Kingdoms and Conquerors

Tennis Shoes #10

by Chris Heimerdinger

Embark on an epic journey that spans centuries, continents, and the limits of your imagination as all of your favorite Tennis Shoes characters are thrown into a maelstrom of murderous intrigue and pulse-pounding suspense. Still searching for Joshua Plimpton-lost in an ancient American time warp-Steffanie and Harry Hawkins, along with their band of warriors and heroes, find themselves in the midst of a gathering storm unlike any other in Nephite history-the final struggle at Cumorah.

Meanwhile, as armies march and enemies plot against them, Meagan, Apollus, Ryan, and the Prophet Moroni must somehow reach General Mormon and Nephite headquarters to thwart the impending disaster. But can they defeat the darker threat that stirs among them?

Jim Hawkins and his sister Jenny may hold the answer as they fight for survival on the opposite side of the world, piecing together a mystery that could hold the key to everyone's safe return home-or it could spell certain doom in the abyss of time!

Genres: Lds Fiction, Lds, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Religion, Adventure

434 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Chris Heimerdinger is an author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who has presently written sixteen adult and young adult novels, most of which center on religious themes familiar to LDS members. Most are published with Covenant Communications in American Fork, Utah. One title, A Return to Christmas was also picked up by Random House/Ballantine in 1995. When the title was released by Ballantine in 2004, it was republished by Covenant Communications.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some kids try to find another kid who got sucked into a time vortex.

I didn't know who anyone was, so I had trouble getting into it.

[Erica (storybookend) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the tennis shoes books. And this book, Kingdoms and Conquerors, has probably the most epic fight scene I’ve ever read. It is so incredible and well written and grips me utterly, but it’s more the knowledge of who the two people fighting are that captivates me and makes me flip the pages eagerly. One problem with these books though is that there’s just so much happening in the story. Pretty much every page has someone running from someone who wants to kill them, or they’re running to save someone they love, or there’s fighting and battles and lies and murders and attempted murders. There are several different groups of main characters and points of views. So you’re reading three or four different stories, that may connect in the end (or will just carry to the next book and connect somehow there), and it’s several chapters later that you get back to a certain story. I sometimes wish we could just stay with one character or group, and then move to the next group that’s in a completely different time and story. There’s hardly room to take a breather. There is some romance, actually some great romance that I love and makes my heart melt, especially Apollus *swoon*, but the romance parts aren’t very often. Anyway, this book is still pretty epic. It’s so intricate and incredibly thought out and plotted. I love seeing valiant, righteous heroes from the Book of Mormon come to life. Chris Heimerdinger sure can write one gripping, elaborate story. And I love it.

[Ashley]

Granted, when I started Book 10, I was in college, and past my days of reading YA novels. However, something about this book felt heavy handed, over worked, and totally and completely grasping at straws. To be perfectly honest, it never got finished. I don't know what's up with Heimerdinger and the fact that he has not published in some time, but this book killed my interest in the time traveling Hawkins clans. The magic was gone.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tries to do too much, and therefore doesn't do enough. There are too many story lines, too many viewpoint characters (and the different fonts for each character is just dumb and unnecessary at this point), and each group spends a lot of time traveling. Which doesn't exactly make for riveting reading. I feel like the author could have done much more with this book if he had just stuck with a couple of characters, but since he focused on so many he couldn't do any of them justice. Sad.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HOPE HE WRITES THE NEXT ONE SOON!! you have to read this!!!

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chirs Heimerdinger is my favorite author. This book is awesome I would recommend the whole series to everyone. It is heavily connected to the tower of thunder and resumes from there. It runs multiple storylines at once and Jim and genny go back to the ancient worlds too. Genny has not gone back to the ancient worlds since book 4 so it is great to see her back. this book is very adventurous and I would recommend it to anyone LDS for sure.

[Nicole Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 10th book we’ve read as a family in the series…another adventure packed book that my kids loved every moment of!

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mystery in this book of what was going on and also watching pride be a downfall! A well written book for sure

[Scott09g · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a little too ambitious. Too many people in too many places doing too many things at once. It left left me feeling lost a couple of times. The chapter headings, while at least having the decency to tell you who is narrating, really could have used sub-headings to remind you where they were. Without that, keeping everyone's arcs straight was just frustrating. Unlike earlier books in the series, this isn't a case of traveling to one time, getting a good feel for it and learning something new about the period being explored before eventually returning home. No, this time the cast simultaniously fall into multiple time periods, and instead of returning to the present time at the end of the story, they fall into other periods, splitting even further apart from eachother while joining new characters along the way.... Like I said - its ambitious, buts its a bit much.

