"From the shimmering sands of ancient Egypt,
comes an epic tale of mystery, intrigue, and suspense."
comes an epic tale of mystery, intrigue, and suspense."
This houseful of boys (and Mom!) loves audio books and, even better, audio drama. We really enjoy traveling to the grands much more when we can be entertained with one amazing story for more than a quarter of the trip. Heirloom Audio Productions creates phenomenal audio drama with big WOW! factor. Using movie quality sound and pulling together an incredible cast of accomplished actors with lovely British accents, Heirloom Audio's production of The Cat of Bubastes is like being in the theater. Just close your eyes.
G.A. Henty
In the 1800s, George Alfred Henty wrote dozens of history books for children. His adventures were specifically geared toward boys and their insatiable desire for excitement and feats of daring. These books were used extensively in schools in England and engendered a deep sense of duty. His main characters always displayed resourcefulness, courage, and honesty.
The Cat of Bubastes, a Tale of Ancient Egypt was first published in 1889. It is considered to be a very popular Henty title. I can see why!
The Cat of Bubastes' two CD set is over two hours of exciting adventures. Jethro and his charge, Prince Amuba, are taken into slavery by the Egyptians. On the way to Thebes, Amuba, and then Jethro, take it upon themselves to learn Egyptian from the guards transporting them. This makes them well-suited to serve their new master and his family where Amuba is to be a companion for his master's son, Chebron. The boys become fast friends and find themselves embroiled in adventures large and small. This story takes place around 1250 BC. Moses even makes a cameo appearance.
Some of the lessons demonstrated in this title include treating others as you would like to be treated and *not talking about a person's appearance in front of them*. I may still have some boys who need to take these pieces of advice to heart! Honesty is an important virtue highlighted throughout the tale. Historically, listeners are learning about ancient Egypt and the Punic Wars. Spiritually, the differences between polytheism and Christianity are mentioned several times.
Stellar Actors
I always hesitate to name names because I never feel like I can convey the true greatness of this cast. Some of the stars include Brian Blessed (Star Wars I and loads of Shakespeare, including a personal favorite - Much Ado About Nothing), John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones films and The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Anthony Daniels (DUDE! That's 3PO!), and Sylvester McCoy (The Hobbit films and the seventh Doctor). Many others would be very familiar to British audiences.
Along with the CDs, Downloadable extras include
- Posters,
- Soundtrack MP3 (composed by John Campbell),
- Behind the scenes video,
- MP3 version of the CDs,
- The Cat of Bubastes ebook,
- And (my favorite) a 47 page study guide.
- Listening Well section is for comprehension. I find it helps the boys focus if I read the questions first, we listen to the track, and then answer the questions.
- Thinking Further encourages the listener to think more deeply about the story and the more subtle parts of the adventure. It calls for speculations to be made, based on what they heard, about people's plans and motives. Here, you'll also be instructed to find locations on maps and look for Biblical parallels within the storyline.
- Defining Words is a vocabulary enhancement section.
- Three Bible studies conclude the study guide.
- God Meant It for Good,
- The Knowledge of God, and
- Idolatry and Tyrany
Heirloom Audio dramas are generally for listeners from 1st grade to adult. All my punks enjoy them and there is often a buzz of excitement when they hear those first strong chords of music that signal the beginning of an Heirloom Audio recording. There are currently six Christian audio dramas available.
Follow Heirloom Audio Productions on social media to discover which G.A. Henty books are on the horizon.
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