Welcome to Night Vale (novel)

Welcome to Night Vale (novel)

Company type	Novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	2015
Founder	Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Products	Novel
Parent	Night Vale Presents

Welcome to Night Vale is a 2015 novel blending absurdist and supernatural mystery elements, authored by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. It draws inspiration from their widely acclaimed podcast bearing the same title. The book was released in the United States by Harper Perennial and in the United Kingdom by Orbit Books.

Departing from the podcast’s first-person narrative style, the novel adopts an omniscient perspective, centering on teenage pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro and PTA treasurer Diane Crayton as they delve into two intertwined mysteries within Night Vale. The audiobook version features narration by Cecil Baldwin, Dylan Marron, Retta, Thérèse Plummer, and Dan Bittner.

Upon publication, the novel garnered favorable reviews and achieved bestseller status. It is officially part of the podcast’s storyline and was succeeded by the episode titled "An Epilogue." Two additional Night Vale novels—It Devours! and The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home—focus on different characters and narratives.

Synopsis

In Night Vale, a mysterious figure clad in a tan jacket distributes slips of paper marked "King City" that cannot be removed once attached. Jackie Fierro, who runs a pawn shop, receives one of these slips and embarks on an investigation to identify the man and uncover the meaning behind King City.

At the same time, Diane Crayton, serving as PTA treasurer, attempts to reconnect with her shapeshifting son Josh while dealing with the return of his father, Troy Walsh. Diane probes into the disappearance of her coworker Evan McIntyre, who eventually reappears as the man in the tan jacket and hands Diane a "King City" slip intended for Josh. She chooses not to give it to him and soon forgets key details about Evan.

The paths of Jackie and Diane intersect when Josh vanishes, leaving behind clues linked to King City. Diane tries various methods to reach King City but repeatedly finds herself back in Night Vale. Jackie discovers that Troy is also her father. Together, they uncover plastic flamingo lawn ornaments that serve as portals transporting anyone who touches them across different times and locations. Utilizing these flamingos, Diane and Jackie travel to King City.

King City is revealed as a barren town overtaken by Night Vale’s supernatural forces after Troy relocated there and excessively multiplied himself. The mayor—who is revealed to be the man in the tan jacket—explains his efforts to bring one of Troy’s offspring to aid in understanding Troy’s nature and restore order.

Josh reunites with Diane and Jackie; together they confront several versions of Troy outside a bar and persuade him to return to Night Vale and cease his reckless conduct. They depart King City via the flamingos, which restores normalcy there. Back in Night Vale, all characters settle into more satisfying routines.

Reception

Welcome to Night Vale was met with positive critical reception and was listed among the Washington Post's top science fiction and fantasy selections for October 2015. Cory Doctorow commended the novel on Boing Boing, emphasizing its effective mix of humor and emotional depth along with the expanded richness it brought to the Night Vale universe.

On the other hand, The A.V. Club assigned a C+ grade to the book, criticizing its heavy dependence on references from the podcast that they felt hindered narrative momentum. Nevertheless, they acknowledged improvement in the latter chapters, describing them as "a wonderfully creepy tale" that demonstrated the authors’ storytelling abilities when less restricted by callbacks to the podcast.