It's hard to rate this book. Do I rate it as the first part of the Night Vale podcast? Do I rate it as a book? As a script? As an unfinished narrative? Do I factor in my nostalgia and all of my personal baggage with the show?

Ultimately, I am rating this book using two criteria: First, I am treating this as a stand-alone book, with only a cursory glance to the future. Second, I have to give props to the amazing Cecil Baldwin for his performance as Cecil. This is not a story to be read, so make sure you listen along as you read this.

Jumping all the way back to Year One with a more critical eye was both a good and bad thing. It was nice to return to the most basic year of Night Vale without any of the baggage that new episodes have (There is almost too much emphasis on guest characters now, if you ask me). I love how early some characters are dropped into the universe. Doug, who recently had a major development in the show, is mentioned in the first or second episode. Intern Dana is around much earlier than I remembered her being. Small memories like that will be a treat to remember for longtime listeners.

This nostalgia can also work against the book and show, however. I never really liked what they did with The Man in the Tan Jacket, and these early episodes really lay his potential on strong. I forgot how much presence he can command, and personally I found his story never got better than his introduction.

A nice bonus are the reflections of writing the show that the team (mostly Joseph and Jeffery) wrote before the episodes. I would have appreciated even more here, but as small snippets into their writing process, I loved them.

As I mentioned before, this is first and foremost a radio play. Listen to it no matter what you do. You'll be glad you did.