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fieldofhats's review against another edition
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
iamtaylorhope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and War
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