Rating: 
Summary: Excellent,feels like you are reading a modern thriller!
Review: You all recognize Michael Crichton as the author of books such as Jurassic Park, Disclosure, and Congo. Considering he is one of the hottest authors in Hollywood, how could you not. The book reviewed here, however, is none of the above; it is a more or less forgotten book called Eaters of the Dead this review is about a book written by Michael Crichton which has been used to create a movie called "The Thirteenth Warrior." In fact, the name of the original book was"Eaters of the Dead." What's most interesting about this book is that the reader will feel he is reading a fictional novel rather than a real life account of a Muslim ambassador reporting back to his Khalifa ." The Thirteenth Warrior" is actually a translated manuscript of guy named "Ahmed Ibn-Fadlan." This book was supposed to be a boring translation of a boring report of a humble person but while reading it,the reader will understand that facts and fiction are all mixed up together. Even the writer, Micheal Crichton, confessed that there are fictional parts in the novel whereas the novel was supposed to be historical.Ahmed-Ibn-Fadlan leaves his country ,Mesopotemia to go to the wealthy kingdom of Bulgaria but end up with the Vikings.The leader of the band of the Vikings was "Buliwyf" who was to help King Rothgar from the eaters of the dead.Thirteenth warrior had to go to the mission and Ahmed-Ibn-Fadlan was the last one.The writer of the original document, Ahmed-Ibn-Fadlan, starts his writing informing the reader that he has been driven out of his homeland by a jealous Muslim miser who poisoined the air around the Khalif of Baghdad about Fadlan, afer knowing that Ibn-Fadlan has a secret relationship with his wife.But the real story starts when Ibn-Fadlan meets the Vikings and finds himself forced to stay with the Vikings. Ibn-Fadlan was given the task to meet the King of Bulgaria,in a country situated near today's Russia's Volga river.But throughtout the book,we read about Viking customs, traditions, myths, warfare tactics of the Vikings.Ibn-Fadlan's voice has been clear and describing in vivid details what he saw.Instead of the traditional,western,fictional story-telling way,Ibn-Fadlan uses the neutral viewpoint of the observer and reports everything he has seen in graphic details.Interesting as It may seem,Michael Crichton wrote "Eaters Of The Dead" while he was a college undergraduate,accepting the challange of a college professor about using"Beowulf"-an Anglo-Saxon epic, and the translated manuscript of Ibn-Fadlan to make his students aware about books which says a lot of important things about western civilisation but haven't been read.After studying the manuscript,which has been abruptly finished with the words "Now It happened", giving us the hint that there might have been another incident.Though this book says real things about real people,it doesn't feel boring once because when you read the novel you will find fact and fiction very close mingling freely! The historical detail is handled reasonably well, the story is fast-paced and gripping, and the contrast between the Arab/Islamic and Viking cultures is effectively exploited. The result is not a great novel, but it's an entertaining one and should appeal to those interested in the period.
Rating: 
Summary: Five times, I read the book, and counting...
Review: I did not know about the book until I met a lovely lady at Wayne State University. She knew I was Arab and asked me:"what you think of Eaters of the Dead," I shacked my head showing no acquaintance of the writer or the book. She was amazed, larter in the same week, gave me a copy. I bought eight copies since that time and sent to all my friends and still keeping two different prints of them.
I read some lines from the Arabic manuscripts and got to conclusion that the researcher and writer did his homework, well, in understanding how Arab Muslims were thinking at that time.
I read many books dated to that time and before the time of Ibn Fadlan, in Arabic, and understand how the Muslim scholars, researchers, and explorers were thinking at that time. Michael Crichton depicted that in the most naked and elegant manner.
We look up to our scholars of that time, many of them served humanity in preserving, conveying, and developing knowledge of past glorious civilizations from east and west. They were courageous and hard working researchers. They love knowledge and would sacrifice their own lives to serve it.
In my opinion, I do not think of this story as a factious one, as many would think. I read many books describing historical events and stories, proved true by many sources, written in the same manner in Arabic language. At the end, every one has the right to think whatever s/he wishes.
The story is knitted in a very lovely manner and can be reproduced in Arabic again from the English version, betting, it will be so smooth to Arab reader he will not notice it was translated from a foreign language. The Arabic language is so sensitive and delicate; still felt I was reading an Arabic book written by profound Arab historian and researcher.
America enjoy this writer's, or let's say researcher's, ingenuity. Crichton's hard work and dedication produced a very sweet fruit, from which the original plant was nourished very complicated, very distinct, and different language and culture, in the "meals on wheels" form. Congratulations to you all this wonderful work. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Far From chrichton's potential
Review: Eaters of the Dead has a few good parts but for the most part it is mediocre. I found Eaters of the dead to be far from Crichton's best because it lacks the usual suspense and unpredictability that is found in almost all of Crichton books. If Eaters of the Dead was entirely non-fiction it would have been better but Crichton used enough of his own idea's to have it published as a work of fiction. Unlike usual Crichton books Eaters of the Dead is boring until he reaches the north lands where it is still fairly unexciting, this is proved in the part when Ibn Faladan is almost killed in Turkey and it reads like the rest of the book as there is no sense of urgency or fear if Crichton was going to change some facts in the book (I'm still not sure what is fact and what is fiction) he should have added dialog or something to make that scene more exciting even if it isn't part of the main plot. Even the battle scenes lack excitement with no real details or description. My favorite scene is from descending the cliff to the fight with the mother of the Wendol and even that is too fast or the scene where Ibn Faladan sees the whales because that is the most descriptive scene in the whole book. Whereas most Michael Crichton's books score five out-of five stars for the reasons above I gave Eaters of the Dead one star. A word of advice to Crichton is if your going to do non-fiction add nothing fictitious to it. It is also a pity that this book came nowhere near his potential and if it was his first book or if it was the first Crichton a person ever read it gives a great author a bad name.
Rating:
Summary: Crichton the Historian!!!!
Review: As a student in Medieval Studies and history, this is the Crichton that I love the most. The Historian Crichton. If you enjoyed the epic of Beowulf, then you will rave over Eaters of the Dead. This is based on a true story.
We follow an Arab messenger traveling north from the middle east on a mission. Along the journey, he stops to stay with some northman and gets plunged into an incredible journey. The messanger starts to write about his travels and now, hundreds of years later, Crichton translates them for us.
The northman are summoned to a distant land to help a fellow king in a time where his people are being killed by "mist monsters". The northman are ready to go, when they say they need a thirteenth warrior that is not of their own land. That warrior is the Arab.
The way the story is told is incredible, because we get it in a first person point of view. You can feel the action and feel the battles as if you were fighting them yourself. But this is more than just a story, but a history lesson as well. The book gives us loads of info on the vikings and the ways of cannibalistic tribes which gives us a bit of a heads up leading into the story.
Crichton does a hell of a translating job, and tells this story wonderfully. Although this story is not from Crichtons own head, dont pass it up. This is a perfect piece of fiction/non-fiction.
Rating:
Summary: By far my favorite Crichton novel
Review: This is one of his shortest novels, but IMO perhaps the best. The narrative is taut, the excitement and suspense unrelenting, and the historical detail rich and vivid. He combines three worlds all equally strange to most readers - the Vikings of the Dark Ages, the world of medieval Islam, and the bizarre prehistoric rootedness of the Eaters. Several alien worlds superimposed, and done most impressivley. Far better than the film.
Rating:
Summary: Eaters of the Dead
Review: Michael Crichton has written many good books like Jurassic Park, and The Lost World. He has written many good novels. He is also considered one of the best writers of our time.
The book Eaters of the Dead is about a man of Arab decent who is sent away from his country as an ambassador to the North. On his journey he gets caught up with a group of Vikings that take him on a trip with them to the country far to the North to help another group of Vikings that are having a problem with an ancient myth. The myth is of a group of animals who eat the dead. This book tells of the hardships the group of men goes through to fight this evil myth.
This book is really good, and follows very well which makes it easy to read. I would recommend that you should read the book. It is not very long and you will get through it fast.
Rating:
Summary: Eaters of the Dead
Review: I don't know about anyone else but this was one of the best books I have ever read. I had seen the movie before I read the book and their both great, but I'm going to have to go with the movie on this one. Those battle scenes in the movie were unbelievable. My favorite part of the book and movie were when the warriors went into the Wendol's cave and slaughtered their mother and then ran for their lives as the beasts swarmed in on them. Before I read this book I wasn't a big reader of Micheal Crichton, but after reading this book I don't see how you couldn't be one. This book was the best thing since "The Hobbit". Well I hope everyone enjoyed my review. Bye!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: After reading the book, I am not sure I want to see the movie. It was so vivid it almost made me vomit. I learned that the Klingons of Star Trek are sissies comparied to Vikings. But the book convinced me that the account was true, so I feel it is a "must read".
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Adaptation of Beowulf
Review: Even after hearing Michael Crichton's commentary on the abridged audio version of this book, I was left wondering just how much is true and how much is embellishment. Apparently, the narrator, Ibn Fadlan, was real enough and did travel to the Northlands around the time period when this novel is set, but Crichton wrote the novel on a bet that he could make an entertaining story out of Beowulf. Personally, I thought Beowulf to be pretty entertaining on its own (even in 11th grade, when I read it), but this adaptation is also a good read. The movie later made from the novel, "The 13th Warrior" with Antonio Banderas as Ibn Fadlan is remarkably true to the story, then again, maybe not so remarkably when you note that Michael Crichton was a producer. At any rate, a good novel that can be enjoyed by almost anyone!
Rating:
Summary: The past can be just as exciting as the future
Review: Michael Crichton wrote a winner with this one and the screen adaptation, which I own on VHS, was very good and overlooked. --Along the lines of Braveheart; great view of european and scandinavian "culture" about 1000 AD, as seen through the eyes of an Arab who wrote of his travels. It is based on a true story from his account of adventures with the Vikings. The story is much enjoyed in both forms by those I suggest it to. Now I have added to my formats, the DVD version. A great addition.
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