'It has a strong moral but it may take a while to understand it, which is good because it makes you think'

Geraldine McCaughrean, Oxford Reading Tree: Level 16: TreeTops Myths and Legends: The Legend of Gilgamesh

I loved The Legend of Gilgamesh - it was absolutely brilliant! Set in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) over four thousand years ago, it tells the story of Gilgamesh, a king who sets out on an epic adventure and finds wisdom.

Gilgamesh has strange dreams about a meteor and an axe falling to earth - these symbolise things that are going to happen in his future. He meets a wild man named Enkidu and they become great friends. Together they travel far and wide, fight the monster Huwawa and have troubles with the goddess of love Ishtar, who sets a heaven-bull upon them after Gilgamesh rejects her love.

When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is in despair and sets out to find eternal life. But is such a thing possible? Will he find happiness as a mortal? Can a mortal live forever?

I thought this story was amazing because it tells you about lots of strange creatures and legends which I hadn't known before. It also contains stories found in the bible (Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve and Jesus's suffering) and mixes them with some ancient Greek myths. It has a strong moral but it may take a while to understand it, which is good because it makes you think.

It is about finding wisdom and seeing the good in people. Gilgamesh realises it is better to have happiness and be kind and wise than to be angry and selfish and to fight wars all the time. Gilgamesh had to suffer and leave his home before he could appreciate just how good his life had been.

I would definitely recommend this book because it is a riveting, thought-provoking story with exciting illustrations. Not bad for a school syllabus book!

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