Do you like King Arthur retellings or reimaginings? Perilous Times has the Knights of the Round table as immortal protectors of Britain. Britain is in peril again and they must return to put things right. There's dragons and fey and magic. The guys are not exactly chummy together so everyone's still working through personal issues. And no one really wants to wake Arthur up.
This book moves at a very slow pace. I can appreciate an author trying to build a story around King Arthur's knights in a modern setting but the glacial pace makes it tough to enjoy.

Fans of Arthur stories might enjoy this one. Thanks to Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.

This book is so far out of my typical wheelhouse that I had no idea what to anticipate when I started it. But it truly was a breath of fresh air after reading the same old storylines. The author has a vivid imagination and I loved his narrative voice. The plot was very original, I never imagined the mash-up of climate change and Arthurian legend. I think the author threw in too many issues for just one story, but otherwise it definitely held my interest to the end.

Arthurian legend twisted and reimagined to be set in modern times. There’s guns, some reincarnated legends, and dragons. Very interesting combos, in my opinion. The first chapter did a great job at snatching the reader’s attention, full of death and even a death, though it is known that it doesn’t stick to these guys. It’s humorous. I find that I really enjoyed the tone, which was a grim dystopia paired with dark humor. The writing, though, was a bit lackluster. I wasn’t fully immersed and some of the sentences were put together strangely. There were still moments that I could clearly see what was happening in the scene. Also, dragons.

Although I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, I can see a lot of positive things about it that might lead others to like it more than I did! I think the plot itself was really unique and well-thought out, and everything magical was put together very nicely.

For me, the sticky points are in the technical quality—a lot of the book is told in short, choppy sentences without much variation, and that made it a little tedious for me to read. I would also have expected Kay and Lancelot’s dialogue to be a little more dated, at least in the beginning, since it’s been decades since they’ve been around other people, so them talking in modern English without any kind of adjustment was odd (actually, it seemed like that was one of the only things that wasn’t difficult to them when adjusting to a new era).

And even though I think the plot was very well done and that lots of people would like it, I’m more interested now in reading about the Knights’ exploits throughout the centuries than I was in reading about climate change and corporate greed in the not-too-distant future.

I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with King Arthur and this book definitely inspired me to look back into the lore. I think that the modern setting and updates problems to deal with were a really interesting way to handle it. I will say at times the pacing was a little slow, but overall pretty good!

I loved this book!! Little ashamed to say that I first liked that the setting was England for the destruction of the environment - it so often seems to be America's fault. Obviously it needed to be England for the resurrection of the knights, but still. There are a lot of funny one liners or references to the legends of Arthur. Lots of strong female characters, and Morgan not being a super "witch" for once. The squirrel was hilarious ;) I really liked that Arthur's true nature was revealed, albeit not to the world at large.

Actual Rating: 2,5 ⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perilous Time is a retelling of King Arthur and while the premise was interesting, the execution of the book was lacking.

Plot

Following Sir Kay, a Knight of the Round Table, who is resurrected as an eternal protector of the realm and finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army has been privatized, and half of Britain has been sold to foreign countries, the story shows how the army has changed. When Marian, a regular person, meets Kay, she believes the world has finally found its hero. They learn that a magical scheme of cataclysmic proportions is in progress, but Kay is too preoccupied with hunting dragons and sparring with Lancelot, an old foe, to consider what should be done. Excalibur is within grasp, but who will be qualified to wield it in these dangerous times when the realm desperately needs a true leader?

While the plot was interesting and different, I thought the book was unnecessary long. I found myself bored in some parts, but the author really writes about important issues in our times, like the climate change. I have to say one of my biggest problems with this book was the pacing.

Characters

I usually talk about the main characters individually, but I don't know what to say about this set of characters.

The reader has Kay, Lancelot, Merlin, Morgan, Arthur and a new characters: Mariam, but unfortunately I don't think they were really well developed.

Mariam was always whinny and was boring in some parts. I didn't like how Lancelot was portrayed in this book, he was so unlikable for the most part of the novel. I think my favorite character was Kay, Merlin could have been interesting, but he doesn't have a lot time. Arthur was a completely different version, which I liked. Most of the times, Arthur is portrayed as the perfect king, so it was nice to see him as a very flawed person.

Writing

I like the writing style of the author. if I'm not mistaken, I'm certain this is his debut novel and fir his first novel, the writing is good. I liked how he described how our future can be if we don't do anything to stop the climate change and save the environment.

World-Building

I would love to see more of Lancelot and Kay's past. The magic system here wasn't well explain and I didn't like some explanations that the author offered. I also think there was some issues where I didn't get any answer, for example what really happened with Guinevere.

Final Thoughts

Not my favorite novel about King Arthur and his knights.

