“In other news, a recent report suggests that things may not be as they seem.”

Welcome To Night Vale is a podcast that takes place in Night Vale, a fictional town located in the American desert. The main character, Cecil Palmer, who is voiced by Cecil Gershwin Palmer, is the host of the podcast. This town is not like any other town: it has dragons, hooded figures, a glowing cloud, and many other wacky (and deadly) features.

That’s why I love it.  It’s a cross between Stranger Things and Supernatural. It has the mysteriousness of Stranger Things and the creepiness and comedy from Supernatural.  The first episode throws you right inside the town, listening to Cecil Palmer talking about the new dog park. Cecil warns the citizens of the town to avoid the dog park and that no dogs or people are allowed in the park, with a special warning not to look at the hooded figures.

The episodes are usually 25 minutes long and has come out twice a month since June 15th, 2012. You can listen on any device using Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, RadioPublic, and RSS. All you would have to do is download or subscribe to the podcast on one of these resources.

There are many episodes that you can listen to, currently over 120 episodes, but I would suggest starting on the first one to get to know the town so it is easier to follow along (or not follow along: the story lines are really crazy.) In each episode there is always a weather report in the form of a song. One of my favorite episodes is the second episode, “Glow Cloud,” because the song for the weather is really funny and has a good rhythm.

While it started as a podcast, the group of people behind it have branched off into more. The podcast now has merchandise, books, live shows, and you can even donate to help the podcast to flourish.

The books that were written for Welcome to Night Vale are stories about different characters in the town and are great to read if you have listened to many of the episodes. The books are not in Cecil’s point of view; however, they are still very good, and I would recommend them.

Night Vale Presents, the people behind Welcome to Night Vale, have also created 7 other podcasts, including Alice Isn’t Dead and I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats. Welcome to Night Vale will always stay peculiar yet hilarious, which is what makes it a great story to listen to.