Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton. The story is about a 10th-century Muslim who travels with a group of Vikings to their settlement. Crichton explains in an appendix that the book was based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's personal account of his actual journey north and his experiences with and observations of Vikings . The remainder is based upon the story of Beowulf. The novel is set 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 hero's quest to the north. Ahmad ibn Fadlan is taken along, as the thirteenth member of their group, to bring good luck.
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| Author: | Michael Crichton |
| Genre: | Fantasy, Historical novel, Fiction, Historical fiction, Speculative fiction, Suspense |
| Year published: | 1976 |
| Number of editions: | 14 |