Thomas D Lee’s debut Perilous Times is a strange amalgam of post-apocalyptic eco-thriller and classic fantasy liberally laced with plenty of satire. It is set in a Britain ravaged by climate changes, features rapacious corporations, plucky revolutionaries and climate refugees. But it also centres around the Arthurian legends and the knights of the Round Table. Somehow, though, he manages to make this mashup work.
Sir Kay, brother of an adopted King Arthur and one of the knights of Camelot awakens from death and re-emerges whenever Britain is in peril. When Perilous Times opens, Sir Kay climbs from the earth beneath his sacred oak and finds himself helping a woman called Mariam who is in the process of blowing up a fracking facility. The explosion not only destroys the facility but awakens a dragon, one of the many pieces of evidence that leads Mariam to believe that Sir Kay is, in fact who he says he is. Meanwhile, in London, Lancelot has also awoken but he has spent the last centuries working for Marlowe, an immortal representative of the British Government, and he has other plans, including trying to bring about the return of King Arthur.
There is a lot going on in Perilous Times. It is set in a day-after-tomorrow Britain which is riven by rampant and destructive climate change. The cities have become giant refugee camps and the ultra wealthy have retired to a repurposed oil rig called Avalon. Fighting against this is a ragtag collection of groups from Mariam’s militant feminist vegans to Welsh and Scottish nationalists. And while many feel that a figure like King Arthur may be the thing that will turn the situation around, both Kay and Lancelot know that the truth is far different to the myth.
But in the end, for all of its battles and dragons and mayhem this is satire. Lee channels Monty Python and Douglas Adams in fashioning his motley knights, dastardly cardboard villains and plucky heroine. He includes an out-of-sorts (due to drought and pollution) Lady of the Lake, a drug dealing Merlin who has his own agenda and a conflicted Morgan le Fay.
Perilous Times does not always get its mix of genres and tones exactly right but Lee does more than enough to stick the landing. And he does so with a fairly obvious message around self empowerment. That is we want to avoid the type of future he has envisaged then it is up to everyone to take a stand. And while this message is sometimes a little too overt it is one that is worth repeating.

🐉Perilous Times🐉

By Thomas D Lee @thomas_d_lee

Description:

IN PERILOUS TIMES LIKE THESE, THE REALM DOESN'T JUST NEED A HERO.
IT NEEDS A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR.

Sir Kay and his fellow knights awake from their mythical slumber whenever Britain has need of them; they fought at Agincourt and at the Somme. But in these perilous modern times, the realm is more divided than ever, a dragon has been seen for the first time in centuries, and Kay is not the only ancient and terrible thing to come crawling up out of the ground . . .

🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉

Described as being perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Ben Aaronovitch, I had to give this debit by Thomas D Lee a go.

Set in a near-future climate disaster dystopia Britain, where flooding has displaced whole swathes of the country, if anything this book was a bit too close for comfort for me! As someone dealing with a lot of anxiety around climate change and the late stage capitalist dystopia we are living in, this was an enjoyable but also uncomfortable read.

The Arthurian mythology and how the resurrected Knights reacted to a modern world in crisis was interesting, but a lot of the plot around how the 1% were planning to save themselves was all a bit close to home!

There is a lot of dark humour in here, and obviously a lot of satire. I enjoyed the various POV’s and felt the main characters were well developed. I would have like a bit more development of Miriam’s FETA crew though.

Overall, a fun and interesting debut that is closer to reality than I am altogether comfortable with!

Thanks to @netgalley and @orbitbooks_uk for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't tell you how much I adored this book. It's filled to the brim with brilliantly written characters, magic, social commentary and part of it is set in my hometown! Back in the time of King Arthur, Merlin foresaw that England would be in dire need of it's Knights again, so he convinced them to drink a potion and tether themselves to trees, sleeping in the earth until awakened when England needed them most. Over the centuries Sir Kay and his fellow Knights have fought Saxons, mercenaries & Nazi's, but nothing can prepare him for what he finds when he digs himself out of the dirt this time. England isn't just in peril, it's dying. Climate control failed, the waters rose and now the population of the country live in camps surviving off the paltry offerings of the land. Mariam has devoted her life to fixing what's wrong with her country, but she's just one person up against conglomerates and the government who do a very good job of pitting the people against one another. When she crosses paths with Sir Kay, she thinks her prayers have been answered, here is one of King Arthur's fabled Knights of the round table, but she quickly realises that the stories she's heard of the King aren't exactly true and she comes to realise that there's no such thing as hero's, just people fighting for whats right, which is exactly what she's planning to do.

