The Voices are Real: A Disturbing Psychological Horror Novel about Madness, Trauma, and the Voice Within

by D.K. Dillenback

Cyd is losing his freaking mind. But if he’s crazy, where are the bodies coming from?
He and Stacey have never met, but almost in sync their depression morphs into something more sinister. A voice from deep within their subconscious is telling them to seek it out. Now they must find answers before they completely lose themselves in their creeping psychoses. Can they find the creature calling? Can they find each other? Or is it already years too late?
In this gripping psychological horror, you are invited to investigate for yourself. Delve into the decaying minds of Cyd, a withering husk and alcoholic navigating life after his family’s death, and Stacey, a once ambitious but increasingly alienated journalist, as they begin to question their sanity and desperately search for an end to their suffering.
A post-modern, ADHD-fueled exploration of the boundaries between perception and reality. This will be difficult at times. Don’t bother if you are uncomfortable with unchained perspectives and unreliable narrators… this isn’t for you.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2024

About the author

I'm a poet at heart and spend most of my time writing prose for work. I'm an aging punk (stopped moshing when I became the oldest one in the pit). I'm an advocate for mental health in the military and have used writing and music to manage my anxiety and ADHD for most of my life.

Reviews

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Voices Are Real by D.K. Dillenback
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a very interesting and intense psychological horror book! The story will get into your head and make you think! 🧠 The story focuses on Cyd & Stacy and their mental illnesses. They try to figure out what is real or not real in life, and can find what they try to seek out?
I enjoyed the different POV and the overall deepness and darkness within the storyline.
The author does a great job with the writing and storytelling.

Thank you to D.K. Dillenback for an ecopy of this outstanding book!
*It’s out now, so make sure to get your copy!*

[Tammy Sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting. That's the best word I'm coming up with atm. It is not an easy read - save it for when you're in the mood for some contemplation and intrigue. It's challenging for sure, but I feel like the author was upfront about that so I'm not really factoring that into my rating. It's a writing style, and it's completely subjective as to whether it's your thing. My mind kept going to House of Leaves, but rest assured, you won't need a mirror, or the ability to read in a spiral for this one.

Gore was not completely over the top. It didn't seem out of place, or purely for shock value (a pet peeve of mine). I did have to skip one part involving a dog - not sure what that says about me, but whatever.

A lot of this book is headspace. Thoughts coming from different POV's. I think my one wish was that there was perhaps some more "meat" (oh, the irony) to it. I felt like I didn't really know any of the characters enough to care about them one way or another. Except the dog...

If you love horror, and are...

Philosophically-Minded/ND/Poetic/Manic/Traumatized/Curious about writing that is Out of the Box/a being who spends a lot of time staring into the void

..then, I'd give this one a look. It's a quick read and I guarantee it will have you thinking.

[Lee Lewinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of suffocating horror books. Books that I need therapy after. I read this and was pretty obsessed. It’s relatively short and I read it in about 8 hours. I would akin it to books like “Negative Space” by B.R. Yeager. The scenes are horrific but they are painted with such sadness that I find myself welling up with tears for the characters.

[Horror Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a psychological horror novel which isn't easily defined by the premise. To say it's about creatures living below the streets of Boston who lure people to become food through their various mental illnesses would be kinda accurate. But it doesn't come close to the actual contents.

There are sections which read like a stream of consciousness stream about mental illness, suicidal ideation, trauma, and pain. These often include philosophical debates. These sections are interesting enough (if you like that sort of thing) but the reader has to pay attention and might still struggle to connect these thoughts to the main narrative.

This is not a "fun" read. It's filled with characters suffering under the stress of real mental issues while being lured to their horrific deaths by these creatures underneath the city.

But horror books don't have to be fun to be effective. And this novel is extremely effective in shining a spotlight on those who are suffering. It's unsettling but depressing.

However, the main narrative thrust is terrifying. The scenes underground, the waking nightmares the characters encounter as they're being hunted from inside of their minds, is absolutely chilling. It's a book that isn't going to end well for anyone involved but you'll know this as soon as you start reading.

We are not given explanations for the existence of these monsters which makes them even more horrifying. In fact, we don't spend a lot of this book with them. But their presence is always there, lurking in the background and slowly but surely using the mental illnesses of the characters against them.

I fully realize this was a narrative choice by the author, and he states that this book isn't for everyone. I can see that, as it breaks from the traditional three act arc and, at times, wanders into philosophical thoughts about religion, physics, suicide, and death. It's a book you must take the time to absorb rather than casually reading. But still, I recommend it. It's a fantastic horror story told in a different way.

[Caitlin Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
It’s possible I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read this right now. I’m not even sure how to word my feelings on this book.

There were definitely aspects in this book that I liked. Paragraphs that make you stop and think. Unreliable narrators. Body horror.

It just feels like this book had no flow at all. I found myself skimming a lot, which I usually don’t do, just to get back to the storyline. The monster and interactions with/hallucinations of said monster felt vaguely described and too ambiguous (unrelated to the mental illness aspects of this book.)
His writing style in some areas and mistakes in editing led to difficult comprehension. I wanted to like this, and it has promise. It just didn’t work for me.

[Hailey Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Voices Are Real by Dan Dillenback

🌟🌟🌟🌟.25

I would categorize this as an psychological horror novel heavy on the descriptive body horror themes!

This was written quite unorthodox as an expected but I really enjoyed the journey D.K took me on! As you can see this had some House of Leaves writing techniques and his writing reminds me a bit of Blake Crouch.

Please do understand that this is a novel where you are supposed to be confused and feel mad with the characters! It all makes sense…

Go ahead… go down… he’s been waiting for you…

Thank you for the copy

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed most part of this book with Cyd and Stacey. This is a great book if you are looking for a jarring read. It is creatively written with a mix of prose, graphics and points of views. If you are confused and feel disjointed, it's because you are meant to!

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a ride! I'm not sure if I understood it completely but I still think about it! The wording made the pictures come to life in my mind pretty easily which made it that much more freaky!