I love an Arthurian Legend retelling, Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee is not even the first one that I have read this year, but it shows how flexible authors can be with Old King Arty. Lee does not retell the tales of yore but extrapolates into the present and the future. When Arthur was buried, he was only fated to return to England when the land was in great peril. Who decides what constitutes peril? The Napoleonic Wars, WW1, or WW2? What about rising water levels, air that you cannot breathe and dying forests. Do you think that Arthur will wake up in a good mood once he sees what we have done?

Britain in the near future is not great; more like Bleak Britain. Isolationism and climate change has left the country in ruins. Scotland and Wales have declared independence, much of the coastline is underwater and the North is in open revolt. Any land intact has been sold to the Chinese and the UK government now hires US mercenaries to lead the army. This backdrop forces the land to stir. Awaken Sir Kay, his mission to save the land from peril. Awaken Sir Lancelot, his mission to do whatever the shady powers tell him. But where are Arthur, Merlin, and the rest?

Transporting the Knights of the Round Table to a different setting is not a new concept, but to the bleak future of Perilous is new to me. This is a Britain that could happen, of rising water levels and rising temperaments. Strip away the Arthurian aspects of the book and you can see why the country is in peril. The book becomes a dystopian urban fantasy, Children of Men meets Rivers of London.

This book is hard going in places, Lee does not shy away from the bleakness of the future and the greed that led us there. When the Knights arrive, they are not much better. Sir Kay remains noble, but the likes of Lancelot, Merlin and Arthur prove that you should never meet your heroes. To balance some of the dark, Lee ensures there is light. The book is humorous from Sir Kay’s fish out of water antics, to the cynical humour of the characters. They may be trying to kill one another, but they have known each other for so long that they find it amusing.

Perilous is a book that explores what makes a hero. Is it the man with the biggest sword, or someone who steps up in a time of need. From the present we meet Mariam and her group of feminist ecowarriors. There are various factions trying to overthrow the government, but is Mariam’s reluctant heroism the best bet for our future? A return of Arthur could be more trouble than it is worth.

Lee manages a nice balance of tone. The book has fantastical ideas and humour, but also feels like a world on the brink of dystopia. Seeing how the legends are once they are meet reality is intriguing. Overall, despite dragons and Knights, this a darker and more cynical book that you would first imagine. It would suit fans of darker Urban Fantasy than fans of lighter High Fantasy. An interesting and unique take on Arthur and his legacy.

Legend tells that King Arthur and his knights lie sleeping beneath the land, ready to rise to our aid if ever the land is in peril, and in Perilous Times, Thomas D. Lee’s debut and near future fantasy, the times are perilous indeed.

With its roots in British legend and mythology, Perilous Times takes a smart, ironic look at modern politics, climate activism, racism and the greed and privilege of the few. In the grand satirical tradition of Python, Pratchett and Gaiman, it is brilliantly bonkers, fiercely funny, and wonderfully, furiously wise.

An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet—saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself—in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend.

Legends don’t always live up to reality.

Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again.

Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.

Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.

Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.

In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.

Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.

But who will be fit to wield it?

This week we’re diving into the realms of urban fantasy. Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee welcomes you to a near-future vision of Britain that feels all too believable. Parts of the country are underwater, while others have been sold off for profit by the powers that be. Things are bad and they are getting steadily worse.

Mariam just wants to be left in peace, but there is part of her that can’t stand idly by as the country she loves falls apart. The concept of helping others lies at the core of her being. Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a good life, to be part of a flourishing society. Miriam is well-meaning but sometimes her attempts at direct action go a bit awry. Huge explosions at fracking sites probably aren’t the best way to send a positive message about saving the environment. Marian needs help in her quest to save the kingdom. Turns out that the quality of that help is…questionable. There are some very special individuals who can be called on to assist. The problem is, the Knights of the Round Table are about the most dysfunctional bunch of self-assured blowhards you are likely ever to meet.

Kay and Lancelot have been at odds for centuries. Regularly raised to solve Britain’s various traumas (mostly wars – hot or cold), there is a barely contained animosity between them. Each believes the other a traitor to their righteous duty. I loved the antagonistic snark, they spark off one another at every meeting.

