The Last Quest of Gilgamesh

The Gilgamesh Trilogy #3

by Ludmila Zeman

In his final quest, Gilgamesh, still mourning the death of his dear friend Enkidu, sets out to find the key to immortality. His journey is perilous. He must fight ferocious serpents and wild lions. He travels through bitterly cold caves, across scorching deserts, and over the fatal waters of the Sea of Death. Finally he arrives at the palace of Utnapishtim, the only human who knows the secret of immortality. Utnapishtim sets Gilgamesh a test to stay away for six days and seven nights, but Gilgamesh fails. His last hope, a flower of eternal youth, is eaten by the goddess Ishtar, who exacts her revenge. Finally, Enkidu comes from the underworld to show Gilgamesh true the king will be remembered for his good deeds, courage, and love for his people.

Genres: Picture Books, Mythology, History, Ancient History, Childrens, Middle East, Historical

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Ludmila Zeman - Filmmaker, illustrator, animator, and writer. Born 1947, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now Zlín, Czech Republic); immigrated to Canada, 1984; became Canadian citizen, 1988.

Ludmila Zeman built puppets and painted backgrounds for Karel Zeman's films, including Mr. Prokouk the Acrobat; sold first animated short film to Czech TV at age nineteen; created films for Sesame Street and the National Film Board of Canada. Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, instructor.

Certificate of Merit, Art Directors Club, and Pick of the List selection, American Booksellers Association, both 1992, and Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book selection, State of Maryland, 1995-96, all for Gilgamesh the King; Gilgamesh the King and The Revenge of Ishtar were both selected for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, 1994; Governor General's Award for Illustration, Canada Council, 1995, for The Last Quest of Gilgamesh.

Reviews

[Ashley Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The finale in Zeman's Gilgamesh trilogy, this is the adventure of Gilgamesh's search for immortality and return to the city of Uruk.

[sunshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

damn, he sucks
but at least his boyfriend came back

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-done trilogy. The stories were fascinating, and the artwork was excellent.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third installment in Ludmila Zeman's adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh is probably the most scary. Nonetheless, her engaging illustrations and commitment to the text and visual style of the ancient Mesopotamians make this an excellent resource for discussion with children. This section of Gilgamesh's journey combines a longing for immortality with a flood narrative.

So many wonderful conversations developed from reading and discussing this book multiple times. Concepts children will need help clarifying:

Is death scary? What is the secret of immortality?

For whom was the garden of God created in the Epic and in the Bible?

What are the similarities and differences between the Biblical account of the worldwide flood and the account given by Utnapishtim in the Epic?

What are the similarities and differences between satan in the garden in the Bible and Ishtar in the Epic?

Who will live in the hearts of people forever? Why?

Of all that we do on earth, what will last? how do you know?

Other excellent resources include the end note maps and the author's commentary on the last page. My students were fascinated with all three books and eager to look at and read them. Excellent addition to our home library.

We love this entire trilogy of books. Have you read book 1?
Gilgamesh the King (Gilgamesh Trilogy #1), Zeman, 1993
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic end to this trilogy! My kids loved it :)

[Jaimie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all its critical aclaim, this book seems to have been one which slipped through the cracks with the general population, since very few people I know ran into it as a kid and I don't see it often in book stores or libraries. Myths and legends from cultures around the world are always a popular topic, but the focus still tends to be on the Greco-Roman traditions, with dashs of Egyptian, Chinese, and Eastern-European thrown in, and few go back far enough to touch on the stories of Gilgamesh. Maybe these stories are more difficult to romanticize or the plots are just a bit too unfamiliar for most people to delve into. We got this story (and still have it) because we read anything and everything available in the myths and legends section, and its one that has struck strongly in my memories. I may have forgotten about much of the plot until this re-read, but the artwork was instantly recognizable and enigmatic. Zeman could have chosen a multitude of styles for her artwork for this book, but it works so well to utilize the stylistic motifs from ancient Assyrian sculptures and friezes in this instance. If anything, she could have gone even further into the style, breaking up the story into even more panels to emphasize the style of some carvings that were used to decorate temples and public buildings at the time when the Gilgamesh story was contemporary. I'm sure this wouldn't have gone over that well with truely young readers though, so I applaud her overall application of elements like repetitive graphics, flat line reliefs, and a stark (yet colourful) palette to convey this classic legend.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilgamesh goes searching for immortality. He gets a hint because he rescues a lion cub. Her perseveres through a dark tunnel filled with scary creatures. Instead of resting in the glorious garden of the sun god, he crosses a long desert. Once he reaches his destination, he hears he must cross a lake that eats oars. He smartly cuts 120 oars and uses all of them (plus his shirt as a sail) to cross. Then, he faces the hardest challenge: to stay away for 7 days during the telling of the flood story. He fails.

As a consolation, he's pointed towards a plant that will keep him young. He envisions sharing it with the people of his city. He manages to get it, but during the night a snake eats it. A friend comes and flies him through the air, showing him that he will be immortal: his city will live on.

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children who are learning about ancient Mesopotamia may find this series enjoyable. The third in a trilogy of picture books, this book retells a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh for young readers.

