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Mr. Gorzug #2
Mr Gorzug and the Required Qualifications
Mr. Gorzug has survived a magical siege, a hostile school improvement framework, and several parents’ evenings.
Unfortunately, England has now discovered teaching standards.
Halcyon Comprehensive is stabilising at last. The corridors are calmer. The children are healing. Mr. Gorzug has become, against all reasonable expectation, an accepted part of the school itself.
Which is precisely when the system decides he requires qualifications.
Apparently saving children, holding corridors together during supernatural incidents, and successfully managing Year Nine are not considered sufficient evidence of professional competence.
Now Gorzug must endure training days, observation rubrics, reflective journals, mentor meetings, safeguarding modules, educational theory, and the growing suspicion that modern institutions fear unlicensed effectiveness on principle.
Worse still, the more formally he becomes part of the school, the less temporary his life in England begins to feel.
As Halcyon faces increasing outside attention, recovering students struggle with the lingering effects of the breach between worlds, and the trust attempts to turn lived care into measurable policy, Gorzug finds himself confronting a deeply uncomfortable possibility:
He may no longer simply be defending this place.
He may belong to it.
Mr. Gorzug And The Required Qualifications is the third book in the warmly funny fantasy series about schools, safeguarding, bureaucracy, belonging, and an orc war-chief slowly becoming exactly the sort of adult children trust without hesitation.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Discworld-style observational humour
Found family and slow emotional arcs
School and workplace fiction
Dry British comedy
Fantasy grounded in ordinary human kindness
Stories where protecting people matters more than looking impressive
Unfortunately, England has now discovered teaching standards.
Halcyon Comprehensive is stabilising at last. The corridors are calmer. The children are healing. Mr. Gorzug has become, against all reasonable expectation, an accepted part of the school itself.
Which is precisely when the system decides he requires qualifications.
Apparently saving children, holding corridors together during supernatural incidents, and successfully managing Year Nine are not considered sufficient evidence of professional competence.
Now Gorzug must endure training days, observation rubrics, reflective journals, mentor meetings, safeguarding modules, educational theory, and the growing suspicion that modern institutions fear unlicensed effectiveness on principle.
Worse still, the more formally he becomes part of the school, the less temporary his life in England begins to feel.
As Halcyon faces increasing outside attention, recovering students struggle with the lingering effects of the breach between worlds, and the trust attempts to turn lived care into measurable policy, Gorzug finds himself confronting a deeply uncomfortable possibility:
He may no longer simply be defending this place.
He may belong to it.
Mr. Gorzug And The Required Qualifications is the third book in the warmly funny fantasy series about schools, safeguarding, bureaucracy, belonging, and an orc war-chief slowly becoming exactly the sort of adult children trust without hesitation.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Discworld-style observational humour
Found family and slow emotional arcs
School and workplace fiction
Dry British comedy
Fantasy grounded in ordinary human kindness
Stories where protecting people matters more than looking impressive
- GenresFantasy
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 5, 2026
Present, Truthful, and Unconventional: A Masterpiece on What Truly Makes an Educator Exceptional
This book is an absolute masterpiece of speculative fiction and educational triumph.
It delivers a deeply refreshing, heartwarming narrative that explores what truly makes an educator exceptional.
At the center of the story is an unforgettable protagonist: an ogre from a different dimension who becomes a beacon of light in a modern American school. Despite his imposing and otherworldly nature, he is fully accepted by both the school administration and the student body. He breaks every stereotype of the "monstrous" outsider, proving that true connection transcends species and realms.
The heart of the book lies in two brilliant dynamics:
Community and Administration: The way the school staff unites to secure this teacher's credentials—going well above and beyond standard bureaucratic norms—is incredibly moving. It serves as a beautiful testament to what leadership looks like when it prioritizes student impact over red tape.
The Power of Presence: While he isn't overly verbal, his teaching style is profoundly effective. He is useful, truthful, and present. Because of his authenticity, the students connect with him on a deeply visceral level.
Most importantly, the book tackles a very real crisis in modern education. His classrooms become an oasis for critical thinking, a vital skill that has been sorely lacking in U.S. classrooms since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than teaching to a standardized test, this unconventional educator forces students to question, analyze, and truly engage with the world around them.
This is a must-read for teachers, administrators, and anyone who believes in the transformative power of a truly dedicated educator. It is a brilliant blend of fantasy and social commentary that will stay with you long after the final page.
