Headless 1776 by Tom Schneider

A haunting origin story, Headless 1776 by Tom Schneider is a wildly imaginative YA novel for those who love a good mix of fact and fiction.

A young boy named Elijah loses his last real connection to family on the way to a new life during the early years of the Revolutionary War. What he encounters in his new home leads to a riveting and unexpectedly good ghost story. This occasionally gory and fast-paced piece of historical fiction is engaging from the first page, as readers are introduced to a savage mercenary who has since become a headless legend, thanks to the exploits of one conflicted warrior. The richness of the adventure, the vivid depictions of battles, and Elijah’s complex personality make this more than a spooky story, but rather a coming-of-age novella from a dynamic time and place in history.

Occasionally, the prose feels flat and unemotional, giving equal time and space to exposition as it does to action and far more consequential events. As a whole, the story feels rushed, and the secondary characters don’t have enough time to develop. There aren’t many glaring grammatical errors, but the narrative does contain a choppy sentence structure, overly idiomatic descriptions, and dialogue that feels too informal for the 18th century.

Despite some storytelling stumbles, Schneider has breathed new life into an old legend with creative flair in this chilling historical horror.

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