Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

Perilous Times

by Thomas D. Lee

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 . . .

Perilous Times is a fiercely entertaining contemporary take on the myths of Camelot, which asks: what happens when the Knights of the Round Table return to fix the problems of the modern world?

This debut is perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jodi Taylor and Ben Aaronovitch.

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AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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WINNER OF THE FANTASY HIVE 'DEBUT OF THE YEAR' AWARD
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'If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you'll enjoy Perilous Times . . . wryly witty, it's an utterly original take on Arthurian myth' The Times

'This audacious, original debut is angry as well as entertaining, and an exciting new take on the Matter of Britain' Guardian

'Funny, weird, wise, lovely, and full of mad sh*t. You've never read anything like it before, and you should bang that order button now' Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

'Lee has brought Arthur's legends into these modern, perilous, times' Fantasy Hive

'Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. I've never read a book that treads so happily the ground between making you think, and making you laugh out loud' Beth Underdown

'I HOWLED my way through this book! Smart, funny, refreshing fantasy. . . Anyone who liked Rivers of London will love this' Natasha Pulley

'Forget the once-and-future-king; this is a once-and-future classic' Jackson Ford

'Lee has a maestro's eye for satire' Richard Swan

'A brilliant collision of ancient mysticism with modern madness' Robert Jackson Bennett

'Relentlessly entertaining, deadpan hilarious and full of heart. Give it five pages and you'll be hooked' Scott Hawkins

'Maintains a steady faith in humanity's ability to bring itself back from the brink' Publishers Weekly

'Perilous Times has knights, mad science, corporate villainy . . . and dragons ready to burn it all down... delightful' Kevin Hearne

'An awesomely accomplished debut' Daily Mail

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

3.5 of 5 stars

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Book Summary:

The Knights of the Round Table have faced many challenges over the years. They have been victorious more often than not, thanks to brave knights and clever leadership. But now they face a foe like nothing before.

The world is rapidly warming, and the politics around this debate are out of control. How can the knights take decisive action when nobody agrees on what that action should be?

My Review:

So if there's one thing I've learned from my latest reading stint, I need a break from certain genres/tropes. For example, I need a (long) break from Greek retellings. I also apparently need a bit of a break from Arthurian stories. As such, I probably didn't enjoy Perilous Times as much as I could have or should have. So please take my review with a grain of salt!

The best part of Perilous Times has to be the characters. They're easy to get attached to, with sympathetic and compelling plot arcs. In truth, this is probably the best representation I've seen of these characters in quite some time.

The more modern take on this retelling certainly didn't hurt, either. The idea of the Knights of the Round Table trying to deal with current dilemmas is...interesting, to say the least. It's comical and heartbreaking all in one, and I love Thomas D. Lee for putting that in my brain.

Highlights:
Debut
Modern Arthurian Tale
LGBTQ+

Thanks to Ballantine Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 July, 2023: Finished reading
  • 3 July, 2023: Reviewed