Arthur is as bombastic and larger than life as expected. I suppose if you’re destined to rise and save the realm, you have to be something a bit special dont you? Things only become a bit of an issue when you start believing your own hype. Myths and legends have a habit of glossing over or twisting the important details of a person’s character.

Merlin is cool in a chaotic, time-displaced, multi-versal wizard sort of fashion. I’ve always imagined him to be slightly distracted by everything in only the way a wizard can. Lee’s interpretation is exactly that.

I’ll even admit a certain amount of fondness for Barry the xenophobically misguided squirrel. Even Nimue, she of many a water-based shenanigan, is also a joy.

The comedic moments are well executed. I wouldn’t describe them as overt, more wry smiles than belly laughs. We’re not quite into the realm of running around using coconuts to replace the thunder of horses’ hooves. I think the novel is better for it. Lee’s understated approach works perfectly within the confines of the narrative.

The cheeky old so-and-so! I’ve just spotted that the author has even managed to sneak in some of that there learning into our brains while we weren’t looking. Turns out the book title refers to a Bible* quote.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,..

Sounds spookily accurate describing our splendid little rock in the middle of the ocean right about now, doesn’t it? Mind you, humanity always has had a terribly high opinion of itself. I suspect when we do finally meet our downfall will deserve it. If I were a betting man, I think chucking a couple of quid on AI destroying us is worth a punt. Don’t expect I’d be around to collect my winnings though.

Apologies, I went off on a bit of an apocalyptic tangent there.

Back to the book.

Perilous Times is a great deal of fun. It effortlessly blends together the end-times prophecy of the Arthurian mythos with a prescient warning of how we treat our home. I recommend checking out if you enjoy urban fantasy with brains as well as heart.

Perilous Times is published by Orbit Books and is available from 25th May.

My musical recommendation to accompany Perilous Times in the soundtrack to The Old Guard by Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O’Halloran. Every near immortal needs something to listen to and based on what I’ve discovered in the novel Lancelot’s taste in music is terrible.

*Oh yeah, I do my research, don’t you know. This quote comes from the King James edition for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing.

This is fantasy, set in Britain in the not too distant future and climate change has pretty much wrecked the country.

100s of years ago, the Knights of the Round Table made a magical deal where they would be awakened any time to realm was in peril. And it turns out this is one of those times.

Only Kay and Lancelot are brought back and they're on opposite sides of this fight, with Kay working with our female main character, on the climate rebellion side of things, who wants to fix things, and Lancelot working with the guys in suits who just care about themselves.

But our female main character realise that if she wants stuff done she can't rely on Knights and is going to have to do it herself.

This was pretty fun, I liked the idea of things getting twisted as they became legends and Arthur not being the man the stories say. And also the fact that a man with a sword is pretty good in a fight with a dragon (which this has) but less useful in fighting climate change.

I really liked the tone of this, you've got the Knights who are resigned to their weird lives of magical coincidences and dying all the time. And then the real life people who want change but they all wants different change. It's probably a bit too realistic that humanity would be arguing as the world literally burned around them.

4 stars, I would read other books in this world

thank you so much to orbit for providing me with a proof copy!

this is gonna be one of the books of the year, i can just TELL.

i knew i’d love this - it’s a fantasy novel set in the modern world, with queer and Black knights. literally how i could not? but this book surpassed even my high expectations.

all the way through this book i felt so impressed. the prose was accessible and easy to follow, while still saying some very beautiful and profound things. it’s the kind of book that you hug to your chest after you finish.

the stylistic choice to have kay, a knight of the round table, as our main character instead of mariam was bold, and i think it paid off. even though the real protagonist is mariam, this choice meant that we get to watch her story unfold as spectators, the way that the original tales of arthurian knights are told. it’s a way of rewriting the canon, and to include a Muslim woman of colour into it, makes the story reflect britain as it truly is; multinational and multicultural.

i’m not saying this book is perfect, but i am saying that this author is one to watch. perilous times is a funny, life affirming fantasy that broadens the scope of ancient british mythology and culture to include real life britons, and i think this is only the start of what i think will be a long and very successful career.

