Eaters of the Dead

Michael Crichton’s Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922 purports to translate an historic account from a Muslim emissary who’s driven off-track on his ambassadorial mission and joins a Viking quest. The story loosely follows Beowulf, though Crichton changes just enough details to craft a plot that would serve as the “historical” inspiration for the 10th- to 11th-century Old English epic poem. Though Ibn Fadlan never addresses them as such, the “monsters” the Vikings encounter are a band of Neanderthals that have survived past the last Ice Age, raiding the local Norse on occasion and becoming the inspiration for Grendel with their method of carrying torches show more resembling a dragon in the mist. The work handily demonstrates Crichton’s ability to adopt whatever style he needs to immerse the reader in his narrative while creating a sense of verisimilitude. He succeeds to the point that those unfamiliar with the premise could mistake it for an academic translation, though Crichton ensures that the narrative will entertain. It particularly works well for those familiar with Beowulf. show less

While it is not mercurial enough to stand with author Michael Crichton's more well-known works, Eaters of the Dead is a spirited little curio. Inspired by a friend who remarked that they thought Beowulf was boring, Crichton decided to write this short, novel-length retelling of the legend. He tells it straight, as it might have happened historically, removing the fantastical and monstrous elements; Beowulf and his band are now Buliwyf and his band of Viking warriors, while Grendel and his mother are now the 'wendol', a remote, bloodthirsty tribe of surviving Neanderthals.

It works, and Eaters of the Dead is a quick, breezy read that will satisfy a reader's adventure itch for a weekend. Crichton appropriates the real-life account of an show more Arab traveller to the Viking regions at that time, Ibn Fadlan, repurposing the man's tone and writing so that Fadlan assists Buliwyf on his legendary quest. This prophesied 'thirteenth warrior' – which was used as the title of the worthwhile film adaptation – doesn't really do much to justify his involvement on the quest, but Crichton's appropriation of Fadlan adds a great deal of verisimilitude to the story. Crichton has a knack of imitating the real Fadlan's writing so that you could almost believe this is a real, found document.

However, Crichton imitates it almost too well; the account is very matter-of-fact, drawing little of the flavour from its adventure. Characters and locations and feats of action, as well as a sense of dread, remain constrained by Crichton's chosen approach, which is very different from his usual page-turning thrillers. I am one of those who love Beowulf, and while Eaters of the Dead may have streamlined and simplified the dish to make it more palatable to modern readers, it lost much of the flavour and life that a suitably-committed reader can relish in the original. However, Crichton's love for the Beowulf legend comes through, and if the book inspires some readers to pick up the original, it will have performed a supremely worthy task. Even if it does not, it remains a quick and fun Viking adventure. show less

I'm naturally familiar with Crichton's science fiction, but I wasn't aware of this book until I stumbled upon it in a second-hand shop. Crichton takes the manuscripts of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a muslim diplomat who visited the Volga Bulgars in 920 AD and described their culture in writing that has survived today, and combines it with the Beowulf legend. Instead of simply traveling and observing, he gets swept up in a heroes quest to rid a kingdom plagued by the Wendol, a terrifying group of mist monsters that attack in the night when the fog creeps down from the mountains.

The use of Fadlan's manuscripts to bring it to life works fantastically, and it also offers all the insight into Scandinavian culture that you get from the original Beowulf show more poem. From a scholarly perspective It would probably be a heinous crime to say that Eaters of the Dead is an improvement over Beowulf, but from an average every-day reader's perspective it's a surprisingly worthwhile book. It's an interesting new take on an old myth, and I think it deserves a bit more attention than it has received since it was published nearly 40 years ago. I'm sure classical purists hate it for not being "true" to the original poem, but if you believe that stories should change and evolve along with the culture that's producing it, then this modern version is definitely for you. show less

Years ago, I saw the movie "The 13th Warrior" starring Antonio Banderas and I was entranced. Something in one of the early scenes (the Viking burial of an old chieftain) and the final battle scene had gotten firm hold of my imagination. (Maybe Anotnio had something to do with it too...maybe...)

I then found out that this movie was based on a book, and I spent years looking for said book because I desperately wanted more of the story. Only recently did I discover, that the book's actual title is "Eaters of the Dead". And so, here I am.

It's a retelling of Beowulf...well, actually, its a fictional re-telling of a 'true' story that may have been the basis for Beowulf. The story is as gorgeous as I remember, and I got all the extra details I show more craved for, and then some (and then some more).

Now I want to watch the movie again! (Thankfully available in Disney+ ^_^) show less

I loved this book and tore right through with excitement only to find out in the 'Factual Notes' at the end that the whole story (footnotes and all) was 80% fiction. Although, I understand where Crichton was going with it and can understand how it would have been a great story from which Beowulf could loosely have been based on....the unsettling fact is it wasn't! In reading this novel, I truly marvelled at the concept of Neanderthals left still on this planet in 921 AD. Alas...I was left with my imagination running rampant regarding the significance of this 'historic document' and wanting to learn more---only to find out in the end that I was duped! I love Theory/Fiction novels and loved this novel up until the last page when these show more words pierced my eyes, '...the novel, including its introduction, text, footnotes, and bibliography, should properly be viewed as fiction'. If properly depicted as fiction from the outset...It would still make a great movie. ;0) show less

This is probably the most fun I've ever had reading a Crichton book! The inspiration for the (similarly enjoyable) 1990s movie The Thirteenth Warrior, starring Tony Flags, this short, speedy novel purports to be a translation of a 10th Century Arabic text, and is full of "translator's notes" and "footnotes," in much the same way a real translated text is usually presented. It becomes obvious in the first half of the book that this is a gentle tweaking of the Beowulf story: similar in general structure, but different enough to keep you guessing.

The element that made the book most enjoyable was the narrative voice of Ibn Fadlan, the protagonist of the story and titular 13th of the film version. In a very un-Crichtony way, Ibn Fadlan is show more dry and restrained, and it makes for a lot of humor, as well as the added intrigue of trying to see past Ibn Fadlan's biases and occasionally unreliable narration to get at what was really happening. In that way, I was actually reminded of [b:The Remains of the Day|28921|The Remains of the Day|Kazuo Ishiguro|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327128714s/28921.jpg|3333111], where the aged butler often YES I JUST COMPARED MICHAEL FREAKING CRICHTON TO KAZUO ISHIGURO. LEAVE ME ALONE. show less

At last! [a:Michael Crichton|5194|Michael Crichton|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359042651p2/5194.jpg] has redeemed himself. After hating [b:Andromeda Strain|7670|The Andromeda Strain|Michael Crichton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388889327s/7670.jpg|997271], [b:Prey|83763|Prey|Michael Crichton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298436337s/83763.jpg|1258566], [b:Jurassic Park|7677|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348796998s/7677.jpg|3376836], [b:The Lost World|8650|The Lost World (Jurassic Park, #2)|Michael Crichton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386864575s/8650.jpg|1212784], and [Congo], I have finally read a book of his I like, and I loved it, could not put it down. A genuine-feeling show more modernization of Beowulf, so genuine I could not pick out where the Fadlan document ended and the Beowulf reconstruction began. Amazingly consistent, seamless and creative, he nailed an absolutely difficult thing to do. That is, write a real historical fiction of what could have actually taken place a thousand years ago that slowly decayed into myth. My only gripe is with the typical Crichtonesque two paragraph anticlimax, a message to the reader that -- just as with the rest of his books -- he can own a plot all the way up to the summit, then turn around only a few feet away. show less