Reviewed by Janine Thatcher for Readers' Favorite

Robert W Watson's The Epic of Gilgamesh is about an unlikely friendship forged between a king (Gilgamesh) and a man-beast, who is allowed to live among the human race. Unfortunately, the friendship does not last long because of some dangerous interactions the king and his friend have with the gods. One of these proves fatal for the man-beast, and the king goes on a journey to find a way to bring his friend back to life. While on this quest, the king encounters a few characters, and one of them, Utnapishtim, gives the king a task that should achieve the aim of bringing his friend back to life. Although the king completes the task, the result is not what is expected, but the king finds a new reason to revisit his plans and focus on his kingdom again.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is written in poetry—a dramatic tale dealing with exciting and extraordinary events, portraying characters affiliated with gods. This writing style takes one back in time as it gives an old-school feel, and this just adds to the characteristics of an epic. The accompanying drawings by Mateoscopio are wonderful artistic depictions of a certain phrase in a section of the epic, giving the reader a bit of a lead on the mental imagery that comes up while reading the poem. Robert W Watson has achieved the goal of epic poetry with this fantastic and detailed account of King Gilgamesh.