Sleepy Hollow a Novelization

by Peter Lerangis

It is 1799, the eve of a new century. In New York City, young constable Ichabod Crane is eager to use the latest scientific methods to solve the most brutal of crimes. But nothing can prepare him for the shocking murders that take him far from the city to the eerie town of Sleepy Hollow.

Genres: Horror, Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Halloween, Media Tie In, Crime

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]

Reviews

[Marie Saville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta la película y me ha encantado esta novelización. Estoy segura de que la volveré a leer a lo largo de muchos octubres.
Al final del libro se incluye el relato original de Washington Irving. Interesante, pero mucho más aburrido que esta versión. Me cuesta admitirlo pero la adaptación superó al original.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Count Dooku sends Sweeney Todd to Sleepy Hollow to discover who's been lopping off heads willy-nilly. He's met by Professor Dumbledore, who is anxious for help, and Dean Ed Rooney, Uncle Vernon, Alfred Pennyworth, and Emperor Palpatine, who seem a bit reticent. He's smitten with Dumbledore's daughter, Wednesday Addams, but her beau, Johnny Rico, ain't having none of that. Todd is joined in his endeavors by a young Nucky Thompson, and together they unravel this and that until it's revealed that Dumbledore's wife, Queen Elizabeth I, is behind it all, using Max Shreck to serve as her personal executioner, but by the time they figure that out most everyone is already dead.[1] (Needless to say, this takes a slight departure from the source material by Washington Irving which is included at the end of this book.)

Unfortunately, you only know all of that if you've seen the movie and it all plays out in your head. If you haven't seen it, then I don't know what the characters will look like for you. For me, they will always and forever appear as I have described them. I also don't know what the scenery or anything would look like for someone who hasn't seen the movie. It has Tim Burton's stamp all over it, but it has to be seen to be appreciated. Coming to the book fresh with nary a preconceived notion... I can't even begin to conceive of what that would look like in the mind's eye. And like I always say, the main reason I read novelizations is to just watch the movie play out in my head without having to watch the movie. A secondary reason is to see what kind of changes happened between the screenplay from which most of these are based and the finished product, and the changes were minimal in this case.

This isn't bad at all, and it fits squarely in the novelization niche, though that means it also ain't great. This is like Baby Bear's porridge: juuuuuuust right and everything I expected from it. A little bit of characterization. Decent prose. Scene for scene transcription with minor alterations (e.g. we're shown the death of the witch sister when it happens instead of Lady Van Tassel just mentioning it later.) I wouldn't have minded had Lerangis decided to cut some of the Ichabod/Katrina love story lines...



...but you can't have everything.

Fun fact: This (meaning the Tim Burton treatment, not the Irving yarn) was based on a true story.



Ah, shut up. Burton updated the year to 1799 for reasons known only to him, but it actually took place circa 1792, and while the Headless Horseman jumped back into the Tree of the Dead (which can be recognized without much difficulty[2]) once he was vanquished, his spirit didn't go straight back to hell and instead flew across the Atlantic and sojourned in the body of Maximilien Robespierre for a year or so where it had a grand old time watching the work it loved best being performed with such sadistic glee.

Bonus: Behold the most awesome pumpkin in all pumpkindom which is featured at the beginning of this movie.



It served as the inspiration for my own jack-o'-lantern this year which one of my nieces was kind enough to carve for me.



I drew it for her, but she did all the real work while I fussed with the pumpkin seeds. Separating and cleaning those things is a bitch, and I'm afraid my face looked like this by the time I was done with it.



Yes, dealing with all that is enough to turn anyone demonic. And if that wasn't enough, I had two big batches of pumpkin innards to contend with this year. Niece's friend took care of that one. I let them pick that design, though I still drew it on for them since neither of them are as artistically inclined as I, which is sad because my drawing skills are below-average at best. This explains why the face has a leeward tilt.



They picked a good pattern, though, because after the seeds are dried for a few days, then boiled in a bit of salt water, then seasoned, and roasted, and tasted, my face looks like this!



So, in the end it's all worth it! If the headless horseman comes for me in the next couple of days, I reckon I can use this for a head until I find something more permanent... Although, losing a head would probably make me grumpy, so I'd probably use the other one, but they would soon rot, and I'd have to get some more, and the next thing you know I'd be as bad as Princess Langwidere.