I loved the premise of this book and was expecting some kind of mashup between Arthurian legend and Carl Hiaason - lots of snarky humour, commentary on the climate crisis and baddies getting their comeuppance.

Sadly, although it started strongly my interest waned, despite dutifully slogging through it. It’s absolutely fine to be writing about an agenda but it shouldn’t be simply that. The fun wasn’t evident enough or characters strong enough to hold my interest at all.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Perilous Times.]

Rating: 4/5

It's books like these that remind me to dip into different genres every now and then. I wasn't expecting a read that features themes of dystopia, Arthurian legends and eco activism to suck me in to the extent that Perilous Times has, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with this story and the characters within it. I loved the idea of resurrected knights coming to Britain's aid in times of peril, and I really enjoyed seeing those knights in a futuristic setting.

Despite being delightfully magical and rich with witty dialogue (Lancelot delivered some of my favourite lines), Perilous Times is also a very poignant tale. The story that it tells is a familiar one, as it takes what we are seeing happen now around the world to the extreme; rising sea levels and soaring temperatures is truly perilous and tremendously frightening and frustrating to watch unravel when it feels like there's little that you can do to help. And when there's little to no hope left in the realm, who better to help than the Knights of the Round Table? Combine their acts of heroism with magic, eco activists and the end of days, and you're left with a gem of a book that'll remind you the importance of holding onto hope, even when it appears that the world is truly coming to an end.

I loved this book so much and absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a crazy story and who, like me, can feel pretty useless up against the perils of climate change.

Whenever Britain is in peril, the Knights of Camelot will return to save it. In a not-so-distant future, forests have almost disappeared, the air is unbreathable, the waters are so polluted even minor deities struggle to survive while entire cities are flooded, contractors and businessmen run the country while Essex had to be sold to China, and a dragon is seen again for the first time in centuries... these are quite clearly perilous times indeed. But Kay, brother of King Arthur himself, is tired and can hardly keep up with all the changes and the wars he has already lived through. Besides, does the world really need knights anymore? Old legends and heroes are not always what they seem and, in this terrible context, the possibility of Arthur's return might be the worst thing yet to happen.

Perilous Times is an interesting mix of Arthurian queer retelling, contemporary fantasy and dystopia. The Britain it is set in appears to be very close to the end of times and was, frankly, quite terrifying. The climate crisis is a central element in this book and the depiction of one of the possible futures awaiting us is handled incredibly well, with vivid descriptions making it feel very real and imminent. This Britain is dark, desolate and poisoned, marred by an excess of individualism and frantic search for profit, with very few elements of humanity and compassion left in sight. It would be easy to despair and depict a bleak future, but the element of resistance is strong in this book, with pockets of hope and characters who just don't give up trying, even when there seems no point in it anymore.

Kay was an interesting main character, and he was quite easy to sympathise with most of the time. He has flaws and plenty of regrets and actively questions his place in the world and his role in history. When he meets Mariam, a young climate activist with a flair for action (and at times destruction), and her friends from FETA (the Feminist Environmentalist Transgressive Alliance, not the cheese), he figures he may just have found his place. That is, until Lancelot returns with plans to stop him. Several other characters from Arthurian legends make an appearance and most of them are not what we have been led to believe. The author's deep knowledge of the mythos and his interest in different interpretations of it shines through in the incredible detail involved. I have a fairly superficial knowledge of the legends, but still could very easily follow without ever feeling like I was being lectured.

Although it may seem that way from the publisher's blurb, this book is not all heavy action, sword fights between old knights and slaying dragons. Sure, there is a fair bit of that (and it is highly entertaining!), but there is also quite a lot of politics and people reflecting on the state of the world and a possible way forward when all hope for the future seems lost. There is also a pretty heavy-handed critique of neo-liberal capitalism and exploitative practices of accumulation and profit, as well as a wry portrait of the fragmentation and inaction of activism and the left. I personally really enjoyed these elements and appreciated the satire, which spared no one (including the "good guys") but it may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're picking this up expecting something completely different.

