Customer Reviews

The Fifth Horseman: A Sleepy Hollow Legend

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To me, there are 3 things that make for a great novel (besides the subject matter, obviously). One, the longer, the better. Two, trying to resist the temptation to peek ahead to the next page, and three, you want to race through it because it's so good, yet at the same time you don't want it to end either. Needless to say, "The 5th Horseman" easily accomplishes all three. It's the best combination of mystery, thrills and horror since Stephen King's "Misery" nine years earlier. I finished both in a week. I've become quite a big SH fan as of late; I've seen the Tim Burton movie over 20 times, I finally read the original short story and picked up the awesome Disney cartoon on video (it had been nearly 15 years since I last watched it), and acquiring this book was the icing on the cake. I purely discovered it by accident on some website, which made me feel like a 49er hitting paydirt during the Gold Rush. Normally I have a disdain for books written in the first person, but it works well here. I loved how it was set in modern times, since we're already familiar with the town of over 200 years ago, and the plot had me hooked on nearly every page. The author's incredible knowledge of Sleepy Hollow's rich history and the detailed background on the Headless Horseman (I had no idea what the Hessians were until I read the story) blew me away. It was as if Gonzalez was actually there in person for the entire Revolutionary War. The numerous and diverse characters, ranging from amateur sleuths to crazy ministers and airheaded cops, are so well detailed; you'll find yourself either disliking, laughing at or rooting for them. The story hardly drags at all and the ending, although somewhat outrageous, is a pure nail-biter. It's so complex, you'll almost feel as if you're part of the environment yourself. Even grizzled horror writers like King and Dean Koontz would be proud of something like this. The only thing I didn't like about the book were the numerous punctuation and mechanical errors, but it didn't lessen my love for the story one bit. In my humble opinion, the Headless Horseman is one of the best villains to ever grace a movie screen or the inside of a book, and is right up there with such legends as Dracula or Frankenstein as the best horror characters ever. Hats (or is it heads?) off to Mr. Gonzalez; I hope he'll pen a sequel or something else pertaining to SH in the future. Order a copy today and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I and many other readers did.

This book is rich in the history and culture of both modern day and colonial Sleepy Hollow;although it never gets boring. Keeps you guessing right till the very end as to the orgins of the horseman;loved the new Tim Burton movie and loved this book. If you have a Sleepy Hollow fan on your gift list,this would be a great present.

Excellent book.The descriptive nature of the writing made the book come alive.The characters are all three dimensional and lead to the reader having difficulty putting the book down.The setting and the main character(the headless horseman)lend themselves to a pleasant autumn evenings reading.

I was very impressed with Mr. Gonzalez's book. I knew very little of the Sleepy Hollow Legend until I went on a business trip to the U.S. and was highly recommended to read this book by a new writer in town. I ordered it through (you guessed it) Amazon.com and started reading it in the Airport. From the very beginning, one notices his well made research on the subject which allows one to become easily absorbed by the story. Throught the book, his well thought out words leads one into the keen suspense of the plot. The ending was so vivid with detail and activity that time did not provide much of itself to become distracted. After coming back home (Bogota, Colombia)from that trip, I've become very interested in the Legend and am currently looking up all I can on the subject. I truely hope that Gregg Gonzalez will continue with his writing ventures, and provide us with more of himself in black and white.

Every October I look forward to reading a Halloween related book to put me in the spirit of the season. I have read my share of both good and bad, but this particular book, The Fifth Horseman, is my personal favorite. Not only does it capture the feeling of October / Halloween time, but it also is based on one of the coolest villains of all time, the Headless Horseman! The storyline is also very exciting and has some very unique twist and turns. Definitely buy this book, you won't be disappointed. It exceeded my expectations and I hope for a sequel, in the meantime, I guess I will just have to read it again!

This book is a true thriller. I was truly consumed from beginning to end. I must say, however, it was a bit lengthy with a few typos....Otherwise some very good reading.

Being originally born in Sleepy Hollow, I had always grown up with stories of the Hessian and his wild rides through the streets, but this book brings those stories to a whole new level. You feel like you actually in the town itself, and his use of real place names and street locations are just fantastic. I have been doing much traveling in Sleepy Hollow every day, particulary along Old Sleepy Hollow Road, and sitting in my car in the dark forests whilst reading this marvelous book makes for a truely wonderful...and terrifying experience!!!

This book reads fast. I specially liked how Gregg Gonzalez blends history with fiction. My compliments to the author for his painstaking research. I felt that as I was reading the book I was also reading a history book. The book is rich in detail, making it easy to actually hear the horse hoofs passing by and hard to drop the book until you find out.... This is exactly why I say that this book clings to your hand like a Cat's claws. The plot of the story makes non-belivers in legends into true belivers. I also liked the many twists of the story making second guessing the author virtually impossible. I definetely recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure, fiction, and a good frightening story.

I read this book fairly quickly which is unusual for me because I tend to get bored very quickly with reading (and the lack of time). I adore the entire storyline about the Headless Horseman. This book will not disappoint you, in fact it feels a lot like you are watching a move. Get it it's awesome !

Awesome!! This is a killer story with a plot that has more twists than a Sleepy Hollow road! As a local who lives near Sleepy Hollow, I could relate to all of the places mentioned in this book. Mr. Gonzalez has obviously done his research, and that makes this story much more realistic and believable. I can't walk around the Hollow at night anymore with out glancing over my shoulder! The basis for the plot is intriguing - the Headless Horseman in present day Sleepy Hollow. This book gets an A+ for taking a subject that most Americans know about and putting a brand new twist to it. It's about time someone wrote a story about this famous legend that didn't take place in the 1800's. Once you finish this book you'll be screaming for a sequal!!