shalot's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to read this because I adored 'The 13th Warrior' movie as a teen. I'm impressed with how much the movie stuck to the original plot. As always, the book will always have more detail and things the movie can't include.
And yet the book itself is so much more METAL and waaaay more academic and nerdy than I was expecting. The book has footnotes where the author discusses translations, culture, and history. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and it makes me curious to try more Michael Crichton.
And yet the book itself is so much more METAL and waaaay more academic and nerdy than I was expecting. The book has footnotes where the author discusses translations, culture, and history. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and it makes me curious to try more Michael Crichton.
saidtheraven's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe it's the fact that the concept was really ingenious, that I actually wanted to believe this happened. I was assigned to it about 1 year and a half ago, as a summer read. Particularly, the teachers thought this book would get us more interested and understand better the story of Beowulf. I think, to a level, it will. At least to me. It takes the story of Beowulf and creates this alternative version to it. Makes for a far more interesting story than Beowulf did!
I do, however, have to add that it was a bit hard for me to get into. I struggled a lot, actually. I would give 3 stars but the fact that it was slow, keeps me from that. Nevertheless, it was exciting reading something from Crichton, seeming as I have always wanted to read Jurassic Park, but never found the time to. He has a very particular way of writing and it translates through.
(I do wish we could get more to that ending though.... )
I do, however, have to add that it was a bit hard for me to get into. I struggled a lot, actually. I would give 3 stars but the fact that it was slow, keeps me from that. Nevertheless, it was exciting reading something from Crichton, seeming as I have always wanted to read Jurassic Park, but never found the time to. He has a very particular way of writing and it translates through.
(I do wish we could get more to that ending though.... )
vandiver10's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fieldofhats's review
2.5 stars. DNF at around 55%, I got about 3 hours into the 5.5 hour audiobook before deciding that I couldn’t go on.
The book itself is misleading. The introduction makes it seem like this is the unedited account of Ahmad ibn Fadlān’s experience with the Vikings. This is further reinforced by the fact that the first few chapters are an accurate account of ibn Fadlān’s journey (how edited they are by Crichton I’m not sure, but they are accurate). This isn’t a horrible literary decision, but it is confusing, especially because there’s no indication when the account switches to becoming fictional. At some point one could probably surmise that it’s fictional, but that line isn’t very prominent. I understand that this may not bother everyone, but it was annoying to me.
Writing in the style of ibn Fadlān’s account is an interesting perspective, although it does come with many downsides. Firstly, the actual prose of the book isn’t very engaging or fun. The short length and immersion within Viking culture saves it from being unreadable, but it can be tedious at times. Second, Michael Crichton attempts to make ibn Fadlān seem more three dimensional or give his character more depth by having him be enthusiastic about the adventure and even “taking a slave girl in the fashion of the north men”… and it doesn’t work. ibn Fadlān had no stakes in the Vikings’ doings, he just wrote what he observed. And it seems especially suspicious that he would partake in their activities willingly and enthusiastically. This may seem like a minor gripe, but if you’re going to confine yourself to a specific perspective and style, you should stick with it.
Overall, I don’t think this book was for me. I see the appeal and understand why people like it, but because of my knowledge about Viking history, this didn’t do it for me. The perspective was interesting, even though the execution was flawed, and the Beowulf retelling was pretty good, if not very accurate. If you don’t mind these things, more power to you! They got in the way of my reading, but I still see why this is such a beloved book.
The book itself is misleading. The introduction makes it seem like this is the unedited account of Ahmad ibn Fadlān’s experience with the Vikings. This is further reinforced by the fact that the first few chapters are an accurate account of ibn Fadlān’s journey (how edited they are by Crichton I’m not sure, but they are accurate). This isn’t a horrible literary decision, but it is confusing, especially because there’s no indication when the account switches to becoming fictional. At some point one could probably surmise that it’s fictional, but that line isn’t very prominent. I understand that this may not bother everyone, but it was annoying to me.
Writing in the style of ibn Fadlān’s account is an interesting perspective, although it does come with many downsides. Firstly, the actual prose of the book isn’t very engaging or fun. The short length and immersion within Viking culture saves it from being unreadable, but it can be tedious at times. Second, Michael Crichton attempts to make ibn Fadlān seem more three dimensional or give his character more depth by having him be enthusiastic about the adventure and even “taking a slave girl in the fashion of the north men”… and it doesn’t work. ibn Fadlān had no stakes in the Vikings’ doings, he just wrote what he observed. And it seems especially suspicious that he would partake in their activities willingly and enthusiastically. This may seem like a minor gripe, but if you’re going to confine yourself to a specific perspective and style, you should stick with it.
Overall, I don’t think this book was for me. I see the appeal and understand why people like it, but because of my knowledge about Viking history, this didn’t do it for me. The perspective was interesting, even though the execution was flawed, and the Beowulf retelling was pretty good, if not very accurate. If you don’t mind these things, more power to you! They got in the way of my reading, but I still see why this is such a beloved book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, Slavery, and War
chaghi's review against another edition
3.0
Not the usual Crichton work. An interesting take on Beowulf, re-imagining it as non-fiction.
pirate_jesus's review against another edition
3.0
Me, halfway through: wtf, is this just Beowulf?
MC (via afterword): Yo, this is just Beowulf.
MC (via afterword): Yo, this is just Beowulf.
josephhack's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hananhn's review
2.0
It’s too short to engage in the story. All I got was the cultural differences between the Arab an the vikings, which became so boring with time.
pocketbook's review against another edition
I was interested because I was promised a cool retelling of Beowulf and some medieval horror. I was put off by racist sounding claims that Oghuz Turks didn't ever wash. I read some reviews here about rape and decided not to finish reading.