Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel

Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel is the first novel in the Night Vale series (based off the popular podcast of the same name) written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel expands the universe of the podcast as we follow two women, Diane Crayton and Jackie Fierro, whose (already weird) lives get turned upside down when a man in a tan suit with a deerskin briefcase gives them both a piece of paper with the words "KING CITY" written on it. Their individual quests for answers will lead them on a journey that will change how they look at themselves, and at their families. …First things first, I adore this book. It's honestly everything I wanted it to be, and even more. Fink and Cranor do a great job of taking the absurdity and humor of the podcast and making it work as a novel. The novel isn't told from Cecil's point of view - like the podcast is - and that's the best decision they could have made. By changing the point of view, they've opened up the world of Night Vale more than ever. Now we have the chance to experience life as a "regular" citizen of Night Vale. And the fact that the book actually jumps between two points of view is even better, giving us a nice variety of characters and experiences.One point of view is that of Jackie Fierro, a pawn shop owner who has been nineteen for as long as she can remember. The other point of view is Diane Crayton, a mother of a son who can change his appearance at will and desperately wants to know information about his dad. The book alternates between their points of view in nearly every chapter, and it's utilized with panache, especially when Jackie and Diane start interacting with each other. I have a soft spot for stories that will show the same event from multiple points of view.The prose itself is reminiscent of the podcast, which itself is reminiscent of writers like Douglas Adams. Again, I think this was a smart move for Fink and Cranor to make. It can be hard making a transition from one medium of entertainment to another, especially when you're changing the entire format of the story. There was always the possibility that without Cecil as the narrator, this wouldn't have worked. But it does, partially because the prose is so reminiscent of the language used in the podcast that it feels like an extension of what fans already hear and love.As for the story itself, Welcome to Night Vale really is one of those books that defies genres. One part brilliant whodunnit, another part emotional family drama, another part absurdist humor, the book manages to combine a whole bunch of genres that often aren't combined into this melting pot of entertaining literature. The mystery itself is interesting enough, and it's only heightened by the excellent, dynamic characters written by Fink and Cranor. The story benefits from not tying itself too heavily into things that have happened in the podcast, aside from answering one of the biggest questions in the podcast: just who is the man in the tan jacket? People who have never heard the podcast before are given enough information about the man in the tan jacket for this part of the storyline to be meaningful, but fans of the podcast will really get a lot out of this as they uncover the mystery behind this well-known and beloved character.It's a quick and easy read, full of twists and turns and emotional moments that always end up feeling earned. No part of this book feels like a cash grab, adapting a popular property into another medium. Instead, it feels like a genuine expansion of the universe with an original, moving, and entertaining story to tell that couldn't have been told with the confines of the podcast.Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel is an enjoyable read for anyone who is already a fan of the podcast. Part Twilight Zone, part X-Files, part This American Life, Night Vale manages to bridge all these disparate elements together into a cohesive and entertaining story that appeals to a wide audience. I recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction, absurdist humor, Douglas Adams-style books, is already a fan of the podcast, or who just likes a good whodunnit with excellently written dynamic characters. Read more

Welcome to Night Vale is a novel written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of the Night Vale podcast. The book takes place before the podcast episode 76: An Epilogue.The book is told from the perspective of two citizens of Night Vales initially through alternating chapters. One is Jackie, the girl who runs the pawn shop and seems to have been 19 years old since forever. The other is Diane Crayton, best known for her work with the PTA as she is the mother of a shape-shifting teenage boy, Josh. Things begin to change when Jackie encounters the Man in the Tan Jacket who pawns a piece of paper that only says KING CITY on it. Around the same time, Diane is bothered that Evan has stopped showing up at work until no one can remember he ever worked there. And for some reason, she only remembers someone wearing a Tan Jacket.The Man in the Tan Jacket is probably one of the more infamous characters introduced in the podcast and has had numerous appearances on the show. And to have him as a sort of central figure in this book was a nice way to go since he's already an interesting character on his own plus it's a nice nod to longtime listeners, like myself, who immediately wanted to squee when a mention of a tan jacket was first made.I think the first question I should have addressed in this review is DO YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO ENJOY THE BOOK. It's hard for me to look at this novel not as a fan since I'm obviously a fan. But to be fair, I think that since it took me a while to remember who these two lead characters were and when they were mentioned on the show, it helped me go through the discover process without being somehow prejudiced by knowledge from the podcast. So I think you can get by without having ever listened to the podcast before, but at the same time the book is obviously a richer experience if you do know the show since there are a lot of references, as there should be. The references are there since it's the same small town - things will show up over and over again.I appreciated the fact that they included sort of interlude chapters to break up the main narrative and to bring us back to the familiar - Cecil and Night Vale Community Radio. We're always brought to a segment of the radio show still in-progress and a lot of times it feels directly connected to the action. And from this perspective, it gives us a better appreciation for the radio show in itself since many times it feels quite random, but perhaps it's really not. The book shows us that maybe Cecil is tapping into something and is able to relate to what is going on at that moment to some citizen of Night Vale.The book is unique for me since it feels like it is best read aloud. There's a certain rhythm and cadence to the book that feels almost poetic - it's obviously the same brand of prose that we encounter in the podcast itself. I repeatedly found myself reading passages aloud to my partner in order to just share in my happiness of reading the book since the words were just so beautiful.Welcome to Night Vale is a unique book experience that I am glad exists and maybe we'll get lucky with more books of this nature. Then again, maybe the book isn't actually there and those of us who have read it are remembering a shared hallucination of a book.

This is a great, but weird book. I look forward to reading the others in this series

Minha cópia veio com o corte de capa torto, capa rasgada e descolada das páginas do livro.

Ich hab das Buch echr schnell durchgelesen und mochte es sehr.In der Stadt Nightvale findet alles statt, woran Verschwörungstheoretiker glauben, es passieren allgemein äußerst merkwürdige Dinge, aber niemand scheint sich daran zu stören. Keine der Charaktere dient dazu, dass man sich mit ihnen identifiziert, sondern überraschen einen vielmehr mit ihrem teils absonderlichen Verhalten. Zum Teil ist die Handlung der Geschichte blanker Unsinn, den ich persönlich sehr amüsant fand. Gerade diese Unvorhersehbarkeit hat mir großen Spaß gemacht.Wer sich gerne mit Charakteren identifiziert und eine nachvollziehbar Handlung erwartet, wird sich schon nach drei Seiten murmelnd am Kopf kratzen. Auch der Plot ist eher sprunghaft, mal so mal so.Auf jeden Fall kein einfaches oder übliches Buch.

Livre drôle, intéressant et à la fois très intelligent, philosophique. J'ai eu l'impression de lire plusieurs œuvres à la fois tellement ce roman était travaillé sur différents thèmes. Je me suis totalement laissée emportée par cet univers mystique, onirique. Tout simplement fantastique.

well this is kinda weird, first thing I'm from Mexico and this book just...appeared on my nightstand, then again...does Mexico even exist, is it real or just something I came up with?also since the book appearance I have seen like some kind of old woman touching my stuff and things around the house have been moved