I'm very sorry about how long it took me to finally write a review for this book. I tried many times to get through it but unfortunately I never really enjoyed the story.

‘Perilous Times’ had a lot of components that seemed initially like the sum may have ended up chaotic and aimless, but Lee finds a way to weave together climate crisis, political tensions, and Arthurian legends in a way that ends up fun, topical, and surprisingly coherent. While the writing style itself is a little stilted, the personality this book brings to the table mostly makes up for it. Not for climate change deniers OR for climate activists who take themselves too seriously and might be sensitive to humour that can only be described as “Pratchett-esque.”

My coherent review is extremely late, but still I have the deepest appreciation for Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to have read an advanced egalley of ‘Perilous Times’ in exchange for my honest opinion, even an opinion delivered over a year passed pub date.

A genre-blending novel of dark humor and whimsy, part Arthurian legend and part cli-fi action adventure, which at time gave Fern Gulley vibes and never once did I consider putting it down!

DNF.

I couldn't get into the writing style. It was very dense and clunky, and I feel like a lot could've been cut out.

I really wanted to like this book. Slightly futuristic book collides with King Arthurian legend to help save the planet? Sounded like a fun time! Unfortunately, I just could not get into this one. The motivations of the various characters just didn't mesh with my view of a sympathetic protagonist (particularly when the book took a turn towards Eco-terrorism), and the characters seemed too snippy with each other, humerous with a cruel bite.

In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to finish, leaving this book in my queue as one of my rare DNFs. This book was just not for me; thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this ARC (even if the review is much belated)

A very interesting premise and concept. However I found it a little long. I think it would have been a bit more impactful had it condensed a bit

A very interesting take on Arthurian legends. I was really into it and enjoyed the writing for this. I've always loved different types of legends and mythology, so this was a great read for me. I would recommend this, especially for anybody who is interested in legends, retellings, and a twist on all of those kinds of stories.

Perilous Times is one of the more interesting books I've read in a long time. The concept of the story combines characters from Arthurian legend with more modern environmental activists, all who feel obligated to save their world. Add in some dragons, and it feels like a mix between an apocalyptic story and fantasy. Overall, I found the book entertaining, but also a bit drawn out. The pacing felt somewhat off, and it read like separate genres depending on the chapter. I did really like the character interaction, and the book is highly original.

Arthurian legends are one of my favorite types of retellings. They've also been retold time and time again, setting the bar relatively high for a good retelling.

I was disappointed by this one.

It seemed more of an activism advertisement than a novel at times, and the modern sensibilities of ancient characters felt incongruous with their historical characters. I know, to some extent, this was part of the point the author was making - that we have romanticized historical figures (and especially King Arthur) to a wild extent and need to have some of our preconceptions challenged. I did also appreciate the aspects of this book that paused to look around at all the different types of activism going on in the world and acknowledge that the in-fighting makes things worse and not better.

Despite these moments that I appreciated, this wasn't the book for me. I did not realize how heavily this would lean towards a climate apocalypse/climate change activism, and those are just not aspects that I tend to care for in fiction. Had I known, I may have skipped this one altogether.

2.5 rounded up

I thought I would enjoy seeing characters come back in new ways. But Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee was just not the book for me. I am giving it three stars because there were pieces that I enjoyed. It just isn't quite on my reading path.

I had fun reading Perilous Times and enjoyed the time I spent reading this book! The author's storytelling and world building added depth to the plot. Overall, I highly recommend this book, as it's a must-read for fans of the genre!

Perilous times is a fun retelling of the King Arthur myth. The story is wryly funny and makes subtle commentary on modern day life using the Arthurian myth for the basis. It was funny, engaging, and smart. Sadly, this book went under the radar this spring against bigger titles, but don’t sleep on this one if you like subversive retellings of beloved stories.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF this title early on. I am a fan of the concept—what's not to love about Arthurian legend made modern—but, didn't find myself hooked by the story enough to stick with it and (rightly or wrongly) anticipated not being drawn in by the some of the heavy handed approaches to themes like corporate control and climate change.

This was such a delightful read. I love fresh takes on Arthurian mythology, and I think the modern setting really delivered in this aspect. For those who like Pratchett, the humor seems to draw inspiration from there, so it was quite funny at times. I enjoyed following a knight of the Round Table trying to fight futuristic disasters like climate change. Will absolutely be reading the next novel by Thomas D. Lee.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What's a book that is a "you" book, that you slept on? Unfortunately was moving for a new job when "Perilous Times" by Thomas D. Lee came out, but it is definitely a "me" book.

