I am officially dubbing 2023 the year of Arthurian retellings. I've read two so far this year, and they have both been show-stoppingly fantastic.

Now, on to my thoughts about this book specifically. Because OH MY GOD. It's really good. So, so genuinely fantastic. I fell in LOVE with the characters within pages of meeting them, all of them are so unique and eclectic. Thomas D. Lee does a fantastic job at establishing the world, the setting, and the dire consequences of humanities lack of action in the climate crisis. It was laugh-out-loud funny while still being incredibly insightful and relevant to modern politics, which is a balance few writers can achieve. I cannot recommend this book enough.

PERILOUS TIMES is a brilliant modern retelling of Arthurian legend. It subverts the myth by using these classic characters to highlight poignant aspects of present-day culture and problems that are not limited to the west. In this version there two main points of view (POV), that of Sir Kay and Mariam. There is a more limited POV with Lancelot. Sir Kay is a Black knight of the round table. Mariam is a person of color (I recall, hopefully correctly, that it's alluded that she is Muslim). And Lancelot is gay and definitely not into Guinevere. There is also a minor character who is a transwoman.

I absolutely love all of these changes, particularly that Sir Kay is Black. As some may not know, there were Black people (Africans) living in what is now England during the early medieval times. (I only learned this fairly recently while reading CULTURE WARS last year.) I loved the bluntness of Mariam. She lives in an age where the end of time as she knows it is imminent thanks to climate change. My only quibble is that I thought Mariam, who is part of a free-thinking rebel faction, could have asked more pointed questions in the first half of the book. Then some muck ups might have been avoided. However, there are moments of levity as any humor present is on the dry side, which was perfect for me. The writing style is extremely approachable, has the perfect amount of showing and telling, and isn't overly descriptive.

My favorite broad aspect of PERILOUS TIMES, though, is the incorporation of so many concepts relevant to our lives today. A lot of Kay's inner dialogue really resonated with me with respect to how he sees the world. And how as one person one can feel so helpless in the grand scheme of things. I teared up a bit at some of the passages. With respect to the modern relevancy, in this allegory there are two overarching themes. One is that the power to more easily facilitate change lies with a few who ultimately fail to do so for one reason or another, namely greed. The second general theme is to not underestimate the sway one person with conviction can have to make a mark.

With respect to the first theme, men in high places have the sway to create a positive change. The lifestyles of the rich and famous control the marionette strings of world order and planet health. However, greed and bureaucratic red tape make any efforts by the people nigh impossible to push through. This results in feelings of despair and hoplessness. These same men help turn the people's focus to hate as a distraction and that focus is racism and xenophobia. In full deadpan on my part, I'm sure this doesn't seem familiar at all. With respect to the second theme, one of the important takeaways is that it is ok and valid to feel angry. But use that emotion for positive change, not to hurt others.

There are also many other lessons on display in PERILOUS TIMES, which the author penned wonderfully through the lens of Arthurian characters. Nimue, classically known as the Lady of the Lake, represents the health of the water. King Arthur represents toxic masculinity and seems somewhat modeled after Trump and, possibly, Johnson. There is commentary about news and the magnification of opinions. That is, how one group can spin the news and how those in power can enhance or reduce its reach. And how the loudest voices don't necessarily represent the majority or only opinion. But an echo chamber will make it seem that way.

There are multiple mentions of how important jobs related to security are no longer held by citizens of England. This leads to a lack of loyalty and increases security risks. This book also highlights the loss of our connection to the earth as we trade it for a materialistic society that harms our only home. And, I'm not done yet, even medical rights and invasion of privacy of one's DNA is on the table in this retelling.

As I write this review I could probably go on and on, and I realize even more how profound I feel this book is. If you do not prefer commentary on today's issues, then this isn't the book for you. However, PERILOUS TIMES offers a valid introspection of our culture today as well as how past events can influence the once and future earth. The use of romanticized western legend to tell this tale is an ingenious mechanism to portray important issues of import.

