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unSPARKed #1.0
Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs
IN A JURASSIC FUTURE, SOME STILL CHOOSE FREEDOM—DESPITE THE DANGERS.
It takes more than a T. rex scratching its back on his Habitat Vehicle to alarm young hunter Joshua—he’s used to living close to nature. But a routine visit to the zoo to deliver a new velociraptor turns deadly when he comes face-to-face with an eleven-foot allosaur called Gold. He knew her when she was a tiny chick—is he a friend from the past—or dinner?
Meanwhile, Darryl and her brother, Harry, are taken completely by surprise when their father remarries. Their new step-mom is a glamorous fashion designer who’s never been outside the city’s electric fences. How will she cope with a life of dinosaur farming? All Darryl can do is try to get her new stepmom safely to the farm. But once you’re unSPARKed, things don’t always go to plan…
From the Carnegie Medal Nominated author of the I AM MARGARET books, adventure lovers will love this fast-paced, fantastically fun series, which has been compared to Jurassic Park and Mad Max.
PLEASE Please Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs knits together the original unSPARKed book 1, DRIVE!, with the short story ‘A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo,’ along with a small amount of original material.
The unSPARKed
CAN HUMANS AND DINOSAURS CO-EXIST?
In a Jurassic future, humans no longer have dominion over the earth. Most people live in cities, behind high electric fences, but some choose the freedom of life unSPARKed, close to nature. If you like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Mad Max, you’ll love this pulse-pounding, futuristic, dino-dystopian series with a western twist. Since 2017, award-winning author Corinna Turner has been writing the unSPARKed series. Check it out today!
It takes more than a T. rex scratching its back on his Habitat Vehicle to alarm young hunter Joshua—he’s used to living close to nature. But a routine visit to the zoo to deliver a new velociraptor turns deadly when he comes face-to-face with an eleven-foot allosaur called Gold. He knew her when she was a tiny chick—is he a friend from the past—or dinner?
Meanwhile, Darryl and her brother, Harry, are taken completely by surprise when their father remarries. Their new step-mom is a glamorous fashion designer who’s never been outside the city’s electric fences. How will she cope with a life of dinosaur farming? All Darryl can do is try to get her new stepmom safely to the farm. But once you’re unSPARKed, things don’t always go to plan…
From the Carnegie Medal Nominated author of the I AM MARGARET books, adventure lovers will love this fast-paced, fantastically fun series, which has been compared to Jurassic Park and Mad Max.
PLEASE Please Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs knits together the original unSPARKed book 1, DRIVE!, with the short story ‘A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo,’ along with a small amount of original material.
The unSPARKed
CAN HUMANS AND DINOSAURS CO-EXIST?
In a Jurassic future, humans no longer have dominion over the earth. Most people live in cities, behind high electric fences, but some choose the freedom of life unSPARKed, close to nature. If you like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Mad Max, you’ll love this pulse-pounding, futuristic, dino-dystopian series with a western twist. Since 2017, award-winning author Corinna Turner has been writing the unSPARKed series. Check it out today!
Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 14, 2022
First an announcement, this is not a brand new book one, it is the reworking of the original book 1 Drive!: unSPARKed 1, and one of the prequel stories A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo. I have read the original story Drive! 4 times, and my son has read it to me twice. And as much as I love the original versions of these two stories, this one reworks them in such a way that it is even more AWEsome and FANtastic!
I said it before, series keeps getting better and better. I first read a story by Turner in 2017, and read the first in this series in 2015. Since then I have read book by her a total of 53 times, and unSPARKed stories 26 of them. My son who is a reluctant reader has read most of the stories in this series more than once. The day this one released I picked up the eBook for myself and a physical copy for my son. But before I started reading it A Right Rex Rodeo unSPARKed Book 6 released and I read it first. The day the physical copy arrived he wanted to ditch the book he was on and start this right away. Then 2 days later book 6 arrived. I let him start book 6 that day (Yes I could not wait and had already read it.) These are excellent stories for teens, young adults and adults. And the series keeps getting better and better! It has real staying power.
As mentioned in this volume the original story, Drive!, and one of the prequel stories A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo, was rewritten into Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs. In doing so Turner has merged the two main story arc’s right from the beginning. When recommending the series I often describe it as a mashup of Mad Max, Lost World, and Jurassic Park, and I have recommended it to many, all who have enjoyed them. We even bought a full set for my son’s school library.
unSPARKed is a series set in a not-too-distant future. Dinosaurs once again roam the earth. Just because a scientist could do something, did not mean they should have done it. Most people live SPARKed, in cities with walls and electrified fences. There are two groups of people who live unSPARKed, farmers who have electric fences around their farms and live in community with their close neighbours. And Hunters who live most of the time out on the road or off road in HabVI’s Habitat Vehicles.
The description of this volume is:
“In A Jurassic Future, Some Still Choose Freedom—Despite The Dangers.
It takes more than a T. rex scratching its back on his Habitat Vehicle to alarm young hunter Joshua—he’s used to living close to nature. But a routine visit to the zoo to deliver a new velociraptor turns deadly when he comes face-to-face with an eleven-foot allosaur called Gold. He knew her when she was a tiny chick—is he a friend from the past—or dinner?
Meanwhile, Darryl and her brother, Harry, are taken completely by surprise when their father remarries. Their new step-mom is a glamorous fashion designer who’s never been outside the city’s electric fences. How will she cope with a life of dinosaur farming? All Darryl can do is try to get her new stepmom safely to the farm. But once you’re unSPARKed, things don’t always go to plan…”
The story is told in a series of first person narrative chapters. And there is a wide range in chapter length. The chapters alternate between Joshua and Darryl.
Our main characters are:
Willaim: father of Darryl and Harry. At least third generation farmer. Works hard, loves God and his family. Madly in love with his new bride.
Carol: Fashion designer, former city dweller. Married to Harold, and step mom to Darryl and Harry. Never lived out city.
Darryl: 16 and a half years old. Raised on a farm. Does not enjoy the city. And Harry’s big sister. Devote Catholic. Deep faith. A brave strong young woman.
Harry: Darryl’s younger brother. Eager to learn. A farm boy at heart. A youngster of faith, and strong work eithic.
Joshua: He was raised unSPARKed, lived his whole life from the day he was born in a Habitat Vehicle. He was raised by his father and uncle. Both deceased. Can’t stand being in city.
Joshua does not encounter any of the Franklyn’s in this story but will in a few volumes. For those just starting out in the unSPARKed universe this is the new book one. It will introduce you to the key player through 6 novels and a few short stories, that are available to date. If you have already encountered the stories, this is an excellent rewriting of the beginning of the series. Turner states in the intro to this one that:
“Long-term unSPARKed readers, please don’t be caught out—this isn’t an all-new unSPARKed tale!
Please Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs knits together two books previously published separately—the original book 1, DRIVE!, and the short story ‘A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo’—along with a small amount of original material, in order to make a better introduction to the series.”
Even though I knew the story, I stayed up way too late reading this through the first time. It is masterfully written. This is an excellent new beginning to an amazing series. I consider it unSPARKed 01 Redux. And Turner has rebranded the unSPARKed logo and all the covers to match this new version of these stories. But be warned you will be desperate for the net volume. It is a great book by an excellent author.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
I said it before, series keeps getting better and better. I first read a story by Turner in 2017, and read the first in this series in 2015. Since then I have read book by her a total of 53 times, and unSPARKed stories 26 of them. My son who is a reluctant reader has read most of the stories in this series more than once. The day this one released I picked up the eBook for myself and a physical copy for my son. But before I started reading it A Right Rex Rodeo unSPARKed Book 6 released and I read it first. The day the physical copy arrived he wanted to ditch the book he was on and start this right away. Then 2 days later book 6 arrived. I let him start book 6 that day (Yes I could not wait and had already read it.) These are excellent stories for teens, young adults and adults. And the series keeps getting better and better! It has real staying power.
As mentioned in this volume the original story, Drive!, and one of the prequel stories A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo, was rewritten into Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs. In doing so Turner has merged the two main story arc’s right from the beginning. When recommending the series I often describe it as a mashup of Mad Max, Lost World, and Jurassic Park, and I have recommended it to many, all who have enjoyed them. We even bought a full set for my son’s school library.
unSPARKed is a series set in a not-too-distant future. Dinosaurs once again roam the earth. Just because a scientist could do something, did not mean they should have done it. Most people live SPARKed, in cities with walls and electrified fences. There are two groups of people who live unSPARKed, farmers who have electric fences around their farms and live in community with their close neighbours. And Hunters who live most of the time out on the road or off road in HabVI’s Habitat Vehicles.
The description of this volume is:
“In A Jurassic Future, Some Still Choose Freedom—Despite The Dangers.
It takes more than a T. rex scratching its back on his Habitat Vehicle to alarm young hunter Joshua—he’s used to living close to nature. But a routine visit to the zoo to deliver a new velociraptor turns deadly when he comes face-to-face with an eleven-foot allosaur called Gold. He knew her when she was a tiny chick—is he a friend from the past—or dinner?
