Rating: 
Summary: My second favorite book ever!
Review: Eaters of the Dead, as I've said, is my second favorite book ever! I first saw this book when it had a skull and a viking helmet on the cover and I thought it looked awesome, I had read a couple of Crichton books before at that time and liked them and so I bought the book. I sat down and started reading and I was entranced at the detail and writing style of this book. At first I thought it was real because it read like a real Manuscript written in A.D. 922! But then I realized that Crichton did that on purpose so it would scare you and keep you hooked. I've read this book three times now and it never loses its magic, and the movie was good too (although it should have been longer.) This is a must-read!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Simply amazing. I have long been interested in the past. A passion of mine is studying the history of many cultures. This work, brought me onto the Vikings, which before now, I had little interest in. For anybody who is interested in history as I am, it is another movie that shows historically accurate potrails. I have found little about this story other than movie/book based, so I can't say how much is actually FACT and which is FALSE. Either way it is educational. I wish I could find out which parts are in fact based on FACT. But this does not hinder my simply enjoying this book and the movie that goes along with it.
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the hubbub about fiction and fantasy?
Review: I don't understand why everyone is so wrapped up in whether this book is fact or fiction. That's the beauty of it. Some is fact, some is fiction, and it leaves the reader guessing as to which is which. Those who believe that this whole story is fact - I feel sorry for you - should go and read the epic poem of Beowulf (one of the earliest classics of the English language). Those who want to nitpick about which parts are real, and which fantasy - I feel sorry for you too - who really cares? If people want to think that this book is real, let them. Ignorance is bliss, remember? I thought the book itself was done very well, and Crichton really did exactly what he set out to accomplish - blur reality with fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Michael Crichton did a superb job with this one. It has not only become my favorite, but it also has increased my awareness of how literature can influence other works. I am speaking of Crichton's use of Beowulf, of course. The addition of the Arab into Viking culture is an excellent way to retell the famous epic.
Rating: 
Summary: good, even if it was a rip-off of Beowulf
Review: I found Eatrs of the Dead to be a good read, but it didn't take me long to realize that the author was just retelling Beowulf & changing a few of the characters. The only differences, except for the Arab, were the # of warriors, making the king's jester into a prince, turning the cave-troll Grendel into the cavemen Vendel, & including the fire wirm as a Vendel attack. That shows that he got the main plot from Beowulf. What was the point of its inclusion. It was still a good read, but the fact that it wasn't an original story line kept me from giving it more than 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Could have Been Great
Review: This book had a lot of interesting information and some vivid descriptions. Unfortunately, the way it was presented made a lot of it seem boring. If it had flowed in a more interesting way, I could have easily given the book 5 stars.It is difficult to determine what is fact and what is fantasy. Even with the extensive footnotes it is sometimes hard to understand. Someone familiar with Gary Jennings and especially Raptor can see what might have been with Crichton's novel. The book has its moments though, such as when the narrator explains that as long as you realize that you should be observing a Moslem custom, you are not violating any Moslem rules by not actually observing them. Also, you feel some compassion with the narrator when he cannot pray to Allah because the Norsemen would take offense to it and when he is forced to join the Norsemen because the lucky 13th member of their party must be a foreigner. The funeral for the king was extremely interesting, with the slave girl volunteering to be killed with the dead king. All in all I think this could have been a book of epic proportions had a better and more flowing writing style been employed.
Rating:
Summary: refreshing look at vikings and Beowulf
Review: It took a while, but I finally got into Crichton's "eaters of the dead" and enjoyed it. Sure, Beowulf predates the 10th century vikings in the story, but I give him high marks for his interesting synthesis of an old manuscript and an older epic legend. A real drag to the story flow was the overuse of footnotes. Since liberties were taken with time and facts, why not incorporate the footnotes into the main body of the story and keep it flowing? Crichton does have an eye for action. I cannot imagine this story as a movie starring Antonio Banderas, however it was a good, mercifully short read. They can't all be Andromeda Strain.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Terrific
Review: I was intrigued when I heard that this was a true story, of sorts. After reading about it, I realized that the story is based on fact, which made it even more incredible. This is by far Chrichton's best book. It's a terrific story that's set within the pages of a diary. I read the book before the movie, but was surprised by how well the movie translated the story. It's intriguing to read this story because it feels so real. Ibn Fadlan is terrific character with a great and compelling story. I've never seen anything quite like this, and it proves that Chrichton is a very good writer, despite such menial storied as Airframe and Congo. The writing is great the ending is mysterious. It is a true work of art.
Rating:
Summary: Clever re-telling
Review: This is a very clever re-telling and re-visioning of the BEOWULF tale. EATERS OF THE DEAD is also a return to Crichton's style in THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. That is, Crichton's technique is to make fiction seem absolutely real -- sometimes boringly so -- and when he's good at this, he's the best. Ibn Fadlan was an actual person who did write about his travels, but remember that in THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN Crichton invented footnotes and bibliographical entries that appeared real and true, even though they weren't. The mix of historical fact with fiction, the mundane with the fantastic, is expertly done. The recent movie that is based on this book, THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR, also does that quite well. (If folks are interested in more interpretations of BEOWULF, they might want to take a look at John Gardner's GRENDEL.)
Rating:
Summary: Another big hit!
Review: When you first start this book, it begins with a boring introduction to the story, explaining the historical foundation for the book. (I'm not totally convinced that this was based on history-but I'm not sure!-which is another fascinating aspect of the book.) When you get through that part, which is pretty interesting if you give it a chance, you get to the really good stuff. I'm sure you have read the other reviews and the synopsis of the book, so I will only add one other thing to help you decide if you want the book or not. The book has many levels, and I chose to focus on the relationship between Ibn Fadlan and the vikings. Underneath the obvious story lies lessons about death and life. Ibn Fadlan, a man who is afraid of death and, of course, avoids it as much as possible, is sent on a quest with men who deal with death everyday. Also, his relationship on a cultural level with the vikings. He was so much the opposite of them, and you get to see his transformation as he discovers their world. The book is beautifully written (maybe the writing is a little wierd for people since it was written as journal entries from a man who only liked to write down the facts). The only thing I didn't like was that it wasn't longer! It's a great buy and it is action-packed and very funny! warning: There are a couple of words where you need a dictionary. (but just a couple)
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