Eaters of the Dead

Eaters of the Dead is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton.

Related Topics:
1976 - Novel - Michael Crichton

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Crichton drew upon ambassador Ibn Fadlan's account of his journeys among the early Russians, and posits the origin of the Beowulf epic as a conflict between Vikings and a small relict Neanderthal population.

Related Topics:
Ibn Fadlan - Early Russians - Beowulf - Viking - Relict - Neanderthal

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In this process Ibn has to face off his own fears, overcome his disgust of the "barbarians" and language barriers, to become - as he sates at the end - "a useful servant of God".

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"I wrote Eaters on a bet that I could make an entertaining story out of 'Beowulf'. It's an unusual book. Readers either like it, or they don't," writes Crichton. http://www.crichton-official.com/eaters/index.html

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The novel was adapted into film as The 13th Warrior, directed by John McTiernan, with Antonio Banderas as Ibn Fadlan. The movie turned out to be quite exciting, with some interesting twists. Some discrepancies are, however quite funny (such as a Viking explaining fatalism to an Arab, whose religion and whole thinking is based on the concept). Crichton writes that he was "quite pleased" with the film, though it earned mixed reviews and performed rather poorly at the box office, earning about $32 million; the film's budget was over $80 million.

Related Topics:
The 13th Warrior - John McTiernan - Antonio Banderas - Viking - Fatalism - Arab - Religion - Box office - $

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