The whole "hero" narrative is also thoroughly explored, and the very human tendency of absolving ourselves from all responsibilities by finding someone to fix all our problems for us is critiqued throughout. Although it is pretty clear that we're supposed to be rooting for certain characters (hint: not the world-destroying ones), no side is exempt from witty criticism for their actions, inactions and dubious choices, not thinking through the consequences.

Despite having appreciated the more political/satirical elements, as I said, this was also where at times I got a bit frustrated with this book. The message is pretty clear from the beginning, yet it is still not-so-subtly repeated multiple times throughout, making it feel a bit as if we were repeatedly bashed over the head with it to ensure the point comes across. This slowed down the narrative several times and felt very repetitive. The book is also very Britain-centric, not just in setting, but also in references and humour, so I'm sure I missed something there but, despite making me smile in a few places, I never had any laugh-out-loud moments. I also had a few issues with the characterisation of Mariam's friends: I loved seeing a tight-knit, diverse group of friends, but I would have liked for them to have a more central role and to be more fleshed out. As it was, the friends were largely interchangeable, and by the end of the book I still could not remember who was who.

Overall, this was a pleasant read that allowed plenty of space for reflection and more than a few interesting quotes, providing hope in dark times. An urgent reminder of the importance of taking responsibility and the power of community to effect change.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley as part of the blog tour organised by Compulsive Readers. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I took me absolutely no time at all to be completely invested in this book. The premise was throughly intriguing and the storytelling just sucked me in.

As the blurb above says, we meet Kay, former knight of the round table, regular saviour of Britain. Awoken from slumber under his tree, he finds that times are indeed perilous. The world is in a sorry state, climate change has taken its toll and large parts of Britain are now underwater. A small few try to do what they can to stop the destruction of the planet whilst the rich get richer at the expense of others.

Despite this clearly being a fantasy book, the stark reminders of the impact of climate change were…..well uncomfortable, and thought provoking. The Britain presented in the book was pretty much in an End Times situation. Are we going to end up there?

Despite the Doomsday warnings, there is great humour in this book and it made me smile quite a few times.

It’s such a great use of fantasy to tackle a real world issue and I just loved the way that such symbols of how “great” Britain once was was used to examine what it really means to be proud and protective of your country.

An excellent debut which I really hope gets read far and wide!

I really enjoyed this climate activist modern-day take on the King Arthur legend. There were laugh out loud moments as well as some really thoughtful passages - what do you do when you find yourself in the darkest version of the timeline? How do you know who are the goodies and who are the baddies? Does becoming a squirrel stop you being racist?

A recommended read for lovers of fantasy and speculative fiction, particularly if you’ve got links to north west England.

A fantasy, with an “on trend” eco warrior message that is both great fun and doom laden, a very pessimistic view of the future beckons. We chop down trees, burn wood and poison the atmosphere, that much is agreed, but how to stop this destruction and save the planet, that is so much more problematic. In this story, Mythical people lead the way. King Arthur and his knights sleep in a cave somewhere, but will awake to come to the aid of the Kingdom. Herne the hunter, protects the wildlife, but he is also feeling the heat, a plan is urgently required.
So, what is more natural than to bring back King Arthur? His brother Kay and Lancelot are already on the scene, trying to upstage each other, a group of eco warriors are doing their best to muddy the waters, and Avalon is a cruel place that needs to be destroyed.
Kay and Lancelot have been here before, fighting for many various causes over the centuries, they are good at picking up the vibes of the Modern Ages, but both are happiest with the olden days, when you knew the enemy and were comfortable with the weapons. But, they are seen as an embarrassment, they have outlined their usefulness, and ideas of chivalry are so last century! So let’s not even get started on the Dragons, but you so want them to have been real! Helicopter pilots may have another thought on that point!
The idea is to restore magic to the world. If the veil between the Waking and Nightmares worlds are broken, then Dark evil will once again occupy Earth. The ways to restore peace and harmony will not be easy.
This is such an amusing read, with many laugh out loud moments, but there is an intense seriousness well disguised by the humour and ridiculousness of these two knights trying to save the Earth, whilst doing serious harm to each other. The funny thing is, for a fantasy, it all seems to make perfect sense! I loved the madcap ideas and endeavours, it’s reincarnation at its very best.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book group, publishers for such an entertaining read. A sheer delight from start to finish, with real information to tease the reader. This is my honest review, freely given in exchange for my advanced digital copy. Five stars!!