What the hell am I talking about? Okay, review's over.

[1]: From Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban et. al, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone et. al, Batman (1989 et. al), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi et. al, The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values, Starship Troopers, Boardwalk Empire, Blackadder II, and Batman Returns respectively, just in case you were having trouble keeping up.

[2]: This is one of those infinitely quotable movies. I have no idea whether or not you find it so, but I'm forever spitting out "none other" when addressed by name, or "quicken pace" when it's time to get a move on. When applicable, I drop "without much difficulty, I rather fear" or "we're leaving; we're leaving now." And tax season frequently finds me rampaging around the office going "YAAAH! YAAAH!"

[MeriiXún~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5
El relato original me ha parecido sumamente aburrido...

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seldom read novelizations. They’re a bit predictable, especially if you’ve seen the movie more than once. Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow isn’t exactly annual viewing in our house, but I’ve watched it several times. Novelizations, as I note here (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) are clearly attempts to maximize profits, but they often help to explain complicated plots. I have to admit that I did catch some glimmers of understanding regarding the movie from reading this book.

I have to wonder what it would be like to read this without having seen the film. There are a few small scenes that don’t occur in the movie, mostly to try to explain some things that occur there. Interestingly enough, this is one person’s attempt to explain the plot. Being a novelization, it doesn’t wander far from it’s original. I always have trouble with stories that are written with bravado. I prefer more reflective literature. Still, this scratches an itch for those who enjoy “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Movies tend to arise from fairly brief scripts. They show rather than tell. That means novelizations are often short. Many of them that I’ve read would be great for a Goodreads Reading Challenge because they’re so brief. To pad this one out the original story by Washington Irving is included. It feels kind of tacked on, and reading it tame after the exciting action-filled version of the Burton movie. Still, it sets the mood around Halloween time, and for those who want to confirm what they already know, this book will satisfy a seasonal urge.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not know this was a movie novelization when I started it. It became evident fairly soon, as the novel takes very little time to develop ideas, and spends much of its length rushing from one action sequence to the next. It is unfortunate; there are actually some unique concepts that could have been explored. Likely the last book I will complete in 2020; a disappointing finale.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

De mis historias de terror favoritas en película y corto. Me costo leer la primera mitad pero la segunda estuvo mejor.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was OBSESSED WITH THIS MOVIE!!! I adore the sleepy hollow story in any form so when this came out(the movie), 11 year old me was in heaven!
GOD I HAD THIS BOOK IN THE 90S I REMEMBER READING IT PART WAY AND IT JUST VANISHED IN MY ROOM. POOF! I'm still upset!!! I think it was probably gotten rid of when my mother decided to go through my room to get rid of toys or something. WHY WOULD YOU TOUCH THIS BOOK THO?? LIKE I HAD THE POSTER AND TOYS FROM THE MOVIES!! YOU KNEW I LOVED IT I HAD THEMED BIRTHDAY WITH BLACK CAKE! 😫 unless someone at school took it. :( my inner child is still crying about not finishing it and having it.... god do I still got the poster? I still got the collecter cards. ... I need to find this again. Don't worry 11-12 year old me.. I'll find this again. I'll protect you tiny babybat *hugs*
11 year old me: EWW HUMAN CONTACT
old me: child I've found batman returns cards don't make me get rid of those they are collecting dust
11: NO THEY DID NOTHING WRONG

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been long enough since I'd seen the movie that reading the novelization was genuinely interesting. The original Legend of Sleepy Hollow following the film novelization definitely showed its age -- as Washington Irving was clearly paid by the word.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read because I enjoyed the movie.

[TE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This "tale as old as time" has been through countless retellings, each seemingly a slightly different version. Perhaps the most well-known, other than the beautifully-written original, which is included at the back of this volume, is the Disney movie version about the lank schoolteacher who falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassle, a romance which remains at the heart of the story.

So, what is this legend all about? The original is, of course, a short story by Washington Irving, which appears in his collection of 34 short stories, "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." He wrote it, not in the US, but in Birmingham, England. "Legend" was originally published in 1820, which was not all that long after the period in which it was supposed to have occurred. Many of the locations in the story are real places, or based closely on real-life examples, such as Tarrytown, New York. The nearby small village of Sleepy Hollow was supposed to have been "bewitched" or cursed even before the events of 1790, when the story was supposed to have taken place. It may have been a haunted place even among the Native Americans, before Hudson came across it.

