Horror Isnt a 4-Letter Word by
Matthew Warner
Highly Readable, Accessible Articles
Horror isnt just a genre of stories but an outlook on life, Matthew Warner
writes in his foreword to Horror Isnt a 4-Letter Word: Essays on Writing &
Appreciating the Genre. In this collection of articles published between
2002 and 2007, the author of The Organ Donor, Death Sentences: Tales
of Punishment & Revenge, and Eyes Everywhere challenges us to look
beyond the stereotypes associated with a much-maligned type of fiction.
Horror empowers us to cope with our fears by teaching us about them, he
says, either overtly or through symbolism. Its not just about blood and guts.
The book consists mostly of editorials written for the Horror World
website, plus selected articles from venues such as Hellnotes Newsletter.
Warner runs the gamut in subject matter--everything from ghost hunting, to

gory holiday decorations, to effective writing techniques--in his meditations
about horrific things, whether they be fictional or real.
Contents include some of his most controversial columns: My Summer
with a Book Doctor: An internship at Edit Ink, a Notorious Scam Operation,
Message Versus Medium: The Agenda of Left Behind, Addictive Plotting
as Taught by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Obscenity v. The First
Amendment: Why the Prosecution of X-rated Films Affects Books.
Personal Review: Horror Isnt a 4-Letter Word by Matthew
Warner
Subtitled Essays on Writing and Appreciating the Genre, short story writer
and novelist Matthew Warner's first collection of nonfiction, Horror Is Not a
4-Letter Word, is ideal reading during the month best known for ending
with Halloween. And it's a must-have for fans of the horror genre.
In these articles that span from 2002 to 2007 -- with all but two coming
from the author's tenure as a columnist for Horror World -- Warner covers
a variety of diverse topics from horror stereotypes (and why we need them)
to the importance of research for verisimilitude, from why Buffy the
Vampire Slayer is an example of excellent plotting to the secrets of a
successful collaboration, from how to write "invisible" dialogue to tips on
public speaking.
Warner even gives new readers a taste of his short fiction ("With the Eyes
of God") and then shows how he got there. (Those whose appetites are
whetted can seek out Death Sentences, his short fiction collection). Horror
Is Not a 4-Letter Word also contains a critique of Left Behind from the
horror writer's perspective, one essay each focusing on the subjects of his
two novels to date (The Organ Donor and Eyes Everywhere), a lengthy
exposé on his summer working for notorious "book doctor" Edit Ink, and
even insightful articles on censorship and the connection between horror
and violence.
Warner has an engaging conversational style that makes even the most
indepth material go down easy. But I'm not sure I can bestow a greater
compliment than the fact that reading Horror Is Not a 4-Letter Word is the
first time I've almost been late for work because of essays. As I finished
one, the next one's title intrigued me to continue. Kudos to the author and
Guide Dog Books for assembling a collection of horror-related articles that
are just as accessible to the horror reader as to those who want to write in
the genre -- and is far more readable than others of its ilk.
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