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Gork, the Teenage Dragon
Fans of Harry Potter and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will relish this teenage dragon’s spellbinding love story filled with bighearted humor and imagination.
“No good human won't love this dragon named Gork.” —Dave Eggers
Gork isn’t like the other dragons at WarWings Military Academy. He has a gigantic heart, two-inch horns, and an occasional problem with fainting. His nickname is Weak Sauce and his Will to Power ranking is Snacklicious—the lowest in his class. But he is determined not to let any of this hold him back as he embarks on the most important mission of his life: tonight, on the eve of his high school graduation, he must ask a female dragon to be his queen. If she says yes, they'll go off to conquer a foreign planet together. If she says no, Gork becomes a slave.
Vying with Jocks, Nerds, Mutants, and Multi-Dimensioners to find his mate, Gork encounters an unforgettable cast of friends and foes, including Dr. Terrible, the mad scientist; Fribby, a robot dragon obsessed with death; and Metheldra, a healer specializing in acupuncture with swords. But finally it is Gork's biggest perceived weakness, his huge heart, that will guide him through his epic quest and help him reach his ultimate destination: planet Earth.
A love story, a fantasy, and a coming-of-age story, Gork the Teenage Dragon is a wildly comic, beautifully imagined, and deeply heartfelt debut novel that shows us just how human a dragon can be.
“No good human won't love this dragon named Gork.” —Dave Eggers
Gork isn’t like the other dragons at WarWings Military Academy. He has a gigantic heart, two-inch horns, and an occasional problem with fainting. His nickname is Weak Sauce and his Will to Power ranking is Snacklicious—the lowest in his class. But he is determined not to let any of this hold him back as he embarks on the most important mission of his life: tonight, on the eve of his high school graduation, he must ask a female dragon to be his queen. If she says yes, they'll go off to conquer a foreign planet together. If she says no, Gork becomes a slave.
Vying with Jocks, Nerds, Mutants, and Multi-Dimensioners to find his mate, Gork encounters an unforgettable cast of friends and foes, including Dr. Terrible, the mad scientist; Fribby, a robot dragon obsessed with death; and Metheldra, a healer specializing in acupuncture with swords. But finally it is Gork's biggest perceived weakness, his huge heart, that will guide him through his epic quest and help him reach his ultimate destination: planet Earth.
A love story, a fantasy, and a coming-of-age story, Gork the Teenage Dragon is a wildly comic, beautifully imagined, and deeply heartfelt debut novel that shows us just how human a dragon can be.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2017
63 people are currently reading
2844 people want to read
About the author
Gabe Hudson
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twitter: @gabehudson
insta:@gabeghudson
website: http://gabehudson.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
May 22, 2017
Gork, the Teenage Dragon: A novel by Gabe Hudson had my "scaly green ass" laughing throughout the hilarious antics and witty dialogue in this book. Gork, our teen dragon, is called Weak Sauce because he is different than the other dragons. Only 2" horns, faints, afraid of heights, and has an oversized heart, literally and figuratively. He is suppose to find a Queen before he graduates the academy for dragons or he has to be a slave. If he finds a Queen that will except him, he gets to go with his Queen to a planet and start a new life. He has deal with bullies, nerds, mutants, and robot dragons. It is a comical, witty, tender, coming of age of age story with magical and delightful fantasy and just a hint of romance. Humor sprinkled generously!!! I giggled so much reading this book. There are so many scenes and phrases that caught me off guard that had me laughing and snorting. What a gem of a book! Thanks NetGalley, I haven't enjoyed a book like this in such a long time!
July 4, 2017
I was really looking forward to this book – after all, the blurb said it was for fans of Harry Potter and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – and that is certainly me. Unfortunately, to say that “Gork” will appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a bit like claiming that 50 Shades of Grey will appeal to fans of Pride and Prejudice. It may be true for some fans, but that is not a helpful guideline.
Firstly, it is nothing at all like the two aforementioned books. Yes, Gork is enrolled in an academy – but rather than being a school teaching magic and encouraging maturation into an upstanding adult, it is the WarWings Military Academy, where you only graduate if you find a sexual partner (of the opposite gender), who is willing to go with you on a space journey, mate with you for the entire voyage, and then, with the resulting offspring, invade and enslave the planet and its people at the end of your journey. Failure to graduate means you become a slave (or are eaten). No half way measures – not even US high schools are that brutal. The only link with Hitchhiker’s Guide that I could see, is poetry. But, reciting Vogon poetry was never considered a worthwhile skill. Also, neither of those books contain swear words or sexually charged slang – “Gork” does.
For much of the book, the language used is crude, aggressive and misogynist. Females are constantly referred to as “chicks”, are defined almost exclusively by their physical attributes, and the prestige their looks will endow on their lucky mate. Males are rated according to the size of their horns (so no sexual innuendo there!) and their ability to terrorise lesser beings (robot dragons, short horned dragons, mutants, …). In theory, females may say no to a suitor, but as one particularly nasty Jock points out, no really means yes. To me the one light in this story was Runcita, who refused to submit to derogatory nicknames or unwanted advances, and who was her own person and unafraid to be seen with undesirable dragons. Unfortunately, that side of her got very little exposure, while her beauty and seductive scent was mentioned everywhere.
The author clearly has a very well-developed imagination, and certain parts of the story were well thought out – such as the Top Trumps ratings given to the young dragons. The wording is very repetitive. Dragons, almost by definition, are scaly. The author seems to be going for the record of the book with the most appearances of the word ‘scaly’ – once or twice would have been enough to get the point across. The swearing could have been restricted to the spoken language, instead of permeating all the descriptive passages as well.
I did not warm to Gork at all, although by the end of the book he had thankfully changed for the better – still a dweeb, but at least a non-violent, politer version. Personally, I was hoping that Runcita would elope with Fribby – that would have been a shock ending.
Looking at the other reviews, I am one of the very few who did not like Gork. So, this is obviously a book you need to read and make your own mind up about. I really struggled to finish the book, but you may feel quite differently.
I would happily recommend Harry Potter and “Hitchhikers Guide” to anyone, of almost any age. But, I would be very wary of offering “Gork” to young teenagers.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Firstly, it is nothing at all like the two aforementioned books. Yes, Gork is enrolled in an academy – but rather than being a school teaching magic and encouraging maturation into an upstanding adult, it is the WarWings Military Academy, where you only graduate if you find a sexual partner (of the opposite gender), who is willing to go with you on a space journey, mate with you for the entire voyage, and then, with the resulting offspring, invade and enslave the planet and its people at the end of your journey. Failure to graduate means you become a slave (or are eaten). No half way measures – not even US high schools are that brutal. The only link with Hitchhiker’s Guide that I could see, is poetry. But, reciting Vogon poetry was never considered a worthwhile skill. Also, neither of those books contain swear words or sexually charged slang – “Gork” does.
For much of the book, the language used is crude, aggressive and misogynist. Females are constantly referred to as “chicks”, are defined almost exclusively by their physical attributes, and the prestige their looks will endow on their lucky mate. Males are rated according to the size of their horns (so no sexual innuendo there!) and their ability to terrorise lesser beings (robot dragons, short horned dragons, mutants, …). In theory, females may say no to a suitor, but as one particularly nasty Jock points out, no really means yes. To me the one light in this story was Runcita, who refused to submit to derogatory nicknames or unwanted advances, and who was her own person and unafraid to be seen with undesirable dragons. Unfortunately, that side of her got very little exposure, while her beauty and seductive scent was mentioned everywhere.
The author clearly has a very well-developed imagination, and certain parts of the story were well thought out – such as the Top Trumps ratings given to the young dragons. The wording is very repetitive. Dragons, almost by definition, are scaly. The author seems to be going for the record of the book with the most appearances of the word ‘scaly’ – once or twice would have been enough to get the point across. The swearing could have been restricted to the spoken language, instead of permeating all the descriptive passages as well.
I did not warm to Gork at all, although by the end of the book he had thankfully changed for the better – still a dweeb, but at least a non-violent, politer version. Personally, I was hoping that Runcita would elope with Fribby – that would have been a shock ending.
Looking at the other reviews, I am one of the very few who did not like Gork. So, this is obviously a book you need to read and make your own mind up about. I really struggled to finish the book, but you may feel quite differently.
I would happily recommend Harry Potter and “Hitchhikers Guide” to anyone, of almost any age. But, I would be very wary of offering “Gork” to young teenagers.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
January 1, 2018
Gork needs to crown his queen today and leave to take over a distant planet or suffer terrible consequences. He has a few major problems: he's in love with one of the most popular females at the military academy, his heart is far too big, his horns are far too small, his class rating is too low and his grandfather, Doctor Terrible, has gone missing.
