Once again, Heirloom Audio Productions has released an extraordinary Christian audio drama, this time with In the Reign of Terror. This 2 CD-set is based on the exciting tales of G.A. Henty. If your family loves historical fiction, you will want to check it out!
In the Reign of Terror
The story follows Harry, a 16 year old Englishman who has been sent to live with a noble family in France around the time of the French Revolution. He immediately earns the respect of Marquis de St. Caux and the whole family when he saves two of the young girls from a rabid dog in what was a very dramatic and frightening attack.
Throughout the story, Harry wrestles with continuing to stay loyal to the people that are most important to him – but also has to deal with staying on the right path and choosing what is just and right. The French Revolution makes life uncertain and a constant state or turmoil.
The St. Caux family decide to move to Paris to show their loyalty and support to King Louis XVI. The craziness and unrest in the countryside is just too much, and life is getting to be a dangerous struggle.
This proves to be an unfortunate move, however, because the family is ordered to be arrested and killed! Harry is so brave and honorable throughout this process and in the struggle afterward to try and save as many people as possible.
This story itself will give you a glimpse at how the was for America’s independence as a country turning to God for strength and guidance versus the French Revolution in which they did not bring God into the equation. In fact, He was taken out, and in the process, hope was lost for many. It does teach the message that God is what gives us hope, peace, purpose, and a reason to keep fighting for what is right and good.
Our family enjoyed listening to this CD set that was based on the work of G.A. Henty. If your child is especially sensitive to dramatic interpretations of fighting, scary animals, or gunshots, you might want to take a listen before they do to make sure it is appropriate for them.
We all found it enjoyable for my crew of kids aged 12 and under. I loved the professional voice acting and the exciting music and sound effects that really pulled the whole thing together. It is very professionally produced and will keep your attention for the 2 1/2 hours that the adventure lasts!
Live the Adventure Club
In addition to the 2 CD-set, I was given access to the Live the Adventure Club. This club gives you digital access to listen to the audio drama online. It also gives you bonus features like the story’s e-book, soundtrack, posters, digital wallpaper download, the official script download, and the Study Guide & Discussion Starter.
It also gives you access to Kids Activities & Games, Resources & Articles, This Day in Henty History, their special Old Time Radio Vault, and more.
If the Live the Adventure Club sounds interesting to you, they have a three month trial offer for just $1 so you can check it out for yourself. That includes the adventure Captain Bayley’s Heir, both a physical copy and digital copy, as well as the online goodies that Club membership provides!
Study Guide & Discussion Starter
The Study Guide is the same great quality as the past ones we have reviewed and used while listening to past adventures. It is is 43 pages of beautiful full-color, which is why we enjoy using it directly on the computer or on my phone rather than printing its pages. When I have print pages to use on road trips for past books, I have done so in black and white to save in printing costs. My kids love the colorful pictures, though, so I make it a point to try and show the pages to them on a screen from the downloaded PDF file.
There are 3 sections throughout, including Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. There are plenty of bonus biographies and other historical information sprinkled in, as well. The discussion guide is divided by Disc and Track, with the running times noted at the top right of the page so it’s easy to follow along and ask questions that specifically correspond with what you’d been listening to. This is a good way to help older students really dig deeper and think about the adventure in a more meaningful way. You could easily assign the questions as a written assignment, or perhaps even an essay on a few of them, but we did a few questions for each track orally. I like to know that the kids were paying attention!
To see what other families thought about this audio theater CD set, as well as all of the bonus features, click the banner below.