This book is an absolute masterpiece of speculative fiction and educational triumph.
It delivers a deeply refreshing, heartwarming narrative that explores what truly makes an educator exceptional.
At the center of the story is an unforgettable protagonist: an ogre from a different dimension who becomes a beacon of light in a modern American school. Despite his imposing and otherworldly nature, he is fully accepted by both the school administration and the student body. He breaks every stereotype of the "monstrous" outsider, proving that true connection transcends species and realms.
The heart of the book lies in two brilliant dynamics:
Community and Administration: The way the school staff unites to secure this teacher's credentials—going well above and beyond standard bureaucratic norms—is incredibly moving. It serves as a beautiful testament to what leadership looks like when it prioritizes student impact over red tape.
The Power of Presence: While he isn't overly verbal, his teaching style is profoundly effective. He is useful, truthful, and present. Because of his authenticity, the students connect with him on a deeply visceral level.
Most importantly, the book tackles a very real crisis in modern education. His classrooms become an oasis for critical thinking, a vital skill that has been sorely lacking in U.S. classrooms since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than teaching to a standardized test, this unconventional educator forces students to question, analyze, and truly engage with the world around them.
This is a must-read for teachers, administrators, and anyone who believes in the transformative power of a truly dedicated educator. It is a brilliant blend of fantasy and social commentary that will stay with you long after the final page.
September 13, 2026
I liked this rather less than its predecessor. It goes into the process by which the titular character can gain enough qualifications to be allowed to carry on teaching. The author is so frighteningly familiar with the methodology that I fear they may have been agents of HR in a former existence.
Here's the rub. There's alot of repetition and the labyrinthine nature of it gets to be very wearing in short order. And the whole book is taken up with this nonsense. We get that the process is slow and infuriating and unfair but to stretch it out over 327 pages (Kindle edition) is sadistic. I tired of it well before then and only the light relief of Mr Gorzug going to get fitted for a suit (I'm sorry, but the best tailor in the world is going to be hard pressed to make a suit for a nine foot barrel chested orc in a weekend) leavened the prose.
The similes become wearing through overuse. Not everything is 'weather'.
I'll not be picking up the next volume
Here's the rub. There's alot of repetition and the labyrinthine nature of it gets to be very wearing in short order. And the whole book is taken up with this nonsense. We get that the process is slow and infuriating and unfair but to stretch it out over 327 pages (Kindle edition) is sadistic. I tired of it well before then and only the light relief of Mr Gorzug going to get fitted for a suit (I'm sorry, but the best tailor in the world is going to be hard pressed to make a suit for a nine foot barrel chested orc in a weekend) leavened the prose.
The similes become wearing through overuse. Not everything is 'weather'.
I'll not be picking up the next volume
September 14, 2026
Departments consolidate actionable intelligence and improve unit alignment with candidate.
I get the feeling that this book was written from the heart.
A funny and enlightening read about the use of jargon by management as a way to appear superior and force subordinates into filling the otherwise empty space left when the real answer only requires a single sentence. Or word. I wonder how many online management gobbledygook generators Mr Moody melted while researching this book
I get the feeling that this book was written from the heart.
A funny and enlightening read about the use of jargon by management as a way to appear superior and force subordinates into filling the otherwise empty space left when the real answer only requires a single sentence. Or word. I wonder how many online management gobbledygook generators Mr Moody melted while researching this book
September 6, 2026
A good read
Power to the little people! Time we'll spent. Now to satisfy stupid to satisfy the stupid bureaucracy and meet the word count. Blah, blah
Power to the little people! Time we'll spent. Now to satisfy stupid to satisfy the stupid bureaucracy and meet the word count. Blah, blah
September 6, 2026
Hurrah!
This book was worth 10 stars of my time. Unfortunately administration only allowed 5 stars of my time. Keep reading.
This book was worth 10 stars of my time. Unfortunately administration only allowed 5 stars of my time. Keep reading.
September 4, 2026
I enjoyed book 1 & 2 tremendously. Book 3 was exceptional. When I finished book three I said “That was such a good book”. I haven’t said that about a book in a very long time. I know I’m going to read it again. The author’s way of writing puts you in an altered state.
September 4, 2026
Fun read
The best analogy that comes to mind is Dilbert in education. Once you get that Talbot is Wally, everything falls into place.