The subject of the story is the Headless Horseman, supposedly a Hessian soldier who was beheaded by a cannonball during the Revolution. It's curious that headless horsemen are much more a feature of Northern European legends and ghost stories than their American counterparts. As with most tales, there may be a grain of truth to this one: the decapitated Hessian soldier may have actually been a real individual, sort of. A headless corpse found in the small town of Sleepy Hollow after a skirmish during the Revolutionary War period was apparently buried by the actual Van Tassel family, in an unmarked grave in the Old Dutch Burying Ground, which you can still visit today. The famous bridge is also real, sort of: the original was set over the Pocantico River near the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground also, but it's been replaced with a modern one.

Enter Ichabod Crane, a tall, lanky schoolmaster who hailed from Connecticut, who competes with Brom Bones, for the hand of eighteen-year-old Katrina, a wealthy heiress from a well-established farming family, whose father, Baltus Van Tassel, is a respected resident. The character was apparently named for an army captain while Irving was an aide-de-camp to the New York governor in 1814. Katrina was also a real person, as Irving apparently had stayed with her family for a short time and asked permission to use her name! He reportedly even told the family that he liked to base his characters on actual people he had met, and frequently named his characters for them.

That's kind of where the similarities between the original story and this novelization, based on the movie of the late 90s, end. The Ichabod of the original story doesn't embody anything scientific at all, notwithstanding his profession: he's highly superstitious, not skeptical, as the Johnny Depp movie version, which portrays him as a Yankee police inspector who brings scientific trappings and his own inventions out to the sticks to investigate the murder of three local residence. I won't include a bunch of spoilers, but there are sufficient differences to make the read worthwhile, if you're looking for a brief diversion. The original version is also included at the end of the novelization, and it's certainly worth the read.

The story has had longstanding renown: there have been numerous film and stage adaptations, as well as even radio programs. Various places have been named for the story, such as Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, where many of the street names reflect characters from the story, and there was even a US postage stamp issued featuring the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, in 1974. As for Irving himself, he continued to write, including a multi-volume biography of the life of George Washington, and spent his remaining years in Sunnyside, NY, before his death in 1859. However, his legacy endures, along with his famous tale of the supernatural, one of the most beloved in American literary history.

[Anja von "books and phobia" · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sleepy Hollow", wie oft habe ich diesen Film gesehen und war doch immer wieder hin und weg. Die Atmosphäre, die Charaktere und die Geschichte an sich faszinierten mich immer wieder aufs Neue. Jedoch hätte ich nie gedacht das die Geschichte auf einem Buch basiert und wurde neugierig. Leider erwischte ich nur die Filmausgabe, in der aber im hinteren Abschnitt die originale Geschichte vom Hessen abgedruckt wurde. Aber auch so war es ein Fest der Sinne, den es machte einfach Spaß dieses Buch zu lesen, besonders da es die ungekürzte Filmvariante enthielt.

Constable Ichabod Crane wird nach Sleepy Hollow abkommandiert um dort den Mord an 3 Personen aufzuklären. Dort angekommen, wird er nicht gerade freundlich aufgenommen, da sich die Bewohner des Dorfes mehr als nur einen Mann vorgestellt hatten, der kommen sollte. Gleich zu Anfang lernt man alle wichtigen Charaktere kennen, darunter auch Katharina, in die sich Ichabod sehr schnell verliebt. Nach mehreren Gesprächen mit den hochrangigen Personen des Dorfes, erfährt er das die Toten vom "Kopflosen Reiter" geholt wurden. Ichabod will das nicht glauben und muss bald erkennen das er sich irrt. Eine gewaltige Spurensuche liegt vor ihm, die ihn nicht nur an die Grenzen seines Verstandes bringen,sondern ihn auch in seine Vergangenheit wandern lassen.

Das Orginalmanuskript von Washington Irving erzählt hier jedoch eine ganz andere Geschichte. Hier war Crane Lehrer im Dorf und wurde ab einer gewissen Nacht nie wieder gesehen.

