loved the extra info but nightvale is mean to be heard and not read and thusly, every episode felt lacking

good thing I've theard the first 60 episodes more than 3 timest though, otherwise I might never have loved this podcast so deeply ( )

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Title: Mostly Void, Partially Stars
Author: Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Synopsis:
A friendly desert community, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and the mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.
Welcome to Night Vale.
In June 2012, the creators of Welcome to Night Vale began airing twice-monthly podcasts about a fictional town in the American Southwest where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of day-to-day life. Mostly Void, Partially Stars contains the first year of episodes from the podcast that would become a worldwide sensation.
Offering both an entertaining reading experience as well as a valuable reference guide to past episodes, Mostly Void, Partially Stars features a foreword by Cory Doctorow, an introduction by creator and co-writer Joseph Fink, behind-the-scenes commentary and guest introductions by both authors as well as podcast performers and collaborators including Cecil Baldwin (Cecil), Dylan Marron (Carlos), and Kevin R. Free (Kevin), among others. Also here is the full script from the first Welcome to Night Vale live show, “Condos.” Beautiful illustrations by series artist Jessica Hayworth accompany each episode.
Mostly Void, Partially Stars is an absolute must-have whether you’re a fan of the podcast or discovering for the first time the wonderful world of Night Vale.
Don’t miss The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe, featuring the second year of episodes from the Welcome to Night Vale podcast!

Initial thoughts:
Before the book was released, I was (and am still) a huge Welcome to Night Vale fan. The podcast on itunes was so creepy and wonderfully weird that when the book that transcribed all of the episodes together, I had to get it. I also got the second volume of the book when it was released and found myself once more drawn into episodes I had experienced before, but in a new and inviting way.

Plot:
What I liked:
I loved how there was added information that had been cut out or had been somewhat difficult to hear at times. I also found that certain things were less distracting when reading the book than when it is spoken (however I do recommend listening to it simply for Cecil). The illustrations, though sparsely put within the book, were fantastic and well constructed and the information about each episode was refreshing to get a look and see why the writers did what they did.

What I didn't like:
To be honest, there isn’t much I have to say negatively about this book. The story is scattered much like how a radio show would, but I find it endearing. I loved how the readers get to see how things change in Night Vale from one episode to the next and it all translated well into the book format.

Characters:
Cecil Palmer: He is the host of the show and I seriously love him. He goes through the show explaining what is happening in Night Vale, like what you should avoid and what new thing has suddenly popped up.
Kevin: The radio personality for the Desert Bluffs (the rival town) radio station. I have mixed feelings about Kevin, but I recommend listening to the podcast for his story.
Carlos the Scientist: I love this guy and his perfect hair! He is in charge of doing research on the abnormalities of Night Vale and will tell the residence of what is happening.

Characters that show the show’s abnormalities:
Khoskekh: Khoshekh is a floating cat in the men’s bathroom at the radio station.
Hiram McDaniels: A five headed dragon. So what?
The Glow Cloud (All Hail): A glow cloud who is school board president.
Hooded Figures: You will probably find them by the dog park, which doesn’t exist so you should forget about it.
And many many others (don’t get too attached to anyone. Someone who is there one day might disappear the next).

Overall:
To be honest, I believe that I actually enjoyed the script of this book more so than the actual podcast. It was a lot easier for me to take everything in as I read the book rather than listened to it. I did read this book along with listening to the podcast at the same time and I found that an enjoyable experience as well. Welcome to Night Vale is one of those stories that I recommend to those who enjoy the weird and the absurd. Fans of Gravity Falls, I believe, would really enjoy this series of podcasts and coupled transcribed books. ( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3632467.html

The scripts of the first 25 episodes of Welcome to Night Vale, the cult podcast's first year, with also the first stage show. The printed page is of course no substitute for the mellow tones of Cecil Baldwin delivering the words directly to our ears, but has the minor advantages that you can savour the text at your leisure and not worry about losing the next line due to laughing too much. Each episode is topped by a note from one of the creators, usually Fink or Craynor but with contributions from others as well. Really, it speaks for itself, and rathe than write more I'm just going to reproduce some of my own favourite lines, starting with the moment in episode 1 when we first realise that this is going to be seriously weird:

[start]

The City Council announces the opening of a new Dog Park at the corner of Earl and Somerset, near the Ralphs. They would like to remind everyone that dogs are not allowed in the Dog Park. People are not allowed in the Dog Park. It is possible you will see Hooded Figures in the Dog Park. Do not approach them. Do not approach the Dog Park. The fence is electrified and highly dangerous. Try not to look at the Dog Park, and especially do not look for any period of time at the Hooded Figures. The Dog Park will not harm you.

[end]

Followed soon after, in the same episode, by:

[start]

And now a brief public service announcement.
Alligators: can they kill your children?
Yes.

[end]

More pithily, from episode 3:

[start]

Monday would like you to leave it alone. It’s not its fault that you are emotionally unprepared for your professional lives.

[end]

Skipping ahead to episode 24:

[start]

Here’s a public service message to all the children in our audience:
Children, the night sky may seem like a scary thing sometimes. And it is. It’s a very scary thing.
Look at the stars, twinkling silently. They are so far away that none of us will ever get to even the closest one. They are dead-eyed sigils of our own failures against distance and mortality. And behind them, just the void. That nothingness that is everything, that everything that is nothing.
Even the blinking light of an airplane streaking across it does not seem to assuage the tiniest bit of its blackness – like throwing a single stray ember into the depths of a vast arctic ocean.
And what if the void is not as void as we thought? What could be coming towards us out of the distance? Insentient asteroid with a chance trajectory? Sentient beings with a malicious trajectory? What good could come of this? What good, children, could come of any of this?
Fear the night sky, children, and sleep tight in your beds, and the inadequate shelters of blankets and parental love.
Sleep sound, children.
This has been our Children's Fun Fact Science Corner.