The best analogy that comes to mind is Dilbert in education. Once you get that Talbot is Wally, everything falls into place.
August 30, 2026
4.5 rounded up because the Remembrance Day chapter made me cry. Half point down was for the too-realistic depiction of the absurd practices of the education system, which could not be avoided given the plot of this one and required persistence to endure while the characters did. Probably worse for those of us in the profession.
Still excellent enough that I purchased all 5 books in the series after reading it.
Still excellent enough that I purchased all 5 books in the series after reading it.
August 26, 2026
Came For The Orc, Stayed For The Tea
I am growing unreasonably fond of this series for someone who is barely a member of the likely target audience.
My only ask is for a glossary for some of the terms like "NQT".
I am growing unreasonably fond of this series for someone who is barely a member of the likely target audience.
My only ask is for a glossary for some of the terms like "NQT".
August 19, 2026
Poetry of Pedagogy
A beautifully written fantasy placing an orc in that very real confusion of junior angst, ill- conceived curricula, " natural teachers" and those who nervously adhere to bureaucratic crutches while those around them pray they will learn to "walk the walk" one day, and the stifling weight imposed on the whole apparatus of born rule breeders whose overweening confidence that everything about teaching can be pinned to paper like a butterfly to a board constantly tries to render teaching as dead as that unfortunate insect.
I taught, mainly young adults, for 25 years and learned to regard with utter contempt anyone who can make a career out of transforming the principle "Think before you act and, if that doesn't work, think again" into 200 page "educational" manuals full of jargon. . I remember one such delivering a 3 hour peroration about optimal human study attention span being 45 minutes. And if I ever again hear the word "robust" used to describe teaching methodology, I believe I might scream.
It would appear that Mr Moody, Gorzug, and I share similar views. The first two express that in more flowing prose than I tend to demonstrate, and soften their blows by presenting them as very readable humorous entertainment. Smoothly done, and I am sure Mr Moody reflected on every line after having written it and must surely have rewritten everything many times to reflect the wisdom learnt by such reflection until his authorial world became a metaphoric Hall of Mirrors. Or maybe not. :) :) :)
A beautifully written fantasy placing an orc in that very real confusion of junior angst, ill- conceived curricula, " natural teachers" and those who nervously adhere to bureaucratic crutches while those around them pray they will learn to "walk the walk" one day, and the stifling weight imposed on the whole apparatus of born rule breeders whose overweening confidence that everything about teaching can be pinned to paper like a butterfly to a board constantly tries to render teaching as dead as that unfortunate insect.
I taught, mainly young adults, for 25 years and learned to regard with utter contempt anyone who can make a career out of transforming the principle "Think before you act and, if that doesn't work, think again" into 200 page "educational" manuals full of jargon. . I remember one such delivering a 3 hour peroration about optimal human study attention span being 45 minutes. And if I ever again hear the word "robust" used to describe teaching methodology, I believe I might scream.
It would appear that Mr Moody, Gorzug, and I share similar views. The first two express that in more flowing prose than I tend to demonstrate, and soften their blows by presenting them as very readable humorous entertainment. Smoothly done, and I am sure Mr Moody reflected on every line after having written it and must surely have rewritten everything many times to reflect the wisdom learnt by such reflection until his authorial world became a metaphoric Hall of Mirrors. Or maybe not. :) :) :)
August 24, 2026
A story well worth your time…
I’m copying a paragraph that is included in the author’s “thank you for reading “ closing statement at the end of the book. These words say better than I ever could why I’ll remember this series for a very long time. This story not only brings my own school memories alive in ways that haven’t been thought of in years/decades, but it illuminates similar reflection of my life as a whole. Yes, this story is definitely well worth my time …
“A few honest words can help another reader decide to enter this strange little corner of Halcyon Comprehensive and discover that schools, despite every effort made against them, are still full of people trying very hard to protect one another. That is worth remembering. If this book made you laugh, think, or briefly suspect that the greatest fantasy creature in modern Britain might actually be a functioning educational system, then please consider leaving a review.”
I’m copying a paragraph that is included in the author’s “thank you for reading “ closing statement at the end of the book. These words say better than I ever could why I’ll remember this series for a very long time. This story not only brings my own school memories alive in ways that haven’t been thought of in years/decades, but it illuminates similar reflection of my life as a whole. Yes, this story is definitely well worth my time …
“A few honest words can help another reader decide to enter this strange little corner of Halcyon Comprehensive and discover that schools, despite every effort made against them, are still full of people trying very hard to protect one another. That is worth remembering. If this book made you laugh, think, or briefly suspect that the greatest fantasy creature in modern Britain might actually be a functioning educational system, then please consider leaving a review.”