This review will go live on May 2 at: https://aliteraryescape.com/2023/05/02/arc-review-perilous-times-by-thomas-d-lee/

Perilous Times is a modern day take on the Arthurian Legend primarily following immortal Knight/brother of Arthur, Kay, and Mariam, a member of FETA. Together, they stumble across other individuals from legends of old, as they fight to save a rapidly devolving world all while trying to uncover who is behind the apocalyptic plot.
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After reading the synopsis for Perilous Times, I was really looking forward to reading it. The Arthurian Legend has always been of interest to me, so I was intrigued to see it brought to life in modern times. I loved the new take on the well known characters and how Lee made them his own. The characters were the real selling feature for me. I enjoyed their backstories and character development. Unfortunately, the plot was more heavily focused on the climate disaster than I anticipated. With mentions of dragons and magic, I was expecting more of an urban fantasy retelling. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just a difference in perception for what I expected vs read.

Time-traveling Knights of the Round Table? Yes, please! Here we are in the end of days. The planet is hurtling towards disaster. It's 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. However through the madness it's a brilliant story. It stretches the imagination. It plays with your perception of myths and it will make you snort with laughter too. Wonderfully Gaiman-esque and Pratchetty. :)

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-book.*

A profound examination of the last days. I loved it.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book surprised me in the best way!

It had a weak start, which made me slightly uninterested in the book, but around the fifth chapter, where things started picking up and we’ve started to got used to the characters, that’s where the plot began to become something on its own.

I love Lancelot (he’s my favorite, actually), but Kay and Mariam manage to be interesting on their own and create interest for me. The only true complaint I have is that the ending was slightly weak; though that’s understandable considering what the author had to deal with. Highly recommend to people who want to get into fantasy! :)

Perilous Times has possibly one of the most interesting premises for a book that I've read in a long time. Combining the mythos of King Arthur and his court with an ecocritical view of the future, Lee creates an extremely engaging tale. My only problem with novel comes from Lee's tendency to hit the reader over the head with with the lessons he wants the reader to take away from his novel.

TW// racism, murder (including children), mentions of suicide, sexism, brief meat/food shaming scene, drug addiction, antisemitism, animal death (including a dog), incest (it’s briefly mentioned two people engaging in intercourse are cousins)

Perilous Times was a drag to get through and it felt like it would never end, but I’m lowkey proud of myself for pushing through and finishing this one. This book peaked my interest when I read the synopsis. It’s a queer book featuring Arthurian legends and climate change. It should’ve been amazing, but it fell really flat with the execution.

The pacing of this book was super slow and honestly the events in the story weren’t that interesting. The only scenes where I didn’t feel like I was about to fall asleep out of pure boredom were Merlin’s scenes but he was barely in the story at all. If this story’s pace had been sped up, it would’ve been a lot more enjoyable.

Most of the characters were dull. I thought any of the character from Arthurian legends would be interesting to read about, but then I got stuck with Kay. He just wasn’t that interesting to read about. Mariam wasn’t great either, but at least she had some character development throughout the story. Mariam's sisters in FETA had bland personalities, which was really disappointing since FETA had the opportunity to be a strong found family. It just never reached that true found family potential though since all of Mariam’s sisters were two dimensional. Most of them were carbon copies of each other as well.

I also got fed up with how this story dealt with acitivism. I like what a lot of the different activist groups were fighting for, but the way the characters in the groups were described made them seem like silly, unproductive activists. It was really disappointing because no one can understand why people should take issues like climate change seriously if all the activists fighting for those issues are ridiculous and unlikeable.

Thomas D. Lee clearly knows a lot about the Arthurian legends and he has the potential to make a great book featuring those legends, but Perilous Times needs a ton of revisions before it can live up to its potential.

Sadly not really my cup of tea. In theory it sounded promising but I just couldn’t get into it. I may try a reread when I am in a different mood and update this.. but as if now… I wasn’t a fan.

What happens when you take the magic of Camelot and align with with modern eco warriors? Magic of course! This enchanting book mixes sci-fi and contemporary lt, to give the reader a roller coast read, that grabs you from page one, and never lets you go! be warned, you'll be casting the movie of this tale in your head as you read it! it"s hard to believe it's a debut novel- it has all the charm, humor, and believable characters of writers with major bestsellers under their belts.If you love the Arthurian legends, you'll love this book!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an advance copy of the novel detailing the adventures of the Knights of King Arthur in a future that is too much like our own, and just as deadly.

