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theknightgarden's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
3.75
jamievincent's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Is it controversial if I think Gilgamesh and Enkidu were more than friends and, further, that this makes the narrative more compelling?
Anyways even if I didn’t necessarily enjoy reading this (it was assigned reading for uni) I am absolutely in awe of the decades of discovery and translation that have gone into the final product I am holding in my hand. I am in awe of how this poem has stood the test of time, and how core aspects of its myth are present in every culture. I actually read the entire introduction and the additional fragmented works in my copy because I was genuinely interested. I think that in its own says something.
Anyways even if I didn’t necessarily enjoy reading this (it was assigned reading for uni) I am absolutely in awe of the decades of discovery and translation that have gone into the final product I am holding in my hand. I am in awe of how this poem has stood the test of time, and how core aspects of its myth are present in every culture. I actually read the entire introduction and the additional fragmented works in my copy because I was genuinely interested. I think that in its own says something.
llovelys's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kyscg's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
There is nothing I can say about this epic that hasn't been said before. I mean, this story is more than four millenia old and has lasted through wars and famines and much more. I am not going to review this and pretend I am above it all. I liked the recurring theme of sleep and death. I liked the portrayal of Gilgamesh's grief at Enkidu's death, and the hero journey in his search for immortality. The mother of all hero stories. Cannot complain. I wish it were longer though.
hhamlet's review against another edition
3.0
After finishing this epic for my history class, I've realized that the closest way I can come to describing this book is that it reminded me of a shorter version of The Odyssey with less of a solid conclusion. I suppose that the shorter length made me like it a bit more than I did The Odyssey at the time I first read Homer's epic way back when, but at the same time, it feels like The Epic of Gilgamesh just sort of...reaches a climax and stops. In the introduction it warned me of such a fact, so it wasn't as though I went into this story blindly, but it was still a bit of a disappointment. I think my favorite bit was the relationship shared between Gilgamesh and Enkidu; they were crafted for one another. The best of friends, closer than brothers--they shared the ultimate bond, and it was only after Enkidu's death that the book began to spiral downward. Overall, I'd say it's more of a decent read than I had suspected it to be; I'd probably recommend it to some history/epic fans.
aizaisla17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
residentauggust's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
i saw gay so i said gay
akiaki's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars realistically but since it was an assigned reading for my class that i had to binge in a couple of days, 3 stars. it’s incredibly interesting to see the birth of written literature as we know it start w gilgamesh and enkidu.
all i can say is: the ancient gays yearn for immortality and are faced with their own mortality. i like this genre.
all i can say is: the ancient gays yearn for immortality and are faced with their own mortality. i like this genre.