Perilous Times is told through multiple POV's, the main three being Mariam, Sir Kay and Lancelot. Mariam is someone I instantly bonded with. She's someone fighting for whats right, the never winnable battle, but she's certainly not going down without a fight. She is a character who goes through a whole boat load of character growth throughout the story, going from someone who thinks that a hero is all they need to save the world, to someone who realises that hero's very rarely live up to our perceptions of them and in fact it might just be someone normal, someone like Mariam who desperately wants to save her world that might actually be able to do it.

Kay is fed up of his life, every time he crawls up from the earth it seems to be getting harder and harder, and each time he wonders whether the battle he's fighting is actually the right one. Through his POV we get an insight into not just the time of Arthur, but the time after that, and the people/government officials who learnt of Kay and his brother Knights and used them as weapons to fight their battles. He is so incredibly done, with life, with England with people, but when he meets Mariam he see's a glimmer of hope, someone worth fighting for. Lancelot is... not the kindhearted and loyal Knight that you might remember from the stories. Unlike Kay his moral compass is slightly shaky and he has less inhibitions when it comes to who he fights for. He starts off as a bit of a dick, I wont lie to you, but the more time we spend in his head, the more we learn about the fabled King Arthur, his aloofness and lack of fucks start to make more sense and you start to see the true man behind the persona he puts on.

Lee takes the legend of King Arthur, the noble and kind King and just annihilates it. In Perilous Times Arthur's a bit of a dick, someone who would start a war over the smallest slight, who treated his brother like he was dirt under his shoe and never listened to his advisers. Similarly Lancelot, as I mentioned above is not the Knight you might hope for or remember, he's incredibly jaded and willing to fight for whoever offers him the best creature comforts. Some people might not like this, but I loved it. It fit perfectly with the morals and social commentary Lee was hoping to bring, the fact that the people we look up to as hero's, those we revere very rarely live up to our expectations of them. Through Mariam and Kay and Lancelot he shows that if we want change, we can't expect others to step up first, we have to be the change because those in power who we look up to are generally only looking out for themselves.

There's plenty of other social commentary as well, mainly focusing on climate change and how we all seem to be hoping that there's going to be some big magical fix to save the planet, but magic can't fix everything. Lee's world is one that doesn't seem overly far away which added an almost sinister air to the story. A world where the polar ice caps have melted and countries are now largely under water, where rivers have dried up, animals have died and the people who are supposed to be trying to fix it are instead planning their escape to somewhere better. He shows how those in power pit us against one another because it's only when we stand together, put aside our petty grievances that change will actually occur and while this all sounds far fetched and a little political, Lee keeps it realistic, there is no magic fix at the end, just a group of people willing to come together over a shared goal. Also, I think the tagline for this book should just be #FuckRacists, in fact just fuck anyone who tries to demean someone else because they're different, because it's a story filled with diversity which I adored.

I loved this book. It's a bit dire and doesn't end in the positive way you might expect, but it still read like a hug in a book thanks to the brilliant characters that Lee writes. Is it political? Yes. Is that the point? Also yes? But it's also filled with magic and love and people desperately trying to be the best they can be. It's witty and irreverent and Lee's writing style makes the story move at a breakneck pace despite the amount of inner monologue. And even if it wasn't all that, it's partly set in my hometown and the theme park I used to visit as a kid, so an instant win for me. I genuinely can't wait to pick up whatever Lee writes next.

This ended up being a DNF for me (did not finish).
I loved the premise of the Arthurian characters coming back to fight in modern times, but I just wasn't enjoying the execution at all. The characters were mostly dull, nothing about the dystopian future was grabbing my attention. I saw a few times people likening the humour to pratchett, but in what I read I saw none of that in the slightest. I didn't even find it remotely amusing.
So I'm afraid I can't recommend this book.

Definitely worth a read. The world has gone to pot, climate change has been a problem. Mariam wants action, not just talk. Kay is back because Britain is in peril. And Aurther and his cronies, well the stories written about them might not tell the whole truth. Will anyone survive? I enjoyed the book, but would have liked more satirical humour throughout to get 5 stars. Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

Initially, I found the first 50 pages of the book to be captivating and intriguing. However, as I continued reading, I increasingly became disengaged and frustrated with the narrative. The novel uses the fantasy genre to explore and comment on current climate and social issues, which I found fascinating. However, the story is too British-centered, and instead of providing new perspectives, it felt like the book added to the issue it was trying to reflect on.

Ultimately, I couldn't align with the author's approach to the issues addressed in the book. It's also possible that I just failed to understand the book's essence, but regardless, the story did not resonate with me as a reader.

