- Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Avon; 1 edition (Aug 10 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060891564
- ISBN-13: 978-0060891565
- Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 1.9 x 17.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (244 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #216,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Michael Crichton takes the listener on a one-thousand-year-old journey in his adventure novel Eaters Of The Dead. This remarkable true story originated from actual journal entries of an Arab man who traveled with a group of Vikings throughout northern Europe. In 922 A.D, Ibn Fadlan, a devout Muslim, left his home in Baghdad on a mission to the King of Saqaliba. During his journey, he meets various groups of "barbarians" who have poor hygiene and gorge themselves on food, alcohol and sex. For Fadlan, his new traveling companions are a far stretch from society in the sophisticated "City of Peace." The conservative and slightly critical man describes the Vikings as "tall as palm trees with florid and ruddy complexions." Fadlan is astonished by their lustful aggression and their apathy towards death. He witnesses everything from group orgies to violent funeral ceremonies. Despite the language and cultural barriers, Ibn Fadlan is welcomed into the clan. The leader of the group, Buliwyf (who can communicate in Latin) takes Fadlan under his wing.
Without warning, the chieftain is ordered to haul his warriors back to Scandinavia to save his people from the "monsters of the mist." Ibn Fadlan follows the clan and must rise to the occasion in the battle of his life.--Gina Kaysen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This engaging audio adaptation presents Crichton's (The Lost World) variation on the Beowulf tale from the perspective of a contemporary reporter. The narrator, Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, courtier in the court of the Caliph of Bagdad, is detoured from his diplomatic mission and joins a group of Vikings on a heroic quest. Led by their chief, Buliwyf, the band attempts to rid the Kingdom of Rothgar of the dreaded "wendols," or mist monsters. Ibn Fadlan records not only the story of the quest but also his views on Viking life, society, sexual habits, and government. This medieval account is presented in the form of a modern scholarly translation, including an introduction, supporting materials, and footnotes. Crichton's excellent story is further enhanced by George Guidall's superb narration. A great performance and highly recommended for all audio collections.AStephen L. Hupp, Urbana Univ., OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beowulf meets A Thousand And One Nights,
This review is from: Eaters of the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)
Michael Crichton, never at a loss at putting a whole new slant on the tried and true, has given us a fascinating tale that combines some of the best elements of what might have happened if Sharazad had met up with Beowulf instead of the sultan Shahriyar. In "Eaters of the Dead" (an unfortunate title if there ever was one), Crichton introduces us to Ibn Fadlan, the story's narrator, a young Arabian who has had the misfortune to capture the heart of the young and beautiful wife of a rich old merchant. Ibn Fadlan is unwillingly sent out of harm's way on a mission to the faraway kingdom of Saqaliba. En route to his destination, he meets a group of Scandinavians, led by a brawny warrior called Buliwyf (the ancient spelling of Beowulf?). Ibn Fadlan thinks the Scandinavians are beyond gross; their habits are disgusting, they're little more civilized than animals -- but he finds an affinity with Buliwyf who can communicate in the common currency of the Latin language, still alive in the 10th century when this story takes place. Buliwyf convinces Ibn Fadlan to come with him and his men to Scandinavia, where they are being terrorized by a mysterious and monstrous entity that emerges from the mists and leave carnage and bloodshed in their wake.In "Beowulf" this entity was, of course, Grendel, but in "Eaters of the Dead" the monster turns out to be a group of cannibalistic Neanderthals who sow terror everywhere they appear, and with good reason. As in "Beowulf", there is a battle to the finish in which only one side can survive. During Ibn Fadlan's stay in the Scandinavian village, while preparing for the final confrontation, he learns a lot about his new friends and discovers that, while they may not be as cultured as his Arabian kinfolks, they are far from being the barbarians the first appeared to be. Ibn Fadlan tells us his story as entries in a journal, each one more fascinating than the next, and the ending reads like a journal broken off, for reasons we never find out. The last words are "Now it happened that..." What happened? Crichton's genius as a storyteller is leaving us wanting to know more about this Arabian world-traveler and what kind of subsequent adventures he met up with before he returned home -- if he ever did. Crichton, whose interests seem to be encyclopedic, based this book on a real manuscript by an Arab traveller called ibn Fadlan who in the year 921 A.D. traveled from Arabia to Bulgaria as an emissary of the Caliph. The manuscript is available in several modern translations, including English, but Crichton's book is probably a lot more fun to read. "Eaters of the Dead" was a sleeper, originally published in hardcover (I still have my copy) but it didn't take off until years later, after the release of the film "The Thirteenth Warrior" with Antonio Banderas playing the protagonist. In making two ancient cultures come alive for the reader, Crichton shows himself again to be a master storyteller.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fruits of a Dare,
By
This review is from: Eaters of the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)
In the afterword, Michael Crichton writes that this novel arose out of a dare - that anyone could, and would willingly immerse themselves in the world of Beowulf. The novel wrestles with two very intriguing ideas. First that Beowulf was based on actual events (and he actually mentions Heinrich Schliemann, who believed the Iliad was true, and thus helped prove Troy's existence). The second, that the battles described in Beowulf were actually battles between the Cro-Magnon Vikings and a tribe of Neanderthals. To tell his story, he has as his narrator and hero Ibn Fadlan, an Arab traveller who had journeyed among the Vikings in Russia in 921 A.D. He uses the extant writings of Ibn Fadlan to begin the story and describe Viking life, even though he lived at a later time then when Beowulf originated. And all of this would make for some interesting, if rather dry, reading but for one thing: Crichton can write. He lays out a story-line that is both economical and compelling. He says that the first three chapters are rewritten from Ibn Fadlan's manuscript, but for this clue, one could not easily discern where Ibn Fadlan ends and where Crichton begins.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting read,
By
This review is from: Eaters of the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is presented as an account of an Arab traveler taken along a quest with Vikings around a thousand years ago. Crichton does a good job of presenting the text as an historical account and in many ways this reads as an interesting historical narrative of true events. The story is a fairly quick read and I think any that enjoy action/adventure stories set in the distant past would like it.Because of the footnotes and eyewitness type narrative done in a fictional novel, it's hard to know what customs and beliefs presented are actual and what are totally made up. It all reads as true to life, and I suppose that is what makes it so interesting. I'm going to guess that Crichtons presentation of customs and rituals such as the one in which the Viking men can and do take any of the slave woman at will, often several times a day, is completely made up, a males fantasy indeed, however it makes for interesting reading and I'm sure it's intertwined with some customs that are actually factual. I saw the movie when it first came out, and that fact didn't diminish the reading of the novel. I'd also like to point out that, unlike Timeline, in which Crichton takes characters back in time in a time traveling machine, this book supposes an eyewitness account of a foreigner traveling to distant lands back at the time the adventure happened and that Crichton merely translated the story for us from several scholarly texts. I liked this approach better as it wasn't as fantastic or as hard to shallow. In any case, while this book is hardly classical literature, it's a fun read and I give it a good recommendation.
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