Eaters of the Dead

Disappointing. Sometimes Michael Crichton's detailed explanations add depth and clarity to his stories, but eaters of the dead is a disservice. Reading the book honestly feels like a chore. I understand that he is trying to imitate the prose of an actual person, but it's difficult to believe that anyone could be so static while narrating life or death experiences. It would be different if this were a true biography; but eaters of the dead is solidly within the realm of fiction, and yet Crighton refuses to entertain or encourage the reader to continue reading.

Amazing work from Crichton, as usual. Admittedly, the style. of writing is a little different- intended to emulate the travel writings of Ibn Fadlan, but instead of finding this off-putting I think it only makes the illusion of this being a recovered text (almost like found footage) more interesting. I genuinely got excited every time I saw an asterisk denoting a footnote- it's fiction, but the footnotes give it a scholarly air and build the strange society Ibn Fadlan finds himself in.

This was quick read and a heartily enjoyable one at that. The book is short, the adventure is compelling, the action is epic. This book takes a look at the tale of Beowulf but interpreted through the eyes of an outsider, one trained in logic, reading, philosophy, and science. It is presented to the reader as if though this were an ancient document only recently translated. Crichton has included footnotes to add to the feel of this being a scholarly work. This does cause him to change his writing style significantly, so long time readers of his may be put off by that. I enjoyed the creativity, the action and atmosphere all while finding it refreshing to be reading this book in a different voice.