Nothing a teenage dragon can't handle, right?
Gork, the Teenage Dragon is one of the most unique books I've read in a long time. It is a story about dragons, yes, but not just that. Gabe Hudson has created an entire dragon culture.
WarWings graduates continue to conquer the universe one planet at a time. We are the proud preservers of the EggHarvest tradition. Victory will always be ours! pg 30.
In some ways, WarWings reminded me of the military academy from Ender's Game. It is dog eat dog, or dragon eat dragon.
My favorite part of the dragon culture is its use of poetry: "I don't know why it is, but singing a poem out loud will always make you appear more repulsive and psychotic to those who you intend to enslave." pg 56.
I also enjoyed the nudging of journalists: "The vibe in the room was definitely fiendish, and you should know that dragon journalists on Blegwethia are notoriously ruthless. Because on my home planet Blegwethia if a journalist shows up to report a story and they don't like the situation they're seeing, they're not afraid to wade right in and get their claws and beak bloody. That's dragon journalism for you." pg 88.
If anything, Gork, the Teenage Dragon suffered from too many lovingly crafted details about dragon culture to the detriment of the story. It dragged as a result. And some of the gags didn't quite work.
On the other hand, I was laughing out loud quite a lot at Gork's antics: "... I study my scaly green reflection and see five nasty-looking slashes in my forehead from where that demon Torp has swiped me with his claws. 'Not bad, Professor,' I say, looking at the slashes. 'This could make some nice scars.' Now in case you don't know, teenage dragons love scars."
I was also not fond of the ending.
Recommended for readers with patience and the willingness to overlook some repetitious dialogue.
Gork, the Teenage Dragon won't appeal to everyone, but I could see some die-hard dragon fans absolutely devouring this book.
Nothing a teenage dragon can't handle, right?
Gork, the Teenage Dragon is one of the most unique books I've read in a long time. It is a story about dragons, yes, but not just that. Gabe Hudson has created an entire dragon culture.
WarWings graduates continue to conquer the universe one planet at a time. We are the proud preservers of the EggHarvest tradition. Victory will always be ours! pg 30.
In some ways, WarWings reminded me of the military academy from Ender's Game. It is dog eat dog, or dragon eat dragon.
My favorite part of the dragon culture is its use of poetry: "I don't know why it is, but singing a poem out loud will always make you appear more repulsive and psychotic to those who you intend to enslave." pg 56.
I also enjoyed the nudging of journalists: "The vibe in the room was definitely fiendish, and you should know that dragon journalists on Blegwethia are notoriously ruthless. Because on my home planet Blegwethia if a journalist shows up to report a story and they don't like the situation they're seeing, they're not afraid to wade right in and get their claws and beak bloody. That's dragon journalism for you." pg 88.
If anything, Gork, the Teenage Dragon suffered from too many lovingly crafted details about dragon culture to the detriment of the story. It dragged as a result. And some of the gags didn't quite work.
On the other hand, I was laughing out loud quite a lot at Gork's antics: "... I study my scaly green reflection and see five nasty-looking slashes in my forehead from where that demon Torp has swiped me with his claws. 'Not bad, Professor,' I say, looking at the slashes. 'This could make some nice scars.' Now in case you don't know, teenage dragons love scars."
I was also not fond of the ending.
Recommended for readers with patience and the willingness to overlook some repetitious dialogue.
Gork, the Teenage Dragon won't appeal to everyone, but I could see some die-hard dragon fans absolutely devouring this book.
February 19, 2019
Gork is a 16yo dragon attending the Warwings military academy on the planet Blegwethia. It is Crown Day when the males ask a female dragon to be their queen and give them a crown. Gork wants to make Runcita his queen but first he has to find her.
Gork is not your typical dragon, he has a larger than normal heart and has a lot of compassion (which is bad for dragons). Apologies are illegal on Blegwethia. When situations get a bit treacherous he tends to feint.
The story goes through Gork’s quest to find Runcita and ask her to be his queen. Gork is a bit of a loser so he is picked on and bullied; his only friend is Fribby, a robot dragon hatched in an artificial egg.
Gork the Teenage Dragon is a YA Sci-Fi thriller with spaceship flying dragons whose end purpose is to take over the universe.
I haven’t read a lot of Sci-Fi and I must admit I didn’t enjoy this bizarre story filled with murder, bullying and suicide. There were a couple of funny moments between the scenes of tearing flesh and dripping and spraying blood.
2 stars because I was caught up in the bloody violence and I just had to know how Gork’s story ended.
I will leave this one for the Sci-Fi fans.
Gork is not your typical dragon, he has a larger than normal heart and has a lot of compassion (which is bad for dragons). Apologies are illegal on Blegwethia. When situations get a bit treacherous he tends to feint.
The story goes through Gork’s quest to find Runcita and ask her to be his queen. Gork is a bit of a loser so he is picked on and bullied; his only friend is Fribby, a robot dragon hatched in an artificial egg.
Gork the Teenage Dragon is a YA Sci-Fi thriller with spaceship flying dragons whose end purpose is to take over the universe.
I haven’t read a lot of Sci-Fi and I must admit I didn’t enjoy this bizarre story filled with murder, bullying and suicide. There were a couple of funny moments between the scenes of tearing flesh and dripping and spraying blood.
2 stars because I was caught up in the bloody violence and I just had to know how Gork’s story ended.
I will leave this one for the Sci-Fi fans.
August 2, 2017
“There’s no arguing with the heart, because the heart is the highest law there is. No matter if that heart is twisted and tiny and evil, or if the heart is hideously deformed and huge and sensitive.”
Therein lies the biggest problem for Gork the Teenage Dragon. “My jumbo-sized heart is guiding my scaly ass through the madness.” You see, on Blegwethia, home planet to the dragon species, the smaller your heart, the more evil you are. And the more evil and scary a dragon you are, the more planets you will conquer, the more species you will enslave, and the more successful and famous a dragon you will be. Gork is neither evil nor scary (though his surname is Terrible, his middle name being The) and comes from a line of reputable dragons, including the insidious Dr. Terrible, his grandfather.
Despite weekly private lessons with the mad scientist Dr. Terrible, Gork is at the bottom of his class at WarWings Academy, the elite school for young dragons. Gork’s whole story is told throughout the events of Crown Day – the most important day of a young dragon’s life, where he must chose a mate to be his Queen. If she accepts, they will both be assigned a foreign planet to lay eggs on and conquer. If she rejects him, he will be forever a slave to another dragon forever. So yeah, it’s pretty much just like the human high school experience, emotionally speaking. Gork navigates this day with his best friend Fribby, a menacing robot dragon, and his organic spaceship, ATHENOS II, defeating bullies, nefarious professors, and more.
Gork The Teenage Dragon is by far one of the most unique books I have ever read. I guarantee you have never read anything quite like this quirky, yet oddly profound novel. It is all told from Gork’s perspective throughout a single day, and is told in present tense, with flashbacks to both his youth (he was born on Planet Earth, and has a lot to say about man-creature’s perceptions of dragons) as well as his time at WarWings leading up to the all-important Crown Day. The way the story is told keeps the reader right inside the action. And there is a lot of action. Poor Gork just wants to ask his crush Runcita to Harvest Fest and for her to be his Queen, but he has to fight off a hoard of enemies just to get to her. He barely has a moment to rest, and the non-stop fighting and action managed to keep me engaged.
In fact,Gork is so full of action, and as a result, full of blood and gore, that I am a bit baffled as to why this book is marketed as for children. “[He] never even knew what hit him. I’m guessing the whole experience was kind of painless. He smashes into the far wall of the gym and explodes in a gush of blood. [He] is simply no more. It’s pretty repulsive.” Okay, yes, this is a book about dragons, and some of them are robots, not fully living creatures, but repulsive, indeed. I am not one to be easily grossed out, but I couldn’t help but think of how it would be viewed differently if this book was about humans being torn to pieces (which, ultimately, because we the readers are humans, it is).
The book is also damn funny. If I see a book that is advertised as “laugh-out-loud funny”, I stay the hell away from it. Because they are usually not funny at all. (I admit I have a strange sense of humor, but still.) But Gork had me giggling, or at least smiling, every few pages or so. Reading on the couch with my boyfriend, I would start chuckling and force him to listen to me to read sections out loud (he loves it). One of my favorite parts were the ridiculously long and descriptive chapter titles, like: “Now Let Me Get Back To The Main Story I Was Telling You About, In Terms Of How This Robot Trenx Is Saying That Dr. Terrible Just Gave Him A New Spaceship Called ATHENOS III”. Oh Gork, you are so easily distracted and awkward, just like me. He also loved to hate on himself, which was sometimes sad, always relatable, but usually hilarious: “I mean you know you’re in bad shape when you’ve got a headless Mutant feeling sorry for you.”