Genau wie im Film, waren auch die Charaktere im Buch allesamt passend. Besonders Ichabod Crane und Kathrina hatten mir es sehr angetan. Ichabod da er für Gerichtigkeit sorgen wollte und nicht wie seine Kollegen einfach Leute dazu zwang Geständnisse zu unterschreiben, die sie noch gesehen hatten und Kathrina weil sie sehr gütig war und sich auf faszinierende Weise mit Kräutern und dergleichen auskannte. Ich hatte sogar Sympatien für den Hessen, der am Ende nix für seine späteren Gräultaten konnte.

Was ich mir im Buch gewünscht hätte, war ein Stammbaum der Familien, wie er in einer Bibel im Buch vorzufinden war. Dies hätte sehr dabei geholfen, die Verbindungen unter den Personen besser zu verstehen.

Hin und wieder gibt es Personenwechsel, die meiste Zeit jedoch erleben wir aus der Sicht von Ichabod.

Für die es nicht wissen, es lebte tatsächlich einmal ein Ichabod Crane, welcher Offizier war.
Hier der Link zur Person.

Es war ein wahre Freude das Buch zu lesen, da der Schreibstil sehr leicht war, aber trotzdem nur wenig einbüßte. Man fing die Atmosphäre der "schläfrigen Schlucht", wie man das Dorf im Buch meist nannte, sehr gut ein. Alles wirkte sehr trüb, was auch auf die Dorfbewohner sehr gut passte, da man selten erlesen durfte das sie lachen. Man merkte hier einfach das etwas grauenvolles im Dorf vor sich ging.

Mit 221 Seiten ist das Buch nicht gerade lang. Leider fehlten mir manchmal die Detailangaben, um mir ein eigenes Bild machen zu können. Hier hätte man dem Buch ruhig ein paar Seiten extra spendieren dürfen.

Es ist und bleibt ein Filmcover, das ich aber doch sehr gelungen fand. Alles wirkte sehr düster, gerade mit dem "Kopflosen Reiter" im unteren Teil des Bildes. Die Schauspieler Johnny Depp und Christina Ricci, welche Ichabod und Kathrina darstellten, sah man die Furcht zum Teil an.

Ein sehr gelungenes Buch mit kleinen Detailschwächen, welches mit dem Film aber sehr gut mithalten kann. Besonders die echte Geschichte am Ende war sehr interessant.

[TheFlowerInTheBook · Rating 2 out of 5]

La leyenda de Sleepy Hollow (o del Valle Dormido) es un relato de Washington Irving escrito en 1820. A pesar de ser una narración breve, a mí se me ha hecho en ocasiones (la primera mitad) largo y tedioso. Le pongo dos estrellas porque está bien escrito y con una gran riqueza de vocabulario. No puede ser de otro modo viniendo de un escritor célebre como Irving. Me considero fan de la película de Tim Burton, por lo que me había hecho muchas ilusiones con este relato. Pero me he llevado una gran desilusión, ya que la ambientación y los nombres de algunos personajes es lo único que tienen en común el relato y la película. Para empezar, el personaje de Ichavod Crane no tiene nada que ver. Distintas personalidades y distinta profesión. Luego el destino del personaje en la película y en el libro son diferentes también. Comparaciones aparte, la primera parte del relato me parece infumable. Unas descripciones larguísimas de paisajes, que están bien para crear ambiente, pero son excesivas desde mi punto de vista. Acabas cansado de leer sobre casas, árboles, animales, gentes, etc, etc, etc. Hasta más de la mitad no empieza a ponerse interesante de verdad. Pero lo bueno acaba pronto y precipitado y el final es un poco incomprensible. No sé lo que el autor pretendía decirnos con ese final. Si, como yo, eres fan de la película, y quieres comprarte el libro (hay ediciones ilustradas muy bonitas) no te lo recomiendo para nada porque te llevarás una decepción.

[Blaine Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This copy contains two stories. The first being a novelization of the Tim Burton Sleepy Hollow film. The second being the classic story by Washington Irving. I will talk about each separately.

The novelization I would give a rating of 3.5. I have never seen the Tim Burton film, but after reading this book I feel like I don’t need to. The novelization very much felt like a movie script with a little more details to help describe the scenery. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but I just didn’t love the style. I did enjoy the plot, I loved how it was a mystery book. I thought it was fun to read, even though it felt like reading a movie.