This book starts out interesting enough. It gets a bit bogged down and I found my interest wandering.
I thought the premise was good but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

When Kay is brought up from under his tree he knows someone is in perril and he must help them. Once he gets his self together after resting for hundreds of years with his chainmale and shield he sets off to do just that. When he comes to a fence with the Saxton security signs on it he is amazed that after all these years the Saxtons are back. This is when he meets a girl dressed as a soldier running down the stairs and tells her he will meet her at the tree despite she has no clue who is he creates a diversion and helps her get away. After meeting at said tree her main question is “who the hell is he?“ soon however there is an explosion in while K in the anonymous girl watches all of the sudden they see a humongous dragon O rise from the smoke and fly away K is a maze by Bess and his companion thanks she is seeing things. When K tries to explain who he is and how the dragon came to be in modern day of course she doesn’t believe him. His companion who’s name turns out to be Marion doesn’t trust him she’s a part of a female environmentalist group that’s very secretive and so when they get to a secret bunker and she pulls a gun on him after he tells her if he is killed he will return until the peril is over this is when she invite him to come back and then shoot him in the chest but I was later he returns to the bunker. Closer to England another night is coming out from under ground it’s Lancelot but he has someone who is waiting for him he has transportation to bring Lancelot to a hotel where he can shower and put on modern clothes and have a stiff drink. This book is way too long to tell you all the ins and outs just know the nights due to regenerating medicine Merlin gave them back in the day can come back from the dead to help when the world is in peril and with land flooding and wars happening the world is definitely in peril China owns suffix and the rest of England is losing land due to the water impeding on neighborhoods and towns 1 million set an author bomb it also released magic ahead to take some form and then this case you guessed it it was in the form of a humongous dragon and until it is gone the nights have the work cut out for them it’s too bad they don’t like each other. This book is not only funny it is smartly done and although I found it very long due to the plot in this case it was a necessity this book is so good and although I couldn’t read it all in one setting I certainly gave it a great try but it took me three days to finish and it was so worth it I love books about nights and warriors and have never read one like this it was truly original with lots of LOL moments I can’t praise this book enough I loved it and would definitely read more with the knights in a modern setting I find this authors humor to be spot on and I think this book is a solid four star read… It is so good I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I am a fan of Arthurian Legend and the knights of the round table. This novel wove together a feeling of the knightly quest and present day issues. The book does not take place in modern times but seemingly in a not too distant future if humanity doesn’t try to clean up its act. There is quite a bit of political and environmental activism activities such as destroying a fracking operation and trying to overthrow the current regime.

To Sir Kay, the world is harsh and brutal, both similar and different to the worlds he has woken up into in the past. To Lancelot, it’s just another job and he doesn’t seem in as much of a hurry to fix things before he goes back to sleep.

I do feel like the story was kind of a slow roll build up, but I wanted to understand what was happening and I also wanted to know more about how the knights would interact with the more modern world.
There is some witty, tongue in cheek humor. It is dystopian and there is Arthurian Legend. If any of these suit your taste, this may be worth the read for you.

I give it a 4 star rating due to my own personal perspective on the book and the pacing. I read a lot of dystopian and sarcastic humor and this was a decent attempt.

I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like this one! A King Arthur retelling that does NOT focus on him as the main character or idolize him at all, it is still a great Arthurian novel. I loved setting the story in a future Earth ravaged by capitalism and environmental crises. The twists were wonderfully done, and the story was so unique. But the story was very slow at times, and the plot sometimes got lost in a bit of a lecture about climate change and inequities. As much as I appreciated the sentiment, the setting and subtext throughout the story would have given the same messages without being as preachy. Overall a fun and unique read!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this! I think it's hilarious and poignant, and I especially love the attention to climate. It's in a dystopian future, which is one of the reasons I loved that Arthurian knights were coming back from the dead. This combination of a horrible future, especially concerning the climate, with the men of legends returning to save the planet, just hit really well.

Kay was the heart of this story for me. Kay is King Arthur's brother and is not completely understanding of how the world has changed, although this is one of several times he has returned throughout history. His interaction with Miriam, both of them really, just showed how kindness affects others.

I was laughing my way through this while still dreading my own future and climate change. There are magic mushrooms, a dragon, and many complications to keep any reader entertained.

Definitely recommend!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Out May 23, 2023!

The initial description was very engaging. It brought in knights of the round table and present(ish) day issues, and also the promise of a dragon. I was very much looking forward to reading this spin on King Arthur's and his knights' tales. Also, so many of the reviews were positive or mentioned the book's humor.

The first thing to talk about is the characters. The description seems to focus mostly on Kay which is fine as he is kind of the main. However, we quickly realize that this is going to be a multi-POV situation. We see only through Kay, Miriam, and Lancelot in the first few chapters. This does help bring aspects to light that might have been confusing or misunderstood. Then however as the book keeps going we also see from two other perspectives which only adds a little to the story.

