Alice and The Lost Boy author Christina Henry – the queen of the dark retelling – is back with Horseman, a reimagining of Sleepy Hollow, a story that has plenty of darkness to it already. But in Horseman, Henry delivers a sequel to the well-worn tale that upturns everything we think we know about the legend of the Headless Horseman.
Henry’s novel very much continues on from Washington Irving’s original novella, so cast out all thoughts of Tim Burton’s Hollywood-ised version, as there’s no happy ending for Ichabod and Katrina in Irving’s version, which ends with the heavy suggestion that Crane croaked it.
Horseman picks up a few decades after the hook-nosed teacher’s disappearance, following Katrina and her husband Brom’s grandchild Ben as they find themselves at the centre of a new spate of beheadings in Sleepy Hollow – and the culprit may be an evil even greater than the Horseman himself. To stop the murders, Ben will have to uncover the truth of what really happened to Ichabod Crane.
If you’re doing a follow-up to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it needs to capture the foreboding, autumnal atmosphere of the original and, unsurprisingly, Henry certainly manages to recreate the appeal of Irving’s story in that regard. In Horseman, the woods of Sleepy Hollow are like a midpoint between the world of nightmares and reality, vividly brought to life with the author’s effective, urgent prose. You’ll be reaching the final page before you remember you only meant to read one chapter.
Aside from the atmosphere, protagonist Ben also deserves praise for being one of Henry’s best-drawn characters. Biologically female but identifying as male, Ben is defiant and dauntless and through the character Henry explores how those who don’t fit the norm can become ostracized and even demonised – in this case, literally – by small-minded communities, whether in the 19th century or today.
While some pacing choices during the climax may puncture the mood somewhat, Horseman is on the whole a worthy continuation of Irving’s work, combining his age-old ghost story with modern sensibilities and themes. It’s a perfect October read, preferably consumed in the dead of night when the only sound you’ll hear is your own tense heartbeat… Or are those hoofbeats?
HORSEMAN is available from September 28th
