Rating: 
Summary: good
Review: I think I would have had a better appreciation for this book if I had read Beowulf in high school or college. Even still, I enjoyed Eaters of the Dead. It moves kind of slow at times, and the writing style isn't what I'm used to from Crichton, since this is written in the style of an ancient manuscript. But the basic storyline is interesting and exciting.
Rating:
Summary: Rousing Historical Fiction
Review: This book is fairly well researched, and reads like an account of Ibn Fadlan. It's so well done that I kept forgetting that it was, in fact, fictional. A great story of a young man who makes a bit of a fubar, and is sent journeying around to be an ambassador. He gets caught up with some rough norsemen and goes off to have an adventure with them. There are some excellent themes in this book, and the movie wasn't able to tell it all, of course. I got this after seeing The 13th Warrior and so appriciated the fleshing out of the tale after the movie which seems to be a clif's notes in comparison.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: This book is a little difficult to get into at first. The writing style takes a little while to assimiltate, but once you get it, the story rolls right along. Great characters and action scenes. Would reccomend this to friends.
Rating: 
Summary: An intellectually entertaining book
Review: The 13th Warrior, by Michael Crichton, is actually a reprint of the author's 1976 book, Eaters of the Dead, which probably enjoyed a revival with the advent of the 1999 movie. Although the book doesn't have the narrative strength that some of his later works do, it still bears the hallmark of the exceptional and extensive research that mark all of his work. (The gentleman was educated at Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude...and Phi Beta Kappa in 1964 and graduating from that institution's medical school in 1969). This edition of the work includes a postscript on the factual information behind the story which I found fascinating. I had seen the movie and enjoyed it, which is why I decided to read the book. The postscript told me something that I had not realized in watching the film, but which made sense upon reflection, namely that the tale is an "eyewitness" account of the myth of Beowulf. In short, the narration attempts to strip the embroidery of the ages from what might possibly have been an historical event. Early Islamic travelers like Ibn Fadlan, Ibn Jubayr, and Ibn Battuta did in fact leave transcripts of their experiences in the far flung reaches of the world, much like the stories of the later Italian adventurer Marco Polo. The style of Crichton's book carries much of the flavor of these manuscripts, making it very plausible. Furthermore, archaeological work has recently brought to light the extensive trade connections of the Norsemen or Vikings and illustrated the degree to which Europe had begun to turn to the north for trade and cultural leadership after the fall of the Roman Empire. It would be interesting to see what Mr. Crichton could do with the Icelandic sagas or the myth of the Trojan War. A very entertaining book, but probably more so for those of us who enjoy a little education with our fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: EATERS OF THE DEAD is the retelling of the old English story Beowulf like you've never imagined it before. (It's also the basis for the film the Thirteenth Warrior, but bears little resemblance to that version.) Too bad the title is so disturbing because this book has much to offer. Literature fans will catch more of the allusions, but even those who hated English class will love the story of the Vikings quest to defend themselves from a seemingly immortal beast and the rich description of an ancient foreign culture that Crichton makes relatable, fascinating and memorable.
Rating:
Summary: The flim was O.K, book is 100% better
Review: This book is very imaginative. It is sold under the misleading montra "What if Beowolf was Real"? This is not compleatly acurate I have read parts of Beowolf and those expecting to find a mondern rendition will be very disapointed. The book is told from the point of view of an Arab trader and ambasidor(I would spell his name in the review but I can't) it comes eqiupped with all of the qualities of an old manuscript: missing pages Smugged writting ECT. If you enjoy a good read with lots and lots of action you will enjoy this book, don't be trned off by the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A blast from the 10th Century
Review: This book was very well done. I'm now interested in learning more about the Vikings and what was happening in the world a thousand years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Rollicking Good Fun
Review: Twelve Viking warriors and an Arab courtier aid a Viking settlement against a near-supernatural enemy. It isn't literature, but as light entertainments go this is a superior read thanks to relentless pacing, good action scenes, and a satisfying denouement. The novel has two narrators: an academic hack and the Arab. The hack was mildly amusing but started to get on my nerves by the end. On the other hand, using the Arab's cosmopolitan voice to narrate the tale itself is an inspired device for explaining the strange ways of the Vikings to a modern audience. Bottom line: Better than one has the right to expect from a mass-market paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: This seems to be BEOWULF revisited
Review: OK, this is a fun read, but Crichton is less than forthcoming about this version of the Beowulf saga. If the author really means to provide readers with a trail into literature so they can, at their discretion, make up their own minds about the veracity of Ibn Fadlan's tale, then he should be as diligent to note its amazing similarities to the Beowulf cycle of stories as he is to cite the provenance of old manuscripts or Arabic text translations. Lots of good reading mixes myth and history to make a fictional tale, but the citations that are supposed to help readers understand the tale are very selective by omission of details from the BEOWULF epic. This selective use of citations of ancient manuscripts is why I gave it two stars. I like a rangy yarn as well as the next person, but I do not care to have an author use pseudo-scholarly methods as "authentication." Also, my copy is dated 1976 and there is some really great material about Neanderthalers (including two analyzed samples of their mitochondrial DNA) that has been published since. You might also want to check out paleoclimate data (this story occurs just before the Little Ice Age) and have a good atlas at hand. Crichton does provide helpful geographic information. If you are not of an historical inclination, this is an enjoyable adventure yarn.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Culture Shock
Review: "Eaters of the Dead" is about a 10th Century Arab Muslim named Ibn Fadlan, who goes on a mission to deliver a message up in the northlands by the King of Saqaliba from the "City of Peace." Fadlan gets sidetracked and finds himself among a bunch of Vikings. He observes the Viking way of life and finds much of it offensive, because it goes against his beliefs. Fadlan and the Vikings go around the northland on adventures. They come to a city and protect the village from the "Mist Creatures" who tear off people's heads and take them away. This is an excellent book which shows what culture shock would be for a 10th Century Muslim in the "Barbaric" northland. I highly recommend this and I give it five stars.
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