 inches above the floor. Also he has demanded that I take him to the dog park. And finally I have noticed that when I look in the mirror at myself my face is gone.

Overall a positive experience, although the ritualistic blood sacrifice, pledge of soul and lifelong worship of the great and mysterious glow cloud, along with the secret messages I had to decode from the definitely NON existent Erica, made this a mildly harrowing experience.

As some reviewers have said, this is an odd book. I can't really give a good description, since the book isn't like anything like im used to. It's twitchy... surreal... absurd... While the fans may enjoy this as a new player in this night vale game it was difficult to enjoy. I new in the first few minutes that this was gonna be a bit difficult to get through, but I decided to finish it in an attempt to try something new and see it through.

I won't be back for seconds on this one. It felt like a chore to get through every chapter and I honestly was tempted a few times to just give up on even finishing it. Not my cup of tea.

When I received my copy, I was at first very disappointed. My copy was apparently not at all deadly, which is a big let down because I have little other defense against the bees that live in my walls and the people that live in the floor.

However, after prolonged reading, my hair began to wilt, my eyes sunk, and many voices left my throat whenever I spoke. I began to die at a slightly quicker rate, and became very mildly poisonous to any living things around me.

While that was a big bonus, the thing that began to appear behind me in mirrors was not. I do not know what it wants.

So overall, I'd say it is a wonderful book, worth the illegal and highly dangerous action of reading. But I hope that later editions are sharpened and hopefully made of metal.

Since I liked the Welcome to Night Vale, I looked forward to this, but was warned that it didn't really work as a written work. So I figured I'd check out the audiobook from the library.

It doesn't really work.

The premise of the unreachable town started with a lot of promise, like something from Ray Bradbury or even the show's own Deserrt Bluffs with its creepy Kevin and "smiling god". It ended up being full of dull characters and absolutely no menace. The same thing occurs with interesting character traits - one character's inability to age, another's ability to change form at will, and a third's foreboding sense of other selves living (or in one case, deceased) in parallel lives - the payoff is underwhelming or nonexistent.

It's full of padding in several places, and frequently repetitious, particularly the use of parallelism; e.g. "The man did nothing. The flies did nothing" and "people who were metaphorically or alive and people who were literally or metaphorically NOT alive or were alive in our hearts or who were forgotten". The in-jokes were forced, such as "'scientist' is another word for 'hero'", Steve Carlburg's cheerful uselessness, and characters' tendency to monologue rather than converse. Even the two main moments of peril are similar: in the library between the stacks of books while evading murderous librarians - which is actually a good sequence - and in the video store evading a vague screaming menace.

Jackie is the more interesting of the two main characters, rather than Diane, who is a stereotypical hardworking single mom forced out of her comfort zone in order to protect her son. Speaking of which, the depiction of Diane's biracial, unmarried parents was cringeworthy when performed. If it was supposed to explain something about her character or why her son Josh never settles on a shape, it failed. In contrast, Jackie's long suffering mother - and we never learn exactly how long that is - makes for a much more interesting parent-child relationship.