If you’re not already familiar with Welcome to Night Vale, don’t worry, you’re at the start of a weird and wonderful journey that will take you through the banal and ordinary into the weird, wacky and sometimes horrific world of Night Vale.

Welcome to Night Vale is a public radio station of a small desert town with a multitude of odd people, places and occurrences. These strange happenings are read to out by the soothing voice of Cecil, with the help of the occasional intern.

A taste of the weirdness:

Places:

The Dog Park – “Citizens are not even supposed to be consciously aware of the dog park, so they could not possibly be receiving a menacing and unearthly voice instructing listeners to bring precious metals and toddlers to the dog park! DOG PARK, that could NEVER, EVER BE REAL”
Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area – “standing as vacant and useless as the day they were built”
Hole in the Vacant Lot Out Back of the Ralphs – “huddle with Us”

Happenings:

The Glow Cloud – “Grovel, Mortals. Put your tongues to the soil and beg for your worthless lives!”
Street Cleaning Day – “RUN. FORGET YOUR CHILDREN AND LEAVE BEHIND THE WEAK. RUN”
The Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures – The parade is the only event held at Night Vale Stadium, which is a vast, dark, echoing space for the other meaningless 364 days of the year.

People:

Carlos the Scientist has a voice like caramel with oaky tones, dark and delicate skin, black hair with a dignified, if premature, touch of gray at his temples.
Hiram McDaniels is a blogger, a former fugitive charged with insurance fraud. He is also literally a five-headed dragon.
John Peters (you know, the farmer) – His specialty crop is imaginary corn

“Tired of your home? Sick of comfort? Come to the hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralph’s and huddle with Us. Who are we? Good question. Come to the hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralph’s and huddle with Us. Why do we want you to come? Why did we spend money for this airtime? We understand you are confused. But—hole, vacant lot, Ralph’s, huddle, Us. For the low-low price act today. Or tomorrow. Not Wednesday. Wednesday is no good for Us. Anyway, we’re almost out of airtime, so just come on down to the hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralph’s and huddle with Us. Or else.”

Sixteen episodes in and I love it. It’s the best way to get a small dose of surrealism at the end of the day.