What do you think?
Rate this book
Our Imminent Future #2
HEADLESS 1776
"Schneider has breathed new life into an old legend with creative flair in this chilling historical horror." - SPR
America wasn't the only thing birthed in 1776. The year also gave rise to the brutal terror of the Headless Hessian. Elijah sets off from Philadelphia to the village of North Tarrytown. There, his path leads to a showdown with the murderous horseman on All Hallows Eve, and his deeds give birth to a legend.
From USA Today Bestselling author-Tom Schneider
America wasn't the only thing birthed in 1776. The year also gave rise to the brutal terror of the Headless Hessian. Elijah sets off from Philadelphia to the village of North Tarrytown. There, his path leads to a showdown with the murderous horseman on All Hallows Eve, and his deeds give birth to a legend.
From USA Today Bestselling author-Tom Schneider
120 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2020
121 people are currently reading
1191 people want to read
About the author
Tom Schneider
27 books104 followersTom Schneider lives in South Jersey with his three kids and their cats, Delilah and Freya. He studied philosophy and painting at Hampshire College, and showed his work in galleries across the US.
A shift in inspiration led him to trade his paintbrushes for an old typewriter at a New England pawnshop, and he began writing.
A shift in inspiration led him to trade his paintbrushes for an old typewriter at a New England pawnshop, and he began writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 18, 2018
I expect this was primarily designed as a YA book in the post apocalyptic genre. Effectively, some cataclysm has befallen Earth, or at least the US. It is not clear what this is, but all electronics and electricity supply have ceased to work, at least for three children, Henry, Layla and Eva who are the main protagonists. Apparently their parents committed suicide to make the provisions last longer, and that to me is silly. Eva wanders into the street, gets captured by soldiers, and is taken to a camp. It is never clear whether this is to look after them, or to imprison them. Meanwhile Henry and Layla go north. Overall, the story is rather bleak, but there are some more tender bits, such as when Henry finds a cat.
The writing style is clear, the presentation of the story is good and devolves into threads as we follow each child. The characters are well presented, and nobody does anything that is not plausible. There are realistic actions scenes, escape scenes, exploration scenes, finding food scenes, etc, and incidents which inspire persistence to survive. I have some minor quibbles, such as there is a hint at one camp that girls are being kept as sex slaves (although there is no evidence or examples). Since this has no further part in the story, I am not sure that is needed in a YA book. Second, the children want to go to Vermont. Apart from the fact their father had said something about Vermont before he died, there is no other reason given. It would not have hurt to give reasons for this, and other actions they take. I also have a bigger quibble, and that is the book seems to be the start of a series. That is fine, but in my view the first book should end something. It did not seem to. Obviously I can't spoil, so I cannot explain, but the basic problems of the series are still unclear at the end. We don't know much more at the end than we did at the beginning, other than the children have had to grow up a bit. I think it would be quite enjoyable for YA to read, but it would have been better if, at the end, something were completed.
The writing style is clear, the presentation of the story is good and devolves into threads as we follow each child. The characters are well presented, and nobody does anything that is not plausible. There are realistic actions scenes, escape scenes, exploration scenes, finding food scenes, etc, and incidents which inspire persistence to survive. I have some minor quibbles, such as there is a hint at one camp that girls are being kept as sex slaves (although there is no evidence or examples). Since this has no further part in the story, I am not sure that is needed in a YA book. Second, the children want to go to Vermont. Apart from the fact their father had said something about Vermont before he died, there is no other reason given. It would not have hurt to give reasons for this, and other actions they take. I also have a bigger quibble, and that is the book seems to be the start of a series. That is fine, but in my view the first book should end something. It did not seem to. Obviously I can't spoil, so I cannot explain, but the basic problems of the series are still unclear at the end. We don't know much more at the end than we did at the beginning, other than the children have had to grow up a bit. I think it would be quite enjoyable for YA to read, but it would have been better if, at the end, something were completed.
June 14, 2019
4 Stars
Broken Monarch is an intriguing mystery by Tom Schneider. It has drama, suspense, an assassination plot, missing memory issues, and adventure. The story is quite clever as it twists and turns, keeping you guessing the whole time.
This revolves around Glenn, who works as a chef- and the ‘gaps’ in his memory. As an assassination attempt on the First Lady of the United State is uncovered- time is of an essence if they are to unravel it all and save the day!
A great little mystery!
Thank you, Mr. Schneider!
Broken Monarch is an intriguing mystery by Tom Schneider. It has drama, suspense, an assassination plot, missing memory issues, and adventure. The story is quite clever as it twists and turns, keeping you guessing the whole time.
