Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
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Book Reviews of Eaters of the Dead
Book Review: Very well written
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent work by Crichton who seems to have found his groove in writing historically based novels. Much better than Great Train Robbery or Andromeda Strain. As usual, the book is better than the movie, but the cinematic adaptation was still a great work.
Book Review: Crichton at a Sub-Par Level
Summary: 3 Stars
"Eaters of the Dead" is an interesting novel. It reads like a journal that was written in 922 A.D. by a man named Ahmad Ibn Fadlan while he was on a mission to send a message to the King of Saqaliba. Fadlan writes about the many places and cultures he visits on his long journey, which are clearly different than his homeland of Baghdad. This part is interesting to read at first, but it moves rather slowly and after awhile can become boring for most people including myself. At one point though, Fadlan meets a group of vikings and is practically forced to go on a dangerous and mysterious mission with them. This is when the plot begins to pick up and the story becomes more riveting and entertaining. From here on out is a lot of suspense and action as Fadlan and the vikings help protect a local tribe from these cannibalistic people that act more like wild animals than human beings.
Part of what makes this book unique is that it feels like you're reading an ancient true story with some fantasized elements sewn in throughout the second half. It seemed like Crichton had the right idea in order to make this a great book in a really unique and entertaining way, but he didn't have all the right pieces in place to make it work. It is a well written book, but for most of it the pacing is real slow and the plot and character development are kind of weak.
Basically the story seems like a long and extended prologue up to the scene in which Fadlan joins the Vikings in their quest. That's where the overall quality of the story improves and keeps the readers interested for the rest of the book. Overall, "Eaters of the Dead" isn't one of Crichton's best novels, but it can still be respected for the approach he used, which, in some aspects, he did pull off successfully. Some will enjoy it more than others because of their taste in genre, but I don't think most people will feel disappointed in reading this short book. I think 3.5 stars is a more accurate rating for it, but since that wasn't an option I rounded down because of the book's slow start, which is its biggest weakness and could make some people lose interest.
Book Review: Book Purchase
Summary: 1 Stars
Would love to say this is wonderful but I honestly can't. Not because the book wasn't a book I like...it had to do with it being a gift for someone else and I didn't read it. Wish I could be of more help.