Living the Adventure – A Review of For The Temple from Heirloom Audio

Similar to the other two Heirloom Audio productions (Wulf the Saxon and St. Bartholomew's Eve) we have reviewed, For The Temple opens with a chance meeting between G. A. Henty and Peter, leading to the opportunity to share the story. We are then taken back to the days when Rome still controlled the land of Israel. Our main character in this tale is John of Gamala who becomes a hero to the Jews and an enemy to the Romans.

Background 

G. A. Henty is a great storyteller. He wrote over 100 works of historical fiction including ones about the French Revolution, Ancient Egypt, India, events in England, and the destruction of Jerusalem – which is the central focus of the story, For The Temple. The book For The Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem was first published in 1888 and is available through numerous sources today in print. Henty writes in the Preface of the novel:

"I have endeavored to present you with as vivid a picture as possible of the events of the war, without encumbering the story with details and, except as regards the exploits of John of Gamala, of whom Josephus says nothing, have strictly followed, in every particular, the narrative of the historian." 

This is partly what attracts me to the work of Heirloom Audio. They are providing their listeners with tales by an author who seeks out historical facts to tell his works of historical fiction. Henty novels bring the stories to life and Heirloom Audio brings the work to life even more through the use of actors, music, background noises, and special effects. 

Some of the great actors who are part of the audio production!

What We Like

The authenticity of the adventure. It is brought to life by the background noises included, making it more than just a story being read aloud by a narrator. There are sound effects that include the sound of feet walking on dirt, water slapping the sides of a boat, clashing of swords, and more.

The acting of Brian Blessed as our narrator, G. A. Henty, Joseph Reed as John of Gamala, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Josephus, and others help bring each character to life taking us on a great adventure of the relationships between the Jews, Romans, and others—as well as the importance of defending one's nation.

This time, we were able to use a study guide provided by Heirloom Audio. We received a PDF of the study guide. I really like that the study guide provides questions both for listening comprehension (to check whether or not your children have listened to each track) and for helping you take the story further with additional research, critical thinking, and even geography-related questions.


The inclusion of vocabulary with each set of questions would also be helpful if you wish to use them for spelling lists. In addition to vocabulary, some of the sets of questions have drawings or maps accompanying the questions.  And the end of the study guide provides one with Scripture to further study in order to truly understand that there is only one savior.

My only complaint about the study guide is the design of the pages. They mimic parchment paper and this makes printing them out in black and white appear gray and could be difficult to read for some.

As I was listening to For The Temple again while writing this review, our three-year-old daughter was sitting with me. Each time there was a battle scene, she wanted to know what was going on and who was winning. The sound of the fighting and the screams of battle attracted her attention each time. (And later on so did the sounds of John and Mary's baby.) So even though she may not really understand the whole story, we are able to discuss some of what is going on as I listen to For The Temple.

Two discs tell the tale of For The Temple

How We Used For The Temple 

I listened to For The Temple prior to giving the CD to our teen son. He then was assigned certain pages from the study guide to accompany his listening of the tale. We were then able to discuss the story in more depth.

In the future, I would like to have our teen read the original book and my husband plans on listening to the story with our teen on their next road trip (like they did when we were reviewing St. Bartholomew's Eve).

The review of this great Christian audio drama provided the perfect diversion in our Bible and History studies. I was happy to include it in our homeschooling lessons for the past two weeks.

Possibilities for Study

Heirloom Audio presents itself with many opportunities to take it further than just listening to and discussing the work of Henty. In this specific case, we were also given the study guide to review and use with our family. And as typical with most things, I jotted down ideas to study and research more should our children be so inclined. Here are a few of the ideas that we may pursue further:

• Research and study of vineyards and the process of growing grapes as this was a job of many living in the area
• Research the geographical and topographical features of the area; create a 3D relief map of the area 
• Read the stories in the Bible about Moses and King David 
• News stories, mythology, tall tales, and fables 
• Discussion of whether it is appropriate for a group to harass a government or ruling group even if the rulers are corrupt 
• Discussion of what happens when there is a major change in leadership (like with the death of Nero in the story) 
• Towards the middle part of disc two, we hear that people within the city are starving. Some of the questions from the study guide ask families to consider whether or not giving food away would be the best decision. These questions can help foster discussions and even further research into other time periods of history or even current events. 

From the study guide – asking questions about people starving inside the city.

Despite the destruction of the Temple, the tale is not over. The study guide reminds its reader that it is the end of the Old Covenant. Followers of Jesus started to be seen as a dangerous new force within the Roman Empire. Times would continue to change providing for more tales from G. A. Henty and Heirloom Audio.

If you wish to see what our family thought of other Christian audio dramas from Heirloom Audio, please check out my reviews of Wulf the Saxon and St. Bartholomew's Eve.


For more information about Heirloom Audio, please visit the following:

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Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew were also given the great opportunity to review For The Temple, be sure to check out their reviews, too! 

Exploring History Through Audio Theater – A Review of St. Bartholomew's Eve

There is something about history that has always intrigued me but I know many do not share my passion for the tomes of old. But we are fortunate that there are so many great ways to learn about the past including fantastic audio theater from Heirloom Audio. Our family was blessed with the chance to review their newest edition of the The Extraordinary Adventures of G. A. Henty – St. Bartholomew's Eve. My husband and our teenage son listened to the CD while traveling to Connecticut and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Huddled together in a small chateau, mothers and children cling to each other. Weeping. Men stand guard. Waiting." 

Background 

To understand the tale of St. Bartholomew's Eve better, let me provide you with a little background history. The people that are central to the tale are the Huguenots – French Protestants who were in the middle of political and religious turmoil in France in the 1500s and 1600s.

During the reigns of King Francis I (1515-1547) and King Henry II (1547-1559), the power of the Huguenots as a group grew which led to government persecution. It was after the death of King Francis II, in 1560, that things moved violently against the Huguenots. King Charles IX and the French government were influenced by the queen mother – Catherine de Medicis – and she encouraged the Huguenots only to balance the power of the Guise family.

Eventually, a civil war broke out but with the Huguenots possessing some of the best military leaders in France, Catherine allied herself with the Duke of Guise. On Saint Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1572, pro-Catholic forces murdered thousands of Huguenots. The massacre began in Paris (where Huguenots were gathered to celebrate the marriage of their leader – Henry of Navarre (later King Henry IV of France) to the king's sister – Margaret of Valois). Many well-known Huguenots were killed in Paris and the mobs and massacre spread throughout France. Henry of Navarre only saved his life by becoming Catholic (but he later converted back to Protestantism).

St. Bartholomew's Eve CD

The two-disc set provides 2-1/2 hours of adventure for your family as you listen to the events of early Renaissance France. Actors who help bring the story alive include Brian Blessed, Elizabeth Counsell, Brian Deacon, David Shaw-Parker, Andy Harrison, and Hugh Docking. The story will take you from your living room or car to 16th-century France where you will fight alongside the Huguenots and French Catholics.

"I have not considered it necessary to devote any large portion of my story to details of the terrible massacres of the period, nor to the atrocious persecutions to which the Huguenots were subjected; but have, as usual, gone to the military events of the struggle for its chief interest." 

Preface to St. Bartholomew's Eve by G. A. Henty

Possible Talking Points

While listening to St. Bartholomew's Eve, I quickly thought of many different topics and talking points you could further research and discuss with your children. These include:

• Armor of God 
• Fighting techniques of the time period 
• Trained soldiers versus citizen soldiers 
• Changes in weaponry 
• Standing by your word 
• Royal marriages and their influence on the citizens of the kingdoms 
• Compromise and diplomacy 
• Discrimination (the doors of the Huguenots were marked) 
• Hiding in plain sight 

2 CD set with liner notes

What We Like

The narration of the events and actions by Brian Blessed as he portrays G. A. Henty is fantastic. For example, during one of the battle scenes, he narrates the action and we hear the clash of swords and men fighting in the background. This really brings the whole story to life. My husband also agreed that Blessed's narration was one of his favorite parts. 

From the beginning of the tale when Henty finds the two boys who are going to skip church to the end when the boys change their minds, the entire process of narration is well done. I really like the ending of the tale...the final track with Henty speaking about being able to worship freely based upon the actions of those in the story...this was a great conclusion! It brought everything together for me and also presented another great teaching moment.

Our teenage son thought it was told well considering it was "told virtually, not visually" and that overall the production was good. (Although he thought some of the sound effects were "a bit cheesy" but I contribute that to his being a teen.) His favorite part was "when the little kid with the peg leg wanted to fight."

When talking with my husband, he said the most jarring memory of the tale was when the actual slaughter began. The most stirring to him was when the Huguenots stood up to the Catholics. The climax of the audio drama was the most memorable to him.

Notes about the Audio Theater

As this production does portray battles, fighting, and some of the more violent aspects of religious intolerance, I recommend previewing St. Bartholomew's Eve before listening to it with your entire family. It is recommended for listeners of age 6 and up, but I don't know if I would let our children listen to it at that young an age. In fact, I would say that the audio drama is not for the faint of heart. For example, in one instance it describes the execution (not really in gruesome detail) of a young man who was thought to be a Huguenot and not a Catholic. They also discuss the deaths of families (being dragged into the street and meeting death). So while nothing is graphically detailed, it could be upsetting for younger children.

We enjoyed St. Bartholomew's Eve and are glad to add it to our collection of productions from Heirloom Audio. It is a great addition on our CD shelves next to Wulf the Saxon which we reviewed in February 2018.

To learn more about Heirloom Audio, please visit:

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And don't forget you can read the reviews of other members of the Homeschool Review Crew!

Heirloom Audio Productions' Wulf the Saxon Audio Theater CD Review

I am reviewing the newest release from Heirloom Audio Productions which brings to life the story of G.A. Henty's Wulf the Saxon.  It tells the tale of England before the Battle of Hasting and of the battle itself. 

On their website, Heirloom Audio Production states "we are especially passionate about bringing real history to life." 

I love this!  As a former teacher of history and a lifelong lover of all things history-related, I really appreciate a company that wants to bring history to its clients.  The stories they have chosen to share provide us with examples of "virtue and valor, daring and determination, character and courage."  Too often heroes and heroines have been removed from history books today.

Wulf the Saxon, written by G. A. Henty in 1895, tells the tale of a Saxon thane, Wulf of Steyning, loyal to King Harold Godwinson. The adventures of Wulf culminate at the Battle of Hastings.

Born in England in 1832, George Alfred Henty would live a life of adventure.  He was a sailor, fighter, and war correspondent -- and traveled to India and America, among other places.  Throughout his life, he would write over 120 books that would focus on the "moral values of loyalty, courage, honesty, and perseverance." (For more on Henty, see Heirloom Audio Productions' article, Just Who was G.A. Henty?) His stories make for great audio dramas for families with older children and teens.

I was very excited to see the cast of Wulf the Saxon. Brian Blessed, with whom I am familiar due to the Blackadder series and the movie, Flash Gordon, brings Henty to life in this audio drama.  Blessed engages the listener much like Henty did his readers in his original tales.

It was also fantastic hearing Helen George portray a character different from that of the midwife she plays on Call the Midwife in the early years of the series.  Her Lady Edith was loving, generous, and selfless; putting her kingdom before her own needs.

Audio theater is not just a reading of the book but similar to a radio play in that the story is told through acting rather than just reading. Joining the actors are sound effects and with your imagination the scenes come alive. You could almost feel the spray from the water when Wulf is sailing during the storm. Or see the sparks as swords clashed at the Battle of Hastings.

To help my fifteen year-old stepson place Wulf the Saxon in its place in history, we pulled several books from our shelves.  We looked at pictures of the Bayeux tapestry, mentioned at the beginning of the audio drama, as well as photographs of spears and axes that were popular weapons of the day.

I asked my stepson some questions after he completed listening to disk one: What do you think it might feel like sitting in the middle of the night waiting for an attack? Should they attack the castle without the approval of their superiors? What would his recommendations be to the men scouting the castle? What might explain their feelings about fighting women?

The end of disk one leaves us on a cliffhanger. Personally, I couldn't wait to see what happened next in the story. Would they storm the castle? Would they be cautious?

After listening to disk two, my teen and I discussed Lady Edith's sacrifice and what we could learn from her willingness to put England before her own happiness. We also talked about Lady Edith's ability to find Harold at the end of the audio drama. The idea that love is something that binds people together is a wonderful concept to be able to discuss with my teen.

The music, the sound effects, and the acting are superb. I would recommend Wulf the Saxon to anyone whether they are a fan of history or not.   

If you enjoyed the Wulf the Saxon audio theater, then be sure to check out the Live the Adventure Club. A club membership includes three 2-CD sets shipped to you, access to over 500 old-time radio shows, educational and teaching resources, and more! 

Where to find more information: 

Heirloom Audio Productions Website 

Wulf the Saxon Online

Heirloom Audio Productions on Facebook 

Heirloom Audio Productions on Pinterest