This revolves around Glenn, who works as a chef- and the ‘gaps’ in his memory. As an assassination attempt on the First Lady of the United State is uncovered- time is of an essence if they are to unravel it all and save the day!
A great little mystery!
Thank you, Mr. Schneider!
March 29, 2019
I got this as a e book for my i pad from net galley. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.
May 11, 2021
The quest to kill the devil
I Enjoyed the riders in the storm intro and loved that mayhem begins on page 1. The book engages the reader immediately. The time period book was very interesting and I enjoyed learning the history of the town and enjoyed the photos. The blood drinking demon aka the jersey devil was an interesting story and I just wish it had a bit more background into the Leeds family- a longer more intricate story. But all in all, worth the read. A story you will not soon forget.
I Enjoyed the riders in the storm intro and loved that mayhem begins on page 1. The book engages the reader immediately. The time period book was very interesting and I enjoyed learning the history of the town and enjoyed the photos. The blood drinking demon aka the jersey devil was an interesting story and I just wish it had a bit more background into the Leeds family- a longer more intricate story. But all in all, worth the read. A story you will not soon forget.
April 25, 2021
Even though it’s meant for kids I had to read it when I saw it offered on Facebook. I live 10 mins away from mount holly and never knew the story. The ending is worth the read.
July 24, 2022
Definitely not my normal read. It was sad and gory at times but it sure kept my attention and heart racing.
June 10, 2022
I loved this right up until the last page where the end left me totally flat as it made no sense of the previous dialogue.
This book is part of the Dead Silent Box Set.
This book is part of the Dead Silent Box Set.
August 15, 2019
What a thriller! Covert Government operations with mind controlling unwitting random people. Reminds me of a movie but I can’t remember the name right ow. Glenn is the Chef at a fancy Inn, and he is having issues with blacking out and losing track of time and locations. At first, he pays it no more mind than I would, but when the First Lady and her entourage are scheduled to visit, he is worried that there might be something more sinister going on. A newly hired Chef, Lindsey might be more important than Glenn thinks. Trying to thwart an assassination attempt will keep those two running for their lives to keep ahead of the killers.
I liked the book, it was fast paced, even though the plot was vaguely familiar, it was new enough that I didn’t immediately guess at what would happen and who the bad guys were. The ending though was a big twist. I wonder if the author will make this into a series.
I liked the book, it was fast paced, even though the plot was vaguely familiar, it was new enough that I didn’t immediately guess at what would happen and who the bad guys were. The ending though was a big twist. I wonder if the author will make this into a series.
May 3, 2019
Glenn is a cook in at a restaurant, but has lapses in his memory. The vestiges of recall that he does have for these missing periods are not good and Glenn is concerned what he gets up to. Then Lindsey arrives to work at the restaurant and Glenn has the strange feeling that he knows her and that she is somehow connected to his memory lapses. With the first lady due to visit the restaurant he works at, the concerns mount.
Broken Monarch is a short-ish novel, with a lot of plot packed into relatively few pages. One would have perhaps appreciated more rounded background story on the characters and more expansion on the concept. The short nature leaves one feeling slightly unfulfilled. Good twist at the end.
Broken Monarch is a short-ish novel, with a lot of plot packed into relatively few pages. One would have perhaps appreciated more rounded background story on the characters and more expansion on the concept. The short nature leaves one feeling slightly unfulfilled. Good twist at the end.
May 15, 2019
Goodreads Kindle Copy Win
A plot to assassinate the first Lady comes to light a week before her visit to a restaurant. The chef is the key to things but does not quite remember things. He meets a woman who might be the answer to his memory loss but can she be trusted in unlocking his dangerous side.
Will they be able to save the First Lady or will he end up killing her as planned? It is a whirlwind adventure.
A plot to assassinate the first Lady comes to light a week before her visit to a restaurant. The chef is the key to things but does not quite remember things. He meets a woman who might be the answer to his memory loss but can she be trusted in unlocking his dangerous side.
Will they be able to save the First Lady or will he end up killing her as planned? It is a whirlwind adventure.
Read
August 22, 2019Gripping!
I definitely would recommend this book for anyone who wants their heart racing and adventuring moods to come sweeping in. Every time I picked up this book I had a hard time putting it down because it seemed like just when I was going to mark my spot and putting it down I needed to know more about the mystery. Crazy!
