People are disappearing, and a man with an instantly forgettable face is leaving innocent citizens notes which turn their lives upside down. Welcome to Night Vale.
I want to get straight to the point on this one. It isn't a very good book. As much as it pains me to say it, because I really do love the podcast, the book hits none of the same marks. It's also a bit of a commitment, at over 400 pages.
The main issue is the apparent lack of plot. The first 200 pages pass in a collection of anecdotes and unacknowledged moments of oddness before any real plot emerges at all, even then taking a while to gear up to its climax, which does work. Of course, Night Vale is meant to be a strange town, but after a few pages of its citizens' practised passivity and bet-you-didn't-see-that-coming jokes, it gets a little bit irritating.
As a slightly unusual side note, I seriously recommend reading this in Cecil's voice. I know it sounds stupid but it just helps to make sense of the jumble of observations. He uses very specific intonation, and it helps put emphasis in the right places. Weird but effective.
It is also hard work to find a sympathetic character, but possible if you pay attention to the quieter moments. These are the only places where the book seems to really find its feet. It ditches pointless cleverness in favour of relationships, and tells a real story for a few moments.
If you are interested in Welcome to Night Vale, the book is not the place to start. Enjoy the podcast; it's funny, clever, and occasionally creepy. Don't bother with the book. Really. It's a lot of work.
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Book Reviews
Non-FictionCarried over from my Tumblr, this is a personal project tracking what I read through time, largely because of my awful memory. These aren't long reviews, but the books are varied, and the opinions are honest, so I hope you enjoy.