Headlines:
Future world reimaginings
Knights of the round table
Snarky, wit-fest

Well, this wasn't the book I thought it was going to be but not in a bad way. Conceptually, this blew any expectations I had out of the water and placed me in future England but with a cast of historical folklore characters I've read much about over the years.

This trippy dystopian brought the reader of a circuitous journey around Wales, Scotland, Manchester and more. Kay and Miriam made an unusual pairing working together but they did work. Lancelot was not a noble sort, he was lost in lament and fueled with rage. The dystopian kicks came from climate change in future UK, no monarchy (hoorah) and some eco-terrorism. Nothing I read felt unlikely, in fact, it was uncomfortably believable from those aspects.

Foreshadowing was an underlying flavour, most of those elements gave a later lightbulb. I appreciated the wit and snark some of the characters had and the tone of the narrative.

Overall an unusual but welcome story with Arthurian characters.

Please be aware there are lots of triggers for some.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the review copy.

Publishing, as you may have noticed if you’ve spent more than a millisecond in the company of books, loves a good trend, and in the world of fantasy one of those current trends is Arthurian retellings. You can see why; that era of entwined myth and fact is ripe for analysis and interpretation. You can do it from a diversity angle: explore the racial diversity and queerness of the era, whether historically based or a literary reimagining; you can do it from a revisionist angle (“maybe some of them were dicks”) or you can go deep into the pagan, mystical elements of it (Green Knight it, if you like). Alternatively, you can combine the Knights of the Round Table with the modern world, making a political allegory, plonking chivalry against whatever the hell you call Modern Britain right now in this moment of pre-apocalyptic head-in-the-sand chaos.


Or, if you’re Arthurian PhD student Thomas D Lee, you can do all of these at once and ride this impressive wave of ambition all the way to the summit. And the summit is the right word here, because this is a very, very good book; a modern literary masterpiece that offers one of the definitive current takes on what Britain was, is and will be while also being extremely funny and not a little bonkers in the best British tradition.


The plot is at once monstrously complicated and gloriously simple. Arthurian Knights have returned to save a future climate change-wracked Britain. Boom. Done. Within that sentence though is a heap more, a collision of mythic past and dystopian future. Britain is half flooded, London mostly underwater, great lakes and marshes across parts of the country. The infrastructure and government of Britain has largely crumbled as a result. Security has been outsourced to the knowingly named private security firm Saxon (the invaders of King Arthur’s time, if you fell asleep at school) and Essex has been sold to China (don’t laugh, it will happen). The North and the Celtic lands, meanwhile, are independent or attempting to be so, with a riotous mix of Welsh self proclaimed kings, Mancunian communists and St George-style racists all struggling to survive in a land of famine and climate madness.


Into this mayhem come the Knights of the Round Table. Thanks to magic, they are reborn from resurrection trees dotted around the country whenever Britain is in peril, tasked by the government of the time with helping with its latest crisis. Used to being brought back to fight wars and suchlike, they are now confronted with their most unusual test yet: saving the world from a carbon crisis and a government who seems to be trying to escape it rather than solve it.


The scale of this all is so grand and chaotic I hardly know where to begin. So let’s begin with Pratchett. I imagine every review has resorted to the P word, but it’s hard not to. The more obvious comic elements are there: there’s a racist called Barry who’s turned into a comedy squirrel. Fairies creep around in ice cream vans. These are the kind of things a lot of people associate with the comic fantasy master. But Pratchett was much more than that, and I don’t use his name lightly. He used fantastical elements to make sharp political allegories (more on that later) and he had a strong vein of compassion, even in a grim world. That last bit is really noticeable here. The principal knight we meet other than Lancelot is Sir Kay, (he’s black by the way, a fact Lee doesn’t skirt but doesn’t hammer home, weaving it naturally into the Arthurian mythos). Kay is slightly out of his depth but well meaning in the best Pratchett spirit, and his conversations with Mariam, part of a group of female eco-warriors he meet, is pure Pratchett. Good people, doing their best, sometimes shoddily, ultimately redemptively, in a world of grimness (for all Pratchett’s comedy aspects, his main city was a place where you had to pay thieves insurance so they wouldn’t steal from you: it’s a grimdark world).