Thank you Little Brown Book group and NetGalley for the arc of Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Yes, I know that there have been a few books recently that have put a modern twist on the tales of King Arthur, his Knights and Avalon but, this one appealed with its view on the damage of climate change and of course dragons! And I don’t regret a thing!

Lee takes Arthurian legend and twists it to a whole new perspective, putting the emphasis on Sir Kay, Arthur’s step-brother and challenging the fairy tale piety of Arthur’s goodness, piety and perfection, plus he pulls together a dramatic, ravaged world on the edge of destruction. The United Kingdom is dangerously damaged, polluted, flooded and has been torn apart and sold off to the highest bidder. Her people are poverty stricken, lost and desperately divided into factions, ignorant that this only serves to fulfil the desires of their new owners and their dastardly plans.

Sir Kay is brought back to life, a whole Merlín thing. Yes, Merlín is involved too, as Sir Kay arises to fulfil a destiny he has awoken for previously, to save Britain in peril. But this time it’s different, the magic isn’t working the way it should and the damsel Mariam, is an eco warrior determined to save herself.

There are more Arthurian characters plus, a cast of eco warriors, fae, Herne the hunter and Sir Lancelot too, and the mix and profile of the characters is positively divergent. Plus, Lee doesn’t shy from finding the comedy in mixing the Arthurian and modern world; there is a perfect level of cynicism, sarcasm and pathos, that makes for great dialogue.

The story itself is truly magical, with a well paced, spirited plot that both entertains and calls on the reader to reflect on the current and future plight of the planet. It’s definitely not all doom and gloom, the action is plentiful across horseback, motorbikes, dragons, water and it truly delivers an explosive story that has kept me up, way past my bedtime!

I saw a tweet about Perilous Times by Thomas Lee and I knew I had to read this book with a modern twist on King Arthur and his Knights.
I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.
I loved the world-building in this book. This is a future Britain savaged by years of climate change and terrible politics- a future potentially around the corner. This England is split into many different geographical areas controlled by various factions but overall the country is run by a shadowy group of rich, ancient and evil men.
So to save the realm, Sir Kay and Sir Lance are called back to duty(an agreement they made with Merlin a long time again) but this time it feels different. Sir Kay and Lance are both cynical and weary in their own way. Some of their interactions with modern folk are hilarious as is their very unique way of dealing with problems.

Mariam is the young eco-warrior trying to fight to make things better when she gets caught up in modern and ancient politics. I liked Mariam- a realistic portrayal of a woman caught up and expected to take on burdens she doesn’t want.
But the best character is, of course, King Arthur, the legends may not have been entirely correct about him (I don’t want to say more to say as this may spoil it for some).
There is plenty of action (on horses and motorcycles), magic, politics and an explosive and satisfying end.

If you have been reading genre fiction for a while, you may notice certain patterns and trends appear and reappear. There was the phase, for example, where it seemed like every Fantasy book cover had a hooded figure on its cover, or every SF novel had a Hugo Awards style spaceship or a Chris Foss book cover. The latest I’ve noticed is for the trend of turning well-known characters around, so that figures once seen as villains are now heroes and vice versa. The other is a blending and a multiplication of sexes, either with gender-swapping or by them just being multisexual. It is not unusual for main characters once seen as strongly heterosexual to be gay, lesbian, bisexual and so on.

All well and good, some cry. Fiction should rearrange things and test ideas as well as reflect the wide variety of diverse sexes, cultures and races out there. It is perhaps a sign of the times that such broad varieties are accepted and seen as less unusual, or less shocking, than they used to.

Which brings me to Perilous Times, a contemporary take on the Arthurian legend. At first, I thought that this book was going to be a humorous story of characters out of time and out of their depth. The cover made me think that it was going to be rather Monty Python-like. I was mistaken.  (How often do we say to not judge a book by its cover?)

From the publisher: “Sir Kay and his fellow knights awake from their mythical slumber whenever Britain has need of them; they fought at Agincourt and at the Somme. But in these perilous modern times, the realm is more divided than ever, a dragon has been seen for the first time in centuries, and Kay is not the only ancient and terrible thing to come crawling up out of the ground . . .” 

Here the old legend of King Arthur has been brought up to date with a near-future setting, where Britain is in decline and wracked by social upheaval, political unrest and environmental destruction combined with climate change. Beer costs twenty-four pounds and ninety a pint. There are refugee camps, flooded landscapes, cities run by gangs and under mercenary rule, religious cults roaming the land, an abdicated King and a government nowhere to be seen, hidden away in secret committee meetings. Things are indeed perilous.