July 29, 2026
A good follow-up
The first book in this series deserved six stars.
This one, was still entertaining, and had a number of "I'm going to need read this out loud to my spouse" segments. The fact that Mr Gorzug is a nine foot tall Orc that teaches in a British school seems to be commonplace to the children. While most of the staff can accept this, the British educational systems are hung up on his lack of professional credentials.
This book prevented several hours of doomscrolling, for which I remain grateful.
The first book in this series deserved six stars.
This one, was still entertaining, and had a number of "I'm going to need read this out loud to my spouse" segments. The fact that Mr Gorzug is a nine foot tall Orc that teaches in a British school seems to be commonplace to the children. While most of the staff can accept this, the British educational systems are hung up on his lack of professional credentials.
This book prevented several hours of doomscrolling, for which I remain grateful.
August 20, 2026
Still entertaining
This was a good read, humorous, with lots to say about the education system in the UK. As an ex-teacher I can say there is a lot of this paperwork nightmare in Australia too.
While not as brilliant as the first book, it was enjoyable. I will read the next in the series too.
This was a good read, humorous, with lots to say about the education system in the UK. As an ex-teacher I can say there is a lot of this paperwork nightmare in Australia too.
While not as brilliant as the first book, it was enjoyable. I will read the next in the series too.
June 22, 2026
Bureaucratic Nonsense ! ! !
Having humorous bureaucratic nonsense displayed in a very simplistic venue was entertaining. The explanation for the four stars was the presentation of said bureaucratic nonsense, which unfortunately developed the storyline. This is hoping the next addition will be forthcoming exceptable.
Having humorous bureaucratic nonsense displayed in a very simplistic venue was entertaining. The explanation for the four stars was the presentation of said bureaucratic nonsense, which unfortunately developed the storyline. This is hoping the next addition will be forthcoming exceptable.
July 25, 2026
Well worth a read
With how accurate Mr Moody is regarding the inner bureaucracy and over documentation of the public school system, I could have sworn he spent time teaching.
It is funny, dry, and throughly entertaining in a way truth often is.
With how accurate Mr Moody is regarding the inner bureaucracy and over documentation of the public school system, I could have sworn he spent time teaching.
It is funny, dry, and throughly entertaining in a way truth often is.
July 25, 2026
Just like school
The author has gotten the feel of a school that is trying to teach but not letting administration get in the way. Having taught middle school classes for 11 years it hit the mark.
The author has gotten the feel of a school that is trying to teach but not letting administration get in the way. Having taught middle school classes for 11 years it hit the mark.
August 22, 2026
Love this series so much
It's cozy, wise about bureaucracy in a funny (but still maddening) way, and aspirational. Every teacher should read it for reasons of solidarity if nothing else. I continue to be charmed, now onward to book 3.
It's cozy, wise about bureaucracy in a funny (but still maddening) way, and aspirational. Every teacher should read it for reasons of solidarity if nothing else. I continue to be charmed, now onward to book 3.
September 20, 2026
Do not start this book in the evening - you might not get to bed until the small hours of the morning
Joyously and humorously the incredible incompetence of the system is laid bare: the enormous administrative overload that gets in the way of teachers teaching and drives many of them to leave the profession is ridiculed (and highlighted as the great danger and burden that it is) and the staff and students of Halcyon Comprehensive come together to defeat the jobsworths of educational red tape and qualifications administration.
Gorzug and co are as delightful in this book as they were in the first. I have already downloaded book 3.
Joyously and humorously the incredible incompetence of the system is laid bare: the enormous administrative overload that gets in the way of teachers teaching and drives many of them to leave the profession is ridiculed (and highlighted as the great danger and burden that it is) and the staff and students of Halcyon Comprehensive come together to defeat the jobsworths of educational red tape and qualifications administration.
Gorzug and co are as delightful in this book as they were in the first. I have already downloaded book 3.
August 18, 2026
Scarily accurate, funny, really funny, but accurate.
It did cause flash backs, I had to complete 3 files of evidence for a simple pay threshold. I still can't see a lever arch file without breaking out in a cold sweat. The remberence day was written with such emotional sensitivity and honesty having both taught and served thank you, you capture the essence of both these worlds.
