The creators of the popular and surreal podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, now have written a novel of the same name. Full of contradictions and tangents, don’t go into the dog park, the prose has the same quality as the podcast and I found myself reading in Cecil’s voice.

Speaking of Cecil, you’ll be happy to know Night Vale Community Radio has its place in the book, with Jackie and Diane’s story interspersed with broadcasts from our favourite presenter. Did he mention Carlos is his boyfriend? You won't get much additional information about him, or the history of Night Vale, but there's plenty of familiar references.

With the podcast, they don’t really need to worry about plot and they are short enough to hold your attention with the weirdness. If you were picking up the book without being a fan of the podcast, you might feel you are waiting a bit too long for the main story arc to pick up. I found myself getting Diane and Jackie mixed up in the early parts as their characters aren’t that distinct.

The plot is really just there to hang off the wonderful weirdness of Night Vale and some quite poignant passages. I enjoyed the non-sequiturs myself, but I’d probably suggest trying the podcast first, then the book if it’s your kind of thing.

Review copy provided by publisher.