However, the reason I loved this book so much was because of how much hidden depth it had…if you looked hard enough. Sure, you could read this book in a day and take it as an action-packed tale of nasty dragons that shoot firestreams and live in outer space, but there are also many lessons to take away. (I also have an entire theory on how almost all of the characters are the Harry Potter characters in a different dimension, which you can message me about if you want to get really geeky. I wish I were joking.)
First, let’s take a look at one of the book’s villians: Dean Floop, Principal of WarWings Academy, father of Gork’s queen-to-be Runcita, and consequently Gork’s mortal enemy. But if you’re paying attention, he is much more than that. Dean Floop has a reputation for being “firestream-happy” , as in, he likes to publicly execute his students and fellow faculty. Which isn’t that unusual for WarWings, where only the strongest students survive…I mean, these dragons are ruthless. Propose to a dragoness that’s more powerful than you and she burn you to a crisp. But the reasons behind Floop’s killing sprees are terrifying, because they seem to echo our own world more than just coincidentally. Without over-complicating or spoiling anything, Floop basically starts killing off journalist dragons who have uncovered the truth, followed by militant dictatorship actions like media blackouts and no-fly zones. Any of this sound familiar?! It’s unclear whether Hudson intended these parallels to our world or not, but they were impossible for me to not pick up.
There is also some possible commentary on species elitism. This I might not have picked up on if I hadn’t listened to Gabe Hudson read The Frog Prince by Robert Coover on The New Yorker Fiction Podcast(highly recommended, obviously). Summed up, it’s a short story about a frog that becomes a human, but really just prefers to be a frog in the mud after he realizes being human isn’t all that great. After the reading, Hudson discussed with the host about how humans always see themselves as the best species on the planet. The dragons on Blegwethia definitely share this viewpoint; humans exist in this story but are viewed as pathetic creatures waiting to be conquered and enslaved by dragons. This passage in particular sums up how dragons feel about us:
“Recently there’ve been rumors around WarWings that some of the dragon professors […] have discovered a way to clone humans. […] Honestly, I don’t think any of us dragons care one way or the other about the prospect of bringing the man-creature species back […] Though I hear they might make good pets.”
Again, not sure if this was Hudon’s intention, but I definitely saw the story of Gork as a bit of a commentary on pride as a species, and perhaps even nationalism. (Don’t get me started on the DataHaters – the group of blatant racists who constantly hate on the robot dragons.) Though as with every book, it goes as deep as the reader allows.
Gork is a character I will never forget. I never would have guessed that a goofy dragon, his robot best friend Fribby, and his motherly, organic spaceship would impact me so much. I admit that I might have gotten a bit teary during ATHENOS’s speech at the end. Like every good epic tale, there are morals and lessons to be taken out of this bizarre tale:
“The hero and the coward both feel afraid. It’s the hero whose actions are different.”
--
“Your weakness is your strength […] and your weakness is where you can find your greatest power.”
--
“’What about this big stupid heart of mine? And the crying? And the fainting? Fribby, I’m a mess.’
‘It takes courage to be so real. You’re not like these other fools running around here. You’re different.’”
And thank you, Mr. Hudson, for reminding me that it’s still okay to be different, and to have an extremely over-sized heart.
~~~~~
Read an excerpt of the book here, or see my review (with pictures!) on my blog.
~~~~~~
HUGE thank you to Dani T. at Knopf, who reached out to me and sent me an e-arc of Gork via NetGalley. This has not impacted my review in any way.
Please note that all quotes are from an advanced copy and may not be in the final version.
Therein lies the biggest problem for Gork the Teenage Dragon. “My jumbo-sized heart is guiding my scaly ass through the madness.” You see, on Blegwethia, home planet to the dragon species, the smaller your heart, the more evil you are. And the more evil and scary a dragon you are, the more planets you will conquer, the more species you will enslave, and the more successful and famous a dragon you will be. Gork is neither evil nor scary (though his surname is Terrible, his middle name being The) and comes from a line of reputable dragons, including the insidious Dr. Terrible, his grandfather.
Despite weekly private lessons with the mad scientist Dr. Terrible, Gork is at the bottom of his class at WarWings Academy, the elite school for young dragons. Gork’s whole story is told throughout the events of Crown Day – the most important day of a young dragon’s life, where he must chose a mate to be his Queen. If she accepts, they will both be assigned a foreign planet to lay eggs on and conquer. If she rejects him, he will be forever a slave to another dragon forever. So yeah, it’s pretty much just like the human high school experience, emotionally speaking. Gork navigates this day with his best friend Fribby, a menacing robot dragon, and his organic spaceship, ATHENOS II, defeating bullies, nefarious professors, and more.
Gork The Teenage Dragon is by far one of the most unique books I have ever read. I guarantee you have never read anything quite like this quirky, yet oddly profound novel. It is all told from Gork’s perspective throughout a single day, and is told in present tense, with flashbacks to both his youth (he was born on Planet Earth, and has a lot to say about man-creature’s perceptions of dragons) as well as his time at WarWings leading up to the all-important Crown Day. The way the story is told keeps the reader right inside the action. And there is a lot of action. Poor Gork just wants to ask his crush Runcita to Harvest Fest and for her to be his Queen, but he has to fight off a hoard of enemies just to get to her. He barely has a moment to rest, and the non-stop fighting and action managed to keep me engaged.
In fact,Gork is so full of action, and as a result, full of blood and gore, that I am a bit baffled as to why this book is marketed as for children. “[He] never even knew what hit him. I’m guessing the whole experience was kind of painless. He smashes into the far wall of the gym and explodes in a gush of blood. [He] is simply no more. It’s pretty repulsive.” Okay, yes, this is a book about dragons, and some of them are robots, not fully living creatures, but repulsive, indeed. I am not one to be easily grossed out, but I couldn’t help but think of how it would be viewed differently if this book was about humans being torn to pieces (which, ultimately, because we the readers are humans, it is).
The book is also damn funny. If I see a book that is advertised as “laugh-out-loud funny”, I stay the hell away from it. Because they are usually not funny at all. (I admit I have a strange sense of humor, but still.) But Gork had me giggling, or at least smiling, every few pages or so. Reading on the couch with my boyfriend, I would start chuckling and force him to listen to me to read sections out loud (he loves it). One of my favorite parts were the ridiculously long and descriptive chapter titles, like: “Now Let Me Get Back To The Main Story I Was Telling You About, In Terms Of How This Robot Trenx Is Saying That Dr. Terrible Just Gave Him A New Spaceship Called ATHENOS III”. Oh Gork, you are so easily distracted and awkward, just like me. He also loved to hate on himself, which was sometimes sad, always relatable, but usually hilarious: “I mean you know you’re in bad shape when you’ve got a headless Mutant feeling sorry for you.”
However, the reason I loved this book so much was because of how much hidden depth it had…if you looked hard enough. Sure, you could read this book in a day and take it as an action-packed tale of nasty dragons that shoot firestreams and live in outer space, but there are also many lessons to take away. (I also have an entire theory on how almost all of the characters are the Harry Potter characters in a different dimension, which you can message me about if you want to get really geeky. I wish I were joking.)
First, let’s take a look at one of the book’s villians: Dean Floop, Principal of WarWings Academy, father of Gork’s queen-to-be Runcita, and consequently Gork’s mortal enemy. But if you’re paying attention, he is much more than that. Dean Floop has a reputation for being “firestream-happy” , as in, he likes to publicly execute his students and fellow faculty. Which isn’t that unusual for WarWings, where only the strongest students survive…I mean, these dragons are ruthless. Propose to a dragoness that’s more powerful than you and she burn you to a crisp. But the reasons behind Floop’s killing sprees are terrifying, because they seem to echo our own world more than just coincidentally. Without over-complicating or spoiling anything, Floop basically starts killing off journalist dragons who have uncovered the truth, followed by militant dictatorship actions like media blackouts and no-fly zones. Any of this sound familiar?! It’s unclear whether Hudson intended these parallels to our world or not, but they were impossible for me to not pick up.
There is also some possible commentary on species elitism. This I might not have picked up on if I hadn’t listened to Gabe Hudson read The Frog Prince by Robert Coover on The New Yorker Fiction Podcast(highly recommended, obviously). Summed up, it’s a short story about a frog that becomes a human, but really just prefers to be a frog in the mud after he realizes being human isn’t all that great. After the reading, Hudson discussed with the host about how humans always see themselves as the best species on the planet. The dragons on Blegwethia definitely share this viewpoint; humans exist in this story but are viewed as pathetic creatures waiting to be conquered and enslaved by dragons. This passage in particular sums up how dragons feel about us:
“Recently there’ve been rumors around WarWings that some of the dragon professors […] have discovered a way to clone humans. […] Honestly, I don’t think any of us dragons care one way or the other about the prospect of bringing the man-creature species back […] Though I hear they might make good pets.”
