Gork, the Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson is a quirky, tongue in cheek, sometimes angsty, all around good read. Our hero, Gork, isn’t much like the other dragons at his school. He is weaker, his horns are smaller, and his heart is way too big. He is a really fast flyer and it has kept him alive this long. 
I enjoyed this fun story. It brought me back to high school and feeling the misfit. There is a terrific set of supporting characters who round out this tale. I recommend for anyone trying to get their tweener – teen son to read.

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.

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 was really excited about this book based in the summary. I found it dull and slow moving. It's odd because the premise was really promising. The story just drudges along and instead of enhancing the main stortline, it got lost. I got to the halfway point and just didn't care about Gork at all. I called it quits.

I'm just going to come right out and say it. I love dragons. Big time. So finding a book about a teenage dragon named Gork was like a match made in heaven. Imagine how surprised I was to find out that it also has more Dragons, Robots, and yeah, some spaceships and OUTTERSPACE . . . it was like this book had been made for me. Yeah. I know, it doesn't seem like these things would all go together, but in Gork's world, they totally do. Because with a name like Gork, you know his story needs to be epic. Just to prove the point, the author even throws in random moments of poetry and singing, referencing back to those epic stories of old. Needless to say I was enchanted and smitten right from the start. 

I loved Gork. I loved his insecurities and struggles and awkwardness and growing and teenage awesomeness. I loved that he has a giant heart and is a softy, and hates it, but also kinda likes it too. Now I will say that a lot of the story seemed to ramble and was unable to retain my attention. There were too many words when the core story should have just moved a bit faster. Too much dwelling on side characters. But then this slang and expressions happen, and you somehow forget all that. With some whittling though, this story could be made an easy five-star read. 

In a nutshell, Gork the Teenage Dragon isn't a book that makes your brain work. It's light-hearted and humorous, requiring minimal effort on the readers part. So for those readers who are interested in a good laugh, perhaps a flashback or two, and an enjoyable story that ends well, I'd say to you people: Gork, the Teenage Dragon, is definitely for you.

I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the world building in this story and give the author credit for one of the most unique storylines I've read. I can see tween and early teen boys loving the dragon/spaceship dynamics. I found the writing repetitive at times (Gork's horns are small and he faints. A lot). I was also confused by elements of the ending and wondered what happened to a couple of the characters who were interesting but had limited roles. Overall, the story is entertaining. I could see this translating well into a graphic novel format, and would love to see more of the world and other characters, not only Gork.

Gork's a dragon, but don't even think about mentioning Smaug to him. He's not happy at all with the way dragons are portrayed in Earth fiction, and he's here to set the record straight. So begins the story of Gork: teenage dragon, student at WarWings Academy, orphaned on Earth during his parents' mating mission and raised by his scientist grandfather, Dr. Terrible.

Starting off on Crown Day - the day dragon and dragonette cadets at the Academy agree to be mating partners - Gork has one goal in mind: to get the luscious Runcita Floop to wear his crown and agree to be his queen. The problem? His nickname is Weak Sauce, his Will to Power ranking is Snacklicious (if you're a gamer, think of Will to Power as a CON/DEX/overall attractiveness level) and he's got a bad habit of fainting when he's scared. If Runcita says yes, she and Gork will go off in his spaceship and find a planet to conquer together. If Gork can't sea the deal, he's doomed to be a slave. 

Gork has a heck of a day ahead of him: Dean Floop - his intended's father - hates him; his sadistic grandfather is on the run from the Dean, he's being hunted down by a group of WarWings cadets that have murder on their minds, and the Trenx, a fellow cadet who had similarly low ratings, has seemingly blossomed overnight. Before the day is out, Gork will have to survive and learn some hard truths about his family. He'd better keep his best friend - a robot dragon named Fribby - by his side.

Gork is an out-there novel. It's a page-turner, and Gork is an endearing first-person narrator, if a bit single-minded in focus. He's obsessed with mating, but he is a teenager, after all. He refers a lot to his "scaly green ass" a lot, which gets tedious. Gork's story uses fantasy to tackle some very real points: bullying, friendship, self-esteem, and falling in love. It's a much deeper novel than the title "teenage dragon"encompasses; it's a fantasy, a YA romance, and a coming of age story.

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.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me, therefore, it would be unfair of me to publish a complete review without having finished the book. I'm not a fan of the writing style and the humour wore off very quickly. There are only so many times "my scaly green ass" can be found humorous, or used as a descriptor. There was also too much repetition throughout the book for me so I am moving this one to my DNF pile.

This book is so funny. Comedic readers need to check it out! It is so creative and engaging. These dragons are not your typical Dragons!

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.

Quirky and entertaining, but often rambling and overlong.  It took me too long to come to care for Gork.

"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 "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

This is not a book about dragons I was expecting. It was even better. These dragons have spaceships and a lot of robots. This a a cute love story kinda thing. The dragonette that Gork ended up giving his crown to did not surprise me at all I knew it would be her from the beginning but the ending did surprise me a bit. I really enjoyed this book it kept me intrigued

Just finished Gork, the Teenage Dragon with a huge smile on my face.   Gork is a  quirky, funny and charming character that reminded of an adult Ferdinand the Bull. Gabe Hudson has a written an imaginative winner that I will be recommending to teens and adults who are looking for something  humorous with a heart!

Abysmal. Had to force myself to slog through it. Written like some kind of tumblr post and without a clear plot. Not for me, sorry.

This book is written from the perspective of a somewhat bratty, very hormonal teenage dragon. Hudson captures that viewpoint perfectly. I guess I'm just not into somewhat bratty, very hormonal teenage dragons. I get that all the characters are scaly and green (asses and other parts), so the repetition got on my nerves a little bit. The book seems to be well written for a young adult audience. I'm not part of that crowd. All in all, a good book that just isn't for me.

One Luscious Fantasy Read

Beowulf and The Hobbit got sooo much wrong about dragons. But thankfully for us, Gork is here to set us all straight here on Planet Earth. He’s on a mission to find his Queen, make some eggs, fly across the universe and conquer some planets. 

Gork is a fantastically fun read that reminded me a lot of an 80s high school movie. You’ve got our nerdy, cape-wearing hero with a Will to Power rank of Snackalicious. Fribby, the best friend who is also a robot. Rucinta is the luscious love interest. And a whole bunch of people who want Gork dead. In fact, he’s only got about a .1% chance of making it out alive. 

Being 16 is hard and Gork reminded me of that. Entertaining and whimsical. This is the fantasy book that stands out from the pack.

Thwack-Thwack
4/5 Stars

What an odd but riveting book!

As I started to read the novel, I thought "ok, this is not for me. Probably someone in High School or Middle School would like it more." But then, the book was stuck in my hand: I couldn't put it down, and even after finishing the book i can't put my finger on why!

The world building was spectacular. What's not to love about technically advanced Dragons with spaceships? And Gork is witty and fun, and his world is interesting and totally off the wall crazy. It's great! I loved the creativity there.

But the plot wasn't my cup of tea, and the ending got me a little confused. The author has a habit of repeating himself/certain plot points that made me eye-roll. Yet I'm still unsure about a few things? I have questions!

But there was just something I couldn't connect with, and I bet other readers will instead latch on and go crazy about it. It was a good book, but just not my type, personally. I would seriously recommend this to teens 8th-10th grade!

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!**