Gilgamesh the Hero

by Geraldine McCaughrean, David Parkins (Illustrator)

This is one of the oldest stories in the world, and it's about things that still matter to us friendship, fame, courage, happiness.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu are friends -- best friends. Together they can work wonders, fight monsters, brave earthquakes, travel the world! But waiting in the dark is the one enemy they can never overcome.

Retold by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean, and illustrated with great power by David Parkins, Gilgamesh the Hero is a story that will linger in the imagination long after the book has been put down.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Mythology, Ancient History, Fantasy, Childrens, Picture Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2002

About the author

Geraldine McCaughrean is a British children's novelist. She has written more than 170 books, including Peter Pan in Scarlet (2004), the official sequel to Peter Pan commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital, the holder of Peter Pan's copyright. Her work has been translated into 44 languages worldwide. She has received the Carnegie Medal twice and the Michael L. Printz Award among others.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realize I am not the intended audience for this book but I often enjoy middle schoolish (ages 10-14) fiction and nf. I wanted something that would tell me the Gilgamesh story in simple language as I was reading it in verse. And, as a bonus, I got great illustrations by David Parkins.

The author, Geraldine McCaughrean, has done a series of retelling of popular myths for the publisher (Eerdmans). She describes her version of Gilgamesh as “free adaptation from a variety of translations”. The beauty of repetitive verse and poetic words is lost with a prose retelling but she does get in all the details and the power of the story comes through.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the greatest pagan stories, about what it means to be human.
Gilgamesh discovers Ecclesiastical wisdom:
1. Two are better than one, for if one falls, the other can help him up.
2. To enjoy life with its limitations is better than pursuing immortality.
3. You can leave your mark in life, but the future is up to others.

This rendition is a little mature for young readers at a couple spots. Going to save it for the next go-round of history with my 12-14 year olds, instead of springing it on my 8-10 year olds. It is quite intense and compelling. My favorite line: "What you ought to do is get married. Children. That's the shape of happiness. A little hand inside yours." Made me think of my youngest, still reaching his hand into mine in the grocery store earlier tonight.

Of course, there is pagan stuff to filter out. Multiple gods, creating man to serve them, instead of (Biblically) to image and rule for them. But there are some redemptive themes in there, too. Man IS to leave his mark in life - to take dominion of creation. And yet to know his limits as a creature, too.

The flood account is fascinating. Much like Noah, but with pagan distortions added in. Noah deceives his neighbors about what's coming. He is given immortality by the gods. One of them sneaks the message to the "Noah" so he can escape, instead of it being deliberate, Divine mercy.

The literary quality is quite good. One word sentences at some climaxes stand out. You can tell the author sought to imitate the original, though I know nothing about Sumerian.

[JaNel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mankind's oldest story. And what an amazing story it is. I found it extremely comforting and somewhat depressing that we, as a species, have changed so little. We are just as beautiful and just as brutal. Thanks to all the work it took to translate this from the original cuneiform Sumerian. Written over 5000 years ago, but retold orally for who knows how long before that, and it has it all. Only "discovered" about a hundred years ago, this just goes to prove that we've been telling the same types of stories and worrying about the same types of things, since we started talking. All four "classic" plot conflicts, a beautiful protaganist's arc, and so many of the themes we have addressed, literally throughout history: love, friendship, statesmanship and leadership, the futility of war, youth, power, how to face death gracefully and how to appreciatively live the life we have. I read this version to my children, ages 7-14, and had a difficult time choosing which meaty topics to address. I also read Bernarda Bryson's version at the same time with my 14-year-old. They're both excellent translations that are just different enough for interesting comparisons and more discussion on how translation can change the "color" of the story.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman can write a great story for both children and adults. Her style is full of wonderful imagery, well-worded phrases, and enticing descriptions. She also has a intuitive feel for story, especially ancient ones, and can make them appealing to modern ears.

GREAT book to read aloud with my kids. The only thing I would warn of is the mention of a beautiful, golden, naked woman. Some parents wouldn't like that.

Loved it. My kids and I like anything we've read by this author. (Golden Hoard series comes to mind.)

