Eaters of the Dead

Michael Crichton

Bantam Books 1977
A book review by Danny Yee © 1992 https://dannyreviews.com/
Eaters of the Dead takes elements of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf and the Arab Ibn Fadlan's account of his journeys among the Rus, and works them into a thriller. 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 may not be a great novel, but it's an entertaining one and should appeal to those interested in the period. Neanderthal survival into the modern era is a bit of a stretch, but no more so than the science in Jurassic Park.

The movie based on Eaters of the Dead is called The 13th Warrior.

August 1992

External links:
- buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
Related reviews:
- books about Scandinavia + Scandinavian history
- more historical fiction
%T Eaters of the Dead
%A Crichton, Michael
%I Bantam Books
%D 1977
%O paperback
%G ISBN 0553047920
%P 214pp