Review of Wulf the Saxon Audio Drama
Lights, camera, ACTION!
Several minutes in and my fifteen-year-old daughter says to me, “This is interesting. It’s just like listening to a movie.” That’s because Heirloom Audio Productions produces top-notch audio theater books, complete with full sound effects and an all-star cast. We were recently pleased to review Wulf the Saxon, one of their newest audio adventures about the Norman Conquest.
The All-Star Cast of Wulf the Saxon
- Brian Blessed, from Star Wars
- Chris Larkin, from Master & Commander
- Helen George, from Call the Midwife
- Jack Farthing, from Poldark
- Sian Phillips, from I, Claudius
- Patrick Godfrey, from Les Miserables
An Engaging Tale of the Norman Conquest
The story begins amid the crash of waves rocking a boat, with two mischievous brothers, Leon and Etienne, playing around on deck. It is through them that we are introduced to the narrator, a man named Mr. George, with the “beard of a captain.”
Mr. George then proceeds to entertain the brothers with a tale of another set of brothers, and the story of Wulf the Saxon begins.
My ten-year-old Ellawyn’s favorite scene took place as Wulf was a guest at Baron de Burg’s chateau in Normandy. The Baron’s daughter, Agnes, had a crush on Wulf and was trying to engage him in conversation. Wulf, a young man of seventeen, was oblivious to her interest.
Wulf’s consistent awkwardness around Agnes was a favorite for all my girls and they would giggle every time. They especially liked Leon and Etienne’s reactions to their romance at the end–probably because they have a little brother who would react the same way!
I found this audio drama very engaging. Normally, I am not a fan of audiobooks. I was skeptical whether or not I would enjoy this; however, I very much did.
My children, ranging in age 5-15 also liked it, but as they were unaccustomed to the active listening this required it took some getting used to.
We listened to this to break up the doldrums of our co-op drive. Since there are two and a half hours of adventure, we listened to this over several drives. Before we would start we’d summarize and at the end of our drive, we would recap. This helped them to better follow the storyline and stay engaged. They did, however, get better at actively listening as the story progressed. There was a noticeable difference from the beginning to the end.
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Discussions of Character Attributes
We talked a lot about the character attributes of Wulf, his best friend Osgood, his mentor Harold, and Lady Edith, as well as some of the less desirable traits of the “villains” in the book. This is a good wholesome story where the good characters are good; the bad is obviously bad and good triumphs over evil. The main characters go out of their way to do what is right, even when it may cost a great personal sacrifice. I love stories like this because it is easy for kids to clearly identify truth from error. Because the hero of the story is always deserving of the title.
We Are Excited for Our Next Heirloom Audio Adventure
My older kids actually enjoyed this more than my younger ones, which was surprising to me. My 15-year-old, Raena, probably looked forward to it the most. I have five girls and only one boy, and while this adventure was full of fighting, a castle siege, and daring adventures to capture my son’s attention, it also held just enough romance to keep my girls engaged.
We are definitely interested in more of the audio dramas from Heirloom Audio Adventures and will make sure to plan ahead for our next long trip.
I did learn while doing this review that they also have a Live the Adventure Club where they send you three audio adventures a year and you also get access to the scripts, study guides, and much more. Definitely something to look into, especially if your kids like to read along as they listen.
Overall, I felt they did a great job bringing Henty alive for their listeners.
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