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99 of 105 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Both True and Fictional, August 19, 1999
This review is from: Eaters of the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)
Contrary to what has been said by many of the reviewers here, this book is in fact based on a real manuscript by the Arab traveller ibn Fadlan in the tenth century who made his way from the Caliphate to the shores of the Volga to treat with the Bulgar kingdom which was then ensconced there (apparently to entice the Bulgars away from their Khazar overlords who were then enemies of the Arab empire). This ambassador of the Caliph faithfully recorded much of what he saw among the barbarians, including encounters with the Oghuz Turks and the Norsemen who were then frequent travellers along the rivers of what would one day become Russia. (In fact some thinking has it that the Norse, in the guise of "Rus" -- eytemology unclear -- actually gave their name, along with their ruling princes, to Russia since the first major Russian state, Kievan Rus, was ruled by princes of viking heritage, with the help of second and third generation viking adventurers serving them as mercenaries.) But Crichton's book is not just a reprint of ibn Fadlan's manuscript (which is available, in English, in various scholarly tomes). Crichton enlarged upon the tale he found and appended an apparently fictional second half which takes ibn Fadlan north, in the company of his new-found Norse comrades, to the viking lands, there to face a shadowy menace of unknown origins. In this second half, Crichton blended historical speculation with the Beowulf tale in Old English (the chief of the viking crew which inducts ibn Fadlan is called "Buliwyf") to suggest an ending to ibn Fadlan's adventures which surely never happened. But it's done quite nicely, hard to tell where the real tale ends and the author's fictional enterprise begins, and it keeps you reading right to the final moments. It's not a particularly stirring tale, rather dry in fact, but it's thought provoking and well-paced and a wonderfully interesting way to do an historical novel. The movie (THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR) unfortunately struck me as a mite simplistic but it did a very nice job of putting viking flesh on the narrative's bones so I wasn't sorry I went to see it. By the way, there are a whole slew of good books out there for those into vikings and historical adventure, including a brand new one by Jeff Janoda called SAGA: A NOVEL OF MEDIEVAL ICELAND which details the events surrounding an intriguing episode in Eyrbyggja Saga (one of the most renowned of the original Norse sagas). It tells the story of a great feud between two chieftains over a little piece of forested land in an Iceland in which wood had become as precious as gold. THE GOLDEN WARRIOR by Hope Muntz (about Harold and William and the struggle for the English throne in the mid-eleventh century) is another. Others worthy of your time include ERIC BRIGHTEYES by H. Rider Haggard, STYRBIORN THE STRONG by E. R. Eddison, and THE LONG SHIPS by Frans Bengtsson. And, if you're still game for more, there's even one I did, THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA, a tale of Norsemen in North America circa AD 1050. SWM author of The King of Vinland's Saga
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40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 13th Warrior left me wanting a sequal -- soon!, August 11, 2000
This review is from: Eaters of the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)
Usually I read the book first, then see the movie. Not this time. I was not disappointed. "The 13th Warrior," movie starring Antonio Bandaras stays very faithful to the book by Michael Crichton. Both are based on a true story taken from the writings of an Arab courtier Ahmad Ibn Fadlan who, back in A.D. 921, was sent by the Caliph of Bagdad to be an ambassador to the King of the Bulgars. Ibn Fadlan had the bad luck to have caught the eye of a beautiful Arab woman who was the young wife of an old and very rich merchant. The merchant complained to the Caliph and wanted Ibn Fadlan banished to some far off and hostile land. While on his way to his new post, this highly refined, educated Arab poet encounters a band of Viking warriors and gets caught up in a horrific quest traveling to Scandinavia with them to save the people of a remote kingdom from a terrifying enemy. The movie and the book give a wonderful look at the contrasts of these two utterly different cultures. Bandaras delivers a stellar performance as the Arab scholar trying to maintain his dignity under some extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Ibn Fadlan finds the Vikings' crude, vulgar, violent and sometimes blatantly sexual customs and personal habits almost more than he can endure, but he does so with a quiet and sometimes comical dignity that makes him all the more likeable. He comes to respect and even like these giant Northmen, especially their brave leader Buliwyf. Once Ibn Fadlan and the Northmen begin their journey together, the action is almost nonstop. The book is done in Ibn Fadlan's voice in narrative style. It is a rather matter-of-fact diary of his travels. But don't let that deter you. It is a fascinating read and one of the earliest and most accurate eye-witness accounts of ancient Viking life. The greatest shock comes at the end of the book when we finally get a detailed description of "the Eaters of the Dead." I hope Crichton is planning a sequal about this remarkable and resourceful Arab poet, Ahmad Ibn Fadlan.
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42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
David's review of Eaters of the Dead, February 17, 2000
Eaters of the dead takes place around 922 A.D. The Caliph of Baghdad sends a court member named Ahmad Ibn Fadlan to deliver a message to the King of Bulgars. During his journey, Fadlan stays at a Viking village. Then a lone warrior comes from the North and tells of a terror that kills the Vikings in the night under the cover of night and the mist. Fadlan is then enlisted to fight this horror, against his will. He protests, but to no avail. He journeys to the North with 12 other warriors to Rothgar's Kingdom and helps to defend it form the attacks by the barbaric mist warriors. Then, the group goes on the offensive to slay the mother. Ibn Fadlan makes this book more interesting and fun to read because he is the total opposite of the Vikings, with whom he stays. He is apalled by their barbaric customs because he is a civilized Arab and the Norsemen are uncivilized. Throughout the story these contrasts are evident. This book proceeds without talking about one subject for too long. I never got bored and there is never a break in the action. The suspense also never stops. I would definitely recommend this book because it gives a great look into the Viking culture while being very entertaing. You won't be able to put it down. Crichton's writing is very fast paced, so this is a great read on a good subject.
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