Are you looking for something new and engaging than the traditional episodes of Adventures in Odyssey?!? Some of my favorite and extremely different Adventures in Odyssey stories are the Passages episodes. They center around an alternative world, called Marus. Individuals from our world find themselves transported unexpectedly into a world they’ve never known, yet seems strangely familiar.
A woman named Alice tells an incredible story about how she and Tom Riley’s son, Timmy, traveled to another world called Marus.
We are first introduced to the Passages stories in the first two episodes of Album 34, In Your Wildest Dreams. Another extremely unique aspect of this episode is that we hear more about Tom Riley’s son, Timmy, who drowned when he was young saving another young man’s life. It is a sad story that is sometimes referenced, but until these episodes we have not really encountered Timmy.
As you listen to the story you will begin to recognized hints and shadows of stories you have heard before from Scripture. In many ways they are similar to the tales from Narnia in this. God is referred to as The Unseen One. Events, although not categorically exact, echo those from biblically historical accounts. It definitely gives a new perspective and appreciation for things you may have known for years.
Fletcher’s Rebellion parallels the story of Gideon. As you listen with your kids encourage them to try and guess what Bible passage this reflects. Help them to pick out clues and see what they notice is different.
The album Passages: Darien’s Rise is our next encounter with this strange world of Marus. This episode opens with Jack Allen bringing an old manuscript he found in a trunk from an estate sale to Mr. Whitaker. He asks Whit to read it and to let him know what he thinks afterwards.
Kyle and Anna, two children not previously mentioned in Odyssey, are transported to Marus through an abandoned house. Once there they are immediately thrown into a perilous adventure, once again in parallel with biblical history. Darien is a parallel to David from the Old Testament. This is a longer storyline as it takes up an entire album of 9 episodes. I loved the characters and once again the ability to pick out little bits that helped to identify which story is being represented.
If these two sagas interest you, there are also 2 collections called Passages: The Marus Manuscripts, each containing 3 books about Marus. While these stories are not Odyssey-centric, they are true to the nature of Adventures in Odyssey and might be very appealing to middle schoolers and older.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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