I definitely would recommend this book for anyone who wants their heart racing and adventuring moods to come sweeping in. Every time I picked up this book I had a hard time putting it down because it seemed like just when I was going to mark my spot and putting it down I needed to know more about the mystery. Crazy!
January 5, 2021
The story is fast-paced but there are many aspects of the narrative that are never fully developed in this novella. It's a shame because it would have added a depth to the story that isn't there.
Overall, it’s a good little book if you’re looking for a fun read to complete in an hour or two that doesn’t take too much mental exertion.
#BrokenMonarch #NetGalley
Overall, it’s a good little book if you’re looking for a fun read to complete in an hour or two that doesn’t take too much mental exertion.
#BrokenMonarch #NetGalley
June 13, 2019
I received this as a giveaway from Goodreads. I read it in a little over a day. I enjoyed it quite a bit; even though, I am not much for fiction. I have always found MK Ultra and Project Monarch to be interesting. I will purchase the next book in the series.
June 26, 2018
Some imagine the end of their world as a big chaos or disaster happening in our world, a natural disaster or something similar, but for others, the end of their world might also mean losing their loved ones. In this particular case, both things happen, as the three children lose their parents and are left behind in this dangerous and dark world.
This was a strange journey, it remains clear that the strongest force that is able to protect you and your loved ones is the power of family, and staying together no matter the risks, while there is a lot to enjoy here, I really hope there is a second part because there are some loose ends here that were left unexplained.
The atmosphere here is relentless, the tension, terror and twists are amazing and the three brothers are as memorable as you could expect, get ready to travel to another apocalyptic world but this one holds much more than just death.
This was a strange journey, it remains clear that the strongest force that is able to protect you and your loved ones is the power of family, and staying together no matter the risks, while there is a lot to enjoy here, I really hope there is a second part because there are some loose ends here that were left unexplained.
The atmosphere here is relentless, the tension, terror and twists are amazing and the three brothers are as memorable as you could expect, get ready to travel to another apocalyptic world but this one holds much more than just death.
February 20, 2021
What a surprising little find this novella was! Living in Westchester and having driven through Sleepy Hollow many times, I was always curious about this legend. Like most people, my only exposure was the Disney cartoon, which was an oversimplification of the tale obviously. I was unaware of the Revolutionary War context, which added an entirely different level. (I’d never read the Washington Irving novel, so my ignorance was understandable.) I was never aware the British had so many colonial supporters who saw Washington's rebellion as traitorous. I enjoyed this novella so much that my only complaint was its brevity. I wanted more. There was also quite a few typos but thankfully not enough to ruin the book for me.
November 8, 2019
A Hollywood action adventure
Hollywood Sacrifice is an action packed thriller about Glenn, a simple guy being hunted by a group of assassins. Tending bar, Glenn notices a man who is out of place and within minutes he is trying to kill Glenn. This is one of several fast paced scenes where life or death is played out in front of your eyes. I enjoy these books and the characters in this one are developed and very fun to follow. The story pulled me in from the first page and kept me interested to the last. Follow Glenn and Casey as they decide if they will work together and help each other while trying to survive being killed. Check this one out folks it is a great read.
Hollywood Sacrifice is an action packed thriller about Glenn, a simple guy being hunted by a group of assassins. Tending bar, Glenn notices a man who is out of place and within minutes he is trying to kill Glenn. This is one of several fast paced scenes where life or death is played out in front of your eyes. I enjoy these books and the characters in this one are developed and very fun to follow. The story pulled me in from the first page and kept me interested to the last. Follow Glenn and Casey as they decide if they will work together and help each other while trying to survive being killed. Check this one out folks it is a great read.
May 15, 2020
Great topic for adolescents...with one exception.
As a retired middle school history teacher, I am pleased when an author dares to reach out to young people with quality historical fiction. The author of "The Storm 1776" presents two young characters with whom middle schoolers should engage. He sets them in the middle of a pivoting point of the Revolutionary War. The pacing is sprightly as action moves the story. Then why haven't I given this novella a "5"? I understand war is dark, but I believe the opening scene in the book too dark for 12 and 13 year-olds.
As a retired middle school history teacher, I am pleased when an author dares to reach out to young people with quality historical fiction. The author of "The Storm 1776" presents two young characters with whom middle schoolers should engage. He sets them in the middle of a pivoting point of the Revolutionary War. The pacing is sprightly as action moves the story. Then why haven't I given this novella a "5"? I understand war is dark, but I believe the opening scene in the book too dark for 12 and 13 year-olds.