Again, not sure if this was Hudon’s intention, but I definitely saw the story of Gork as a bit of a commentary on pride as a species, and perhaps even nationalism. (Don’t get me started on the DataHaters – the group of blatant racists who constantly hate on the robot dragons.) Though as with every book, it goes as deep as the reader allows.
Gork is a character I will never forget. I never would have guessed that a goofy dragon, his robot best friend Fribby, and his motherly, organic spaceship would impact me so much. I admit that I might have gotten a bit teary during ATHENOS’s speech at the end. Like every good epic tale, there are morals and lessons to be taken out of this bizarre tale:
“The hero and the coward both feel afraid. It’s the hero whose actions are different.”
--
“Your weakness is your strength […] and your weakness is where you can find your greatest power.”
--
“’What about this big stupid heart of mine? And the crying? And the fainting? Fribby, I’m a mess.’
‘It takes courage to be so real. You’re not like these other fools running around here. You’re different.’”
And thank you, Mr. Hudson, for reminding me that it’s still okay to be different, and to have an extremely over-sized heart.
~~~~~
Read an excerpt of the book here, or see my review (with pictures!) on my blog.
~~~~~~
HUGE thank you to Dani T. at Knopf, who reached out to me and sent me an e-arc of Gork via NetGalley. This has not impacted my review in any way.
Please note that all quotes are from an advanced copy and may not be in the final version.
July 5, 2017
Thanks very much to NetGalley, the author, and the publicist for reaching out to offer me this ARC, but it's not for me. I tend to steer clear of comedic fiction because I rarely enjoy it, and this was no different. I felt like the comedic aspect was just trying way too hard and I found the narrative altogether unlikable.
August 10, 2017
*Doubleday Keep Turning Pages group read #2 for August, 2017. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free copy in the group's giveaway contest.
Gork, the teenaged dragon with a big heart, talks about his coming of age problems in this very funny book. Gork's life gets off to a tragic start when his parents crash-land their rocket ship on planet Earth and he emerges from his egg to find himself an orphan. He fends for himself as best he can until the age of three when he is rescued by his paternal grandfather, Dr Terrible, and taken back to their home planet, Blegwethia.
Now Gork is a teenager attending WarWings Military Academy where he is a huge disappointment to his grandpa, the mad-scientist professor. In a culture where ferociousness and cruelty are highly valued, Gork (or Weak Sauce as he's been nicknamed) is seen as a misfit and loser: he has a big heart, tiny horns, he sweats, he faints, he cries, he apologizes. All on the list of undesirable traits that could get a fellow killed.
What female will ever mate with this poor dragon? He dreams of Runcita, the daughter of the dean and the most luscious of the female dragons. She has already put several hopeful suitors in the hospital. He spends the entire last day of school in a frustrating search to find her so he can ask her to be his Queen. If he fails...well, they will make him a slave!
There is a remarkable cast of supporting characters including Gork's best friend Fribby, a robot dragon who is obsessed with death; Athenos II, his sentient space ship; and many fellow students, teachers and security guards who seem to have it in for poor Gork.
The last hundred pages or so are worth the earlier tedium as things really begin to rev up. The conclusion is fairly gory but Gork learns some important lessons about life and love as secrets are revealed.
Not really my cup of tea but it should appeal to teens who are sure to see parallels with their own school experiences. I got pretty tired of Gork repeatedly saying "my scaly green ass" or naming other parts of his anatomy that were also green and scaly. I get it! You're a dragon and you're green and scaly! Enough already!
Will this book join the ranks of other classic stories with dragons or other wacky comedic fantasies like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Maybe; we'll see!
Gork, the teenaged dragon with a big heart, talks about his coming of age problems in this very funny book. Gork's life gets off to a tragic start when his parents crash-land their rocket ship on planet Earth and he emerges from his egg to find himself an orphan. He fends for himself as best he can until the age of three when he is rescued by his paternal grandfather, Dr Terrible, and taken back to their home planet, Blegwethia.
Now Gork is a teenager attending WarWings Military Academy where he is a huge disappointment to his grandpa, the mad-scientist professor. In a culture where ferociousness and cruelty are highly valued, Gork (or Weak Sauce as he's been nicknamed) is seen as a misfit and loser: he has a big heart, tiny horns, he sweats, he faints, he cries, he apologizes. All on the list of undesirable traits that could get a fellow killed.
What female will ever mate with this poor dragon? He dreams of Runcita, the daughter of the dean and the most luscious of the female dragons. She has already put several hopeful suitors in the hospital. He spends the entire last day of school in a frustrating search to find her so he can ask her to be his Queen. If he fails...well, they will make him a slave!
There is a remarkable cast of supporting characters including Gork's best friend Fribby, a robot dragon who is obsessed with death; Athenos II, his sentient space ship; and many fellow students, teachers and security guards who seem to have it in for poor Gork.
The last hundred pages or so are worth the earlier tedium as things really begin to rev up. The conclusion is fairly gory but Gork learns some important lessons about life and love as secrets are revealed.
Not really my cup of tea but it should appeal to teens who are sure to see parallels with their own school experiences. I got pretty tired of Gork repeatedly saying "my scaly green ass" or naming other parts of his anatomy that were also green and scaly. I get it! You're a dragon and you're green and scaly! Enough already!
Will this book join the ranks of other classic stories with dragons or other wacky comedic fantasies like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Maybe; we'll see!
April 22, 2017
Gabe Hudson has written an enjoyable adventure that follows the lovable youth of a scaly green dragon named Gork The Terrible. Within the pages of this old fashion comedic story telling tradition of fire breathing dragons and organic cybernetic robots, comes an inventive mixture of creative evolution and mortal machines that will undoubtedly tickle the biogenetic imagination and pull on the neuroanatomy heart strings of the reader. Hudson constructs an amusing dragon tradition while adding his own humorous pop cultural brand of playfulness. The end product is an alternative coming of age novel filled with first loves, tormented family history, long lasting friendships and unforgettable fertile ritual missions.
July 9, 2017
Gork or Weak Sauce as his peers like to call him has one day to get a female dragon to agree to have his eggs or he becomes a slave...for life. Up against Jocks, Nerds, Mutants, and Robots he has to combat his gigantic heart, the insecurities he feels about his 2-inch horns and his occasional problem with fainting. Will he get the girl and conquer earth?
#1 - Okay I am a huge lover of dragons... Yes i said dragons!
And there are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many dragons in this!! A whole world of dragons that are set on world domination (not quite what I was thinking...) and their first step to that is to find the right woman or man to rule in terror with (this was quite cute!) I loved how he incorporated lizard things like the threat display and the way lizards open their mouths and look like they are screaming when threatened. And we don't just have leathery dragons but also robot dragons!
#2 - I love me a strong narrative POV!
Let me say right off that Gork has personality. MEGA personality! It is all about him and just like that self centered friend you love but only talks about the things she loves you have to take this guy in small doses. You cannot rush through or consume this kind of narrative. It is overwhelming and powerful. FOR ME, it was too powerful... when I read I really enjoy putting myself in the shoes of the character. We may not agree but I want to understand. That is not possible with Gork. Now for those that love Saturday Night Live and to fall back into a world that makes fun of itself where nothing is sacred - THIS BOOK IS FOR THEM!! Gork definitely has heart. That ending...wow! Couldn't have been more satisfying... it is a nice end for this narrative and the dual nature of Gork. I can't say that I didn't see that pairing from the very beginning but it wasn't any less happy for me!
#3 - I love the world with all the mad science and steampunk aspects merging machines with organic material!
I was hoping for a different villain... I wasn't surprised by it but geeze man why does it always have to be family that keeps us back... Dr. Terrible sure is some crazy inventive dragons but he needs a lot of work on his bedside manner. I loved the evolution switching machine and all the craziness it is... but hands down ATHENOS Gork's ship and Dr. Terrible's creation is the best to me! I loved the twist on the robots take over trope! Fribby the robot dragon with the organic womb and Gork's best friend who would help him out of all kinds of scraps and kept Gork from falling into line with his grandpa's thinking (and being a jerk). She was just super great!
Okay so confession time... I did not read every page of this book, so I will slot it under DNF but I read the first 31% and the last 10% and skimmed much of the middle. I feel like if I had read the book straight through I would have rated it one because I would have been so frustrated by the taste issues that i wouldn't have been able to rate it without prejudicing myself.
