Customer Reviews

Darien's Rise (Passages 1: From Adventures in Odyssey)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love the author's creativity in making a 2000+ year old bible story come to life. It shows a young person how relevant the stories of the bible are to everyday life. Both my [...] and my [...] loved this entire series and I didn't find anything dark or sinister in them at all. How refreshing!

My family has loved the "Adventures in Odyssey" stories for at least 10 years. We stumbled onto the story "Darien's Rise" as a result of our interest in Odyssey, and we really enjoyed it. It has the hallmarks of the Odyssey series in the great sound quality, music, dramatic sense & attention-grabbing suspense. It did not diminish our enjoyment at all to find it is a retelling of the story of David and Jonathan, and in fact made us go back to the Bible to consult it about certain details. Thanks so much for this extra resource for our car-time!!

I felt like a little kid all over again when I received this CD item! The story is very well done- you get to hear the new Whit for the first time! Awesome, awesome, awesome. Kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time, a wonderful item to add to my Odyssey collection!

I enjoyed this far more than my kids did! I have 3 kids and one niece that listened to this set. The 4 year olds lost interest immediately but my 6 and 8 year olds were hooked right away. We sat there glued listening to every word and I was so upset when it was all over with. So I went searching online to see if there were anymore Passages on cd. I was gravely disappointed to see that this is the only one!! Adventures in Odyssey is really amazing and Passages just goes over and beyond Odyssey!! I really hope that more come out on cd very very soon. We homeschool and no longer have tv. So this is our only form of entertainment (other than Wii). It's great!!!

Odessey is the best to teaching life lesson. Buy with total confidence your kids will love them and ask you to put them on the boom box when they go to bed.

We listened while we were traveling on vacation, and the whole family enjoyed listening. Was very impressed that it stayed so true to the Bible account of David and Saul and at the same time was a different story. Very enjoyable.

The time period for Darien's Rise is the late 19th century/ early 20th century. With lots of trains and riding horses ( no cars or planes ). It is a new twist on the Biblical story of David and his enemy, Saul. Very well done!

The story kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. If you love Adventures In Odyssey you'll love this book.

How would it be if we could travel to different worlds? Is it possible that other worlds do indeed exist within the vast universe in which we live?

"Darien's Rise" is a delightful story in Paul McCusker's excellent Passage series. The first book in a six book chronicle, the story relates the adventures of Anna and Kyle, two siblings whose visit to the small midwestern town of Odyssey may prove to be more of an adventure than either of them could have imagined. While exploring an abandoned house, the two siblings enter a room and are transported to the world of Maris. The world is very much like our own except for the two moons in the sky and the World War I setting. They meet memorable characters including a power-hungry king named Lawrence, whose rebellion against the Unseen One has lasting consequences, his brave son, Prince George, and a renowned general named Darien. Another memorable character is the Old Judge, who clings to the "ancient ways," and whose unfailing faith in the Unseen One can never be shaken.
Anna and Kyle discover that they have special powers while in Maris. Will they use these powers for good, or will their own frailties and doubts cause ruination for themselves and the entire nation?

I found this audio drama to be engaging from start to finish. I particularly liked that the protagonists had flaws and were far from perfect. Likewise, the antagonists were empathetic. King Lawrence was terrifying yet tragic. My favorite aspect of the story was the friendship between Darien and Prince George. Listeners to the story will immediately recognize the familiarity between this story and its biblical parallel.

The voice acting was superb, and none of the actors/actresses were overly dramatic. Sound effects add flair and a movie-like quality to the listening experience. Please give this riveting drama a chance. God bless you all.

(Please look for my fantasy novel, Crimilia, which is now listed on this site. Thank you).