Eaters of the Dead

About “Eaters of the Dead”

Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922 is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton. It is the fourth novel written under his name and the 14th in his overall body of work. The story follows a 10th-century Muslim Arab who travels with a group of Vikings to their settlement. Crichton notes in an appendix that the book is based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's account of his journey north and his experiences with the Varangians. The rest of the book is a retelling of the Beowulf epic.