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A review by rkiladitis
Gork, the Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson
4.0
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.
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.