Meanwhile, Darryl and her brother, Harry, are taken completely by surprise when their father remarries. Their new step-mom is a glamorous fashion designer who’s never been outside the city’s electric fences. How will she cope with a life of dinosaur farming? All Darryl can do is try to get her new stepmom safely to the farm. But once you’re unSPARKed, things don’t always go to plan…”
The story is told in a series of first person narrative chapters. And there is a wide range in chapter length. The chapters alternate between Joshua and Darryl.
Our main characters are:
Willaim: father of Darryl and Harry. At least third generation farmer. Works hard, loves God and his family. Madly in love with his new bride.
Carol: Fashion designer, former city dweller. Married to Harold, and step mom to Darryl and Harry. Never lived out city.
Darryl: 16 and a half years old. Raised on a farm. Does not enjoy the city. And Harry’s big sister. Devote Catholic. Deep faith. A brave strong young woman.
Harry: Darryl’s younger brother. Eager to learn. A farm boy at heart. A youngster of faith, and strong work eithic.
Joshua: He was raised unSPARKed, lived his whole life from the day he was born in a Habitat Vehicle. He was raised by his father and uncle. Both deceased. Can’t stand being in city.
Joshua does not encounter any of the Franklyn’s in this story but will in a few volumes. For those just starting out in the unSPARKed universe this is the new book one. It will introduce you to the key player through 6 novels and a few short stories, that are available to date. If you have already encountered the stories, this is an excellent rewriting of the beginning of the series. Turner states in the intro to this one that:
“Long-term unSPARKed readers, please don’t be caught out—this isn’t an all-new unSPARKed tale!
Please Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs knits together two books previously published separately—the original book 1, DRIVE!, and the short story ‘A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo’—along with a small amount of original material, in order to make a better introduction to the series.”
Even though I knew the story, I stayed up way too late reading this through the first time. It is masterfully written. This is an excellent new beginning to an amazing series. I consider it unSPARKed 01 Redux. And Turner has rebranded the unSPARKed logo and all the covers to match this new version of these stories. But be warned you will be desperate for the net volume. It is a great book by an excellent author.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
November 19, 2023
Corinna Turner is an expert at creating new, exciting worlds in her fictional books. Whether it be a dystopian future, a fantasy world, or a Jurassic-park type of environment, her descriptions brilliantly engulf the reader into her writing.
Turner’s Unsparked collection is a unique series set in a future where dinosaurs once again roam the world. She flawlessly blends this exciting backdrop with her strong faith to create a one-of-a-kind series for Catholic teens. Each installment is a relatively short story that follows the lives of three teens. Darryl, her brother Harry, and dino-hunter Joshua.
Each exciting story leaves you yearning for the next installment. If you’re looking for a series that will keep your teens reading this summer, and encourage their faith, this might be what you’re looking for.
Turner’s Unsparked collection is a unique series set in a future where dinosaurs once again roam the world. She flawlessly blends this exciting backdrop with her strong faith to create a one-of-a-kind series for Catholic teens. Each installment is a relatively short story that follows the lives of three teens. Darryl, her brother Harry, and dino-hunter Joshua.
Each exciting story leaves you yearning for the next installment. If you’re looking for a series that will keep your teens reading this summer, and encourage their faith, this might be what you’re looking for.
April 20, 2022
Having read the rest of this series, including the two now combined into this new Book 1, I can unequivocally say that Ms. Turner has meshed the two stories in such a seamless and exciting way, it was a great read. I loved the new material and how well the two storylines combine in this volume. As a bonus, the cover is more eye-catching than the original one for Drive. Highly recommended for fans of dinosaurs, action/adventure or dystopian (with faith and hope) populated with wonderful characters that steal your heart.
January 24, 2025
Novella starting a series of novellas, set in a future where dinosaurs were returned from extiction and have repopulated Earth alongside humans. Has changed how people live, either in citied protected by electric fences or unSPARKed or outside electric fence protection. This is short and fun dino filled story it has weird mentions or race or ethnicity that felt like either tick of boxes for diversity or just icky. Random mentions of misogyny and sexism. These made me feel unconfortable with the story and reduced my enjoyment.
June 26, 2025
Wow!!
I just finished this in one sitting. Well written, nice world-building, and quite an adventure. I was sad that it was so short, until I found it’s part of an eleven-book series!
I just finished this in one sitting. Well written, nice world-building, and quite an adventure. I was sad that it was so short, until I found it’s part of an eleven-book series!
November 20, 2023
This is a really good intro to the UnSPARKed series. We get to meet all the main characters and find out why we like them.
February 1, 2023
I did not expect to love this. Im not a YA fan and I admit I was prejudiced thinking that this was middlegrade just becuz it has a dino on the cover. While it is clean and safe for young readers it felt so FRESH. The worldbuilding felt real and worn. The characters are so cool. I have a new bookcrush. This author does dinos better than Jurassic Park.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews