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Welcome to Night Vale Episodes #2
The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe
SIGNED BY THE AUTHORS. From the creators of the #1 international podcast Welcome to Night Vale and the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season Two of their hit podcast, featuring a foreword by the authors, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations In June of 2012, the creators of Welcome to Night Vale began airing twice-weekly podcasts, hoping to be heard by anyone outside their close circles. By the anniversary show a year later, the fanbase had exploded, vaulting the podcast into the #1 spot on iTunes. Since then, its popularity has grown by epic proportions, hitting more than 100 million downloads, and Night Vale has expanded to a successful live multi-cast international touring stage show and a New York Times bestselling novel. Now the first two seasons are available as books, offering a valuable reference guide to past episodes. The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe features a foreword by creator and writer Joseph Fink and co-writer Jeffrey Cranor, behind-the-scenes commentary and guest introductions by performers from the podcast and notable fans, including Cecil Baldwin (Cecil), Mara Wilson (The Faceless Old Woman), Hal Lublin (Steve Carlsberg) among others. Also included is the full script from the Welcome to Night Vale live show, "The Debate." Beautiful illustrations by series artist Jessica Hayworth accompany each episode. The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe is both an entertaining standalone reading experience and an absolute must-have for any fan of the podcast.
Paperback
First published September 6, 2016
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About the author
Joseph Fink
23 books2,565 followersJoseph Fink is the creator of the Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead podcasts, and the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Welcome to Night Vale, It Devours!, and The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home (all written with Jeffrey Cranor) and Alice Isn’t Dead. He is also the author of the children’s novel, The Halloween Moon. He and his wife, Meg Bashwiner have written the memoir, The First Ten Years. They live together in the Hudson River Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
August 7, 2018
Life is like a box of chocolates: unopened, dusty, and beginning to attract a lot of insects.
Welcome to Night Vale.
I think I enjoyed this collection more than the last one, though I'm not sure if it's that the writing is more polished, or if the stories are just more to my taste. I really enjoyed the segments about the mayoral race between The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, and Hiram McDaniels, who is literally a five-headed dragon. This book also includes two of my favorite bits EVER. (No surprise - they both concern libraries.):
The Night Vale Public Library will be expanding into a second branch, The Night Vale Private Library. This library will be right next door to the current location, and will be available only to one person, local billionaire Marcus Vanston. It will contain thousands of books on any given subject, an interactive children's area shaped like a pirate's ship, and a biography section featuring not just biographies of Helen Hunt, but also biographies of Sean Penn. Plans include floor-to-ceiling windows facing the public library, which Marcus, the only person who will ever be allowed inside, says he will use to stroll nude through his library, staring ordinary citizens in the eyes as he does not read or make any use of the towers of books around him. Marcus continued: "Maybe I will pick up a book and open it as though I were going to read it, but then reveal to those watching that I am holding it upside down before laughing and throwing the book away. I'm not sure. I haven't planned out every moment. I will definitely be nude though."
And, the Night Vale Public Library's Summer Reading Program which is predictably a bit . . . unpredictable, starting with the enticing posters that advertise - Get into a good book this summer and You are going to get inside this book and we are going to close it on you and there is nothing you can do about it. Before long, over a hundred children are feared to be in the public library, and possibly learning. Imagine the relief when the kids emerge wild-eyed, feral and caked in effluvia from the library, led by twelve-year-old Tamika Flynn who is clutching the severed head of a librarian. No one knows what really went on inside, but I'm guessing the kids rebelled when they learned the "prizes" for completing their reading lists were only crappy used Happy Meal toys, and not the large stuffed animals they had been expecting.
That's what happened at our library this summer, anyway. I was lucky to escape with my head (and most of my digits.)
Stay tuned next for a keening howl, a scratch at the door, a hood falling suddenly over your face, and a delicious roasted squash recipe your family will just love.
Good night, Night Vale. Good night.
Welcome to Night Vale.
I think I enjoyed this collection more than the last one, though I'm not sure if it's that the writing is more polished, or if the stories are just more to my taste. I really enjoyed the segments about the mayoral race between The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, and Hiram McDaniels, who is literally a five-headed dragon. This book also includes two of my favorite bits EVER. (No surprise - they both concern libraries.):
The Night Vale Public Library will be expanding into a second branch, The Night Vale Private Library. This library will be right next door to the current location, and will be available only to one person, local billionaire Marcus Vanston. It will contain thousands of books on any given subject, an interactive children's area shaped like a pirate's ship, and a biography section featuring not just biographies of Helen Hunt, but also biographies of Sean Penn. Plans include floor-to-ceiling windows facing the public library, which Marcus, the only person who will ever be allowed inside, says he will use to stroll nude through his library, staring ordinary citizens in the eyes as he does not read or make any use of the towers of books around him. Marcus continued: "Maybe I will pick up a book and open it as though I were going to read it, but then reveal to those watching that I am holding it upside down before laughing and throwing the book away. I'm not sure. I haven't planned out every moment. I will definitely be nude though."
