"There are Oracles on these roads."

Spoiler Free!

Alice Isn't Dead is retelling of Night Vale Presents' suspenseful road trip story of the same name. The novel acts as what seems to me to be a kind of "director's cut" of the podcast. Though both versions of the story are good, they have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Joseph Fink's writing style works extremely well in first person narration, but can seem a bit rushed when reading in a traditional novel form in my opinion. I got used to it by the end of the first part. I would recommend taking your time reading and really savoring every sentence.

The novel expands on certain characters who were lacking in the podcast, which helped to build the world of the story immensely. Another change is the move to a 3rd person perspective, which changes the story much more than one would expect.

For anyone who loved the podcast, the book is a must read. It provides a new- and in my opinion better- version of the events that take place in seasons 2 and 3 of the podcast. Sadly I cannot speak as to how good the book would be for people who have not listened to the podcast- but I do recommend it.

The book has some glaring flaws, like not quite capturing that amazing tone the podcast had (which is why I recommend listening to the Soundtrack by Disparition on Bandcamp while you read) , and the often annoying lack of descriptive details.

My heart says 5 stars, but my brain says 3.

Four stars!

Edit: Grammar