As the description stated Kay is an immortal knight of the round table who is resurrected anytime the realm (Britain) is in trouble. This is also true for Lancelot as well as several other knights. Normally there is a branch of the government that handles meeting them at their trees and telling them the information about what the peril is. Kay knows something is weird this time as no one is there to greet him or give him the mission. Thus he stumbles towards the gunfire to end up saving Miriam, who promptly blows up an oil fracking site. The story continues from there as they try to save the world from the catastrophe that is global warming. Miriam's explosion is what brought the dragon to this plane, so more pollution and death by a dragon are also her fault.

The pacing of the book is slightly slow. There is a lot of talking and walking from one place to another to have more meetings. I never saw the humor in the book. Was there a few slightly funny lines, sure but overall not humorous. The book just goes on and on about climate problems and ecoterrorism.

In the end, I did not finish the book. At 75% I just couldn't keep going as it was making me very unhappy to be reading. All the plans or goals they laid out to try to find a solution went wrong. Every last one of them, even the backup plans failed. It just got to be too many wasted pages and time to continue the same cycle. It also doesn’t really make logical sense for a knight or even King Arthur to fix the too warm, flooded world when all they have are swords. Maybe I will try to finish the final book release but I'm not sure it will be that different from the ARC version. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy.

Sir Kay is King Arthur's brother. Arthur however does not continue to wake up time after time when he gets killed. Sir kay wakes up to a very different world than when he last rested. He has dragons to fight, but will the state of the world get in his way? Miriam has spent her life trying to make the world better. When she meets Sir Kay, she thinks that the world may have found it's hero. Can they help the world, or will old enemies get in their way?

I usually love a book based on the Arthurian legend! Arthur, Merlin and the Round Table legendary group. Unfortunately this futuristic work just didn’t jell with me. I found myself skim reading parts.

A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
Lee spins an interesting tale based on the King Arthur legends. His knights return when the "realm is in peril" to save the people and the land. Readers meet Kay, not a knight but Arthur's brother as he wakes in their unique way to figure out what the peril is. At the beginning, he determines his role is to save Mariam from those pursuing her. This launches the set of adventures that will unfold through the book. The earth is in dangerous condition - climate change has not only worsened but has destroyed so much of the land. Various groups have armed themselves and are fighting each other rather than looking for ways to cooperate and rescue the planet. Mariam's group are considered eco-terrorists as they work to protect plants and animals. Lee leaves it to his readers to decide who is on the "right" side. Balanced against this, is a group of older men who have built themselves a safe haven so they survive the coming destruction. We see another of the knights, Lancelot, serve them when he is first called back to life though he reevaluates his choices throughout the story. None of the characters are as they are represented in other writings. Merlin, Arthur, Kay, Lancelot, Morgan, Nimue, the knights - all are shown as flawed and unlikeable in this tale. The author presents them as real humans with flaws and egos and needs which conflict with each other.
The story is told from several POVs so readers see what is happening at the same times in different spaces. The despair shines through as Lee describes the landscape and readers walk through it with the characters. I appreciate his message of survival through the sparks of hope that remain. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to continue Mariam's story in another volume.

A fun Arthurian time travel retelling with a dystopian feel! If you like the Knights of the Round Table mythology or similar fantasy elements, this might be for you. Some of the plot fell flat for me because there was always so much going on, but it still ended up enjoying the characters and overall message.

This book is an interesting take on Arthurian legend. I liked the fact that Kay was such an important character. I enjoyed how the 'dragons' of today's world are more 'subtle' in nature. Instead of dragons, it was climate change. Which is a REAL issue in today's world!

The writing was great, as some other reviewers have noted, it seemed Terry Pratchett-esque. But Thomas was able to give his own flavor and spin to it!

I would recommend this book to any fan of Arthurian legend, who wants a twist, and a more modern telling. I thought it did a great job of showing off the 'supporting cast', instead of focusing on the myth himself.

Perilous Times was a tough one for me. Several times I wanted to DNF it, but I felt I owed it to the author to keep going. It definitely got better, but as a reader I couldn't suspend my disbelief to enjoy it. Right from the start, I had a hard time losing myself in a futuristic story where knights were reanimated whenever Britain was in trouble by climbing out of the soil, sometimes partially tree mixed with man. I enjoy a good Arthurian story, but this was too far of a stretch for me. The futuristic part of the story where man has all but destroyed the planet had real potential. I think I would have liked that story without the knight element. I was all about Miriam and her growing into a leader. I could have even enjoyed magical elements to help her, but I'm still hung up on reincarnating the knights and changing the nature of Arthur as we know it from legends. Also I wanted more from the ending. It felt rushed.

This didn’t work out for me. I found the writing muddled and the characters hard to keep track of. There was a lot of information thrown at the reader at once, and then some never explained. Making for a rough read instead of a fun relaxing read.