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Review Summaries
"Arab courtier Ibn Fadlan, accompanies a group of Viking warriors as they sail to the aide of a village that has been repeatedly attacked and brutalized by flesh eating creatures that no one can describe. The creatures always attack at night and remove body parts of their victims.
The creatures attacked again after the warriors arrived and nearly wiped them out. Ibn writes a manuscript of all his experiences with the Northmen. In it he describes the rotting stench of the killers, their hairy arms and backs, and the terrible claws and teeth. Morale is low as all fear they are fighting some supernatural creatures until Ibn actually sees a human arm beneath all that hair, while engaged in battle.
Reguvinated, they reconnoiter and learn they must kill the "mother" of these mysterious creatures, their queen. When she dies, the men serving her will stop attacking the villiage. The Northmen devise a daring but dangerous plan."
Tracey Ray, Resident Michael Crichton Scholar
"In Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead, Ibn Fadlon is an ambassador to the Sultan of Baghdad who has returned from northern Europe in 922 AD. In a manuscript, he recounts his travels through a strange and savage land. He is repulsed by the lack of civilized customs among the barbarian hordes he encounters. He describes their crude ways in all manner of activities from eating and drinking, to having sex or honoring the deceased. Eventually, he finds aspects of their courage and skill to admire. He meets a roaming band of Viking warriors and their leader Buliwyf whose adventures are cut short as they are brought back to defend their village against the wendol, a tribe of horrifying primitive creatures. The wendol are ferocious cannibal “eaters of the dead”. Eventually, the Norsemen must face the “monsters of the mist” in a fight to the finish.
The novel was made into the movie The 13th Warrior starring Antonio Banderas."
David Fletcher, Resident Michael Crichton Scholar
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Overall Review
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 30% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%
Tone of book
- scarey (primal ax-wielding fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror story?
Yes
Horror plotlets
- the monster chased me!
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
- explorer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an entire race
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- super strength
Eccentric:
Yes
- mentally ill
- emotionally unstable
- wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- bulging muscles
- very athletic
Setting
Terrain
- Mountains
- Forests
Earth setting:
- general past
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- orgies
- impregnation/reproduction
- actual description of sex
How much dialogue?
- significantly more descript than dialog
- little dialog
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