Getting up in the morning is a little rough when you have to pull yourself out of the ground in chain mail. But that is the lot Sir Kay has to deal with. When the land is in peril he rises from the earth to thwart it. Which is much different than the last time he got up, why is it so warm in Britain? Mariam is fed up with talking about trying to save the planet is doing something about it. In this case it goes sideways and now she has to come to terms with the knight following her and the dragon she just saw. So it's been a bit of a day.

Reasons to read:
-What can people do in the face of the failing systems, broken by the people entrusted to fix things?
-It hits the same vein of humor and poking fun at concepts that "Good Omens" does for me
-Arthurian characters in a modern setting but with the historical context of what their time might really have been like, with the ultra violence and the pull out of Rome and most of them probably being kinda the worst
-Pointing at the real villains and doing something about it
-Racist squirrel redemption
-Maybe making new systems instead of using old ones that don't fit the times is a bad idea?

Cons:
-Pour one out for the good boy
-Ummm do we need to do basic empathy tests for leaders and business owners, because I can see a lot of people irl that would do this stuff

I was not fan of this book. It had potential, but fell flat to me. The knights of Arthur’s round table are brought back to life up whenever the land is in peril. That means throughout history they would be resurrected and often fight in wars. But now (or this is set in the near future) it’s the climate and oil barons. And that is where it fell for me. The constant bemoaning of CO2 and eco terrorism. And in the end, it wasn’t even energy like oil that the bad guys were after, it was magic. Mariam could have been a good character, but there were just too many weird moments for me that ended up being awkward. I almost DNFed this, but stuck it out.

This book started so strong, and then the pacing was so off by the end. I will still try this author again because I loved the modern day/Arthurian/Good Omens vibes this book gave off. The pacing was just rough and some of the themes were a little heavy handed. I think if the book was shorter, it would've been more successful.

This is a very unique story combining Arthurian legends with a dark future where climate change has nearly destroyed the world as we know it. It's a dark fantasy full of human uncertainty, regrets, and failings, but with a small light of hope. I liked the characters. They all seemed fully rounded and fleshed out, although not as heroic as we would wish them to be--by design, I'm sure.

Merlin put a spell on each of the knights of the round table to return to life when England is at peril and they have many times, although not every knight wakes for every peril. They are reborn from the mud beneath the roots of their trees and claw their way out of the ground. Then they must find the peril and fight for the land. Sometimes there is someone to greet and orient them, sometimes not. This time there is no war to fight, but only floods, crop failures, crowding refugees, and infighting. What can a knight do to help against this?

Perilous Times is a brilliant Arthurian modern day fantasy mashup by debut author Thomas D. Lee. Released 23rd May 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 496 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in May 2024. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is an engaging and well told tale about Arthur - the Once and Future King, Avalon, and the knights of the round table, some of whom arise when Albion is threatened. Sir Kay is getting pretty tired of being dragged into life again from under his massive oak tree. This time, in the modern day, the planet's on fire, there's a rampaging dragon, Morgan le Fay's making a comeback, and there are climate activists all over.

It's *not* Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman (and comparing this to those two does Mr. Lee a disservice), but there really are a surprising number of moment of clear humor and promise of prodigious talent. It will be lovely to see how he develops as an author.

The book is long and quite intricate. There is little hand holding or spoon feeding of information, so readers who aren't familiar with the source material might want to brush up a bit before deep diving. For readers who love Arthurian legend and grew up with Le Mort D'Arthur and Parsifal, this is a truly, deeply satisfying read (plus shadow organizations and eco-warriors).

Four stars. Well written and insightful, humorous and poignant.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This was not for me. The plot was compelling, focusing on a future Earth where environmental terrorism abounds while the Earth itself is dying. The knights of the round table from the King Arthur myth actually exist, and are resurrected every so often to offer their assistance in times of strife. Though this was an interesting concept, for some reason I was not able to get into the book at all. The POV switched somewhat frequently between several of the knights, which I typically appreciate in a fantasy book, but because none of the characters really appealed to me, I just couldn't stay focused on the overall plot. I also think the story suffered from too little warmth from said characters, so that they sort of felt like caricatures instead of real people. Unfortunately, I stopped reading at around 40%. It may appeal to some audiences but it just didn't do it for me.