The hijinks are outrageous and just too extreme for my tastes. The digressions into side thoughts about his relationships with the characters involved or the events that have happened off screen were just taking me out of the story. If you like any thing that I suggested in the above list I believe you will LOVE this book!! I can APPRECIATE the techniques involved and I admit I should never have requested this book as a book centered on comedy for comedy's sake is not for me nor will it ever be.
BOTTOM LINE: Not for me but could be for you if you LOVE comedy fantasy...
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#1 - Okay I am a huge lover of dragons... Yes i said dragons!
And there are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many dragons in this!! A whole world of dragons that are set on world domination (not quite what I was thinking...) and their first step to that is to find the right woman or man to rule in terror with (this was quite cute!) I loved how he incorporated lizard things like the threat display and the way lizards open their mouths and look like they are screaming when threatened. And we don't just have leathery dragons but also robot dragons!
#2 - I love me a strong narrative POV!
Let me say right off that Gork has personality. MEGA personality! It is all about him and just like that self centered friend you love but only talks about the things she loves you have to take this guy in small doses. You cannot rush through or consume this kind of narrative. It is overwhelming and powerful. FOR ME, it was too powerful... when I read I really enjoy putting myself in the shoes of the character. We may not agree but I want to understand. That is not possible with Gork. Now for those that love Saturday Night Live and to fall back into a world that makes fun of itself where nothing is sacred - THIS BOOK IS FOR THEM!! Gork definitely has heart. That ending...wow! Couldn't have been more satisfying... it is a nice end for this narrative and the dual nature of Gork. I can't say that I didn't see that pairing from the very beginning but it wasn't any less happy for me!
#3 - I love the world with all the mad science and steampunk aspects merging machines with organic material!
I was hoping for a different villain... I wasn't surprised by it but geeze man why does it always have to be family that keeps us back... Dr. Terrible sure is some crazy inventive dragons but he needs a lot of work on his bedside manner. I loved the evolution switching machine and all the craziness it is... but hands down ATHENOS Gork's ship and Dr. Terrible's creation is the best to me! I loved the twist on the robots take over trope! Fribby the robot dragon with the organic womb and Gork's best friend who would help him out of all kinds of scraps and kept Gork from falling into line with his grandpa's thinking (and being a jerk). She was just super great!
Okay so confession time... I did not read every page of this book, so I will slot it under DNF but I read the first 31% and the last 10% and skimmed much of the middle. I feel like if I had read the book straight through I would have rated it one because I would have been so frustrated by the taste issues that i wouldn't have been able to rate it without prejudicing myself.
The hijinks are outrageous and just too extreme for my tastes. The digressions into side thoughts about his relationships with the characters involved or the events that have happened off screen were just taking me out of the story. If you like any thing that I suggested in the above list I believe you will LOVE this book!! I can APPRECIATE the techniques involved and I admit I should never have requested this book as a book centered on comedy for comedy's sake is not for me nor will it ever be.
BOTTOM LINE: Not for me but could be for you if you LOVE comedy fantasy...
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 17, 2018
Ferris macht blau, Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis – alles Vergleiche, bei denen ich sofort aufhorche! Genau mein Ding!
Dann fing ich an zu lesen… Drachen in Raumschiffen auf Paarungsjagd um alle Welten zu erobern und nebenbei noch ein wenig Gentechnik, Roboter mit Künstlicher Intelligenz und ein grauslicher Bösewicht. DAS muss man erstmal verkraften. Ich dachte mir zunächst, da hat der Schriftsteller versucht alle Fandoms unter einen einzigen 400 Seiten starken Hut zu bringen!
Ich war echt hin und hergerissen – Fand ich das jetzt genial? Oder nur too much? Ich muss gestehen, dass ich ich mir zum Ende nicht sicher war. Auf jeden Fall war es lustig, den egomanischen Tollpatsch Gork auf seiner Mission zu begleiten. Gelacht habe ich viel und das Ende hat mich mit dem Rest der doch sehr abgehobenen Story versöhnt.
Gork der Schreckliche ist ein Buch, das ebenso wie Per Anhalter durch die Galaxispolarisieren wird. Man muss sich darauf einlassen. Und man muss es wahrscheinlich nochmal lesen, um alle Gags zu erfassen.
Ich schenke Gork 4 von 5 Lieblingslesessel – einen ziehe ich ab, da manchmal weniger einfach mehr gewesen wäre. Wenn ihr Fans von Arthur Dent seid dann ladet Gork auf jeden Fall zu Euch auf Euren Lieblingsleseplatz ein!
Dann fing ich an zu lesen… Drachen in Raumschiffen auf Paarungsjagd um alle Welten zu erobern und nebenbei noch ein wenig Gentechnik, Roboter mit Künstlicher Intelligenz und ein grauslicher Bösewicht. DAS muss man erstmal verkraften. Ich dachte mir zunächst, da hat der Schriftsteller versucht alle Fandoms unter einen einzigen 400 Seiten starken Hut zu bringen!
Ich war echt hin und hergerissen – Fand ich das jetzt genial? Oder nur too much? Ich muss gestehen, dass ich ich mir zum Ende nicht sicher war. Auf jeden Fall war es lustig, den egomanischen Tollpatsch Gork auf seiner Mission zu begleiten. Gelacht habe ich viel und das Ende hat mich mit dem Rest der doch sehr abgehobenen Story versöhnt.
Gork der Schreckliche ist ein Buch, das ebenso wie Per Anhalter durch die Galaxispolarisieren wird. Man muss sich darauf einlassen. Und man muss es wahrscheinlich nochmal lesen, um alle Gags zu erfassen.
Ich schenke Gork 4 von 5 Lieblingslesessel – einen ziehe ich ab, da manchmal weniger einfach mehr gewesen wäre. Wenn ihr Fans von Arthur Dent seid dann ladet Gork auf jeden Fall zu Euch auf Euren Lieblingsleseplatz ein!
Want to read
May 25, 2017a buzzfeed quiz told me to read this and i was like, ok
Read
November 27, 2019Did a review of this book here: https://youtu.be/UXQOXyamzwA
June 21, 2017
There's a lot to be said for the world Gabe Hudson built for his teenage dragon protagonist. Dragons, for him, are a spacefaring species hellbent on colonizing other planets for the propagation of the species. There are plenty of inventive ideas here, and it's clear that Hudson put an incredible amount of work into fleshing out the Gork's universe.
As for the writing style, I can't say I loved it. There was too much unnecessary repetition (specifically "my scaly green ass" -- the humor of it wore off very quickly after the first five times, and there are many more phrases repeated on and on ad nauseum throughout the book) and all of the characters seemed to speak in the exact same Gork-y voice.
For all that I do really admire the level of thought he'd put into his world-building, I'm going to admit that the book did not hold me and it became a chore to read after a while. Gork's quest to find a girlfriend lost its charm when I kept imagining him as a bratty teenage boy obsessing over a girl. I love fantasy, sci-fi, and dragons, but strangely, I don't think I'm the right demographic for this book.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my free, unbiased opinion.
As for the writing style, I can't say I loved it. There was too much unnecessary repetition (specifically "my scaly green ass" -- the humor of it wore off very quickly after the first five times, and there are many more phrases repeated on and on ad nauseum throughout the book) and all of the characters seemed to speak in the exact same Gork-y voice.
For all that I do really admire the level of thought he'd put into his world-building, I'm going to admit that the book did not hold me and it became a chore to read after a while. Gork's quest to find a girlfriend lost its charm when I kept imagining him as a bratty teenage boy obsessing over a girl. I love fantasy, sci-fi, and dragons, but strangely, I don't think I'm the right demographic for this book.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my free, unbiased opinion.
August 24, 2017
I tried really hard to like Gork. But after 150 pages, I felt like I had clawed just 1 cm down a 100 km timeline. I realized I didn't really care about what was at the other end of that timeline either. The characters are unlikable, the plot barely exists, and the universe seems like the author just sort of made shit up as he wrote (which I understand is actually what writing fiction is, but you know what I'm getting at).
I'm not going to blame the writing here, although I really want to. It's styled based on the character being a sort of messed up teenage dragon, and so the narrative is in that thought process (imagine mashing a teenager's angst, hormones, and confusion, with a dragon and it's exactly as scattershot as you think it would be). It makes it difficult to read and follow, especially with the loops off and backwards on the timeline every 3 paragraphs.
So. Gork was DNF'd at 150 pages. I don't know if Gork ever found his Queen, sorted out his grandpa issues, or went on a conquest of other planets. And really, I don't care.