Playing Dungeons and Dragons and loving action movies I remember the first time I watched the movie Excalibur on HBO with my parents, who never looked at the movie guide so missed the nudity, adult situations and massive amounts of stabbing that took place in the movie. I had been a reader of Arthurian myths, The Sword and the Stone of course, and I think some comic stories. Excalibur was real, Shakespearean trained actors, John Boorman with a budget. The movie still holds up. I read Le Morte d'Arthur, Mary Stewart, White, Steinbeck, and a whole lot of weird Wicca stories about the magic of Arthur. While I liked those I liked most the stories that moved Arthur out of a lost age in the past, to a future, where knights, even knights errant were needed. Camelot 3000 is a comic series with Arthur fighting aliens. Peter David's series has a modern twist. The King by Donald Barthelme has Arthur in World War II working with Churchill against the Germans. I enjoyed those stories alot, and now I have a new favorite. Perilous Times Thomas D. Lee is a story of the future that is coming that no one wants to acknowledge, filled with drowning England, dragons, a corporate owned government, and Knights of the Round Table, called from the grave to defend the nation at its most dangerous of times.

Sir Kay awakens from the sleep to find the very Earth around him squeezing him back to the surface, to arise and defend England once again. A spell either a blessing or a curse from Merlin has made the noble knights of Arthur return time and time again to fight for England, against the French, the Germans, Germans again, the Falklands at least in Lancelot's case, fighting, dying and returning again and again. The air is hotter than Kay is used to, and wetter, but danger is still close as Kay hears the sounds of gunfire, something he is still getting used to a a nearby building. Merlin's spell gives him the gift of languages, and Kay can read the word Saxon security which confuses him as Saxons were an old enemy, and he wonders if he is fighting them anew. Kay is passed by a woman, who is being shot at, so being gallant he takes the bullets for her, dying, and rebirthing anew outside the gates. Mariam is an eco-terrorist planning to destroy a fracking facility, and she takes the time the knight gives her to blow the building, revealing a dragon hidden inside, which flies away. Something that Kay is quite familiar with. At the same time Sir Lancelot has also returned, and is met by the immortal playwright Marlowe, who informs Lancelot the world has changed, and not for the best, but that knights are still needed. And adventure begins.

A very funny and very sad story about knights in a future that is ugly, hot, wet, and coming fast, but nobody really wants to care. England is for sale, the country has been been bought by corporate types, the seas are drowning the Capital, and no seems to see anything wrong, except for the select few who are branded criminals, or knights, who have seen a whole lot more. The writing is very strong, with a sense of place, a bit of whimsy and nostalgia in the writing, that carries throughout the story. Reminiscent of Terry Pratchett in many ways, used fantasy to show the world follies as they really are. Many will probably scream about the color of Sir Kay and Mariam's skin, or that they are doing a woke agenda fighting climate change that is not real. Or the fact that Lancelot has a lot more interests than Guinevere. Which is a shame as they are missing a very good story. And a rousing adventure.

Recommended for fans of knights, doing heroic deeds in an age where heroes don't seem to exist anymore, and everyone seems to be on the grift. Even urban fantasy fans will like this story, as the decaying and collapsing city that is London, along with dragons, and a bit of magic will be right up their alley. Thomas D. Lee is a very good writer with a lot of good ideas, and I can' wait to see what he does next.

Perilous Times
by Thomas D. Lee
Pub Date: 23 May 2023 | Archive Date: 30 Sep 2023

This was a good mix of a futuristic setting with characters coming from myths and legends. This is a debut book, and when looking at it through that lens, this was well done. Not really my style of book but I will say it is unique.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of the book.

I love a good dystopian fantasy/science fiction story and anything involving the Arthurian legend, so this book checked all the boxes for me. It has a clever plot that I found engaging.

Climate change has melted most of the glaciers, much of England is underwater and England has sold Essex to the Chinese; perilous times, indeed!

Mariam and her small band of eco-terrorists are trying to fight big oil and stop the progression of planet-ruining practices. Unfortunately, when Mariam blows up a fracking facility she unwittingly creates an even greater disaster for the environment and unleashes a dragon as well. Trying to escape the destruction and the mercenaries trying to catch her, she encounters a strange man dressed in ancient chainmail and equipped with a sword. It turns out he is none other than Kay, King Arthur's brother who is under a spell cast by Merlin the magician to return to life whenever the realm is in peril. Kay is not the only knight of the round table to be resurrected, Kay's old nemesis Lancelot has also returned and it appears to Kay as if Lancelot's plans for righting the current situation are not entirely righteous.

