Eaters of the Dead

Michael Crichton

Bantam Books, 1977

Reviewed by John Hocking

After the monster success, and subsequent filming, of The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man, Michael Crichton wrote this enjoyable oddity. Many years after its initial publication, and its author's ascension to even greater fame as the creator of Jurassic Park and The Lost World, Eaters of the Dead would also reach the silver screen as The 13th Warrior.

The film is quite enjoyable and has some of the best barbarian characters ever seen in a movie, but it is a little difficult to imagine this novel would have had much appeal to Hollywood if it hadn't have been written by Michael Crichton.

Eaters of the Dead is an expansion and re-imagining of Ibn Fadlan's 922 manuscript describing his journeys amongst the Norsemen, blending a fictional riff on this genuine document with a new take on the Beowulf myth, and in the process creating a unique piece of historical fantasy.

Crichton's attempt to tell the tale in a softened version of the authentic period style gives the book much of its distinctive flavor, but also acts as a distancing device that may work against genuine reader involvement. The book is readable and entertaining without becoming powerful or thrilling. It never really rises above the level of enjoyable oddity, but one must give the author credit. With mainstream bestsellers and blockbuster movies under his belt, Crichton took the time to write this very personal and idiosyncratic book. This is definitely not a commercial endeavor. So hats off to him, both for having the courage to write something so unique, and for including Necronomicon by Abdul Alhazred, edited by H.P. Lovecraft, in the bibliography. That's a pretty hip thing for a best-selling author to do.