The conclusion also bugged me. Its a small, petty gripe, but Jim and Jenny see the Savior hours before The Triumphal Entry. Jim has met the Savior before, but talks as if its his first time seeing him. No mention of recognition, old feelings resurfacing or gratitude to be blessed enough to have a second opportunity to see His face in mortality. The subject was approached with reverence, but the approach felt a little insulting... did Jim forget the Lord healing Harry like he forgot the events of the first book by book two? It was underwhelming.

While other Tennis Shoes books tended to offer at least a unique perspective of the scriptural period in which they took place, this one really offered nothing. It was: throw all the characters into the past because book, get them into various pinches and watch them work it out. This read more like fan fiction than it did a part of a series. And buckle up, because this is book 3 of (I assume) a four-part story.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurry up Chris and get us the conclusion!

[Penelope Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book was great and fantabulous, and none of the books were as good as the first, but thats normal.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are beginning to blur together for me and it makes it almost impossible to give each one a fair review on its own. I enjoyed this one more than #9, however, although it's just as chaotic and over-the-top. One thing we gained here is a character who isn't perfect in his testimony along with one who rejects the gospel entirely. Up until now, every main character has been virtually doubt-free, and that's even more unrealistic than floating cities or sorcery. It's nice to see someone who is actually struggling.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little more difficult to get through than some of the other tennis shoes books because the author felt it necessary to put a little note section at the end of almost every chapter. I understand that he did that because the things he imagined happened are not necessarly scripturally based. I would have prefered to have the sourse notes at the end of the book however as i felt they interupted the story line. Its still a good book though and i can't wait to see how the stories turn out.

[Amandalynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

We almost made it through the entire series last year. These books have been a lifesaver on the 30 mile ride one way to school every day. I had a 1 grader to a senior and anything in between in the car and all were captivated often we would find ourselves series at school and no one want d to get out of the car just yet because we were in the middle of something.

[Aaron Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished listening to the audiobook version. Incredible weaving of the characters into the ancient world of the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. The author captured the personalities of different characters, as well as the intensity of the scenes, but I wonder if some of the wording could be different.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are things I have really liked about this series but at this point there are so many groups an different storylines that it get very complicated and confusing. Definitely it my favorite in the series but if you have the patience for a story that never ends at the end of the book and you know it will be one cliffhanger after another for the balance of the 14? books then dive in.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rating reflects rounding up because this is a middle school age book. An exciting plot but at times plodding and wordy beyond belief. The author has too many characters for the reader to care about them all.

In what is possibly the most awfully ridiculous and distracting literary choice I’ve ever seen, the author has an adult character call arrows “stickers” repeatedly. No, just no.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Ate it up. Felt like I was watching a movie. Didn't even notice when I turned the pages. Time flew!
(If you see this review repeatedly for the other books, it is because this is how I felt about ALL those books!)

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim & Jenny travel to help find their missing loved ones, winding up in Jerusalem about 34AD. Jim’s portions of the book are semi-boring.
The rest is fantastic.
My favorite part is Apollos & Gid as fighting champions

[Steve Center · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heimerdinger continues to spin a complicated, intricate plot.

[Molly Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've liked the other books in the series, but the author just drags this one out and pulls in a lot of people to tell their story. This one was probably my least favorite of the books.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great time - traveling adventure where the Hawkin’s family goes to the Holy Land near the time of Christ’s life. They must deal with Barrabas.

[Daryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Kevin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Author doesn't finish one story but keeps forwarding to the next book. Please finish the stories!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the chemistry between Stephanie and Pagag!

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this book, I was so disappointed that I didn't pick it up again for probably ten years (and I didn't read it for a long time after it came out because I was afraid it wouldn't be good). Now that I've just finished reading it again, I can't figure out why I didn't like it before! I *highly* enjoyed this story, and I'm really happy that I did, because I've loved this series since I was very young, and I didn't want to lose the magic. And magic this book was for me.

