Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books, New York
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780345354617ISBN:0345354613
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. The book is very solid with unmarked pages. There is a remainder mark on the bottom edge of the pages. The cover has minor shelf wear & moderate edge wear. The spine has a few light creases. read more
"I read this book under the renamed title: The Thirteeth Warrior. It sounds like it will be supernatural gore, but is in fact a fictionalized account of a Muslim traveler in the 10th century who encounters the vikings and joins in their fight against seemingly supernatural forces. It does not read like one of Crichton's usual adventures.
The story gave me many intersting insights into both Muslim and Viking culture and history. I learned that my education is lacking in Boewulf, which is the essence of this story!"
"from Amazon: By Stuart W. Mirsky "swm" ...this book is in fact based on a real manuscript by the Arab traveller ibn Fadlan in the tenth century who made his way from the Caliphate to the shores of the Volga to treat with the Bulgar kingdom which was then ensconced there (apparently to entice the Bulgars away from their Khazar overlords who were then enemies of the Arab empire). This ambassador of the Caliph faithfully recorded much of what he saw among the barbarians, including encounters with the Oghuz Turks and the Norsemen who were then frequent travellers along the rivers of what would one day become Russia. ...But Crichton's book is not just a reprint of ibn Fadlan's manuscript (which is available, in English, in various scholarly tomes). Crichton enlarged upon the tale he found and appended an apparently fictional second half which takes ibn Fadlan north, in the company of his new-found Norse comrades, to the viking lands, there to face a shadowy menace of unknown origins. In this second half, Crichton blended historical speculation with the Beowulf tale in Old English (the chief of the viking crew which inducts ibn Fadlan is called "Buliwyf") to suggest an ending to ibn Fadlan's adventures which surely never happened. But it's done quite nicely, hard to tell where the real tale ends and the author's fictional enterprise begins, and it keeps you reading right to the final moments. It's not a particularly stirring tale, rather dry in fact, but it's thought provoking and well-paced and a wonderfully interesting way to do an historical novel. The movie (THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR) unfortunately struck me as a might simplistic but it did a very nice job of putting viking flesh on the narrative's bones so I wasn't sorry I went to see it.
I agree with the opinion above. :) Except I enjoyed the movie as an action flick on its own merit."
"This was an interesting book to read. Based on the writings of an Arab traveler's adventure into the Northlands, the book rode the line of fact and legend. Most people will easily see there similarities with Beowulf and that is the most fascinating part. With so many of us reading Beowulf as students and believing it to be fictional poetry, it's fascinating to read this first-hand account that may prove to be the inspiration for the poem. At first I was worried that the writing would be antiquated and slow going but it wasn't at all, thanks to the way Critchon chose to relate the source material. I also highly recommend the movie, 13th Warrior, which is based on this book."
"This was a very unique book. Written to prove the Beowulf story could be made interesting and poking fun at academia it is an exciting, funny, interesting, sometimes boring contradiction. I definitely think it shows Crichton's amazing skill as an author. The story is told through the somewhat historical writings of Ibn Fadlan from Bagdad and takes place during the 8th Century A.D. The author used some facts from history and the Beowulf story to construct the text. The edition I read had an informative "Factual Note" at the end of the book that helps separate fact from fiction. Much of the book seems very believable as it is written in a very scholarly and authoritative manner. Turns out the author did such a good job he even fooled himself. For those who decide to read this book, I recommend just enjoying the story and not getting too wrapped up in all the details."
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