But there’s more than the influences of Pratchett at work here. Lee’s Britain is a land steeped in magic and paganism and mysticism, as well as comic he creates a sense of the surreal, often creepily so. There’s gods of nature; there’s creatures of storied myth. He has a strong sense of the patchwork of fables and how to weave them into modern times; in this he is confidently carrying on the Neil Gaiman (Sandman et al) tradition. There’s also a strong Alan Moore vibe, none more so than in some of the most fascinating asides where Kay relates all the past character of history they have bumped into over their centuries of resurrection; pure League of Extraordinary Gentleman.


But if Lee is riding on the coattails of a long list of British fantasy greats, then this is very much his own story. At the centre of it is a question of the past of Britain and its soul. Lee, using all his PhD knowledge to the fore, gives us a fairly grim interpretation of the Arthurian legend. In Kay, we have an idealistic knight who is haunted by some of the decisions he has to made and those he has lost. All this is set against the values of current Britain, a land slowly killing itself and all its natural origins for greed. Somehow, Lee has to square the grimness of Britain’s past and the grimness of its future to make an optimistic story, and the fact that he succeeds is a testament to what he has to say about this flawed but important isle.


Of course it’s hard not to do the above with POLITICS and this is, perhaps, one of the most contentious aspects of Lee’s tome. Given the world we inhabit now, any book about climate change and business interest versus the common people is going to be controversial, and I have no doubt there will be some left spitting out their breakfast over this, and no doubt their lunch and dinner too. After all, the good guys are (mostly) eco warriors; they hang out with a bunch of communists at points, and all the bad guys are the petrochemical/government right wing pro-security lot… and the moral to the story is that nature is great. A quick glance at Goodreads (where rationality goes to die) confirms this; there is more than a scattering of the outraged at the allegedly blatant politics on show here.


Except… Lee is not offering a black and white, Woke v Gammon stage show here. The eco-warriors and other leftists are shown to be frequently self-defeating, ineffective and tiresome. The marvellous scene where the communists, Welsh, eco-warriors and others all meet up in Manchester to hash out a plan for save Britain shows the worst of the left: squabbling, falling out over petty grievances. The republicans have a problem with a Welsh King. The eco-warriors don’t like the others’ use of fossil fuels. Lee is offering nuance here, not bias. He also avoids overt social commentary (some people are queer, some are Muslim, but this is not the point – they just are) as well as policy solutions other than the climate-based variety.


But look, at the end of the day this is still a fairly non-apologetic celebration of those who are opposed to climate change and the path that modern day capitalism and business-friendly interests is taking us. But, I would politely suggest (and by doing so, no doubt annoy those breakfast spillers I mentioned earlier) in a world clearly dying around us where nothing is being done, can such pro-climate points really be considered political? If they are, then maybe we really are all doomed.


But for all the above, this is also a book about people, and their trauma and their coming together to find their voice and absolve their guilt. The small relationships are what matters here just as much as the larger scale chaos. Lancelot, in particular is a triumph. He appears at first a loyal, elitist, stooge to the government, more cynical-take James Bond than Arthurian hero. But as we discover more about him – his gripes, his tortured past, his grief – he becomes this incredible rounded character whose character arc feels gloriously earned. Show me a better character journey this year, I’ll wait.


Kay is a triumph as well; not just with his troubled relationship with Lancelot but with his self-questioning of whether this world really needs a Knight anymore. Mariam, the eco-warrior trying to do good in a world of squabbling men (and a few squabbling women, too) is also that classic Pratchett character: she has the power to change the world precisely because she doesn’t want the power. The spirit of Sam Vimes is strong in this one. Without these real, character arcs the book wouldn’t work, but they are the lodestone upon which the comedy chaos rests.


I haven’t even got to the rest yet: the phenomenal take on Arthur that has to be seen to be believed, Merlin (ditto), Morgan-le-fey etc. But at some point you have to get on with your life and stop reading this, so I’ll let you discover these yourself.


