Heirloom Audio is known for their high-quality audio dramas, and My Little Man loves listening to the Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. That’s why we are super excited to be able to review their latest production For the Temple.
For the Temple is about the response of the Jews to the coming destruction of the Temple. It’s a really amazing story. I always knew that the Temple had fallen, of course, because it isn’t there anymore; but I never really thought about what it must have been like to see that beautiful, God-instructed building destroyed. What must the people who worshipped there thought? Felt? What did it sound like? What events surrounded this massive act? How exactly does one destroy a building made of enormous blocks of stone, anyway?
This audio drama answers most of those questions. It really walks you though the events leading up to the Temple’s destruction and what was going on in the hearts and minds of the people. That was my favorite aspect of the whole thing, except that …
Like My Little Man, I couldn’t help but love the sound quality. It’s not just the sound effects, though there are many of those; it’s the whole thing altogether. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like listening to a movie. There isn’t a picture, but there’s much more than just voices, and the quality is much higher than even the best-ever voice artist reading an audio book. The voices are done by major actors, and that experience is evident in the quality of this work.
We’ve experienced several Heirloom Audio productions now, and another great aspect are the lessons that they build into each one. I feel that there’s always one big one and lots of other potentials, but I especially appreciated this one. The main character comments throughout the drama about how he’s been taught to defend the Temple. He talks about the great lengths he’ll go to do this, and it’s obvious throughout the story that this is something that he takes very seriously. I think that this is great food for thought: how far are we going to defend our own faith? Our Bibles? Our sanctuaries? What kind of defense is needed today, in the United States? In other places around the world? You could take this one theme in myriads of directions.
With For the Temple we experienced something new to us in connection to Heirloom Audio, though – a study guide. This 51-page, full-color document is exceptionally detailed. I love the organization and structure to it, especially because as much as I love these dramas, they are detailed and complex. It can be easy to get a bit off-track or confused, and this study guide will guarantee that you’ve nailed every detail before moving on.
The study guide would make a great discussion guide. It could also be used for written or research assignments for older kids. It’s broken down into three parts by scene: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words.
The Listening Well section are questions to test basic comprehension and recall. If an answer is unknown, repeating that short section of the audio should provide the answer. Thinking Further takes the information in the drama a step further, to apply it to real life. It asks your student to look up locations on maps or do other simple research to connect to the setting and events of the story. Finally, the Defining Words section is simply a list of vocabulary words.
There is one other part, though, that while rare, is my favorite. There are inset blocks scattered throughout the study guide with in-depth information about specific people and places from the drama. I love the detail and pictures included here. This really helps bring the whole thing to life.
The study guide provides a great way to go really deep with this drama. My family would enjoy using parts of it as discussion guides or as a way to find more information. It’s a bit too extensive for my kids to enjoy using every part of it, however, because they don’t like to interrupt reading or listening opportunities to do writing assignments. If that’s your thing, though, this is the study guide for you.
This latest production of Heirloom Audio is definitely worth a listen. It would be wonderful for families, co-ops, car trips, or even youth groups or history classes. If you’ve never listened to an audio drama, give this one a try!
Want to check out our other Heirloom Audio reviews? You can read my full review of Wulf the Saxon and St. Bartholomew’s Eve here.