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think anyone retells the myths as well as Geraldine McCaughrean does these days. From the world's oldest recorded poem and the original story to have the great flood and the ark in, McCaughrean retells the Gilgamesh in a fast, exciting narrative full of rich language and evocative landscapes. For me, she perfectly captures the vitality with which Gilgamesh lived his life and the anguish he felt at losing the most important person in his life. Parkins' illustrations throughout add so much to the story too.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t find this book entertaining or enjoyable. I don’t feel I know more about the Gilgamesh tales than I did before l read them.

[milo · Rating 3 out of 5]

YEAHHHH THEY KISSED!!!!!

[Pelican G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale of a king says a lot about the human psyche and the emotions we grapple with. Gilgamesh is a young king, determined to make his mark on the world. Joined by his friend Enkidu, he slays the great Bull of Heaven, a feat worthy of a god. But Enkidu is injured in the process, and is ultimately killed by this. Driven mad from the loss of his best friend, he lives in the woods like an animal and sets off on a series of impossible quests. Eventually, he returns to his city, Uruk, a changed, old man. After having long been thought dead by his people, they welcome him.

The language was unusual, a writing style difficult to find in a modern-day book. I recommend it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love McCaughrean YA adaptations of classic works. Classic and lyrical, with accurate themes brought forward. This was an afternoon read-aloud we took our time through so that we could start it while we were reading about prehistory and finish while we were reading about Sumerians. Worked out just right. L gave it 5 stars, as expected since she already loves the story thanks to other versions for even younger readers, but even K gave it 4.5. That's solid.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilgamesh is one of the world's oldest stories. This edition by Geraldine McCaughrean is really good, much better than the more literal translations, which I'd read earlier.

The story is engaging, the pictures are fun, for younger readers especially. But she does a great job of turning the ancient story into more of a universal tale than I recall in the "original."

[Michiko Nakazawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have not read this book yet, I strongly recommend you to read this book. The book is very well written and it's not a thick book so you don't really get tired of reading it. Please try reading this book!

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, slayer of Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven, and his great friend, Enkidu. In a version I could actually understand! I tried a more "direct" translation, but whooee was it a tough read. So I checked this version out, the same one my 10 year old daughter is reading for school, and though the story is still a bit all over the place, I could actually follow it! Gotta keep up with my girl!

The coolest part of this read was the ark story, and how much it seems the Bible ark story copied it. Just substitute the name "Utnapishtim" for the name "Noah" and it seems pretty much the same! But this one came first! Food for thought...

I'm glad that I read this, even more so that I can help with my daughter's homework. And even though I couldn't make it through the more difficult translation, I can now saw I've read "the oldest recorded story in the world"!

And as for Gilgamesh? “He walked through the darkness and so glimpsed the light.”

[Maggie Panning · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book as an extension of our history curriculum and at the beginning of the book I thought of suggesting that we give it up and just read the picture book series about Gilgamesh instead, but my son was enjoying it. I am glad now, upon finishing it, that we didn't set it aside as there were so many things that happened in this book that made me think. In our discussion after we finished reading it we discovered that I preferred the book from the middle to the end, where Gilgamesh is dealing with grief and the desire for immortality and my son preferred the beginning to the middle of the book where Gilgamesh and Enkidu were young and wild and fighting great battles. It makes sense that an 8-year-old boy and a 41-year-old woman would prefer these different parts of the story I think.

[N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this after reading Stephen Mitchell's translation of the epic, because I was interested to see how this story could be adapted for children. The original epic contains a lot of mature scenes (and themes), and I didn't think that it was the kind of myth/ story that I would want to read to a young child.

This is a pretty loose adaptation of the epic, which is gone, but I didn't find the prose or the illustrations particularly compelling. I also wonder how this adaptation would read if you were not familiar with the basic outlines of the story- it seemed to me it would be a bit confusing to track the characters and some of the plot details if this was the case, especially for younger readers.

[Summer Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not familiar with the original, but I thoroughly enjoyed this re-telling for children. I'm going to be using this as a read aloud for our ancient civilization unit we're starting next week.

There is a weird nudity scene in the beginning, not really appropriate for young readers, but beyond that I found it fascinating. Especially the flood. It's fairly common among all Ancient people to have a story of the flood and I love that this introduces the topic of biblical stories versus cultural stories. I don't find it threatening to my faith, but I know there are Christians who are not as comfortable with discussing paganism.

Love the themes in here about a full life, friendship, and family. So much good stuff to discuss!