What Lee has done here is astonishing. He’s combined the comedy and literary stylings of British giants like Pratchett, Gaiman, Alan Moore, Douglas Adams and others with his own uniquely powerful take on British values and the power of hope, making this as fundamentally important as it is, importantly, fun. If there really is any Arthurian justice left in these sceptred isles of ours, then we’ll be talking about this book for a very long time.

A funny, satirical, and queer fantasy adventure combining Arthurian legend with climate activism in a dystopian future.
We have three POV characters - Arthurian knights Lancelot and Sir Kay, and climate change activist Mariam.
Sir Kay is one of the original Arthurian knights of the round table and he is brought back to life every time England needs him. This time, he gets brought back to help Mariam and her fight to save the planet.
We also go into Arthurian legend and how the story we've been told may not be the full one...
This story deals with many modern day issues, including global warming and capitalism, whilst also finding space to be funny and entertaining - throw in dragons and this makes for a great story!

I loved this. It isn’t “The once and future king”, but I thought it was just as compelling.

Briefly, it isn’t the first time that King Arthur’s knights have been woken. They’ve been present at the battle of Agincourt, at the Somme, and in Korea. This time however, as well as the usual threats to the kingdom (Saxons, marauding dragons) they have to deal with the results of climate change. The main protagonists are Kay, Lancelot and a young woman called Mariam (part of the Feminist Environmentalist Transgressive Alliance, or FETA – cue lots of jokes about cheese!)

Kay is the character on whom the plot hangs. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. Recently I watched the Disney film of ‘The Sword in the Stone’, and he is portrayed as a bungling oaf, but in the legend he is Arthur’s seneschal, which implies some organising ability. He and Lancelot are the only two of the knights to return, along with a character called Marlowe, who I assumed was a version of Mordred. Merlin is mad, the Lady of the Lake has been affected by climate change and poor water quality and Morgan le Fay seems to have changed sides. The rich old men who have sold their souls to the Devil for a long life in Avalon (a repurposed oil platform) don’t care about anyone else, and people think that it would be a good time to wake Arthur. Kay and Lancelot know that this would be a very bad idea.

Lee paints a terrifying picture of what could happen, not so very far in the future. Despite the terror, the story is heavily laced with humour, and I couldn’t avoid fantasy casting the Monty Python boys. Although Kay is black - perhaps Lenny Henry would be a good fit.

Leaving that aside, I thought it was a jolly good read (although it was far from jolly). I’ll be keeping my eyes open for Thomas D Lee’s next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for the proof.

PERILOUS TIMES by Thomas D. Lee

An ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. PERILOUS TIMES will be published on 25 May 2023.

Britain can count on King Arthur's famous knights whenever the realm is in danger. Sir Kay is one of those immortals and accustomed to being raised from the dead to fight wars and defend Britain. This time, however, things are a little less clear-cut and Kay has to trust the radical climate-activist Mariam to show him the way in a land full of magic and melting pole caps.

Eco-conscious, queer and a bit predictable

Thomas D. Lee's unique voice is a great, modern counterpoint to the historical backdrop of this Arthurian retelling. His sentences are short, choppy even, and lead the reader with a steady hand through all the historical name dropping while Kay has to navigate near-future Britain. Those already familiar with Arthurian lore might find this tedious and boring, especially as some of the twists in the story are probably centuries old, which is not a great combination with an already fairly predictable base plot. The more modern elements, however, such as the eco-activistic perspective and the messy queer lens, add interesting layers and a good deal of fun.

Though based on deep-dug history, Perilous Times is not overly profound and has plenty of flaws with its Chinese-flavoured xenophobic undertones and forgiving attitude towards white supremacists - despite the Black main characters. These (and other) characters, however, are one of Lee's strengths. He succeeded in creating flawed, believable characters with relatable and often conflicting convictions, which make for an entertaining novel.

Rating

Perilous Times was great as a commute read: easy to put down and easy to pick up again. It probably helped that I don't know all that much about Arthurian canon and have no recent retellings to compare it to. The closest comparison I can think of is actually Zombieland (the film). They're both full of gore, satire and found family vibes - and are best not read too deeply. Worth reading for its humour, though. Solid three stars.

