Have I mentioned that one of my children LOVE's the medieval period? Well if I didn't, I should have, and The Dragon and the Raven Christian audio drama from Heirloom Audio Productions has been one of her favorite reviews to help me with.
From the moment we opened the package, Olivia was chomping at the bit to listen to this audio production. Remarkably her school work was completed in record time that day, ahem. Once the standard afternoon pot of tea was ready, we started our adventure.
This audio theatre production consists of 2 CD's. The two CD's have a combined time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Each CD is broken into incremental tracks, so if you can't listen to the whole thing, it is easy to find a stopping and starting place. The first 2-3 minutes are slow paced, but then BAM, you are suddenly whisked away to the mid 800's as the Saxon's and Dane's battle it out. The story, written by author G.A. Henty (1832-1902) combines history, scripture, action and adventure into one thrilling audio drama.
The girls and I sat spell bound for the entire 2 and a half hours as we took in every word. The actors and actresses were amazing, and their accents just wooed Olivia completely. You'll recognize a few big name folks such as Brian Blessed, Sylvester McCoy, John Ryhs-Davies and John Bell. The sound effects and background noises go perfectly with what's happening, while not overpowering or drowning out the story. Lindsey was thrilled to pick up on the fact that their were Latin prayer's being used as well. Both girls commented that it was as if they could see the whole thing in the mind as they were listening. Lindsey was quick to say however that "you can't close your eyes during the battle scenes though, it doesn't help".
By the time my husband arrived home, the girls were anxious to tell him all about it, and then during and after dinner we ended up listening to the whole thing again. He was very impressed with the content and the production itself, although he had a harder time understanding some of the accents and wording.
We are now up to our eyeballs in books about King Alfred, the Dane's and Saxons and Norse gods. This product has definitely ignited a new spark in both children, but especially my history lover. The down loadable study guide also comes into play here as we work through the Listening Well, Thinking Further and Defining Words sections for each track. The study guide also includes a Bible study based on the topics covered in the storyline, British information and a recipe for King Alfred Cakes, grins.
Olivia has already started asking if we can purchase the other productions, which include Under Drake's Flag, In Freedom's Cause and With Lee In Virginia. The 2 CD set can be purchased for $29.97 and includes a free study guide download, free MP3 soundtrack download and a printable copy of the inspirational verse (Proverbs 21:31).
If you are already thinking Christmas and/or birthday shopping, you can order a family four pack (which contains 4 copies of the CD's), study guide download, printable copy of the inspirational verse (Proverbs 21:31), MP3 soundtrack download, the original The Dragon and Raven e-book, unlimited access to the Live the Adventure e-newsletter, a printable promotion poster and a behind the scenes documentary for $99.97!
Other TOS Crew reviews can be read here.
Isn't it wonderful when something sparks their interest and they go off on a quest to learn all they can about it?
ReplyDeleteIt is! I love things like this!
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