I'm not going to blame the writing here, although I really want to. It's styled based on the character being a sort of messed up teenage dragon, and so the narrative is in that thought process (imagine mashing a teenager's angst, hormones, and confusion, with a dragon and it's exactly as scattershot as you think it would be). It makes it difficult to read and follow, especially with the loops off and backwards on the timeline every 3 paragraphs.
So. Gork was DNF'd at 150 pages. I don't know if Gork ever found his Queen, sorted out his grandpa issues, or went on a conquest of other planets. And really, I don't care.
September 29, 2017
This was a DNF at 50ish% and I have never been more irritated with a book in my life. I'm counting this as read because the straight bullshit I had to go through to even get to 50% is ridiculous.
Plus I was going to DNF this book like 4 days ago-but then I misplaced it! It literally hid from me so I couldn't give it back to a friend. 😡
But back to the review. This book is written like a middle grade, the writing and the world are incredibly chaotic. It's dragons + space ships + cyborgs. Which could have been done well IF this was a middle grade/young teen novel. But this is an adult fiction novel so instead of it being whimsical it was disturbingly sexist and crass. (See all the other reviews mentioning "my scaly green ass" being used WAY TO F*CKING MUCH)
But what makes it worse? Two words: DRAGON FETISHIZING. Sexualization of dragons as a certain type of class system, for what? The giggles? Who let this book past a publisher?
Okay now I'm done.
Plus I was going to DNF this book like 4 days ago-but then I misplaced it! It literally hid from me so I couldn't give it back to a friend. 😡
But back to the review. This book is written like a middle grade, the writing and the world are incredibly chaotic. It's dragons + space ships + cyborgs. Which could have been done well IF this was a middle grade/young teen novel. But this is an adult fiction novel so instead of it being whimsical it was disturbingly sexist and crass. (See all the other reviews mentioning "my scaly green ass" being used WAY TO F*CKING MUCH)
But what makes it worse? Two words: DRAGON FETISHIZING. Sexualization of dragons as a certain type of class system, for what? The giggles? Who let this book past a publisher?
Okay now I'm done.
July 31, 2017
*I would firstly like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.*
I don't have a WHOLE lot to say about this book, except it kind of bored me. It did (finally) get interesting for me around 78% of the way through the book, but that is just too much to read without feeling invested. The writing felt clipped, repetitive, and childish. However, this book is obviously not intended for children as it makes many adult references.
This book follows Gork on Crown Day, where he has to choose a Queen to lay his eggs and be his co-conqueror of other planets. He spends about 65% of the book just trying to get to Runcita (aka the one he desires). Even though, you and I both know that he isn't meant for Runcita. A few times I laughed, but it was pretty early on. I had high hopes for humor. I thought this was going to be an entertaining book about dragons or even about the daily goings on of dragons. (Come on, there is SO much to work with here.) Sadly, it just ended up being a dragon boy obsessed with a dragon girl overlooking the right dragon girl and being neglected by his dragon overlord grandfather (who also wants to eat him). Problematic? Yes. Yes, that is me sitting in a corner reflecting on how a book made DRAGONS seem boring. I am a disappointed puddle. A pile of disappoint.
As for the repetitiveness, here are the number of times the following phrases are found in the 400 pages of this book:
Scaly Green Ass(es): 55
Terrible: 429 (WHAT EVEN)
Will to Power: 68
Runcita: 272
Luscious: 40
As you can see, this didn't take me to my happy place of imagination. It more or less took me to a sad place of frustration. If anyone needs me, I will be wallowing.
I don't have a WHOLE lot to say about this book, except it kind of bored me. It did (
This book follows Gork on Crown Day, where he has to choose a Queen to lay his eggs and be his co-conqueror of other planets. He spends about 65% of the book just trying to get to Runcita (aka the one he desires). Even though, you and I both know that he isn't meant for Runcita. A few times I laughed, but it was pretty early on. I had high hopes for humor. I thought this was going to be an entertaining book about dragons or even about the daily goings on of dragons. (
As for the repetitiveness, here are the number of times the following phrases are found in the 400 pages of this book:
Scaly Green Ass(es): 55
Terrible: 429 (
Will to Power: 68
Runcita: 272
Luscious: 40
As you can see, this didn't take me to my happy place of imagination. It more or less took me to a sad place of frustration. If anyone needs me, I will be wallowing.
to-read-so-bad-it-hurts
November 8, 2016OMFG, IT SOUNDS SO AWESOME AND HOW?!
September 20, 2017
You know that feeling when you're a college student in your senior writing project class? And you have an awesome concept and a great voice? (You're even a pretty decent writer, if you say so yourself.) And you have to turn in a chapter a week for peer reading and review? And you have no freaking clue where your story is going? And so you write every chapter as long as you possibly can, with as little happening as it possibly can? (Maybe you flood the chapters with backstory or season them with tons of worldbuilding detail.) And you hope—so hard—that no one will notice that your story isn't actually saying or doing anything? Because you have an awesome concept and a great voice?
...Yeah. Me neither.
I do, unfortunately, know what it's like to be the peer reading and reviewing that story, though. And I had some serious flashbacks to my senior writing project class whilst reading Gork, the Teenage Dragon. Absolutely nothing happens for the first 250 pages of this thing. I mean, worldbuilding happens. Backstory happens. Lots of grammatically questionable dragon narrative happens. But all the plot is crammed into the last third of the book.
And even that is so disjointed that it reads like a fever dream. I don't mean it's weird: I can handle weird. I can even handle sophisticated, intellectual weirdness that attempts to turn my brain inside-out. This is the kind of fever dream where actual happenings from scene to scene don't follow one another: characters who were stuck in one place are suddenly in another or escape their dire situations without explanation.
Which would be disorienting enough without the heavy-handed environmental message plastered across the happily-ever-after. There are already messages to be yourself and cherish your weaknesses because they're your greatest strengths (especially in a sci-fi dragons-as-Vikings culture) threaded throughout the book. But apparently this isn't enough? Gork has to finish his story by telling everyone on earth that we have to take care of the environment or he'll eat us?
Senior writing project class, man. I see you trying, Mr. Hudson, and I'm proud of you for it, but something to work on for next week? Arrange your plot with more attention to pacing and continuity. Find ways to present your themes and messages with subtlety and maybe a fresh twist or three. I like your concept. I like your voice. But I think we could definitely make this stronger on the second draft.
...Yeah. Me neither.
I do, unfortunately, know what it's like to be the peer reading and reviewing that story, though. And I had some serious flashbacks to my senior writing project class whilst reading Gork, the Teenage Dragon. Absolutely nothing happens for the first 250 pages of this thing. I mean, worldbuilding happens. Backstory happens. Lots of grammatically questionable dragon narrative happens. But all the plot is crammed into the last third of the book.
And even that is so disjointed that it reads like a fever dream. I don't mean it's weird: I can handle weird. I can even handle sophisticated, intellectual weirdness that attempts to turn my brain inside-out. This is the kind of fever dream where actual happenings from scene to scene don't follow one another: characters who were stuck in one place are suddenly in another or escape their dire situations without explanation.
Which would be disorienting enough without the heavy-handed environmental message plastered across the happily-ever-after. There are already messages to be yourself and cherish your weaknesses because they're your greatest strengths (especially in a sci-fi dragons-as-Vikings culture) threaded throughout the book. But apparently this isn't enough? Gork has to finish his story by telling everyone on earth that we have to take care of the environment or he'll eat us?
Senior writing project class, man. I see you trying, Mr. Hudson, and I'm proud of you for it, but something to work on for next week? Arrange your plot with more attention to pacing and continuity. Find ways to present your themes and messages with subtlety and maybe a fresh twist or three. I like your concept. I like your voice. But I think we could definitely make this stronger on the second draft.
July 13, 2017
"Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is the debut novel by Gabe Hudson. "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is about a dragon who is a member of the WarWings Military Academy of Planet Conquering, Epic Poetry Writing, and Gold Plundering for Draconum. However, Gork is not ordinary dragon he has only two horns, shy and has a lovely warm heart. Readers of "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" will follow the Gork in his quest to find a queen and reach planet Earth.
I enjoy reading "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" it is different to other books about dragons. Also, "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a great adventure, and it made me laugh with the antics that Gork gets up to in the book. I like the way Gabe Hudson portrayed his characters especially Gork. "Gork" is a loveable character that teens and adults will love.
"Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a great coming of age book to read not only for teens but adults would also enjoy reading this book. Also, reading "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" will help teens to realise that you do not need to be a bully or beautiful to achieve greatness. "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a fantasy with a little bit of romance. Gabe Hudson brilliantly intertwined dragons and machines into the story.
Thanks to Knopf Publishing Group for my free copy for an honest review. I recommend this book
I enjoy reading "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" it is different to other books about dragons. Also, "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a great adventure, and it made me laugh with the antics that Gork gets up to in the book. I like the way Gabe Hudson portrayed his characters especially Gork. "Gork" is a loveable character that teens and adults will love.
"Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a great coming of age book to read not only for teens but adults would also enjoy reading this book. Also, reading "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" will help teens to realise that you do not need to be a bully or beautiful to achieve greatness. "Gork, The Teenage Dragon" is a fantasy with a little bit of romance. Gabe Hudson brilliantly intertwined dragons and machines into the story.
Thanks to Knopf Publishing Group for my free copy for an honest review. I recommend this book
May 31, 2017
Hilarious, cute (at least to me) adventure in finding love with the young Gork. The authors take on dragons is wholly original. These aren't your typical dragons, either as destructive creatures hording treasure and demanding maidens and being slain by knights or as respected creatures of magic and wisdom. Gork and his dragons are a very interesting alien species that have the characteristics of typical dragons with their wings and tails and scales and claws and breathing fire and just plain fierceness but with an intelligence similar to humans, a more militarized society, and a huge love of poetry. Have I mentioned it's hilarious? yes? well that's cause it is lol. My only problem, and it's not much of one, was the repetition of things like "scaly green ass," the first few times it added to the humor but after that it got a little annoying. Gabe Hudson has clearly shown his talent and I'm interested to see what he does in his (hopefully very long) career.
**Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to review the ARC!**
**Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to review the ARC!**
November 10, 2017
This could've been a really cute and funny story, but I'm sorry, dragons aren't suppose to curse like sailors. I can't. What a disappointment.
DNFed at page 29, it's seriously that bad and cringey. I'm really sad, I wanted this to be good.
DNFed at page 29, it's seriously that bad and cringey. I'm really sad, I wanted this to be good.
Want to read
May 9, 2017OMG WHAT IS THIS AWESOMENESS? I MUST HAVE IT.
August 2, 2017
http://www.themaineedge.com/buzz/the-...
There are a lot of people out there writing genre fiction. Considerably fewer are writing good genre fiction. And good genre fiction that is also genuinely funny? And just for fun, why not make it a legitimately compelling coming-of-age story?
You could count writers that capable on one scaly talon.
Gabe Hudson’s “Gork, the Teenage Dragon” (Knopf, $24.95) is a smart, subversive work that somehow reads as sophisticated even when repeating the phrase “scaly green ass” on seemingly every page. It’s “Catcher in the Rye” spiced with Anne McCaffrey, “Eragon” by way of John Irving, with a whiff of Douglas Adams for good measure.
Gork is a graduating senior at the WarWings Military Academy. His unfortunate nickname is Weak Sauce and he is nestled near the bottom of his class. His scores in vital categories such as Will To Power and Conquer & Rule are abysmal – this despite his lineage; he’s the grandson of legendary conqueror (and now mad scientist) Dr. Terrible, though his relationship with his grandfather isn’t great. And he spent his earliest formative years in isolation on Earth, so he’s … different.
He needs to find a queen on Crown Day or else resign himself to spending the rest of his life as a slave serving other dragons capable of enslaving planets. He’s got his eye on one dragoness in particular – the lovely Runcita, who just happens to be the daughter of the Dean (who has his own reasons for disliking Gork). Gork does have the support of his kind-of-a-robot best friend Fribby and his self-aware spaceship ATHENOS II, but no one else gives him a chance.
When Gork finds himself swept up into intrigue – intrigue that might prevent him from finding a mate or from, you know, surviving the day – he’s forced to confront some hard truths about himself. Maybe the measure of a dragon goes beyond scores and conventional wisdom. Maybe Gork is a bit more than Weak Sauce – and maybe he can manage to get his scaly green ass out of trouble one last time.
“Gork, the Teenage Dragon” is, on one level, precisely what you expect it to be. It’s a freewheeling genre adventure, balancing fantasy and sci-fi conventions. But it is also a sharp, satiric take on the coming-of-age tale. And a broadly funny (and mildly raunchy) teen comedy. Plus there’s a love story woven in there. Some family drama too.
Gork is an engaging central figure while still being a little irritating (and sometimes more than a little), yet he’s lovable despite it – or maybe even because of it. He’s also one of the more entertaining narrators I’ve encountered in a while. Sure, he might be weird and a little off-putting, but he’s also sincere and genuine despite a world designed to prevent him from being so. He exists with empathy - dragon-filtered empathy, but still – in a place where apologizing or saying “Thank you” is potentially punishable by death. Yet despite his best efforts, he can’t stop being good. He just isn’t the planet-conquering species-enslaving type. His heart’s not in it.
It’s one thing to create an engaging universe, but quite another to do so with what seems like effortlessness. Hudson’s worldbuilding seems almost casual, rich and generous with images and ideas. Vivid details abound, and when Hudson gets going, the narrative energy crackles. Add to that humor that isn’t afraid to be subtle or over-the-top, as the moment demands. Of particular note is a real, well-honed sense of the absurd, a quality that tends to be what truly sets apart the funniest efforts – your Hitchhiker’s Guides and your Discworlds.
“Gork, the Teenage Dragon” isn’t one of those books – and Hudson isn’t Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett. But it’s closer than you might think. This book is FUNNY. It is funny and it is clever – which are not the same thing, another truth that Hudson recognizes here. It celebrates its fantasy/sci-fi identity just as wholeheartedly as its more “serious” influences. And it’s a heck of a good story to boot.
Smart, subversive, funny and fun, Gabe Hudson has created something special - something soaring - with “Gork, the Teenage Dragon.”
There are a lot of people out there writing genre fiction. Considerably fewer are writing good genre fiction. And good genre fiction that is also genuinely funny? And just for fun, why not make it a legitimately compelling coming-of-age story?
You could count writers that capable on one scaly talon.
Gabe Hudson’s “Gork, the Teenage Dragon” (Knopf, $24.95) is a smart, subversive work that somehow reads as sophisticated even when repeating the phrase “scaly green ass” on seemingly every page. It’s “Catcher in the Rye” spiced with Anne McCaffrey, “Eragon” by way of John Irving, with a whiff of Douglas Adams for good measure.
Gork is a graduating senior at the WarWings Military Academy. His unfortunate nickname is Weak Sauce and he is nestled near the bottom of his class. His scores in vital categories such as Will To Power and Conquer & Rule are abysmal – this despite his lineage; he’s the grandson of legendary conqueror (and now mad scientist) Dr. Terrible, though his relationship with his grandfather isn’t great. And he spent his earliest formative years in isolation on Earth, so he’s … different.
He needs to find a queen on Crown Day or else resign himself to spending the rest of his life as a slave serving other dragons capable of enslaving planets. He’s got his eye on one dragoness in particular – the lovely Runcita, who just happens to be the daughter of the Dean (who has his own reasons for disliking Gork). Gork does have the support of his kind-of-a-robot best friend Fribby and his self-aware spaceship ATHENOS II, but no one else gives him a chance.
When Gork finds himself swept up into intrigue – intrigue that might prevent him from finding a mate or from, you know, surviving the day – he’s forced to confront some hard truths about himself. Maybe the measure of a dragon goes beyond scores and conventional wisdom. Maybe Gork is a bit more than Weak Sauce – and maybe he can manage to get his scaly green ass out of trouble one last time.
“Gork, the Teenage Dragon” is, on one level, precisely what you expect it to be. It’s a freewheeling genre adventure, balancing fantasy and sci-fi conventions. But it is also a sharp, satiric take on the coming-of-age tale. And a broadly funny (and mildly raunchy) teen comedy. Plus there’s a love story woven in there. Some family drama too.
Gork is an engaging central figure while still being a little irritating (and sometimes more than a little), yet he’s lovable despite it – or maybe even because of it. He’s also one of the more entertaining narrators I’ve encountered in a while. Sure, he might be weird and a little off-putting, but he’s also sincere and genuine despite a world designed to prevent him from being so. He exists with empathy - dragon-filtered empathy, but still – in a place where apologizing or saying “Thank you” is potentially punishable by death. Yet despite his best efforts, he can’t stop being good. He just isn’t the planet-conquering species-enslaving type. His heart’s not in it.
It’s one thing to create an engaging universe, but quite another to do so with what seems like effortlessness. Hudson’s worldbuilding seems almost casual, rich and generous with images and ideas. Vivid details abound, and when Hudson gets going, the narrative energy crackles. Add to that humor that isn’t afraid to be subtle or over-the-top, as the moment demands. Of particular note is a real, well-honed sense of the absurd, a quality that tends to be what truly sets apart the funniest efforts – your Hitchhiker’s Guides and your Discworlds.
