Hello, hello, the new Homeschool Review Crew year has returned for another year, and I'm excited to bring you a review from
Heirloom Audio Productions , titled
Wulf The Saxon ! I received this 2 CD set for free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
I had a hopeful outlook for this "
Extraordinary Adventure by G.A. Henty . In our family, my 13 year old does not typically regard the subject of History with much fondness, but the words
Audio Theater offered the potential promise of changing her mind. If not, maybe it would be enough to engage her for this particular story. Are you ready to jump in and hear some more? Yes? Well altogether then, say "Jump"!
First things first, who exactly, was G.A. Henty? Is he a fictional character that we can follow through these exciting
Christian audio dramas ? Well, no. This author, George Alfred Henty, was not only a real, live person, he was actually quite an amazing man.World traveler, Historian, Sailor, English war correspondent, and Soldier were just a few of the titles that he held. Oh, he was also a pretty good writer (wink). He wrote well over 120 books, as well as many articles and short stories. The heroes of his tales were strong, young males who risked their lives in pursuit of their goals. They also included the age old rescues of the damsels in distress. I'm telling you, the biography of G.A. Henty is exciting enough on its own, perhaps even rivaling
Wulf The Saxon in its adventure. Seriously, this story inspired us to dig into the author's fascinating background for further study. But, as interesting as that truly is, that isn't the focus of this review, so onward we travel!
If my sources are correct, it was Rudyard Kipling who said, "If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten." I think that I have to agree with him. When I consider my past educational journey, the classes in which I retained the most information, were ones where the teachers were great communicators, and yes, storytellers. One college class that I took would have ordinarily been very dry, but my professor was so colorful as he recounted not only the material, but his own first hand accounts of visits to the country where the history took place. Before that time, I never would have counted myself as an essay writer, but that teacher inspired me to tell the story back to him. The words flowed onto the page. It surprised me, in a wonderful way.
That brings me to
Wulf The Saxon , the audio adventure! This CD set is no simple audio book, oh no. We're talking a full cast of accomplished actors, including Brian Blessed (Star Wars, Tarzan), Chris Larkin (Master and Commander), Helen George (Call The Midwife), and many more. Action, adventure, sound effects! All with the purpose of bringing exciting and historical stories, with a Christian point of view. Allow me to set the scene for you. It's the Middle Ages, 1065 to be more precise. Wulf is a young, immature Saxon, and page to Earl (and someday King) Harold. After his impulsive behavior finds himself under the discipline of English King Edward the Confessor, Wulf is sent away to the countryside. There, he learns the art of being a landholder, as he oversees the people there, and begins to mature. Some time later, after hearing good reports of Wulf, the king summons him back, and once again, Wulf finds himself serving Harold, but now, as a Thane. Eventually, they are sent off to Normandy, but a shipwreck complicates their plans. They quickly find themselves in peril, and exciting escapades of survival ensue. And, Duke William of Normandy does not have honorable intentions. He (the Duke) carries off an ill intended plot to force a union between England and Normandy, involving Harold. But Harold has his own hopes to secure for himself a happy future, involving the lovely and long suffering Lady Edith.
This brings to mind a statement that brings some foreboding to it - "Fortunate are the few who marry for love."
Eventually, they make their way back to England. Wulf is no longer the naïve and quick tempered boy he once was. His instincts are spot on, and he wins the trust and respect of those serving around him. But trouble is still on the horizon. While on his deathbed, King Edward makes a disturbing prophecy. The group discovers that family doesn't necessarily mean loyalty, and difficult decisions must be made to protect the future of England. History doesn't always include happy endings, and unfortunately, there is significant heartbreak that must be endured. Along the way, Wulf learns difficult lessons, fights courageously, displays stellar character, and maybe, just maybe, even finds love. I want to give so many details, but really, I want you to listen to it yourself!
Alright, short answer- I love
Wulf The Saxon ! Can we do all of our history this way? This set is so engaging. There are 2 1/2 hours to the story, and boy, does the time fly while listening! We spend a good amount of time in the car, which often finds my girls bored.
Heirloom Audio Productions to the rescue! We frequently have a variety of audio books playing, but nothing like this set. We've listened to it multiple times now. My 13 year old in particular, really liked that it has a full cast of actors, rather than a single narrator voicing all of the characters. The setting of the Middle Ages appealed to her, and she loved the excitement of the battle scenes. If this could win her over, and have her engaged in history of all things- her nemesis, lol-, it's a complete win. Many have tried, most have failed in the task.
My 12 year old liked it too, with the exception of the bigger battle scenes, which did involve losing a limb or two. It's not graphic at all, but the battle is exciting, and does mention losing the aforementioned limb. She is a rather girly girl, so that opinion doesn't surprise me. But she also liked the full cast, the ladies of the story -Lady Edith, and Agnes, and the whole theater effect. That might be something to keep in mind for those of you with kids of similar persuasion. The target age for this set is 6 yrs.-adult, and generally, I would agree with that range. Obviously, you'll know what your kids can handle.
One particular line from a battle scene cracked me up. The character, I believe it was Osgod, has a bad wound on his arm, and while Wulf tends to him, he replies with, "Tis but a scratch."
There's another cool resource to check out while taking a look at
Heirloom Audio Productions .
Live The Adventure Club is a biblically based resource that with membership, includes the shipment of new audio CD's to you 3 times a year, quizzes, games, resources to help with your audio adventures, daily devotionals, access to old time radio shows, and a lot more. I'm heading over there to check it out myself. I'm loving it all. I hope you'll take a few minutes and look at these resources for yourselves, because I think you'll find them great too!
