This story is the account of the travels of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a courtier charged by the
Caliph of Bagdad to serve as ambassador to the King of the Bulgars. Ahmad must make his way
over treacherous rivers and through savage lands. It is the year 921 A.D. Most of the people
they encounter are unclean, barely civilized, and almost always ready to kill Ahmad and his
entourage. They come to the river Volga and encounter a group of giant, pale, ruddy
complexioned Northmen. These men from the North all carry an axe, sword, and dagger wherever
they go and drink and fight amongst themselves constantly. Their own journey has been stopped
by the death of their warrior king. The Vikings must wait until the funeral rites can be
performed and a new king is chosen. It is soon evident that the fate of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan
is entangled with that of a great giant of a man named Buliwyf, who is to be the new king,
but another named Thorkal has plans to take the position himself and dispose of Ahmad for
sorcery. Ahmad and the lives of his entourage hang in the balance, but their fates are suddenly
changed when a messenger from the North begs the assistance of Buliwyf and his warriors.
Buliwyf accepts this challenge, but the holy woman, or angel of death, insists the party
must number thirteen and the thirteenth must be a foreigner. Ahmad's life is no longer his
own and he must accompany these savages to the North and help fight these demons of the
mist for King Rothgar in order to gain his freedom once again.
Eaters of the Dead really captured my imagination and made me realize how fun a
medieval adventure book can be. It is doubly exciting because these accounts are taken from
actual portions of documents supposedly written by the real life Ahmad Ibn Fadlan. The way
in which Crichton expounds upon the finer details of the book leaves you with a feeling
that you've actually learned something. This is an all around excellent book to read, and
I highly recommend it.