Beyond The Black Stone: A Cthulhu Mythos Story

by Paul Draper

A dark tourist, lured by connections to the beyond, discovers tales of a monument in Hungary connected with supernatural occurrences. He travels to find the stone, but something in return finds him, leading to a terrifying journey across the world.

An imagined sequel to Robert E Howard's 1931 classic The Black Stone , by one of the UK's most exciting new voices in horror.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

38 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2023

About the author

I'm an English writer of dark fiction, with a particular interest in folk horror. I write in both screenplay and prose formats, and also enjoy comedy writing. My latest collection of short stories BLACK GATE TALES is out now.

Reviews

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern take on the Cthulhu mythos, the protagonist is a dark tourist, traveling to places historically associated with death and tragedy, addicted to more obscure and morbid destinations... A fun pitch, I quite liked it.

[Claer Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve not read a lot of Lovecraftian fiction, just a few stories. I read Robert E Howard's 'The Black Stone’ prior to this – and I am glad I did, as it helped me in reading this and pick up on references to that I would have otherwise missed. I’ve not yet read Lovecraft’s “The Mound.”
This tale fits very well with Howard’s, with enough elements to give some comfortable familiarity (the unnamed main character who ignores all warnings about visiting The Black Stone, for example), but differences to be a separate and original story rather than just a retelling. It also managed to mimic well the atmosphere and feel of what little of Lovecraft’s fiction I have read, but for me was easier to read and follow.
Length wise this was perfect. Although the ending was quickly described, the situation it was set in gave a perfectly good reason for why it might have seemed a little rushed.
Certainly a good fun read – and I may now delve into Lovecraft fiction a bit more.

[H0rr0rbl0b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond The Black Stone :A Cthulhu Mythos Story - A dark tourist lured by connection to the beyond. Ancient mounds, old gods and realms beyond our reality.Dreams and an altered state of consciousness ,levels of different plains within the caverns of a world that seems like our own with deformed people and beast. The ending was great with a formless black creature which seemed like a shoggoth appeared. I won’t ruin the ending,just read it( for fans of Cthulhu Mythos /Lovecraft).

[Lisa Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Black Stone is a haunting tale that lures you in from the very first chapter, enticing with gorgeous language that sets a dark and brooding tone that grows darker and darker with each page. The idea of a "dark tourist" in and of itself is fascinating; the Black Stone irresistible to the reader and main character alike. The narrator's nightmares -- vivid and terrifying and written with incredibly strong shudder-inducing imagery -- lead the character to the other side of the world to a discovery that's just so dark and horrifying, incredibly constructed tension unraveling to a deliciously macabre end... Highly recommend this story; truly excellent and well executed dark literature. A masterclass, truly, on horror as an art form.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

great , weird , horror, short story