Sir Kay is tired. After a thousand years of climbing up from below the earth, summoned by England's need, he and his fellow knights have grown bitter about the oath they swore, bound by Merlin's magic. Now Kay is awake again, and everything is exactly the same. And everything is different.

Perilous Times is set in a not-so-distant future where climate change has forced England to reshape. Kay and Lancelot have both woken just as a dragon - a creature created by pooling magic - has been seen for the first time in centuries. As they explore the new world they've woken to, so we explore both the possibilities for the future and the desperation of King Arthur's England.

This is a strangely poignant book. Funny, insightful, and oddly hopeful despite being set in a semi-apocalyptic world. It takes a wry look at the current state of politics, climate change naysayers, and the narrative of heroism, and encourages us all to consider what kind of future we would like to see.

Personally, I loved it. It spoke to me in a way I didn't expect it to, and embraced the ridiculous nature of its own plot whilst still treating the threats to the world with a solemnity I could respect. I will definitely reread this book.

Fantastic! I enjoyed reading this so much. A highly entertaining and darkly comedic look at the end of days. A small cabal of rich old men, who sold their souls long ago, have finally drained the last resources from the planet and are looking to move on to pastures new. It's left to a motley crew of eco warriors and Arthurian knights to try and save the world. There are some compelling arguments for change, that could and should be applied to our current society.

NoFirstly, thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a chance to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an independent review.

Secondly - Perilous Times is likely to be the marmite of my 2023 reading. People are either going to love it, or hate it, and I think that's what the early reviews are indicating. I don't expect many middle of the road star ratings.

Luckily, I fell into the love category.

Part Arthurian Adventure...
The book centres round the legend that Arthur and his knights will return to the world when Britain is in peril. We see POVs from Kay and Lancelot within the first few chapters, and get an inkling that perhaps the King Arthur of legend is not the leader we'd want in modern times. The knights have been rebirthed repeatedly throughout history, assisting Britain in all the times of crisis. Now, they're rebirthed into a future we can see on the horizon. The planet is in ruins thanks to global warming, half of Britain is flooded and overheating, people have been displaced into refugee camps to escape the floodwaters, food is scarce, as is medicine and the general population are struggling.
The government is mostly ineffective, parts of Britain have been sold off (Essex is owned by China 😂) and Britain's defence has been left in the hands of private contractors. Which brings us to...

Part scathing satire....
A lot of the negativity I've seen is focused on the climate crisis doctrine that beats you over the head in this story. No doubt, global warming is at the front of this tale. But keep reading. It's an amazing literary take down of capitalism. The governing class have LITERALLY sold their souls to the devil for the ability to live forever in wealth. They've abandoned their principals, their homes, the common people and ultimately their planet.
BUT, Lee takes a dig at the Communists too. Manchester (where a big chunk of the action takes place) is under control of several, largely Communist, groups. And it's falling apart. There is petty in-fighting over and over again that stands in the way of the people who actually want to improve the planet. Government in ANY form is a target here - any group that puts itself in power and then uses said power to further their own agenda without working for the common good.

Wholly entertaining...
This book is mad. Absolutely bonkers, in such a British way (how this is gonna be received outside the UK is anybody's guess). Whether it's magic dragons, eco-terrorism, the consumption of questionable funghi, the disillusionment of heroes or the inclusion of Shakespearean playwrights, there was never a point where this book did what I expected. It was laugh out loud funny, with a really serious undertone. It pokes fun at everyone, but ultimately, it asks what kind of person you want to be, and what are we actually looking for in a leader? Are you living your life in pursuit of the common good, or are you out for yourself? How messed up is Britain, is it worth saving, and WHO is going to be the hero? The big questions in today's political climate, dressed up in comedic fantasy. I'll be recommending all over the place!

"Perilous Times" just didn't do it for me. It's mostly fun and funny, but the humour feels a bit forced at times. The story itself was disappointing. So much more could have been done with the idea, and I probably expected too much from the blurb. The writing is pretty good though, and is the main reason why I got to the final page.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.