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Robert Silverberg
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Gilgamesh the King Kindle Edition

by Robert Silverberg (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 274
See all formats and editions
A thrilling retelling of the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh from the Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning author of Lord Valentine’s Castle.
 Gilgamesh’s appetite for wine, women, and warfare is insatiable. As the King of Uruk, he oppresses his people and burdens his city. To temper his excesses, the gods create Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s equal, who becomes his greatest friend. Together they wander the kingdom as brothers, conquering demons until a cruel twist changes Gilgamesh’s path forever. Two parts god and one part man, Gilgamesh is mortal—a fate he now resolves to overcome, no matter what the price. And so he embarks on another journey, in pursuit of vengeance and the ultimate prize for a mortal king: eternal life. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Robert Silverberg including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Gilgamesh Series
  2. Print length
    426 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
  6. Publication date
    May 14, 2013
  7. File size
    4513 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Silverberg] is a master.” —Robert Jordan 

“[Silverberg is] the John Updike of science fiction.” —The New York Times Book Review“No matter if Silverberg is dealing with material that is practically straight fiction, or going way into the future . . . his is the hand of a master of his craft and imagination.” —Los Angeles Times“Robert Silverberg is our best . . . Time and time again he has expanded the parameters of science fiction.” —The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

About the Author

Robert Silverberg is one of science fiction’s most beloved writers, and the author of such contemporary classics as Dying Inside, Downward to the Earth and Lord Valentine’s Castle, as well as At Winter’s End, also available in a Bison Books edition. He is a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the winner of five Nebula Awards and five Hugo Awards. In 2004 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America presented him with the Grand Master Award. Silverberg is one of twenty-nine writers to have received that distinction. 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CHW64T0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy; Reprint edition (May 14, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 14, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4513 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 426 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 274

About the author

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Robert Silverberg

Robert Silverberg

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Robert Silverberg has been a professional writer since 1955, widely known for his science fiction and fantasy stories. He is a many-time winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards, was named to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2004 was designated as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. His books and stories have been translated into forty languages. Among his best known titles are NIGHTWINGS, DYING INSIDE, THE BOOK OF SKULLS, and the three volumes of the Majipoor Cycle: LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE, MAJIPOOR CHRONICLES, VALENTINE PONTIFEX. His collected short stories, covering nearly sixty years of work, have been published in nine volumes by Subterranean Press. His most recent book is TALES OF MAJIPOOR (2013), a new collection of stories set on the giant world made famous in LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE.

He and his wife, writer Karen Haber, and an assorted population of cats live in the San Francisco Bay Area in a sprawling house surrounded by exotic plants.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
274 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nancy O. Burke
5.0 out of 5 stars he's so perfect, I'm jealous
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
I have read and also listened to translations of the full Gilgamesh epic recently. With that background, I began reading this novel. Being a novelist, myself, I compare how close Mr. Silverberg recreates the character Gilgamesh, the city of Uruk, and the Uruk period to my preconceptions, based on a lot of study of the period. I think he's spot on. In fact, he's so perfect, I'm jealous! In the author's preface, he describes how disappointed he was with the very small market for stories set in this period. I discovered this also--but that period is my consuming interest. When I tell people my novels are set 5 millennia ago, a large proportion of them ask, "Did they live in caves back then?" Sadly, for Mr. Silverberg and myself, this is an indictment of the basic education of the U.S. public schools system. However, finding that this fine author has established a huge reputation in Sci-fi/Fantasy, I just bought one of his novels in the fantasy genre--Lord Valentine's Castle--because his writing is first-class and I also like the fantasy genre. I started it last night, and I'm very happy to know that Mr. Silverberg's books in the fantasy genre provide a vast trove of his fine writing.
9 people found this helpful
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Diane L.
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021
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I enjoyed this novel. I can't claim any expertise in mythology or ancient history, so this book took me on a wonderful journey. It touched on these concepts without getting too deep in the weeds.
One person found this helpful
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doc rich
5.0 out of 5 stars A true epic legend
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020
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Mr. Silverberg does a wonderful job of writing in plain language, the first recorded literature written in poem form. Gilgamesh is most likely based on a real king of ancient city state, URUK. Over a period of several hundred years his exploits turned in to legends. It is very interesting to me the the story of Noah's ark was written at least a millennia before the story lands in the Old Testament. The story is virtually verbatim taken from Gilgamesh. To help understand this book better it would be helpful to have some knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia. A great read
9 people found this helpful
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H. Schutz
4.0 out of 5 stars Gilgamesh prefigures some of our most ancient myths
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
I am a fan of stories from classical iterature but had not read a Gilgamesh tale. The author did a good job of spinning a cohesive tale from the several fragmentary versions. In a few cases I thought some of the detail might have beneficially been omitted in the interest of moving the story along faster, but for the most part my interest was maintained. Reading the precursor to the flood narrative in the bible was interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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Matt J.
3.0 out of 5 stars Great story, not so great narrator.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'd long ago read another telling of the Gilgamesh myth, and remembered enjoying it. This came up on my "you might also like..." list on Audible, I had the credits, so why not?

The story is good, compelling, and interesting. There is a mixture of the mundane and the divine as the boy who will become Gilgamesh the King grows in stature and prestige.

The only problem that I has was... the narrator. When I think of Gilgamesh the 2/3 god-king, the mighty warrior, the brave and majestic ruler, I picture a voice that calls to mind the distant rumble of a storm in the mountains... The commanding bellow of a sergeant telling their soldiers that they're going over the wall... A voice of confidence, command, control... - strength.

INSTEAD, we get Milton from Accounting. At no point in the story did I feel like the narrator was suited for this task, and instead of a strong voice, this is an almost plaintive warble. Gilgamesh commands, narrator suggests without much enthusiasm. Gilgamesh roars, narrator bleats. Gilgamesh exults, narrator just kinda whines.

I enjoyed the book, and was able to make it through - in spite of narrator. But it was touch and go more than once.
20 people found this helpful
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Arther H. Frederick
5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2021
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It has taken over thirty years to read “Gilgamesh” twice. The first read was when I was in my fifties, and I saw it as an overwhelming action story with occasional eroticism. Now that I am in my eighties, I have the leisure to have read it more thoroughly. And this time I found history, interpersonal connections, reflections on human strengths and weaknesses: a rousing adventure as well. Cannot wait until I reach 115 and can read again.
8 people found this helpful
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Miss Lizzy 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars Gilgamesh comes to life
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016
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I had never read this legend before. I was interested because lately, I have read something about our very early history. I read bits of the Gilgamesh epic, but they are fragments and historians are still trying to put them together. I found this version and decided to read it, partly because of the good reviews and partly because I like the author.
Silverberg takes some license with the available historical texts, but I think he does a good job of putting them together coherently. I like the way he gives us a clear view of how live was lived in Uruk and the surrounding lands at that time.
I recommend it for anyone who is interested in the legend or the people.
14 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story. The author stayed true to the legend ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
I had never read the complete legend of Gilgamesh so when I saw Robert Silverberg book I decided to give it try. Excellent story. The author stayed true to the legend while giving it a personal view through the eyes of Gilgamesh. What is fascinating is that here is story that is 5000 years old and the author made it as fresh as today. If you have never read the legend please give this book a try and you will be well rewarded
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Ricard
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice seller, but delayed shipping
Reviewed in Spain on October 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
The product took its time to arrive and no tracking number was available, but the seller was comprensive and offered to find a solution if it did not arrive before a deadline
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