Many evenings, as I leave my office building, the guy behind the desk is reading. Just before the holiday break, I finally asked him what he’s reading. (Old occupational habit that I can’t break, sorry.) He was reading some book about the bad boys of cinema, old celebrities  who, when they were young used to get in fights with each other, with others, you know Brando, SInatra – I thought it was called Tough Guys but I just Googled that and nope, that’s not the one. Not my cup of tea but after that, as I walked past him through the lobby, I had to ask who was fighting who that night.

When I got back from the break, I asked my usual question and he showed me the cover of the new book he’s reading, something by Bernard Cornwell that his daughter had given him for Christmas.

So, of course, I asked if he had read Eaters of the Dead.

It’s a natural add-on to Bernard Cornwell, being Viking-centric. I read a scientific article this week that confirmed the breadth of the Viking exploration: there is proof that they made it as far as Turkey – Turkey! – coming down rivers through Russia. And now there is speculation that they may have made it as far as China – although maybe they just took advantage of the Silk Road. (I read something before – or maybe it was Secrets of the Dead – about archeologists finding human remains along the Silk Road dating back to Viking times that had red hair and were wearing plaid. Incidentally, there’s a great YA novel about a medieval Chinese girl who is sold to a Scottish lord and carried back to Scotland where he eventually kills her and is haunted by her ghost but I can’t remember what it’s called and don’t think I have a copy anymoret… but I digress.)

Eaters of the Dead – which is written by the guy who wrote the book for, among so many other things, Jurassic Park – is the story of a Bhagdadi court poet who makes the mistake of sleeping with a lord’s wife, if memory serves me right, and is assigned in punishment to accompany a visiting delegation from the far north back to their land of ice and fire. Middle eastern culture at the time was so far advanced, with delicate silks, elaborate baths, fine art and dining – the poor guy is a fish out of water. The book is his recounting of his adventures and what he observes, including events that you come to realize are.. Beowulf!

Awesome!

It’s a short, fast read – Crichton was a great storyteller – and so much easier to read than the original poem, which bogs down a little. If you really can’t make yourself read it, you can watch the movie called, The 13th Warrior, starring Antonio Banderas as the displaced poet.(So much a better use for him than getting shot for being Indie’s friend with a boat.)  It’s a fun movie and true to the book, as Crichton was proficient of writing for the movies and his books translate easily. When will they do a movie of my favorite, Travels?

Have you read Eaters of the Dead? Perhaps it was assigned to you in High School as a way of tricking you into Beowulf? Or maybe you saw The 13th Warrior? What would you recommend to read next if this has been someone’s latest jam? 

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