This modern version also shows the relationships of the characters as more contemporary. Interestingly, it is Kay, the brother of Arthur, that we are most meant to feel for in this version of the story. By comparison Arthur is portrayed as a megalomaniac who has let power go to his head and allowed atrocities to happen in his name. This is exacerbated by him struggling to come to terms which some elements of a changed Albion. Lancelot is bisexual and returns, pining not for the loss of Gwenhwyfar, Arthur’s wife, but Galehaut, who he still thinks of dearly. Merlin is a deranged academic who can see across multiple universes and who spends his time experimenting and trying to guide the knights along the best possible future, whatever that is.

The book also poses some interesting contextual problems. What if our heroes are not who we expect them to be? What would knights from the realm of King Arthur make of missiles, for example? Machine guns? Climate change? Lee cleverly deals with this by pointing out that some of the knights have appeared in more recent times, fighting in World War I and II, as well as in Malaya and other places. If the knights are killed, they go back to start again, in a sort of reset that reminded me of Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow. As a result, their knowledge of weaponry, flying machines and improvements in communications are not that far from the present.

There are times where this can feel a little unreal. Having ancient icons talking of social media and using words like shagging can feel a little odd, and will not be to everyone’s tastes, but it worked for me within the setting Lee has created for his characters.

Much of the main plot deals with the relationship between the knights and the changing landscape, made worse by climate change. On his rebirth, Kay manages to connect with Mariam and a group of women who are environmental terrorists, determined to destroy the corporate businesses destroying our planet for the sake of profit. He agrees with them that the planet – or Britain, at least – needs to be restored to the state of its previous health if it is to survive.

There is some humour, it must be said – Kay killing a deer for food in the mistaken belief that it will feed his group, only to find that they are vegetarian is just one example – but when the lighter elements do happen, they are more Pratchett than Python.

Overall though, Perilous Times feels surprisingly dark, more than I thought it would. Like in Pratchett’s novels there are times when the main feeling in the novel is anger at the injustice that rages across the pages. There is a constant questioning of how things have got to this state, socially, economically and environmentally.

In the end, though, the themes of love and friendship remain, and the value of service, duty and loyalty still hold firm. I liked the fact that despite the dark nature of the plot at times, Perilous Times in the end still has an element of hope – not to mention dragons (with an interesting origin story as to their nature.)  Goodness can prevail, people can and do care.

I was surprised at how much Lee manages to combine elements of the old legend into his version. There are a lot of links to the original Arthurian tale should you wish to look for them. They are not essential, but I enjoyed connecting the dots when they appeared.

Summing up then, Perilous Times is a queerly reimagined version of the Arthurian legend updated to today that warns us about future times, raises a mirror to life in our near-future and questions what makes us important. It is a book that takes something that might know of and does something different with it, and for that reason it may be worth your time.

I wanted to like this more than I did but it started to wane well before the end and it threw me right out. The balance of prose and plot wasn't handled well and the humour was the best part. It wasn't enough to save the book though.

3.5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I really love the premise of this book, the idea is unique and so interesting. It’s the reason I have rounded up.

I do wish we had more information about the magic and lore and explored more of that side. Perhaps flashbacks of past wars, featuring the missing knights. I did feel like this let the book down a bit for me.

Also, like so many books I have read recently the ending feels quite rushed-I would have liked a more satisfying conclusion.

But overall I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely look out for what the author writes next.

Loved it. Absolutely loved it.

What's not to love? Here we are in the end of days. The planet is hurtling towards disaster. Its too hot, the water's drying up, the food is running out and people are fighting in lumps. The realm of Britain is most definitely in peril.

And what do you need when there are perilous times? You need heroes. Not just any heroes either, you need King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Oh yes, it doesn't get much more heroic than that. Well actually it does. You might also need some dedicated climate activists, the odd magician and even a dragon or two.

This wonderfully bonkers story has some very serious roots in that it takes climate change to its ultimate conclusion but after that it's completely mad. (And I know its completely mad because I described it to my mum and she asked if I'd been smoking something). However through the madness it's a brilliant yarn. It stretches the imagination. It plays with your perception of myths and it made me snort with laughter too.

So yes, I'd recommend this wholeheartedly. I look forward to whatever crazy tale Thomas D Lee comes up with next and thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. More like this please.

