Review: Welcome to Nightvale

[vanillaoldie]

I have been listening to the Nightvale podcasts for years. They're quirky, nerdy, and are written with plenty of absurdism, which is my favorite. So when I found out that they had written a book I snatched it up as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Book Overview: A man in a tan jacket with a deerskin suitcase arrives in the town of Nightvale. No one can remember what he looks like or anything about them. But as soon as he arrives, slips of paper with "King City" written in hurried writing begin appearing in citizen's hands. The book follows the narratives of Jackie Fierro (the owner of a pawnshop) and Diane Crayton (the president of Nightvale's PTA) and their quest to find out the meaning of this "King City" and track down the man in the tan jacket carrying a deerskin suitcase.

For those of you who haven't listened to WTNV, the book will probably be very strange for you. It opens with the bizarre nonsensical statements that the podcasts open with, describing how a pawn shop in Nightvale works. This absurdism continues throughout the novel, peppered in through the storyline. Again, there are a lot of references to the podcast in the storyline that might go over someone's head. I think the authors do a really good job of building authentic and believable characters. Even with the strange habits and beliefs, these characters come off as genuine and quirky. The rest of the novel is very much the same. Within this strange society, all the events and activities are very believable and keep the readers on the edge of their seats.

I've recommended this book to everyone, whether or not they've listened to the podcast. Of course, I'd always recommended listening to it so you understand all the references and eccentricities, but it's not necessary. If you're looking for something similar to Catch-22 and Alice in Wonderland in writing style then this book if for you. And if you're looking to read something a little weird, this is also for you.

[sarahw]

I love the Welcome to Nightvale podcast! I've only recently (within the past few months) started listening to it, but I've quickly become hooked. I really enjoy listening to it while I run. It's easy to get caught up in the goings-on in the town and forget about how tired my legs are! I especially like listening to with my ear buds while running in the dark. Cecil's voice and some of the things he says combined with being alone in the dark give me the chills sometimes. Anyway, I've been meaning to check out the book, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Do you know if it is just one book, or is it a series? Also, I'm not too far into the podcasts yet (around episode 23 or so). Since you mention the book references the podcasts, do you think I should wait until I'm more caught up to read it in order to get the most from the book? Thanks!