Spooky podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ is coming to a bookstore near you
Book-to-movie adaptations are shattering box office records on the reg, but how’s this for something different: A podcast-to-book adaptation is sitting pretty at #2 on Amazon’s Book Best Seller list… and it doesn’t even come out until October. This is less surprising when you consider that the podcast in question is Welcome to Night Vale, the wildly popular heir to The Twilight Zone, Goosebumps, and other spooky story series.
Been on Tumblr over the past couple of years? Then you’ll know what WTNV, as its legions of fans call it, is about, but for those who don’t know, the podcast is presented as a radio show in the eerie desert community of Night Vale. Narrated by Night Vale’s Ira Glass, Cecil Palmer, the show is notable both for recurring characters and segments like Today’s Weather (music spotlights), and Cecil’s obsessive crush and later relationship with dreamy scientist Carlos.
While the show is centered on Cecil and Carlos, an upcoming book by creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor will explore some of the other characters in Night Vale. And yes, despite the fact that the book isn’t coming out until October 20, it’s already in Amazon’s Top 5, prompting Fink to tweet: “Night Vale novel is at #5 in all of Amazon books. What the f***.”
Started by Fink and Cranor in 2012, the series has well outgrown its humble beginnings. The show’s creators and voice actors are now regularly touring and performing live Night Vale shows, and celeb fans like Mara Wilson and Wil Wheaton have guested on episodes. Podcasts still aren’t quite as popular as TV shows or movies, but if standouts likeWTNV and Serial are any indication, they’re well on their way to getting there.
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