Sir Kay and his fellow knights awake from their mythical slumber whenever Britain is in need. The knights fought at Agincourt, at the Somme, and other wars through the years when called, too many for them to recall. Now, Britain is in need more than ever before. The country is fractured, dragons are roaming, and something terrible is being risen from the depths of, well somewhere akin to hell.

It is hard to tell you any more than this without ruining the fun, confusion and heroics that follow. Sir Kay meets his match in Mariam, a feminist eco-warrior determined to save the world, or at the very least, Britain. Sir Kay decides he must help her, so fluffs about after her, in a world of unknown technology, and unknown destruction, not quite sure what he can do, but it is his job to be a hero, so he will keep on keeping on regardless.

This book was very entertaining. It promised that it was perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Ben Aaronovitch. I would add a touch of Douglas Adams into that mix too. There were multiple points of view in the story, from our female eco protagonist, to Kay, to Lancelot. Then there is Merlin, and lots of talk of Aurthur. However, put aside anything you think you know of King Arthur and the lore surrounding him. These knights, wizards and the king are absolutely not what you are expecting.

The world has gone to hell, and those with money are trying to jump ship, and using money (what is new?!) to do so alongside dark magic. Anything to save their skin, as usual. Mix politics, corruption, history, feminism, racism, intolerance, climate change, magic, existential crises, and more, along with the absolute tongue-in-cheek absurdity (hello talking squirrel) and you start to scratch the surface of this book. It was a delightfully entertaining read, and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author

*I received this book for review from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

This was such a brilliant blend of mythology and activism. It sees through to the heart of the corruption that will cause the downfall of the UK (further than it has already fallen) and provides horrifying, yet potential (sort of), picture of what is to come. Sure, it's couched in comedy and is a fun heroic adventure story, but hidden in plain sight is a story about showing up for yourself, doing what's necessary, and maybe helping to save the day.

A bold contemporary retelling of Arthurian legend set against the climate crisis. Punchy, humorous, and poignant; it kept the core of the myths whilst embellishing them to create something relevant and timely. It was also fiercely feminist and inclusive yet tackled growing racism and intolerance in the UK (absurdly, this is best summed up by a talking squirrel). I loved Lancelot and Kay, and the chapters focusing on their history and trauma were particularly good. Mariam was an amazing main character and I adored her relationship with the other women in her eco-terrorist cell. Highly recommended.

3.5/5

Perilous Times offers an intriguing premise - what would happen if the Knights of the Round Table returned to tackle modern-day problems? The pacing is good, and the ideas are compelling. However, the execution leaves something to be desired. The humor falls flat at times, and the characters lack depth, which makes it difficult to become invested in their story arcs (subjective). Despite these flaws, Perilous Times is still an enjoyable read that offers a contemporary take on the myths of Camelot. If you're a fan of modern-day retellings and don't mind a few shortcomings, this book might be worth checking out.

More 3.5 stars but rounded up!

Firstly, I never thought I would see the day that a fantasy book would mention my home town of Blackpool and my childhood themepark, Camelot!!

This book is interesting, it has some quite funny moments for a book about everything coming to an end. It’s a mix of genres between dystopian and fantasy with more focus on dystopian

I found myself to be intrigued by the some of the characters backstories and the resurrections than the actual plot of the story

Due to the nature of the book relating to real world topics I.e global warming, it may not be for you if you are looking for some real world escapism!

It was a good read with some interesting concepts but it did lack the wow factor for me

Ancient Arthurian knights are called from the earth to defend the realm in times of peril…
They been called many times, and seen many wars over the centuries. And now the world seems to have passed all the tipping points, and it’s not just the realm that’s in trouble.
Fascinating on many levels (myths, activism, dystopia, politics and people), and reminiscent of some great authors / series.

A really interesting new take on the story of King Arthur and his knights. Could you waken the sleeping knights to save the earth from the awful effects of global warming? What if King Arthur isn't the self sacrificing hero we all believe him to be? And what if Lancelot's lover was someone other than Guinevere? Someone unexpected? This story is set in a future where the earth is dying and Sir Kay and his band of eco-feminist activists try desperately to save the world. It's fun and different and definitely worth a read.

Fantasy novel set in our times - or near enough - quite good.

What do you get when you pair up Arthurian knights with our decaying world? This novel attempts to do this with Sir Kay and Sir Lancelot becoming involved in a situation where Britain is already suffering from the results of climate change. Mariam is an eco-warrior, joining the knights in the struggle to save the planet. The characters are reasonably interesting and the plot works quite well but the whole concept didn't really work for me. There's plenty of action, fighting, a bit of a body count, a fair amount of moralising about what mankind is doing to the planet. It's just wasn't very engaging for me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.