This is a novelization/memoir style telling of the Epic of Gilgamesh that's totally NOT GAY. Silverberg bases his historical fiction account on the Epic of Gilgamesh and gives vibrant life to the tale, describing Gilgamesh’s Herculean adventures in first person narrative. Gilgamesh (two parts god and one part man) was a legendary ancient hero king of Sumer who was likely a historical figure, living sometime between 2800 BC and 2500 BC. I also had to check out the Gilgamesh listing in Deities & Demigods: Cyclopedia of Gods and Heroes from Myth and Legend (Gary Gygax and company describes him as having 180 hit points and is a Neutral Good 12th level ranger / 5th level Cleric –Druid / 10th level magic user / 11th level monk and 5th level bard!). The almost pre-historic, shrouded in myth and legend setting made me think of Creation by Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer’s Ancient Evenings. I read five pages and dropped and GAVE MYSELF TEN PUSHUPS!!!

The two become closer than brothers, but when Gilgamesh incurs the wrath of Inanna, the gods conspire to tear them apart, and for Gilgamesh all that remains is his search for immortality.In retelling the legend of the great Sumerian monarch, Robert Silverberg brings all his superb storytelling powers to a mesmerising tale of ambition, power and obsession, against the background of an ancient and fearsome world.The Gilgamesh that Robert Silverberg describes is a combination of Leonidas (as portrayed by Gerard Butler in 300), Conan (as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Ted Nugent: he is an alpha male with an attitude, a manly man of testosteronian power and ursine manliness, with a steaming hot side order of god-like virile manly manness. Together they rule Uruk, and prosperity descends upon the land.However, the kingship is not enough to satisfy Gilgamesh's gargantuan appetite for adventure, and his boredom is only relieved by the coming of Enkidu, a strange wild man who proves the king's equal in combat. When his father the king of Rurk dies, Gilgamesh is forced into exile by the newly crowned Dumuzi, jealous of his prowess and fearful of his intentions.In neighbouring Kis his fighting skills are honed to perfection, and when in time Dumuzi dies, Gilgamesh returns to be proclaimed king by the wily priestess Inanna, goddess of beauty. 'You will be a King, and Great King, and then you will Die, and you may not avoid that destiny, try as you may¿'Two-thirds god, one-third human, Gilgamesh is a giant among men and a formidable warrior, even as a boy.

Gilgamesh the King by Robert Silverberg