Gothic Short Stories
Welcome to Lore Publication, a place where insightful media is published for insightful minds. As a reader you can find a vast selection of free gothic short stories among our ever-expanding library of online fiction.
The best bit? Everything published on our site is free to access, read, and enjoy – no paywall, no subscription service, just excellently crafted fiction from some of the best unknown writers in the literary world. At Lore we provide writers a place to get their work seen and readers a place to find free fiction with no obligations.
As a part of our extensive and growing catalogue, we have a variety of chilling gothic short stories for avid readers of horror to get stuck into!
Read Gothic Short Stories
At Lore we define a short story as anything above 1,000 words in length and under 5,000 words in length. If you are a reader, why not take a look at some of our most popular horror short stories.
Why not begin with the Arcane Mandate; a chilling tale of modern day occultism in the woodlands of the Scottish countryside. A young man embarks on a perilous journey from which he’ll never be the same; for better or for worse.
Something Shorter; Flash Gothic Fiction
We recommend beginning with a story inspired by true events; Dream Party by Christa Wojciechowski. The tale of a creepy party guest whose dark and mysterious background forges a somewhat sinister reputation for themselves. Start reading:
Trees droop in front of the warm light coming from inside the party. Her date rounds the car and takes her hand. He is handsome in his tuxedo, but she is the one that sparkles in beads the colour of gold dust. He is a black, wooden stand for a fine piece of china.
Or what about diving into The Oracular of Aetius by Rhea Kinslow; a grisly tale of the occult and superstition? This story was picked as the Horror Category winner for Lore’s 2018 Launch Writing Competition. An excerpt:
“Come.” Her clear voice bounces off the walls. A faint echo of dripping permeates the silence. She’s just a girl; why am I scared?The moisture in the cavern is cloying. It’s the darkness. Any man would feel uneasy in here. My thighs tremble. The lamb bundled in my arms bleats. I squeeze to silence it.
Find Your Next Favourite Writer With Lore
While we do love a good gothic tale, we don’t just publish the gothic genre here on Lore. We love to delve into the wonderful, the weird, the endearing, and the bizarre through an extensive catalogue of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery fiction – all at your fingertips for free!
Why not take a look at:
- Our Science Fiction flashes
- Our fantasy selection of flash fiction
- Or our full short fiction directory to have a gander?
And for the writers we have all sorts of useful resources and articles over on our blog:
Not to mention our other endeavours:
At Lore, our mission is bringing you the best in fiction we’re able. So sit back, choose your story, and have fun delving into the worlds our writers craft for you!