And, the Night Vale Public Library's Summer Reading Program which is predictably a bit . . . unpredictable, starting with the enticing posters that advertise - Get into a good book this summer and You are going to get inside this book and we are going to close it on you and there is nothing you can do about it. Before long, over a hundred children are feared to be in the public library, and possibly learning. Imagine the relief when the kids emerge wild-eyed, feral and caked in effluvia from the library, led by twelve-year-old Tamika Flynn who is clutching the severed head of a librarian. No one knows what really went on inside, but I'm guessing the kids rebelled when they learned the "prizes" for completing their reading lists were only crappy used Happy Meal toys, and not the large stuffed animals they had been expecting.
That's what happened at our library this summer, anyway. I was lucky to escape with my head (and most of my digits.)
Stay tuned next for a keening howl, a scratch at the door, a hood falling suddenly over your face, and a delicious roasted squash recipe your family will just love.
Good night, Night Vale. Good night.
September 18, 2016
This was just as fun as the first one.
The commentary chapters before the episode give a fun insight to what was happening at the time it aired. I loved that the various writers and cast members got to contribute.
For me, WTNV will always be best when listening to Cecil's voice, but these were a unique and different way to view the story.
**Huge thanks to Harper Perennial for sending me the arcs**
The commentary chapters before the episode give a fun insight to what was happening at the time it aired. I loved that the various writers and cast members got to contribute.
For me, WTNV will always be best when listening to Cecil's voice, but these were a unique and different way to view the story.
**Huge thanks to Harper Perennial for sending me the arcs**
February 7, 2017
I like season 1, but I love when they start doing big story arcs in season 2.
Tamika Flynn= life goals
Tamika Flynn= life goals
November 30, 2024
So Brad Pitt goes "How's that working out for you? Being clever?" and Edward Norton goes "Great" and Brad Pitt goes "Keep it up then."
4 stars. Where the clever meets the creepy: that's Night Vale, baby!
4 stars. Where the clever meets the creepy: that's Night Vale, baby!
November 10, 2017
This book is just a physical copy of Night Vale, which means it's everything I love about Welcome to Night Vale without some of the existential dread.
September 15, 2016
Any fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast should read these books. The secret origins of the show are finally made public and all the brilliant scripts that start from the beginning all the way up to the Strexcorp saga. Even if you're not a fan, this is one of the better ways to get caught up quickly. However I still HIGHLY recommend listening to to podcast, which is getting close to 100 episodes! Worth the time! Only the first two seasons are covered in this book, but I'm sure the rest will be released soon.
October 6, 2021
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3778229.html
The scripts of the second year of Welcome to Night Vale, in which there is a sort of narrative arc of the mayoral election contest between The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home and Hiram McDaniels, the five-headed dragon; also the burgeoning romance between Cecil and Carlos; the conflicts with Desert Bluffs and with Strexcorp; and the heroism of Intern Dana and teenage Tamika Flynn. But of course the overall structure matters less than the individual paragraphs:
"The Museum of Forbidden Technologies is proud to announce their new special exhibit: "A Startling and Highly Forbidden Piece of Technology Brought to Us by Time Travelers... or Ancient Long-Dead Aliens... or Russians... or Whatever."
The technology will be kept in a locked vault, which itself will be wrapped in thick black bandages, with a hand-written sign taped to one side saying only:
Nope!
Your ticket includes a free audio guide, which will play a single piercing tone, designed to considerately remove you from the world of thought, and sound, and sentience.
The Museum of Forbidden Technologies. Bring your kids! Otherwise, something even worse might happen to them."
and
"Look, I know deer are cute and friendly-looking. We all remember adorable little Bambi, from the classic animated movie, with his sweet voice and white freckled rump. But we also remember the bloody end that he wrought on the humans at the end of the film, the graphic beheadings, and trees streaked with gore during the famous revenge-fueled climax.
The lesson of that movie, as in life itself, is that nature is gorgeous, and it is horrible, and it will kill you.