August 1, 2020
A young adult book that is simple and is a quick and easy read about the Battle of Trenton. While focusing on a small micro history of the Revolutionary War and the people and sacrifices that many made fighting for freedom, this isn't a book I could use for elementary or even middle school students because of mature content in the beginning of the book. I would even hesitate to include it in my school library nowadays due to the censorship culture that permeates our society, which is too bad because overall the story would appeal to students who are interested in American history.
August 22, 2023
While there are two other books in this series, I did not read them before this one and had no issues getting to know Glenn, our main character. This is a well-planned out an executed thriller with vivid action sequences that are easy to picture. Set in a gentleman's club, Glenn is pulled into the fray the minute he agrees to help a dancer who needs help. We also meet Casey, who partners with his friend Glenn but gets enmeshed in a cult comprised of killers.
This is a well done action thriller that will keep you interested with its well developed characters and driving pace.
This is a well done action thriller that will keep you interested with its well developed characters and driving pace.
March 17, 2025
Every few pages it seems there were typos that could have been avoided if properly edited with a pair of observant human eyes instead of what seems to be an electronic spelling checker that tends to overlook the most obvious grammatical errors. In this I fully blame the author for being lazy and taking for granted that the computer’s checker will catch one and all…
The story was intriguing to a certain degree and I wanted to see how it was going to end.
Because of the numerous typos I downgraded my rating to reflect this.
The story was intriguing to a certain degree and I wanted to see how it was going to end.
Because of the numerous typos I downgraded my rating to reflect this.
May 17, 2021
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. A demon story that is set in 1700s America, though the demon barely makes an appearance. Most of the story focuses on Emmet, a reporter who is trying to cover the story. The pace of the plot is fast. Though I didn't really buy Emmet's old flame Agatha welcoming him back into her arms after he left her abruptly 5 years prior. Still an enjoyable story.
July 23, 2022
I really enjoy historical fiction novels. This was not one that I enjoyed. The story seemed short and rushed. There could have been more history and character development. The grammatical errors bothered me as well. It seemed as though someone was just using a computer to transcribe as they spoke and there was no editor. It was a short story and many errors could have been caught by a quick hour long proof read. I will not be reading any more books by this author.
March 16, 2017
In this sequel to Months from Now, the story continues to unfold as it turns out that whatever led to the failure of the power grid along with governmental failure on a massive scale. Follow the 3 young siblings as they discover that the events all go way deeper than they ever had expected. I can't wait for the next title as I'm extremely curious to see how things turn out.
February 1, 2021
Interesting but badly edited
Story was interesting and moved quickly but grammar was sometimes very bad, making sentences confusing and needing to be read two and three times. I contacted author to suggest a better editor.
Story was interesting and moved quickly but grammar was sometimes very bad, making sentences confusing and needing to be read two and three times. I contacted author to suggest a better editor.
March 10, 2021
Great read
Excellent read! The blend of historical fiction and detail makes for. Superb story. The author did a great job with the main character’s development. There was plenty of suspense throughout. Well done!
Excellent read! The blend of historical fiction and detail makes for. Superb story. The author did a great job with the main character’s development. There was plenty of suspense throughout. Well done!
April 30, 2021
Quick read
An interesting little witch tale and a very quick read. Loved the old pictures included in the book. Are they witches or are they just innocent women that enjoy a good time?
An interesting little witch tale and a very quick read. Loved the old pictures included in the book. Are they witches or are they just innocent women that enjoy a good time?
February 12, 2022
Confused…
This book was rather confusing. Elements of the story was going all over the place. The story of the horseman was confusing as well. The book needs some heavy editing, in my opinion.
This book was rather confusing. Elements of the story was going all over the place. The story of the horseman was confusing as well. The book needs some heavy editing, in my opinion.
March 12, 2023
Great Book
I love the pictures!! This story was a full circle story that was full of twist and turn and religious beliefs about the afterlife and what happens if one is bad or good. Do we get stuck?
I love the pictures!! This story was a full circle story that was full of twist and turn and religious beliefs about the afterlife and what happens if one is bad or good. Do we get stuck?
June 11, 2017
Fast fun read...
Keeps you interested until the end. Looking forward to next book. Hope you enjoy it too. Glad they were reunited.
Keeps you interested until the end. Looking forward to next book. Hope you enjoy it too. Glad they were reunited.
June 24, 2023
Wow! Quick read and I enjoyed the photograph/illustrations included in the novel.
As a Jersey girl, I did know the streets in Mt Holly New Jersey!
As a Jersey girl, I did know the streets in Mt Holly New Jersey!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews