The Dragon and the Raven An Exciting Middle Ages Adventure

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Over the past 2 years, our family has been fortunate to review the different audio dramas of G.A. Henty novels brought to life by Heirloom Audio Productions.  I was thrilled that we’d have the opportunity to review The Dragon and the Raven, the latest story in their line up.  It’s an exciting Middle Ages adventure which I suspected the family would love.

About The Dragon and the Raven

The Dragon and the Raven, also known as The Days of King Alfred, is a historical fiction novel by G. A. Henty. Set in the late 9th century during the rule of Alfred The Great, the story follows the adventures of the fictional character Ealdorman Edmund as he and King Alfred fight against Danish Viking invaders. While most of the story occurs in England, there is a section where Edmund takes to the sea and is captured by Vikings.

Along with the CD set, we received a copy of The Dragon and The Raven eStudy Guide and Discussion Starter. This 30-page supplement was designed by Christian educators to be a full story curriculum to compliment the audio presentation.  Inside those pages are discussion points, history-learning guides and a story-related Bible study. Most importantly, the study guide will help facilitate discussion with your children about the lessons you can learn from The Dragon and The Raven as well as discern how they can be incorporated into their day-to-day life.

There are more bonuses available with your purchase depending upon the package selected. See the website for more information.

Our Experience Using The Dragon and the Raven

Considering that my 10th grader had just read this title for Omnibus II and did not complain like he does for some of the selections, I suspected my younger boys and I would love the experience of The Dragon and the Raven audio drama.

We opted to listen in the vehicle for this one.  The younger boys have music lessons each Friday afternoon in the city which means a good hour of time spent driving those days. I figured it would be the perfect time to listen and keep them quiet for the few Fridays it would take to complete the story.

I was NOT wrong.  Once they simmered down and started listening, they were captivated. So was I! With knights and Viking raiders in the mix, how could you go wrong when it comes to entertaining boys?

The study guide has definitely provided food for thought for me and discussion starters to use with the boys. The quick biographies of G. A. Henty and King Alfred at the beginning of the study guide are helpful for giving context to both the story and the way in which Henty wrote it. My 7th grader is now reading through the ebook version of The Dragon and the Raven which is one of the bonuses we received. And I suspect we will be making the recipe for Alfred Cakes included in the study guide for a more ‘sense’ based method of study.

Something that came up while listening to the story was that England was Catholic and fully supported the Catholic Church (Rome) at that time.  It has been a while since my 7th-grade son had world history and he did not remember that Christendom was unified under the one Church for this time period. We also had a few discussions about why a people like the Vikings would brutally kill so many in the places they raided.

Overall, I highly recommend this production whether for entertainment only or to include in your history studies as a homeschool family. Do not be surprised if you end up learning quite a bit alongside your children, especially if you use the bonus study guide. It will be time well spent!

In case you missed them, here are the previous Heirloom Audio Productions reviews we have done:

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Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit The Dragon and the Raven {Heirloom Audio Productions Review} post on the Schoolhouse Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this and other self-paced courses.