[Jonathan O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book with my twelve-year old son. It has some interesting, very rugged and earthy art in it. It seems a decent re-telling of the epic, but I found that it de-emphasizes Enkidu too much since the relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu is always the most interesting part of the Epic of Gilgamesh for me. This book also de-emphasizes some of the sexual content of the epic, which if you like that, you will find a good dose of that in Robert Silverberg's book on Gilgamesh. This book is good for pre-teens as an introduction to the Gilgamesh epic. I found the writing to be a little thorny and not well-styled at times, though. Overall, it's a decent read, but not the best telling of the epic.

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a notoriously fragmented text, but McCaughrean does a stellar job weaving together the various threads that make up the story of Gilgamesh in a way that is age-appropriate without feeling dumbed down.

The more sexual/erotic elements of the Epic have (unsurprisingly) been replaced with polite alternatives such as “kissing,” but this adaptation still manages to hit on the deeper themes of the work: love of glory, loss, fear of death, desire for immortality, and eventual acceptance of the idea that life is fleeting. The illustrations are lovely and help to make this an adaptation that everyone can enjoy.

5 stars.

[Rob Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a rare treat -- a great epic from the ancient world, retold for children of all ages, featuring amazing adventures and profound insights into the human condition. Great illustrations accompany the text, which is based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest known epic poem, from ancient Mesopotamia. This Halloween, I'll be dressing up as King Gilgamesh -- and this is the book that helped me see how an ancient epic can be made relevant to a present-day audience by an outstanding storyteller. Well worth reading and pondering thereafter!

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Gilgamesh is one that I’ve long wanted to explore. This version is very readable for an adult. However, it’s marketed toward young readers and I think the sentence structure and word choices would make it difficult for children to read, even with an adult’s help. Nonetheless, this is a timeless, solidly told story and I’m glad to have read it.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It turns out that the oldest recorded story in the world is also incredibly moving. From the beginning, I was smitten by the two heroes' friendship. And by the end I felt I'd been a little changed by Gilgamesh's journey. His own human weakness leads him down a long path of failure, but then it is that very path that teaches him who he can be and what matters most in life.

[Marda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the first story to be in "written" form, 12 tablets. What a wonderful set of folktales of the Epic Hero, Gilgamesh. This version is highly annotated to remove the "adult" content. As a result you have a the bare bones of the stories presented in a lovely illustrated. Finally, the editor's writing is good and packed with lots of literary devices which make is very enjoyable.

[Luci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my 6 year old and parts of it were over his head, but he was able to get the gist of the story and enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was beautifully written and heartfelt about Gilgamesh’s experiences and feelings. Such a cool way to tell this ancient story! “As they carved on the twelfth tablet: He walked through darkness and so glimpses the light.”

[Diko Duku · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is folklore, a retelling of the classic "Epic". Interesting for me to read a more dummed down or understanding version, which tells the relationship of Gilgamesh and Ekindu. I rate it a 4 because i think It was told in a way that would reach younger viewers, the use of language was less mature and apporpriate.

[Rick Hribko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always fascinated by tales of Gilgamesh and how differently each story is told. However, there are times when the vernacular sounds almost too modern, I think in an attempt to connect with the younger audience it is written for. All-in-all though, it is definitely a book to share with my middle schoolers who have several different retellings that they could compare.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight! I have not read the epic of Gilgamesh in at least 20 years so I'm not sure how faithful to the original it is... there's a few details that seem added
But I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was a pretty good adaptation of Gilgamesh for kids. The book has a poetic feeling without being rigid, and the modern language feels natural, not forced or anachronistic. I love the epic of Gilgamesh so much and just want so many more adaptations

[Elizabeth O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe one day I'll read another translation, but until then, I'm glad I've finally become a bit more familiar with mankind's oldest known written story. This is where the writers of the bible got the idea for Noah's ark. "Literary borrowing" has been around for a very long time ;)

[Sarah Kochert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read something like it, but wasn't for children so I pulled stories from the internet.

[may regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a VERY good retelling of Gilgamesh, the art is good, and it can make the text so much easier to explain for younger readers!

[Michal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic- the first epic tale of the ancient world. A hero's journey with an unexpected and uplifting ending. The first book for the World History through Lit class I am leading this year.