Customer Reviews
Nothing Like 13th Warrior - By: Ursula K. Raphael, 23 Oct 2008 
Yes, 13th Warrior was based on this book, but don't expect them to be the same. In fact, if you saw the movie before you read this book, you may be shocked by the differences. The vikings are not portrayed in such a nice light as in the movie.
Faldan's manuscript, well-known to scholars, provides one of the earliest eyewitness accounts of Viking life & culture, in C.E. 922 - a lot of people like to believe this is where the story of Beowulf came from, but they need to do some fact-checking.
However, Michael Crichton's book provides an exciting combination of the two sources, even if he does exaggerate those facts quite a bit, but we could expect nothing less from the author. Anyone would enjoy this story about a Viking chieftain defending his country from the monsters in the mist.
Fiction Presented as Fact - By: Evergreen, 03 Jul 2007 
This book presents itself as a historical account from translations of the adventures of one Ibn Fadlan a Muslim living in Bagdad in AD 921. Ibn we are told was a real historical figure, sent on a mission by the Caliph, he was then effectively kidnapped by a group of "northmen" (vikings) & forced to go with them back to their native land to assist them in defeating a grisly sub-human group of cannibals that are attacking farmsteads in the area. One is of course then amazed by the story believing it to be to some extent true. It is only at the end that Michael Crighton suddenly lets on he was pulling our leg & that although Ibn was a real character the story is largely fiction. I personallly don't approve of presenting fiction as fact & was annoyed by this as it seems rather silly. But alll the same even as a fictional work it is still undoubtedly a good read, well written with interesting insight on how life may have been at that time (just like the Clan of the Cave Bear). It is every bit as good as the film (although it is probably best to see the film first so you can visualise the wonderful Antonio Balestairos writing it!!)
Short, sharp and savage - By: Cheeky Monkey, 29 Aug 2006 I decided to read this book after watching the flawed but fun film The 13th Warrior which was based on Crichton's book. Crichton's book is, of course, based on the slightly talll tales of Ahmed ibn Fadhlan & the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. Confused? Don't worry, it's better than it sounds as Crichton weaves his clever web of comradeship, heroism, faith & cannibalism where his central character swalllows his pious pride to take up arms alongside pagan barbarians to fight a savage, relentless & unnameable enemy. Make no mistake, this isn't one of Crichton's usual techno thrillers as there's not an atom of scientific hokum in it, which might explain its comparative brevity, but the reader is plunged headlong into the scrapping & skullduggery.
A cracking yarn that would be ideal reading for dark winter nights to give you a scare or two & make you think twice before mentioning the Wend-... no, I won't say it in case I summon them up. Go on, read it if you dare.
A lot of action, adventure, horror, and sex! - By: Kurt A. Johnson, 18 Oct 2005 It is the year 922 & Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, the Caliph of Bagdad's ambassador to the King of the Volga Bulgars, finds himself practicallly shanghaied by a group of Norse Rus, & sent on an odyssey toward danger & adventure. Arriving at their northern homeland, Ibn Fadlan finds that at the core of the Viking fear of misty nights is the fear of a very real danger - the Wendol, the Eaters of the Dead. Stalking out of the misty night & killing with impunity, this northern nightmare has haunted hunted the Vikings even into their own homes. And now, a Viking hero by the name of Buliwyf is sailing to the kingdom of Rothgar, where he & his entourage of eleven Viking warriors & one foreigner (the unlucky Ibn Fadlan) will pit their steel against this ancient evil.
OK, where do I start with this one? In point of fact there was a real Ahmad ibn-al-'Abbas ibn Rashid ibn-Hammad ibn-Fadlan who ventured up the Volga River, & met with various peoples in tenth century Russia. Michael Crichton, that most excellent of storytellers, takes his travel story, & expands it, inserting him into a retelling of the Beowulf saga. As an interesting medium, the author gives his story the form of a modern translation of a newly discovered Ibn Fadlan manuscript.
Now, I must admit that this form of story telling does begin in a dry & academic tone that can be off-putting. But, if you just hold on, you will find the story becoming more & more interesting, finallly holding you stuck to the edge of your seat. It has a lot of action, adventure, horror, & sex. (Yes, there is a lot of sporting between the sexes in this book, but the details are left to the readers imagination.)
I found this to be a wonderfully gripping story that kept me up late at night, just to find out what happened next. I loved this fantasy/real adventure story, & highly recommend it to you!
A Short, Brilliant Book. - By: , 20 Feb 2004 'Eaters of the Dead' is often overlooked because as it is quite short, it didn't get much publicity as it was not deemed to be of sufficient length to be a bestseller novel. This is a pity as I think this ranks right up there with Crichton's best work.
The only problem with this book is that it is too short! The story is intricately weaved around a group of wonderfull characters explored in depth by Michael Crichton. As the basis of this story is the legend of Beowulf, if you are intrested in Norse myth & traditions this is a reallly fascinating read.
A very well written book, its just a pity so few people know about it.
