Eaters of the Dead
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Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadhlan Relating His Experiences With the Northmen in A.D. 922 is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton.
Plot
The novel plays in the 10th century. The Caliph of Baghdad sends his ambassador, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, to the king of the Volga Bulgars. He never arrives but is instead captured by a group of Vikings. This group is sent on a heroes quest to the north. Ahmad ibn Fadlan is taken along, as the thirteenth member of their group, to bring good luck. There he battles with the 'mist-monsters', a relict group of Neanderthals.Eaters of the Dead is narrated as a scientific commentary on an old manuscript.
Comments
Crichton explains in an Appendix that the book was based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ibn Fadlan personal account of his actual story journey northwards and his experiences with and observations of the Rus', the early Russian people.
The remainder is based upon the story of Beowulf.
It is also noteworthy to comment on the origin of the novel. A good friend of Crichton's was giving a lecture on the 'Bores of Literature.' Included in his lecture was an argument on Beowulf and why it was simply uninteresting. Crichton stated his views that the story was not a bore and was, in fact, a very interesting work. The arguement escalated until Crichton stated that he would prove to him that the story could be interesting if presented in the correct way. It was meant as a dare and has become one of the most intriguing novels of our time.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
Film or TV adaptations
The novel was adapted into film as The 13th Warrior, directed by John McTiernan, with Antonio Banderas as Ibn Fadlan. 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.Differences between Film and Novel
In the book, Ibn Fadlan is nearly helpless against the Neanderthals, and must depend entirely on the Vikings to slay them. In the movie Antonio Banderas kills several Wolden and is shown the equal of the Vikings in combat by his use of a scimitar, and his idea that the Neanderthals are sleeping in caves.
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