In the Reign of Terror - TOS Review

Heirloom Audio Productions is passionate about bringing Christian history to life through audio theater and their audio adventure of Inthe Reign of Terror is an extraordinary adventure! This 2-CD set provides 2 ½ hours of non-stop adventure while building character in the next generation by bringing the lessons of history to life.

Bill Heid has assembled a world-class cast of professional actors and added sound effects that engages your imagination by taking you back in time as you listen to history’s most daring expedition. When 16-year-old Harry visits France, his journey plummets him into one of history’s darkest times – the French Revolution. Chaos challenges Harry’s faith as he struggles not only to survive, but to rescue the family who lovingly took him in as their own and who now face the guillotine for no other crime than their noble lineage. This audio adventure will leave you breathless as you follow one boy’s journey from the crushing darkness of human pride to the hope and courage of God’s loving light.

Conversations between Harry and other characters help listeners understand that, unlike the American War for Independence, the French Revolution was a coup d'etat by armed thugs who represented nobody but themselves and based their revolution on the rejection of Christianity and the glorification of human reason and which therefore degenerated into the Reign of Terror that flowed with innocent human blood. As one of the characters says at the end, the symbol of the American War for Independence is the Liberty Bell; the symbol of the French Revolution is the guillotine.

Heirloom Audio Productions has created a brand new Live the Adventure Club site that contains all of the downloadable bonus features that are included when you purchase In the Reign of Terror as a club member. In the “Educational Treasures” section, you will find a study guide for the audio theater presentation of In the Reign of Terror. It is designed for parents who want to help their younger students through the storyline and its lessons. It can also serve as a series of written assignments for older students. The sets of questions begin and end as the narrative takes new turns, and each may cover from four to eight minutes of the audio drama. Each set of questions has three parts – Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. The Listening Well questions ask your student what he has heard or what he has remembered.  The Thinking Further questions ask your student to think a bit, to look up something mentioned in the story, to draw conclusions from the characters’ actions, or to speculate about the intentions, mindset, and character of Harry and his friends and enemies. The Defining Words section gives your student an opportunity to enhance his vocabulary and understanding of the story – he will need to use a dictionary for most of the words. At the end of the study guide there is a recommended reading list for older students who want to learn more about the French Revolution. After that, there are three brief Bible studies that may help you understand some of the biblical themes that are woven into the narrative. At the very end, there are some brief essays that provide historical background for the story of In the Reign of Terror.

Our family really enjoyed listening to this audio theater presentation, in fact, travel time turned into adventure time! I highly recommend Heirloom Audio Productions and their stories of virtue and valor, daring and determination, character and courage – when history is taught through stories, it is not forgotten. 

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