THEY KNOW YOUR NAME! Voices are calling us–voices without an attached form. Encounters with these disembodied voices warn us, haunt us, confuse us, inspire us . . . and scare us. For good reason . . . Explore spine-chilling, true stories from investigations and real occurrences throughout history that expose disembodied voices. Objectively and thoroughly presented, the evidence and theories shine light on possible reasons and agendas for these voices and where they might originate. Gain insight into what they are and what we may be able to learn from them. Sometimes they inspire great acts; other times they lead us astray. Are they forgotten woodland deities? Is it an ancient evil from the days of Eden? Is there a single intelligence behind them all . . . or perhaps we shouldn’t look too deeply . . . or else . . . Famous reports from history as well as never-before-published reports of disembodied voices from the everyday lives of common people are discussed. But what about you? When the voices call, will you answer? Hair-raising conclusions found here will make you think twice.
Non-Fiction Book Review: Disembodied Voices: True Accounts of Hidden Beings
A disembodied voice is a sound of speech heard without a visible source, often described as ghostly, supernatural, or a manifestation of internal thoughts, appearing in paranormal tales (like a ghost), media (like radio drama), or as a psychological phenomenon linked to stress, fatigue, or mental health conditions, with many people reporting hearing one without underlying illness. It’s a common trope representing otherworldly presence or inner voices, ranging from scary to guiding, and can stem from cultural beliefs, technological mediation, or cognitive processes.
Ever just been walking down a poorly lit road at night, or worse, lying in bed, fast asleep, when suddenly, you hear someone call your name? You look around and see no one or you, for a fact, that there is no one else around, then scramble to make sense of who or what just whispered your name, but cannot do so. You may have just experienced a disembodied voice. Have I heard a disembodied voice before? Sure… I think. Of course, I rationalized it, especially if there was someone I knew nearby or within earshot. Still, I wondered.
I first heard of Disembodied Voices: True Accounts of Hidden Beings when I was listening to the Freaky Deaky Podcast. I can’t say for sure what the subject of the episode was but the title of this book was mentioned in passing, and it caught my attention. The notion of disembodied, or inexplicable, voices fascinated me, and so I looked the book up and ordered the audiobook version. I am always down to read about things that will “freak” me out, no matter the time of year. I went into Disembodied Voices: True Accounts of Hidden Beings with this notion in mind. Needless to say, this was far removed from what I expected.
In the introduction to the book, author Tim Marczenko provides his own anecdote as to what enticed him into writing this book, an anecdote that led him down the proverbial rabbit hole. I admit his story and the interview stories enticed me. Did they scare me? No, but there was enough in those stories to keep me listening. However, after the personal experiences concluded, Marczenko — this is where, if I am being honest, my interest started to wane. I suppose my desire to hear spooky and chilling stories biased me. After the personal stories, Marczenko delves into lore, legends such as fairies and other “creepies” from around the globe. Of course, one cannot substantiate any of these stories, but you can find many of them by simply doing a Google search. Yes, the research into the phenomena is exceptional, but, to me, Disembodied Voices: True Accounts of Hidden Beings ended up being a very long-term or thesis project. Because of this, my interest waned and left me far from being scared when I turned out the lights. In fact, the book unfortunately put me to sleep a few times. This is not to take away from the author’s work because the research was exemplary, but this body of work was not for me. Again, I went in expecting a book of non-fiction stories about people who have heard unearthly voices, so from my perspective, this book was a big letdown.