“Gork, the Teenage Dragon” isn’t one of those books – and Hudson isn’t Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett. But it’s closer than you might think. This book is FUNNY. It is funny and it is clever – which are not the same thing, another truth that Hudson recognizes here. It celebrates its fantasy/sci-fi identity just as wholeheartedly as its more “serious” influences. And it’s a heck of a good story to boot.
Smart, subversive, funny and fun, Gabe Hudson has created something special - something soaring - with “Gork, the Teenage Dragon.”
November 16, 2022
When I decided to read it, I thought it was a novel for teens, but I’ve since learned it was published as an adult novel, which makes it worse, because it seemed to be operating more or less on the level of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but without the cute illustrations. It’s set at a high school for dragons, and is described as a coming of age novel, so maybe it was marketed to adults because Hudson repeatedly uses the phrase “scaly green ass”, and other mild expletives? Or because our hero Gork is pursuing a “queen” to lay his eggs, mostly to avoid being made a slave?
I read the Wikipedia article about the book, and found that not one, but TWO blurbs for the book compare Hudson to both Twain and Vonnegut. Oh, HELL no.
The most annoying thing is that Gork uses poetry as a power source. Seriously. He quotes poetry written by his “scaly green" (a phrase used at least once per page) grandpa and goes into berserker mode.
Excuse me a moment.
*** clears throat***
“Whose woods these are, I think I know. His house is in the village, though.”
Crap. No superpowers. And people are giving me funny looks.
Moments ago, I cheated and pulled a copy of the print version from the shelf so I could peek at the end. I’m glad I did. I couldn’t decide whether to keep on slogging through the audio version, or quit. Now I know it’s safe to quit. Gork ends up with exactly the girl dragon I thought he would end up with, beats some baddies, and lives happily ever after with his spaceship. The end.
If you want funny fantasy with poignancy and hard truths, I beg you, go read some Pratchett.
I read the Wikipedia article about the book, and found that not one, but TWO blurbs for the book compare Hudson to both Twain and Vonnegut. Oh, HELL no.
The most annoying thing is that Gork uses poetry as a power source. Seriously. He quotes poetry written by his “scaly green" (a phrase used at least once per page) grandpa and goes into berserker mode.
Excuse me a moment.
*** clears throat***
“Whose woods these are, I think I know. His house is in the village, though.”
Crap. No superpowers. And people are giving me funny looks.
Moments ago, I cheated and pulled a copy of the print version from the shelf so I could peek at the end. I’m glad I did. I couldn’t decide whether to keep on slogging through the audio version, or quit. Now I know it’s safe to quit. Gork ends up with exactly the girl dragon I thought he would end up with, beats some baddies, and lives happily ever after with his spaceship. The end.
If you want funny fantasy with poignancy and hard truths, I beg you, go read some Pratchett.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2017
Borrowed this book from work last night, finished it this morning. I have not laughed out loud at a book in a long time and this one had me cracking up.
February 28, 2025
So this was certainly an interesting book. Definitely NOT what I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong, it was a really fun story! I had a blast reading it! It was just way different from what I imagined. Anyways, here’s my review.
Gork the Teenage Dragon is a fantasy/sci-fi novel centered around a green dragon named Gork told in the perspective of the protagonist in a first person POV, which is super neat, something I don’t see a lot in books like these. Now, dragons in this society have a custom. When they mature, male dragons will ask a female to be their ‘queen.’ If she accepts, they go off, conquer a planet, and raise a clutch of eggs. If the male fails however… Then they’re in for a miserable life as a slave. Gork has his eyes on a pretty young dragon, but there’s just one problem: He’s weak as hell. With teeny tiny horns, a heart that’s two sizes too big, and the tendency to faint, Gork, AKA Weaksauce, has the odds stacked against him, and this book will take readers on a chaotic journey as he goes through hell and back to try and propose to his lover.
This book was a very fun, comedic read with tongue-in-cheek writing and humorous moments that had me chuckling, Gork even poked fun at real life authors who wrote dragon stuff, which was not something I saw coming. My one issue with this book is that the dragons here feel far, far too human, but you know what? To hell with that. I liked this book. A lot. Give it a read, it’s delightful, I promise.
Gork the Teenage Dragon is a fantasy/sci-fi novel centered around a green dragon named Gork told in the perspective of the protagonist in a first person POV, which is super neat, something I don’t see a lot in books like these. Now, dragons in this society have a custom. When they mature, male dragons will ask a female to be their ‘queen.’ If she accepts, they go off, conquer a planet, and raise a clutch of eggs. If the male fails however… Then they’re in for a miserable life as a slave. Gork has his eyes on a pretty young dragon, but there’s just one problem: He’s weak as hell. With teeny tiny horns, a heart that’s two sizes too big, and the tendency to faint, Gork, AKA Weaksauce, has the odds stacked against him, and this book will take readers on a chaotic journey as he goes through hell and back to try and propose to his lover.
This book was a very fun, comedic read with tongue-in-cheek writing and humorous moments that had me chuckling, Gork even poked fun at real life authors who wrote dragon stuff, which was not something I saw coming. My one issue with this book is that the dragons here feel far, far too human, but you know what? To hell with that. I liked this book. A lot. Give it a read, it’s delightful, I promise.
Read
March 15, 2019I read this book.
Read
June 26, 2017DNF @ 10%.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately it was NOT for me. I love dragons, but dragons in space took things a little too far for me. I suppose I should have known I'd hate it just from the comparison to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - which I hated.
*shrugs*
Cool cover though.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately it was NOT for me. I love dragons, but dragons in space took things a little too far for me. I suppose I should have known I'd hate it just from the comparison to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - which I hated.
*shrugs*
Cool cover though.
September 26, 2018
Gork der Schreckliche ist ein junger Drache, der die Militärakademie besucht. Leider ist er aber gar nicht so schrecklich wie sein Name vermuten lässt oder wie es von ihm erwartet wird. Im Gegenteil zu den anderen Drachen messen seine Hörner nicht mehrere Meter, sondern lediglich einige Zentimeter. Er hat ein überdimensional großes Herz, fällt öfters mal in Ohnmacht oder bricht in Tränen aus. Kurz gesagt: er ist ein Weichei. Daher ist sein Wille-zur-Macht-Ranking auch völlig im Keller. Es ist ein Wunder, dass er es überhaupt bis kurz vor seine Abschlussfeier geschafft hat, denn Drachen wie er sterben gut und gerne schon mal während ihrer ersten Tage an der Akademie. Sie sind sozusagen Freiwild.
Gork steht eine große Herausforderung bevor. Heute ist der Tag, an dem er eine Drachendame zu seiner Königin machen muss, mit der er fremde Planeten unterwerfen und mit ihren gemeinsamen Nachkommen bevölkern kann. Gelingt ihm das nicht, wird er versklavt. Da er aber nun nicht grade der beliebteste Drache an der Schule ist, könnte das ein Problem werden.
Die Geschichte ist ein Mix aus Fantasy und SciFi. Die Drachen leben im All und ihr größtes Ziel ist es möglichst schrecklich zu sein, um neue Planeten zu erobern. Es gibt Raumschiffe, Roboter-Drachen und auch Drachen, die ein Mix aus beidem sind. Die Drachen werden vermenschlicht dargestellt, sie tragen zum Beispiel Kleidung oder besitzen einen sogenannten Powerstab, der ähnliche Funktionen wie unsere Smartphones hat.
Geschrieben ist aus der Sicht von Gork, der wie ein pubertierender Jugendlicher daherkommt. Er hat nur die Suche nach seiner Königin im Kopf, lässt sich dabei aber oft ablenken und ist doch auch relativ naiv. Er ist ständig auf der Suche nach Anerkennung und hat einige Minderwertigkeitskomplexe. Diese wurzeln in seiner schwierigen Beziehung zu seinem Großvater Dr. Schrecklich. Dieser ist ein bekannter und brillanter Wissenschaftler und sehr bemüht, Gork zu einem wirklich schrecklichen Drachen zu machen. Sein Enkel ist nämlich bisher eine einzige Enttäuschung für ihn gewesen.
Der Schreibstil ist ein wenig gewöhnungsbedürftig, die Story irgendwie verrückt und anders. Teilweise wirkt sie ein bisschen albern, ist aber auf der anderen Seite auch an einigen Stellen blutig und brutal. Ich mochte die Wortspiele, wie zum Beispiel "meine Schuppe und Blut". Es werden Redewendungen umgewandelt, sodass sie in die Welt der Drachen und Roboter passen.
"Gork der Schreckliche" ist ein Muss für Drachen-Fans. Mag man dann auch noch SciFi und absurde Geschichten ist es die perfekte Lektüre.
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