The original classic by Irving I would give a rating of a 3.0. I don’t think the writing style of the original classic could be more different than the novelization of the movie. Where I felt the novelization had very little details, this version is absolutely filled with details. At some times I felt like there were too many things being described. This made it much harder for me to feel as invested in this story. The tone of the two stories are also completely different. I still enjoyed the plot, though it does have a tragic ending.

[Alejandra RL · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pesar de que es exactamente el mismo argumento que la película, esta novela agrega detalles extras: Permite conocer más a fondo la personalidad de Ichabod Crane, rebela una serie de datos que son cruciales para la trama y no es posible apreciarlos en la pantalla y por último, incluye la narración original del Jinete sin cabeza escrita por Washington Irving.

Considero que es un libro imprescindible para los fanáticos de la película de Tim Burton y para quienes disfruten de las novelizaciones de películas. Esta edición contiene una serie de erratas dentro del texto (falta alguna letra en palabras, las palabras están mal escritas, etcétera), sin embargo estas no representan un gran problema al momento de avanzar con la lectura.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Das Böse trägt viele Masken, und davon ist keine so gefährlich wie die der Tugend."

Die Legende von Sleepy Hollow, nur etwas anders. Die Idee einen Kriminalfall aus der alten Geschichte zu machen, gefällt mir sehr gut, das haucht dem ganzen Leben und Spannung ein. Man merkt aber, dass es sich um ein Buch zum Film handelt, die Charaktere sind für einen Roman etwas zu flach und die Handlung geht wenig in die Tiefe.
Auch finde ich es schön das die Original Legende im Buch angefügt wurde und auch, dass Szenen aus dem Film als Bild zu sehen sind. Jedoch sollte man drauf achten die Leser nicht zu spoilern mit Bildern, welche den Fortgang der Geschichte verraten.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at my local 2nd hand store for $1 so I thought I'd pick it up, I like to collect movie novelisations so it goes nicely with my collection. While it is nicely written and reads along rather quickly I found that the movie actually had more in it, usually with novelisations you get more backstory and more detail but with this there actually seemed to be less, and almost no characterisation at all. I still really liked it though, such a great gothic tale. 3 stars.

[Evergreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked both the original story The Legend of Sleepy Hallow by Washington Irving. I read it first and was a little surprised that in the original Ichabod had been a teacher with a greedy interest in Baltas Van Tassel's property. I won't ruin the ending of the original story for those who've yet to read the novel.
The story of Sleepy Hallow by Peter Lerangis was a lot more gruesome and more detailed than Irving's, but then again it was his modern twist to the story.

[Charlotte Broadwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads just like the movie. If you have seen sleepy hollow this book helps you see the movie all over again. Yet it adds little more that was left out of the movie. If you like spoken movies or old Halloween storys this is the best book.

[Ioannis Tryfonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice novelization of the 1999 film "Sleepy Hollow" based on the Washington Irving's story "The legend of Sleepy Hollow". It includes the original story at the end of the book. It was an enjoyable read!

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exact replica of the movie with Johnny Depp! Loved it, slam dunk! Although a fan of the original tale, this is a wonderful adaptation of Washington Irving’s story and numerous at that. Perfect for the start of October!

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The novelisation of the film did an okay job at portraying the film and the original story was a nice edition but so goofy and definitely a product of its time. Overall a goofy ride but one I had fun with.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

True steam punk!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite movies retold in a novelisation, love it!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

No tremendous differences between this and the movie, but my love for the latter is evergreen, so I’m a happy camper.

[Alexandria Perone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is exactly what I would expect from a novelization of a movie. I appreciate the inclusion of Washington Irving’s original tale.

[Nathan Necrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much change from the 1999 movie. I did enjoy this book.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any lover of the Tim Burton film, this is a must! The screen play gives more details in scenes that were cut as well as dialogue that was shortened.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good adaptation of the movie. Not a lot of new scenes or extra context to existing scenes, but there’s some there.

[Nick Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

my concentration suffers greatly when I am observed

[Kelly K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this movie but I loved it in middle/high school and not just because Johnny Depp was most attractive in this movie.