Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Heirloom Audio Productions: THE DRAGON AND THE RAVEN Review




G.A. Henty’s books are very popular in our household as well as many other homeschoolers. I had never heard of G.A. Henty until we started homeschooling. We had the incredible opportunity to review Heirloom Audio Productions The Dragon and the Raven.

Heirloom Audio’s two CD set is really something exceptional. The script, writers, actors and sound engineers come together to create an awe-inspiring audio presentation of Henty’s book The Dragon and the Raven. Henty’s book was transformed into a major production that is incredibly entertaining. This audio theater experience is a unique way to learn history. The Dragon and the Raven’s historical fiction is both fun and truly theatrical and not just readings.  Actors such as Brian Blessed, John Rhys – Davies, Sylvester McCoy, Helen George, John Bell, who are known for their on and off screen portrayals, are irreplaceable. Katherine Kellgren is a delightful narrator of this tale.  Their voices for the many characters and narrator, bring us to Saxon’s England, during the time of the Dane and Norse invasion.  It draws us into the middle of the battles to free the English of foreign rule.



 It also incorporates naval warfare and battles fought on the mainland to rid them of the same invaders. The Dragon and the Raven portrays honorable men and women throughout England, without diminishing the contrasting barbarity of pagans of the time. Yet, there are moments of forgiveness. In addition, the audio portrays God’s amazing power of turning man’s heart toward Him rather than to pagan god’s.  It is interesting to get Henty’s point of view, of English history from an unbiased position.



E-BOOK:





The Dragon and the Raven includes study guides, an e-book, live website access and printable posters.
Listening to the CD’s while using the study guides helped us get the most out of the audio presentation. In addition, we listened while on the road, due to the fact that we live many miles from town, and we used the study guides while listening at home. 
Have you ever heard the stories of how our parents and grandparents would listen to radio audio theater with the static and all the “homemade” sounds?  These CD’s have all the excitement, with realistic digital sounds that enhance the experience.  
The posters and supplemental materials are colorful and engaging.  We enjoyed how this type of history learning brings history to life. 


WEBSITE ACCESS


Lastly, the kids and I cannot recommend this enough.  The kids, at first, were a little slow to get on board, as they thought the first part of the story was slow in developing, but their minds were quickly changed. They begged for me to play the CD while in the car and in our history lessons at home.  Not only is this great for homeschoolers, but the audio series is great for those elderly who cannot read as well as they have in the past but still enjoy listening to history and stories as they did when they were a kid. The CD’s could be used in a co-op setting and as a way to pass the time during summer travels. Get your kids excited about the classics, you will not regret it as they will remind you years from now by saying…Mom, do you remember when we listened to the Dragon and the Raven!?!
 


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Follow Heirloom Audio Productions on the following social media sites: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories @HeirloomStories
Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647/posts
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