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Summary: OF COURSE IT'S A BIG HOAX !!!!
Review: The fact that Crichton tried hard to sell this a a "true" history darkens all the merit this book could have. Only greed can explain that, the same greed that make Crichton allowed the publication of a third-class book, "FIVE PATIENTS".
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Summary: Beowulf remastered
Review: Very entertaining book! Like most great fantasy it's captivating once you get through the first 20 pages. I thouroughly enjoyed it.
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Summary: sainttimothy
Review: Excellent. Do not miss this one if you are into history and storytelling.
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Summary: One of Crichton's lesser works
Review: First, a note to just about every other review I've seen. This is the page for the BOOK Eaters of the Dead! WHY are you reviewing the movie here? That out of the way, I just couldn't get into this book the way I've gotten into other Crichton books. Having a first person perspective eliminated his trademark cross-cutting, and overall it was a flat and unemotional experience. Numerous things were changed in the movie, but it's no better. I'm glad that Crichton didn't write any more like this. All his other books are gems.
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Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I surprisingly found this book fascinating. I don't ususally get into the viking type genre - if there is one, but I really enjoyed this book and have reccommended it often. It was just an all around fascinating read, especially since I had previously read the excerts that Chrichton worked from by the real Arab traveler. I really enjoyed it.
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Summary: Eaters of the dead
Review: In the novel Eaters of the dead Michael Criton really expresses his true emotion by traveling some 500 miles with a strong title of men. In the dessert the men cross numerous vikings including the visous clan and ended up in an all out war. The food supply quickly wore itself down and caused all to go into a starvation mode which drove them into a craze. This craze led them to kill and eat the vicking clan. Once all were fed the went into a village. not to give it away they end up getting there goal and it all lead to the vickings. I do think you will like the book if you have time to reread and consitrate. Michael Criton truly wrote a complex novel and put alot into it. He really makes you feal as though he was a vicking himself.(he wasn't 700 A.D.)If you like the movie 13th warrior make sure you do read this because,he did change it around quite a bit.Michael Criton wrote a Great book make sure you read it!
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Summary: Seperate the Movie from the Book...
Review: O.K. the movie was good and all, but the book? Even Crichton himself says that the book was just an 'experiment' in combining historical fact with a mythic heroic storyline (Beowulf). Every review here seems to confuse the book with the movie. The movie was well-written, cast extremely well, and just overall a great story.I read Eaters of the Dead over ten years ago and had a hard time with it (not from a reading perspective, its quite easy to read), because it didn't give enough information to be relevant. The Journal style writing without any significant dialog made it feel flat. After the movie came out, I couldn't remember all that stuff happening so I re-read it. Unfortunately I couldn't get the movie images out of my head while I was reading it, which I think is the problem with most of the reviews here. Anyway, it reads quickly, but lacks a certain depth that the movie made up for.
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Summary: Beowulf -- a 'scientific interpretation'
Review: When I was in the fifth grade, we were 'forced' to read and then perform the tale of Beowulf -- the first book ever written in English. It's funny how this amazing teacher managed to help it stick in my mind since then by having us do the choral of the tale of Beowulf. Imagine my amazement when I read this. It is the story of Beowulf, but it picks apart the components of legend and shows where they may have been gleaned from. It's done quite ingeniously - I must say. It's a bit of a 'graphic' story, but it has a great deal going for it, and frankly, having already had the background of Beowulf to compare it to, made it all the more pleasing. For those who have no idea who Beowulf was, well, it'll still be an enjoyable, albeit brutal book to read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read.
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Summary: Good and short sometimes collides.
Review: The first book I read by Crichton was the disasterious Timeline. I now curse myself for reading it. However, I gave Crichton a second chance. Eaters of the Dead is about a Arab minstrel named Ahamad ibn-Fadlan (there's a much longer name in the book) leaves his city of Baghdad as ordered by the King, and sets off on a long journey to the Northlands. I really liked this book. The action scenes were short, but there were many. A nice combination of real stories and Beowulf, the famous poem. Rothgar and Ahamad are my favorite charecters. I wish there was more to say about this book. Well, If you hated Timeline, pick this book up, you'll love it!
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Summary: A COMPELLING COMBO OF FACT AND FICTION!!!
Review: I'm not a Michael Crichton fan, however I did find this book to be very interesting in its exploration of the world that existed a thousand years ago. The unique methodology used by Crichton involves combining elements of actual accounts written, presumably, by Ibn Fadlan (an Arabic-speaking courtier, who travelled far and wide and lived to write about his interesting travels) and creating a continuation that is fictional and speculative, but still very entertaining. One must be careful not to take such works as actual snapshots of history however. What is useful to note is that Ibn Fadlan attempts to be a very objective observer, who lapses into cultural display of disgust when confronted by some of the habits of the Norsemen, but he represents what many a modern man's reaction. At the time, the Arabs had forged a vast empire stretching from southern Europe to the borders of India and China, and they had created a civilization that fused together elements of Greco-Roman hellenism, Persian influences, and various regional contributions to create a universal state that was as inclusive as the Roman Empire (at the end) and Alexander the Great's vision of a single human nation. The result of such enlightenment was a renaissance that helped shape the more long-lasting European Renaissance as the Arabs preserved Greek learning and imported Indian mathematics and developed theories of their own about astronomy, physics, mathematics, and sociology. Ibn Fadlan's account gives us a glimpse of the little known civilization of the Norsemen of ancient Scandanavia, who raided as far south as the Caspian and Black Seas and were noted for their ferocity in warfare and their seemingly "uncouthe" mannerisms. Michael Crichton deserves credit for venturing into somewhat uncharted territory and making it work.
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