Gabe Hudson (1971–2023)

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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! show less

Gork is different from other dragons. His heart is big, his horns aren't and he faints. At the WarWings Military Academy he is called Weak Sauce and he is the lowest in his class. However, he doesn't let any of this get to him. Tomorrow he is to graduate from high school and tonight he needs to ask a female to be queen. It could go one of two ways, she could say yes and they will go off together to other planets, or he could end up being a slave.

This is a combination of love story, fantasy show more and just so much fun. The author has such an imagination, it is hard to believe this could be a debut novel. Teens will be able to relate to it as they empathize with Gork and cheer him on.

This would be an enjoyable book for this age reader and I recommend it. I was given this book by NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for my honest review. show less

where do I start ?? I had thought I would abandon this, but then I re-read some of the reviews, and people had said it was redeeming at the end. ( I didn't feel that it was). I'm not sure if it was aimed at middle grade or YA or adult, but any way, it's inappropriate. If it's middle grade, there is way too much sexy innuendo and language. If it's YA or adult, it's too juvenile. It's repetitive. I was listening to an audiobook ( 10 hours !!) and I kept on thinking it had restarted the CD, show more only to see it was actually on another track, repeating what they had said 3 tracks (chapters) ago. It was painful. And it was weird. Scaly green ass. Scaly green head, Scaly this and that. luscious tail. Calling all the females chicks, and commenting on their tails, "dripping ovowombs", so bizarre. It touts itself as a cross between Game of Thrones and Hitchhikers Guide. It SO isn't either. It's a badly written, offensively sexist, weird book. I feel like the audience would be 13-17 yr old boys that live in the basement and play videogames, and would watch dinosaur porn. It's getting 1 star only because i can't give it 0.01. Hated it. I am confounded by the rave reviews it gets, I can only wonder if they are all family. Thank goodness I didn't buy this. I feel like I should notify the library how inappropriate it is. show less