It did cause flash backs, I had to complete 3 files of evidence for a simple pay threshold. I still can't see a lever arch file without breaking out in a cold sweat. The remberence day was written with such emotional sensitivity and honesty having both taught and served thank you, you capture the essence of both these worlds.
August 25, 2026
yowza ! Hubba-hubba ! ¡excellenti-fabulousa !
Finally…an amazingly emotionally honest work about life in teens school system. I laughed, smiled, half-smiled; And, groaned, muttered, and paused.
Finally…an amazingly emotionally honest work about life in teens school system. I laughed, smiled, half-smiled; And, groaned, muttered, and paused.
September 14, 2026
RECOMMENDED
September 22, 2026
Mr Gorzug and the Required Qualifications
Yes I enjoyed this book as well, maybe not as much as the others, but I understood the probl em the school and it's teachers were presented with. To much paperwork, and people with nothing better but to use ten words when three would suffice!
Yes I enjoyed this book as well, maybe not as much as the others, but I understood the probl em the school and it's teachers were presented with. To much paperwork, and people with nothing better but to use ten words when three would suffice!
August 12, 2026
Delightful
Witty, funny, insightful, and honest. I'm recommending this to all my teacher friends. I know several of these characters. Well done.
Witty, funny, insightful, and honest. I'm recommending this to all my teacher friends. I know several of these characters. Well done.
June 20, 2026
Thought provoking
As I read, I became thoughtful about how our fictions can redress reality in comfy clothes. How bureaucracy can impede growth and limit introducing honesty to real life.
Civility matters, yet it should not hide from honesty. The people who need everything in tidy boxes often forget the imperative need for more than a drop-down list of descriptors. We must be able to choose 'Other' and enter our own views.
As I read, I became thoughtful about how our fictions can redress reality in comfy clothes. How bureaucracy can impede growth and limit introducing honesty to real life.
Civility matters, yet it should not hide from honesty. The people who need everything in tidy boxes often forget the imperative need for more than a drop-down list of descriptors. We must be able to choose 'Other' and enter our own views.
September 20, 2026
Enjoyed it as much as the first
Once again copy pasted out several sections to share with teachers I know. Several have decided to read these as soon as they have time in their tbr.
Once again copy pasted out several sections to share with teachers I know. Several have decided to read these as soon as they have time in their tbr.
September 16, 2026
Obviously written by someone familiar with teacher certification and the useless information garnered.
I wanted to laugh. Having undergone years of evaluation and certification, I found it hit home too closely. Certification requires a teacher present proof of teaching. Foolishness
Mr Gorzug was more understanding than most new teachers. They are not Orcs. They have withstood war but must fill in the boxes.
Enjoyable. I’ve downloaded the next one.
I wanted to laugh. Having undergone years of evaluation and certification, I found it hit home too closely. Certification requires a teacher present proof of teaching. Foolishness
Mr Gorzug was more understanding than most new teachers. They are not Orcs. They have withstood war but must fill in the boxes.
Enjoyable. I’ve downloaded the next one.
September 17, 2026
enjoyable
This book teaches where others speechify. The depth of the authors interest is obvious and his paper qualifications unusually deep. That bureaucratic interference is endemic to education and competence is not measurable. Well done!
This book teaches where others speechify. The depth of the authors interest is obvious and his paper qualifications unusually deep. That bureaucratic interference is endemic to education and competence is not measurable. Well done!
September 15, 2026
If you require more Mr. Gorzug, book two provides it. The language around professional certifications in teaching is so worryingly realistic that it doesn’t particularly come across as satire or particularly humorous. But it’s a pleasant enough slice of life, short enough that you’ll probably reach the end before you run out of patience.
September 15, 2026
another excellent installment
In which Gorzug defeats the central administration without ever touching his axe.
The author may not have been a teacher, but he clearly understands the educational system and its institutional idiocies.
In which Gorzug defeats the central administration without ever touching his axe.
The author may not have been a teacher, but he clearly understands the educational system and its institutional idiocies.
September 16, 2026
enjoying the series
This is a fun series, but I can’t help wondering if Mr. Gorzug came through a split in reality, how does he know all about the history of this new place?
This is a fun series, but I can’t help wondering if Mr. Gorzug came through a split in reality, how does he know all about the history of this new place?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews