Eaters of the Dead vs The Darkness That Comes Before: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fantasy fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction
Eaters of the Dead
Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922 (later republished as The 13th Warrior to correspond with the film adaptation of the novel) is a 1976 novel by…
vs
The Darkness That Comes Before
Strikingly original in its conception, ambitious in scope, with characters engrossingly and vividly drawn, the first book in R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series creates a remarkable world from whole cloth—it's…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Eaters of the Dead is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 10 for The Darkness That Comes Before.
- Eaters of the Dead has the widest readership — 417 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Eaters of the Dead | The Darkness That Comes Before | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3.5 (158) | 3.9 (138) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (417) | 4.5 (44) |
Reception
| Eaters of the Dead | The Darkness That Comes Before | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 417 | 138 |
| Editions | 50 | 3 |
| Citations | 9 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Pages | 221 | 589 |