There Will Be A $5.00 Charge For Whining: A TOS Review: The Dragon and the Raven (an audio drama experience)

One of our most favorite things to do is listen to books on tape. But even more wonderful than a book on tape is the audio drama. Audio Dramas are the stuff of life.

I recognize that I am being more than a little dramatic, but if you could only hear the quality of some of our favorite audio dramas you would undoubtedly agree. Some of our most-loved audio dramas come from Heirloom Audio Productions. We were recently blessed with the chance to review TheDragon and the Raven. It quickly became one our favorites.

The Dragon and the Raven is based on a book originally published in 1885. G.A. Henty (the author) is best known as a historical novelist and war correspondent. The Dragon and the Raven takes us back to the Middle Ages. The Danes are conquering England. Our hero, a young man named Edmund, finds himself in royal company, learns the powerful lesson of loving your enemies and learns to turn to the God of hope and forgiveness.

I received a set of two CD’s and whole list of bonuses. These bonuses included an MP3 download, The Dragon and the Raven E-book by G.A. Henty, a printable cast poster, a study guide and the official MP3 soundtrack. There are even more goodies that I didn’t list! Those are a lot of goodies.

The Dragon and the Raven is intended for ages 6 and up. Which means a whole lot of folks will enjoy it! The CD’s run about 2 and ½ hours of listening time. We listened to it the first time as we were wandering about town on errands, to swim team practice and our PE class.

Josiah loved every second of it. If you have listened to any of Heirloom Audio Productions before you know what to expect. The quality of acting, the music, the message….all superb.

There were many famous voices we recognized.

Is that you Sallah? Whatcha doing in the Middle Ages?

Josiah just about jumped out of the passenger seat when he heard the unmistakable voice of John Rhys-Davies. Sallah and Gimli! Of course, Mr. Rhys-Davies has taken on a Danish accent for this part. This actor has been one of Josiah's favorites for yeaars. We are talking before Kindergarten. The boy is 14 now. That's practically a lifetime of hero worship.

Other actors we were familiar with also appeared in the production. I recognized the voice of the lovely Helen George from one of my favorite shows, Call the Midwife. There are others you will be thrilled to hear, as well.

And you must know that the always excellent Brian Blessed brought his rich and melodic voice as G.A. Henty. The whole thing was a pleasure from beginning to end. Mr. Blessed is a familiar voice in Heirloom Audio Productions.

The study guide we provided with is a great addition for any family looking to expand their listening. I didn’t take full advantage of the guide, but it does provide study questions, vocabulary, information about the author and more historical facts.

It also contains three Bible studies; emphasizing the themes found in the production. I know many of you will take comfort that God's Word is front and center in all of Heirloom Audio's Productions.

I do need to tell you that this is an adventure story with the emphasis on adventure. Josiah and I loved it. We are all about the action, but there are sections of the story that might need some parental explanation or buffering. This is a story of war, after all. It's not light and fluffy, though the folks at Heirloom Audio do their best to provide us with a chuckle now and again.

Most of all it is a story of forgiveness. Listeners are encouraged to love their enemies and to turn their hearts towards God. Those are the lessons I am most anxious for Josiah to learn. I am elated that I can provide my son such character building experiences through Heirloom Audio Productions.