This has been the Children's Fun Fact Science Corner."
and
"Listeners, we here at Night Vale Community Radio need to offer the following correction:
In a previous broadcast, we described the world as "real."
We indicated, using our voice, that it was made up of many real objects and entities, and we gave descriptions of these disparate parts. We even went so far as to ascribe action and agency to some of these entities.
But, as we all know, nothing can be fully understood to be "real." Any description of the world we give is simply the world we experience – which is to say, a narrative we force onto whatever horror or void lies behind the scrim of our perception.
We at the station offer our deepest, most humble apologies for the previous, erroneous, report. We affirm once again that nothing is real – including this correction, and least of all, your experience of hearing it.
This has been Corrections."
Nothing quite beats the original deadpan audio delivery, but it is great to have the script for the bits you might not have heard because you were laughing too hard.
The scripts of the second year of Welcome to Night Vale, in which there is a sort of narrative arc of the mayoral election contest between The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home and Hiram McDaniels, the five-headed dragon; also the burgeoning romance between Cecil and Carlos; the conflicts with Desert Bluffs and with Strexcorp; and the heroism of Intern Dana and teenage Tamika Flynn. But of course the overall structure matters less than the individual paragraphs:
"The Museum of Forbidden Technologies is proud to announce their new special exhibit: "A Startling and Highly Forbidden Piece of Technology Brought to Us by Time Travelers... or Ancient Long-Dead Aliens... or Russians... or Whatever."
The technology will be kept in a locked vault, which itself will be wrapped in thick black bandages, with a hand-written sign taped to one side saying only:
Nope!
Your ticket includes a free audio guide, which will play a single piercing tone, designed to considerately remove you from the world of thought, and sound, and sentience.
The Museum of Forbidden Technologies. Bring your kids! Otherwise, something even worse might happen to them."
and
"Look, I know deer are cute and friendly-looking. We all remember adorable little Bambi, from the classic animated movie, with his sweet voice and white freckled rump. But we also remember the bloody end that he wrought on the humans at the end of the film, the graphic beheadings, and trees streaked with gore during the famous revenge-fueled climax.
The lesson of that movie, as in life itself, is that nature is gorgeous, and it is horrible, and it will kill you.
This has been the Children's Fun Fact Science Corner."
and
"Listeners, we here at Night Vale Community Radio need to offer the following correction:
In a previous broadcast, we described the world as "real."
We indicated, using our voice, that it was made up of many real objects and entities, and we gave descriptions of these disparate parts. We even went so far as to ascribe action and agency to some of these entities.
But, as we all know, nothing can be fully understood to be "real." Any description of the world we give is simply the world we experience – which is to say, a narrative we force onto whatever horror or void lies behind the scrim of our perception.
We at the station offer our deepest, most humble apologies for the previous, erroneous, report. We affirm once again that nothing is real – including this correction, and least of all, your experience of hearing it.
This has been Corrections."
Nothing quite beats the original deadpan audio delivery, but it is great to have the script for the bits you might not have heard because you were laughing too hard.
July 30, 2023
PROVERB: Your body is a temple. A temple of blood rituals and pagan tributes, a lost temple, a temple that needs more calcium. You should maybe try vitamin supplements.
Imagine me writing this review. No, that's not quite right. I'm not sitting in my house, try again. No, that's wrong too. I'm actually in Juls' walls. Yes, that's way better. You are probably wondering why I am there, right? You see, dear listener, they forgot to tell me how this one ends. Oh yes, you are right. I'm so gonna kill them.
This review was sponsored by my anger that two gays can't make rational decisions and just be happy together
Imagine me writing this review. No, that's not quite right. I'm not sitting in my house, try again. No, that's wrong too. I'm actually in Juls' walls. Yes, that's way better. You are probably wondering why I am there, right? You see, dear listener, they forgot to tell me how this one ends. Oh yes, you are right. I'm so gonna kill them.
This review was sponsored by my anger that two gays can't make rational decisions and just be happy together
December 24, 2024
4.5
“It is the unraveling of all things. The great glowing coils of the universe unwinding.”
“It is the unraveling of all things. The great glowing coils of the universe unwinding.”
August 18, 2025
Aw man… Carlos is trapped in the desert otherworld :(
January 12, 2020
Again, if you are for some reason choosing to read these books instead of listening to the podcast I cannot convey how much of a mistake that is. These are interesting enough and technically present all the same information, but it is nowhere near as gripping in book form and you definitely lose a lot without Cecil's voice. I still find the illustrations to be entirely underwhelming but the introductions to each episode written by various cast and crew are interesting little tidbits if you're into that kind of thing. Really just something semi-interesting to skim through and definitely wouldn't purchase it, but decent enough for what it is.
August 2, 2017
"We must be the heroes we look for in others. We must no longer speak in code, but in action."
This one was just as good as the first, and I enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time around. Night Vale is one of those stories that suffer from 'just one more' syndrome, and can have you still up and reading at four in the morning, wondering just what these guys are doing to make this series so addictive.
This was the arc that got me hooked on the whole series, and it doesn't disappoint in text form. It's powerful, inspirational, hilarious, creepy and has secured itself as one of my favourites.
I have to give them credit also for making the Cassettes the most terrifying thing I have read, no matter how many times I try to figure it out. Congratulations.
This one was just as good as the first, and I enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time around. Night Vale is one of those stories that suffer from 'just one more' syndrome, and can have you still up and reading at four in the morning, wondering just what these guys are doing to make this series so addictive.
This was the arc that got me hooked on the whole series, and it doesn't disappoint in text form. It's powerful, inspirational, hilarious, creepy and has secured itself as one of my favourites.
I have to give them credit also for making the Cassettes the most terrifying thing I have read, no matter how many times I try to figure it out. Congratulations.
November 25, 2021
I'm totally fine. No, really. I only listened to 25 episodes of this podcast in the span of 12 hours. This is all fine.
---
Third time reading this. It's still good by the way. But "revoluting against evil government for less evil government" storyline just hit way too harder when you're knee deep in your country's own revolution. Rise up, people. Rise up!
---
Third time reading this. It's still good by the way. But "revoluting against evil government for less evil government" storyline just hit way too harder when you're knee deep in your country's own revolution. Rise up, people. Rise up!
October 8, 2016
I hope the other volumes get released...it's so much easier to read these than to listen to them. I don't know why that is...maybe my mind wanders? Maybe I feel like it's less time consuming to read than listen? All I know for sure is that my fear of spiders is justified in NIGHT VALE.
January 9, 2026
Definitely the best overall year of Night Vale.
April 20, 2020
What a brilliant book! <3 Great Glowing Coils is the collection of season 2's scripts from Welcome to Night Vale. This season tackles long building plots of StrexCorp and the House that Doesn't Really Exist and Dana being in a parallel dimension and the Mayoral Race. While Cecil's voice certainly brings a different life to the stories, they are strong enough to live on their own. Before every story is a "Making of" commentary from Joseph or Jeffery or one of the guest voices and how they developed their character. It was fun to see how one-off plots developed into longer arcs. And the origins of Megan...the little girl that was only a grown man's hand was so heartbreaking! I'm a bit bummed the original writer didn't get to finish her arc knowing his very personal ties he put into her creation...but I'm satisfied and sad with her development.
What a strange world they've created! But it's fun to revisit these earlier plots knowing where they've taken the stories now.
What a strange world they've created! But it's fun to revisit these earlier plots knowing where they've taken the stories now.
March 10, 2018
Night vale es una de esas cosas que llego a mi vida por casualidad y realmente no quiero ni imaginar lo vacía que se sentiría mi vida sin ese pedacito de locura e incongruencia y misterio que Night Vale y solo Night Vale puede llenar. Los episodios transcritos en este libro ya los había escuchado, algunos, innumerables veces, pero hay algo mágico en poder escuchar las voces de todos, los tiempos y las entonaciones en mi mente mientras leo sus palabras y encuentro aquellas joyas escondidas de pensamientos verdaderamente interesantes y no solo bizarros entre todo el tesoro que de por sí ya es este libro. Cierro la última página, el libro está lleno de post its con anotaciones de todas las frases que me encantaron y mi rostro, mi rostro brilla con una sonrisa que incluso sorprendería al dios sonriente.
March 1, 2022
ugh i love this series a little too much. jospeh and jeffery are fucking amazing, and the actors, oh my god, their voices for the characters, i could hear them in my ear. yes, i have a little mini cecil baldwin and a dylan marron living in my ear before you ask. they live in there and make me cry with their love and everything about them. listen to night vale podcast now. its gay, funny, has some horror. i love it and the episode collections are amazing as well
March 20, 2022
THE SEASON FINALE OF THIS
I am so glad that they decided to go more towards a consistent story throughout the year, it really benefits the listening/reading experience.
I am so emotionally attached to every character in this and I will never get over how comforting this podcast is to me. It's the acceptance of the weird and unknown, it helps my anxiety so much.
I am so glad that they decided to go more towards a consistent story throughout the year, it really benefits the listening/reading experience.
I am so emotionally attached to every character in this and I will never get over how comforting this podcast is to me. It's the acceptance of the weird and unknown, it helps my anxiety so much.
March 29, 2023
As someone who also used to work in community radio, I can confirm that Welcome to Nightvale eerily captures the reality of community radio - floating cats in the washrooms, shadowy government organizations, and realities distinct and yet similar to our own. 10/10 for realism!
July 22, 2021
can't find words to express how much i love this world.
December 14, 2023
'Tis the season to mark my current re-listen of one of my favourite podcasts as books read this year.
January 10, 2024
God, I love this weird little podcast
October 31, 2024
OURS IS NOT A SMILING GOD
BOOK CLUB, BOOKS AS CLUBS
WE ARE FOUND
BOOK CLUB, BOOKS AS CLUBS
WE ARE FOUND
July 27, 2020
It's really nice to go back and re-experience the early years of Night Vale this way. The illustrations are great, and the behind the scenes bits that introduce each chapter are interesting.
September 10, 2018
i love welcome to night vale. i love these characters.
Read
March 8, 2017It was great to refresh my memories on these episodes, as I was less familiar with these ones than the year one episodes (those are somewhat calmer, so I often listen to them to help me fall asleep).
I even discovered that I've never listened ep. 39... it was a bit embarrassing. xD I'm hopelessly behind right now, so when the next volumes will be published, I'll have a lot to catch up with.
As always, Jessica Hayworth's illustrations are amazing and spooky.
I even discovered that I've never listened ep. 39... it was a bit embarrassing. xD I'm hopelessly behind right now, so when the next volumes will be published, I'll have a lot to catch up with.
As always, Jessica Hayworth's illustrations are amazing and spooky.
October 13, 2017
This is just a script of the podcast, which I am obsessed with from time to time.
November 6, 2021
These collection books are fine. The high ratings are because I'm listening to the podcast episodes simultaneously and really enjoying them.
December 29, 2025
I often joke that Night Vale is my second home and you know what, I actually am pretty serious about this. I visit it every year, I keep updated with the residents comings and goings, I won't shut up about it, I get homesick for it and no matter the changing uncertainties of life, listening to Cecil wish us good night always makes me feel like I am returning home. I found my way there as a confused, enthralled teenager and I never wanted to leave. Whenever I'm in that Weird little desert town than never sleeps, I never age. I am eternally filled with wonder and fear and it's the best emotion I have ever felt. Heck, no other podcast has come close to replicating these emotions.
The novel isn't exactly groundbreaking. It's just a compilation of scripts from season 2 of the podcast but I enjoyed it very much because this was a book for the fans. As a fan, I am thrilled that we get a chance to see commentary from the marvelous creators and actors. The drawings by Jessica Hayworth are just as haunting and surreal as I hoped they would be. Reading comments from my favourite authors and characters really showed how much effort has been put into each episode. It cemented in me how much I loved this podcast and how much other people have loved it as well, so much that this book was born and held to high acclaim.
Definitely a good read if you're a die hard Night Vale fan. Season 2 doesn't contain all of my favourite podcasts (I'd argue that Season 1 is top tier) but hey, if you like season 2, there's no harm in getting this!
I don't know if the podcast will ever come to an end but you bet your bloodstone circle I'll be there when it does, watching it with bated breath. Aʟʟ ʜᴀɪʟ. Aʟʟ ʜᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛʏ ɢʟᴏᴡ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅ.
The novel isn't exactly groundbreaking. It's just a compilation of scripts from season 2 of the podcast but I enjoyed it very much because this was a book for the fans. As a fan, I am thrilled that we get a chance to see commentary from the marvelous creators and actors. The drawings by Jessica Hayworth are just as haunting and surreal as I hoped they would be. Reading comments from my favourite authors and characters really showed how much effort has been put into each episode. It cemented in me how much I loved this podcast and how much other people have loved it as well, so much that this book was born and held to high acclaim.
Definitely a good read if you're a die hard Night Vale fan. Season 2 doesn't contain all of my favourite podcasts (I'd argue that Season 1 is top tier) but hey, if you like season 2, there's no harm in getting this!
I don't know if the podcast will ever come to an end but you bet your bloodstone circle I'll be there when it does, watching it with bated breath. Aʟʟ ʜᴀɪʟ. Aʟʟ ʜᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛʏ ɢʟᴏᴡ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅ.
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