I felt so many strong emotions as I read about the impossible tangles my favorite characters got into and out of. I was totally hooked. I did feel some twinges of annoyance when one character's chapter would end at a particularly interesting part and we'd be back to a different character's situation that I cared about less. But unlike when I was in my early twenties, this time I was invested in each person's journey and the historical context of it all instead of just wanting to know who would end up with whom romantically. I still love the romance--don't get me wrong! It's really satisfying. Heimerdinger writes great characters to root for. But I actually found the chapter notes about the research the author had done to be very interesting this time around.

The details and thought Heimerdinger puts into his books--while still telling a thrilling, action-packed story--impresses me. I learned a lot. And I found myself thinking more deeply about doctrinal questions. I wondered how I would act if I were put to the same tests as Harry, Meagan, Apollus, Mary, Pagag, Steffanie, et al. These really are faith-building books. They don't shy away from the dark parts of life, but they also don't dwell on them, instead pointing toward God's goodness and encouraging hope.

My favorite storylines involved Apollus (he's always been a favorite of mine) and Pagag and Steffanie (despite Steffanie herself at times), but again, all the plot points were interesting in their own ways.

Now, I do have to admit that Steffanie really annoys me. I don't identify with masculine, competitive women. And she made some *really* dumb decisions in the pursuit of competition and pride in this book. But she's good at heart, and it seems she's starting to be humbled a tiny bit. And Meagan's attempts to make Apollus conform to her feminist ways of thinking were also quite irritating. Come on, girl! You know that you love his masculinity! But luckily, those were minor annoyances in a great story.

I now plan to buy this book!

[Jesse Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand the action and character interactions were the best yet. There were some scenes where I was literally breathless to see what happened. There are terrible consequences – finally – for some of the brash decisions these characters have been making and in many ways those consequences raise this novel above many of the others in the series. Finally we’re confronted with the terrible reality of what could go wrong when modern people are dropped in the middle of the savage downfall of preindustrial societies.

On the other hand Heimerdinger proves himself an imperfect master at orchestrating all the subplots. Sometimes he forgets to let the violins play for large amounts of time… okay bad metaphor. Some of the characters stories have no climax at all and others have no viewpoint until suddenly they’re in the middle of the action and they come out of nowhere. I see what he’s doing. Until you get that surprise viewpoint you don’t know what’s going on, hence, mystery. Once you do then you know what’s going on, hence, tension. It just felt a little clumsy is all.

Despite those flaws I think this is the best book the series has had since the second one – which is still my favorite. Heimerdinger is fully into historical fiction mode here with no fantastical elements – other than Gid’s old man fighting prowess. The mixture of historical facts and civilizations and people mixed with the great adventure of being among the Lamanites just before the battle at Cumorah is brilliantly handled. Another example of historical fiction at its best.

The next one came out in August and the last one is due in the spring. I’m interested to see where this series goes from here.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I thought it was safe to read this series. The last book has been out for 5 years. The series must be finished. Right??? Wrong!!! The very last page in the book says "to be continued" That was five years ago. I found the authors blog and read that like a week before I finished this book he finally sent the finished draft to the editors! Thank goodness I didn't read this book 5 years ago!

It was nice that by the end of this book most (let me repeat that: Most!) of the characters are finally together again. This helped my mind understand the book much easier. I could stop wondering "Now wait a minute. What are these characters doing again?" I liked the footnotes again at the end of chapters, but at the same time they detract from the story and it takes a minute to get back into the book. So on the whole I don't know if the footnotes are good for the book.

[Dad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book with lots of action and great imagination as it courses through scriptural history. The scenes going down the rapids of a Central American river as the enemy warriors hunt them is exciting. Adding Pagag, a Jaredite, to the mix is great. The romance of Megan and him make for a good time. To have all this action in one book is surely exciting with so many characters taking part makes for a super, action-packed book. The battle of two unknowing warriors, Giddidonihah and Apollos was a nice touch. Many aspects of Book of Mormon/Mayan, etc. culture comes to life and adds to my ability to picture this time in my mind. Thank you, Chris, for this. The depraved nature of the fallen Nephites and atheist Lamanites is shown in a decipherable way as I have never viewed it before.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next book in the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites series, this book finds all but Jim and his sister, in the land of the Nephites and all at the same time. They must find each other, however, which becomes increasingly difficult, as they are in a time of great war and chaos. Amidst their many challenges, they finally find Joshua, who was taken in the previous book, but he is not the same child that they knew.

I enjoyed this book a lot, more than the previous book in fact. It definitely leaves things unresolved, but it has begun tying things up, so that the next book will make a wonderful conclusion to the series. Very entertaining.