Ancient flood legend makes an appearance in this installment; echoes of the biblical account are evident and quite interesting.

Note: The sun god and Ishtar the goddess play a part in the story. The spirit of a dead friend returns as a bird.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story - book #3 of the trilogy - Gilgamesh sets out to find the secret of immortality. He is greatly tested through this difficult journey, and finally meets the man who can show him the way to fulfill his quest. Gilgamesh's humanity proves to be a problem.
Extraordinary detailed illustrations.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading this aloud to K as a "You are sick but you can hear a story for homeschool without too much trouble," When her older brother joined us, enjoying the "hero is clever against monster and quests." They ended up discussing how some of the hero/monster stories they've read in modern books don't stack up against 120 oars in an acid sea.

The pathos of death? Maybe later.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of Gilgamesh’s story and his search for immortality. He finds Utnapishtim but cannot complete the task that would grant him immortality. He seeks a plant that would keep him young but Ishtar thwarts his plan. There are strong resemblances between especially this part of the story and Genesis narratives related to the Garden and the Great Flood.

[Abril G. Karera · Rating 4 out of 5]

En general, me parece una maravillosa aproximación al mito de Gilgamesh. Es una historia compleja, pues este héroe es villano y benefactor a la vez, además habla de fraternidad, de amistad y lo mucho que es posible hacer por salvar esos vínculos. Las ilustraciones brindan posibilidades de ampliar la conversación sobre esta historia. ¡Lo recomiendo mucho!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this Mesopotamian myth, one of the earliest recorded myths in history, until The Ancient Tradition podcast talked about it. It's a fascinating story. I ended the illustrations. Now I need to look and see if my library has the first two parts so I can read the whole set to my kids.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated rendition of the ancient myth of Gilgamesh. This book introduces many different concepts such as immortality and what it means to leave behind a legacy. I love that my kids were able to learn this ancient story in a child friendly format.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the epic of gilgamesh.

[Enola Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic poem beautifully rendered. It has really peaked the interest of my children with the clear links between various ancient myths and legends.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with Revenge of Ishtar, but I don't like this part of the story as much so 1 less star.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This three book series is an excellent introduction to the Gilgamesh story. Absolutely captivating for my 8 and 6 year old sons and for me, too!

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good one to introduce Gilgamesh. We'll come back to this in elementary school.

[Alex Klenin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrations are really marvelous. Text adaption is suitable for a small children (4th grade or something).

[Rachel Tosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised how much I liked this conclusion to the Gilgemesh trilogy.

I wasn’t sure about this epic being redone for kids but I actually loved it.

[Gustavus Cliffe]

This was an interesting story to learn about. My 5.5 year old liked it. We've always enjoyed mythology and early stories though.

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this ending to the Gilgamesh trilogy.

[Annie Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great re-telling with awesome pictures!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilgamesh seeks eternal youth from an aquatic plant but is thwarted by a snake.

[Anna Mock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the illustrations in this little trilogy. I think these books are very well done. I have a couple retellings of Gilgamesh, but this is the best for little children.

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great finish. I highly recommend this trilogy.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zeman ends the trilogy with a punch. Her terrifying illustrations influenced by Gustave Doré's images for the Divine Comedy truly haunt the reader and remind us of humanity's first envisionings of what is now a Judeo-Christian Hell. The clear and obvious precursor and connection to Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Bible is evident when we learn Noah's ark and story is actually that of Utnapishtim, written at least 1000 years before the Noah tale. We also see Gilgamesh fail at his ultimate journey and lose all hope after a snake devours the plant that gives humanity immortality. And, to bring the message home as to how this ancient work of literature is still totally of today's time, Gilgamesh does find comfort knowing he built a wall around his city, and that act (a wall slaves and mistreated and exploited workers were forced to create in the beginning of this epic) will have history always remember his name. And, we have remembered his name, and parts of the wall are still standing in modern day Iraq...not to mention the megolomaniac's, Donald Trump, plans. The more I read and study this epic, the more drawn in to it I become. Also, Siduri, one of my favorite characters, makes her wonderful appearance in this part of the story; although, she is treated quickly and without deeper reflection or potential for analysis, which is very much present in Mason's translation.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another beautifully illustrated children's edition of the Epic of Gilgamesh, this time covering the last part of the main epic where Gilgamesh searches for immortality. Several liberties were taken with the story here that I think were unnecessary (blaming Ishtar for the loss of a special plant and the return of Enkidu come to mind), but I have to admit they tie the story in the three-volume set together nicely in a way children will understand and appreciate (particularly those like my son who disliked the second book because Enkidu died). Gilgamesh finally gets closure.

My son's favorite part didn't surprise me, given his love of animals - he loved the part where Gilgamesh rescued a lion cub.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

We totally loved this trilogy. My kids spent hours looking at the pictures and asking me to re-read them.

Granted, it's a violent story so some of you may not want to read it to begin with. But it's handled really nicely and isn't all gory and gross while still retaining the original themes.

The art is done in the style of what has been found during that time which was another way to learn about the time period.

I like to find children's books of classic/adult books and have them read it when they're young. Hopefully when they're older they will better understand the classic works because they are already familiar with the characters and plots.