Review: Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't remember exactly when the first time I listened to Night Vale was, but it wasn't too long after they started. While it's maybe gotten a little long in the tooth even as a trailblazer, the book version of this was a welcome surprise. A story within Night Vale even if it's not just like the podcast (although it does have interludes of the radio program within), the benefit of this story is twofold:

1) It gets the charm and feel of Night Vale down pat. You feel like you're there, and the tone and quality of the writing holds up in a more narrative format.

2) It's a great entry point. You don't have to know the show for this to work, but it absolutely helps. Even on its own, it's a solid stand-alone weird fiction tale. I would have enjoyed this without the Night Vale brand, and maybe even might have liked it more.

So if you're still into the podcast, or even feeling a little burned out on it, this is worth some of your time. It's a solid read and one you'd probably enjoy if weird stuff is your thing.

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