And so begins this amusing tale. It is both funny and thought-provoking with characters out of sync with their time period trying to cope in a world of drones and a monstrous drilling rig that will destroy what is left of the environment, and don't forget that dragon! Not a small mission, but certainly not one that is impossible for a strong-willed woman and a couple of immortal knights. I thoroughly enjoyed this book; the premise and the wonderfully-drawn characters kept me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy. The publication date is May 23, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of the book. I'm not going to lie, I had kind of a difficult time getting into and finishing this book. The premise of the story is intriguing and interesting, but I felt as I read that a person definitely has to have some knowledge of the Arthurian stories and the characters involved. I liked the new character Mariam, and I liked how she felt real. I don't know if I'd read this again, but it's decent.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the characters, the story and the world building were all fine and well done, but the pacing was slow throughout most of the book and downright glacial at times. Because of this slow pacing I found that my attention waned and it was hard for me to keep on reading at times. But I did complete the book and I am glad I did.

The overall premise of the book was delightful, the knights of the round table being resurrected whenever England was in peril. But this time when Kay is resurrected he doesn’t find a war going on, but rather a war of a different nature, climate change. The setting of a near future Britton being hot and slowly flooded by waters was rather depressing at times. The author did an excellent job of showing what the future might look like if we keep going the way we are.

Kay and Mariam are the primary narrators with a some of the other characters chiming in when needed. Lancelot also had quite a few chapters from his perspective. I really enjoyed Kay’s character, he just wanted to get the job done and go back to sleep under his tree. But he does start to care a bit more about what is happening to his country and how he might be able to help. Mariam was a bit harder to like. She was a bit on the whiny side and was hindered greatly by her insecurities and self doubt. She does manage to come around and realizes her strength is exactly what is needed to get the job done.

One of the best parts of the story of the story was Lancelot and Kay’s relationship. They had grievances from their pasts that were hard for them to get past, and they fought like brothers, but were able to come together in the end. I also loved Merlin, he was a bit of a mess and I loved that he was growing ‘magic’ mushrooms to help the world. There is also a squirrel character, Barry. He was a white supremacist that tried to kill Kay, and was turned into a squirrel for his troubles. His character arc was great and he was sometimes the comic relief in tense moments.

The overall world building and plot were well done. There needed to be a bit more description at times, like when they were doing the spell that brought Arthur back. They kept going on about needing certain objects to do the spell, but then only one of them seemed to be used? It was odd. Overall the pacing was slow, and was also hindered by overly preaching about the climate and how the earth was in trouble. Once Arthur came back the pacing picked up but then we were rushed to the end in about 75 pages. The ending was good though, and hopeful even though the world’s troubles had not yet been totally solved.

This was a good mix of a futuristic setting with characters coming from myths and legends. This is a debut book, and when looking at it through that lens, this was well done. I would probably pick up another book by this author in the future.

This was such a unique take on a classic story, but I wished it was a bit more historical in what the knights did. The writing style was immaculate, but I was unable to keep up with the story with all of the futuristic and climate change messages.

Not really my style of book but I will say it is unique. I love the mythology of king Arthur’s knights of round table

This was an interesting take on historical fiction with Arthurian tales being modernized. And while I love WWII historical fiction, it's always great to be out of that time span for a while. The concept of the story is extremely unique but I, personally, couldn't get interested in this one. However, I think those that like Arthurian history, learning more about our ever changing climates and politics would enjoy this one.

In a future that is all too believable, climate change is on a course to destroy the world as we know it. Humans are not solving the problems, but luckily Merlin's magic makes it possible for certain knights of Arthur's Round Table to come back to life in perilous times and save the day. Sir Kay, Arthur's brother, finds himself waking up to come to the rescue of Mariam, an ecoterrorist who has inadvertently set off a fatal explosion. When the two of them join forces, their misadventures are sometimes hilarious, always exciting. Although this book seemed to bog down a bit in the middle, it was great fun to read this version of familiar Arthurian heroes and villains. We can hope a sequel is forthcoming.

I'm unfortunately not going to be able to finish this book because I've developed an issue that makes reading on screens difficult but what I have read is so good! I'm so disappointed I won't be able to finish it because it's a very intriguing and very unique take on Arthurian legends and the climate crisis. Each knight is very distinct from the other which I think a lot of other stories are lacking but Perilous Times really gives each character a developed personality and background. Hopefully one day I'll be able to get a physical copy and see how it all ends!