[end] ( )

Mostly Void, Partially Stars is a collection of the first year's worth of scripts (and the script of the first live show Condos) from the podcast Welcome to Night Vale written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. In addition to the scripts, Mostly Void, Partially Stars contains introductions to every episode featuring behind the scenes tidbits such as the inspiration for the episode or how it was put together. In Mostly Void, Partially Stars, readers are introduced to the town of Night Vale and Cecil Palmer, the host of the local community radio station's news show. As the story begins, a new scientist, named Carlos, arrives into town, sparking interest from Cecil. Coinciding with this event is the discovery of a civilization underneath one of the lanes in the bowling alley. As the year goes on, these plot threads will collide in a major way. This review will be in two parts; the first reviewing the book itself, the second reviewing the content of the scripts and the first year of the podcast as a whole.

Firstly, the book itself is wonderfully put together. From the moment the forward, written by Cory Doctorow, begins the time and energy put into making sure this book was more than just a collection of scripts is apparent. Doctorow's forward is insightful and funny, as is the introduction that follows (written by Joseph Fink). Throughout the book are illustrations by Jessica Hayworth that accompany each episode. The illustrations are never too revealing; by that I mean she leaves much to the imagination - as is the M.O. of the podcast - while still offering some fun visual insights to the world of the podcast.

The introductions, written by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, and various members of the cast, are similarly insightful while not being too revealing. They're interesting little peaks behind the curtain, but never do they wander into the realm of explaining too much. It's all vague and filled with the trademark humor of the podcast, but also does give the reader an insight into their process and the inspiration behind the episodes. They strike a good balance between offering a behind the scenes look and withholding some of the mystery the series contains.

As for the content of the scripts themselves, the first year (henceforth referred to as the first season) of Welcome to Night Vale is simply fantastic. Moreso in this season than in subsequent seasons, the show really presents itself as a modern day Twilight Zone mixed with The X-Files and H.P. Lovecraft-style monsters. This first season focuses more on world-building and character development than it does on any kind of overarching plot. That's not to say there isn't an overarching plot; there is - the civilization underneath the bowling alley ends up being the main thread that ties the season together - but it's not the main goal of the season. The main goal is to get the audience acquainted with Cecil and the other periphery characters and the town of Night Vale itself. In this, Mostly Void, Partially Stars succeeds brilliantly.

The whole first season of the podcast is an example of a smart idea executed with intelligence and artistry. It takes a few episodes to really get into the series, but once you're into it, its grip on you never weakens. The brilliance of the show is how it gets you to care about all these characters who are experiencing these outlandish horrors (like a Glow Cloud that drops dead animals, or a deadly Valentine's Day, or a Man in a Tan Jacket that nobody can remember) that we as an audience really can't relate to. Most of us will never face a Glow Cloud that can control our thoughts and requests our worship. But the characters themselves are so human, and their reactions to these horrors encapsulate humanity so well that we are able to empathize with them and relate to them despite our inexperience with their struggles.

Another strong part of this first season is how it (inadvertently, at times) lays out plot threads that are still being picked up nearly five years later. So much of what later seasons have focused on were introduced in this first season, oftentimes by a throwaway line. The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home becomes a major player in subsequent seasons, as does literal five-headed dragon Hiram McDaniels. The Old Oak Door that John Peters, you know, the farmer, finds becomes important. As does Earl Harlan (scoutmaster for the Night Vale Boy Scouts). Diane Crayton and the Man in the Tan Jacket even get a whole novel written about them down the line. There are so many elements that are introduced in this season that prove to be important later on that it's hard to believe that Fink and Cranor didn't have this planned. But, as they've said before, if they had actually planned this, it would never have worked as well as it did.

Night Vale really was a stroke of luck on their part. The right writers came together at the right time with the right actors and the right technology and an audience ready for something different (that is representative of people now - including many LGBT characters, disabled characters, and an array of other diverse characters and situations) and created what is truly a work of art. It's a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm of coincidence, and Night Vale encapsulates that. So much of life is random happenstance, and in Night Vale that random happenstance can also be deadly.

Mostly Void, Partially Stars is everything that makes Night Vale what it is. It's full of creepy, clever, funny, and moving scripts. The illustrations and commentary littered throughout the book are insightful, and it's a collection of intelligently written art that serves as a fantastic companion to the podcast. It's perfect for both new fans and old fans as everyone will be able to get something out of it. ( )

I wasn't entirely certain what I was getting into when I picked up this book from the library. I simply saw Welcome to Night Vale on the cover and thought to myself "Oh, I like that podcast" and grabbed it. When I saw it was a collection of the podcasts episodes I wondered just how well the audio format might translate to writing, and exactly what behind the scenes info could possibly be used to introduce each episode that would truly be of interest. As my rating likely shows - the behind the scenes info was indeed interesting, and the podcast transcripts made for very fun reading.

It was interesting to read how few instructions there were for Cecil throughout the first 25 episodes of the show and to see how the stories evolved. So much was there from episode 1, unintentionally, and later added on to. It is very obvious just how much of Night Vale was whimsy turned substance, and you can almost feel the surprise of the writers as the show continuously evolved into something more and more as the months and years went by.

I don't listen to the podcast religiously, but man I would love to read more of the books. ( )