Thank you Netgalley and Random house for accepting my arc request reviewal of this book.

I was interigued by the blurb of this book, a re-imagined King Author and his knights of the round table. Sir Lance a-lot, Merlin and a Mariam, Marlowe, Nimue, and others. This centers more about whats happening now global warming and its affects. But with the characters of King Arthur and his men and leading lady Mariam. Wuite honestly i thought Inwas about to read something medival historical times. Nope. Buckle up kiddos this has nothing to do with that. Interesting twists? You betcha. Would i recommend? Sure why not. You may love it. I think its ok.

Journey back to Camelot with Lancelot and Kay and King Arthur… or in the case of this novel, journey forward. For fans of stories that are inspired by or reimagined, this one is for you! Britain in the future if we keep going the way our world is going with the environment and politics that favor the wealthy is the setting for our story. Mariam is our heroine. She fights with other women for the environment while also helping feed and clothe those in need. Much of the land is flooded and the rest is barren.

Merlin—yes THAT Merlin— used resurrection stones to “wake” the Knights of the Round Table when Britain is in peril. Certainly, she’s in peril now. Kay and Lancelot both wake and find the others haven’t. Morgan Le Fay is also here. And King Arthur…apparently he’s not the great guy stories told us he was. Magic is in the world again. Kay, Lancelot, Morgan, Mariam, and her friends are all trying to do what’s right. For them, for Britain, for the world.

GREAT story. I’d have loved more. More of the story, more ending. It was fascinating! So different from anything I’ve read. What an imagination!

A knight’s work is never done, even when that knight was supposed to have died centuries ago. In Perilous Times, a stunning reimagining of King Arthur‘s knights by Thomas D. Lee, the Knights of the Round Table made a pact with Merlin after Arthur’s death at the Battle of Camlann. The pact would resurrect the knights whenever the realm was in peril. Over the centuries, Sir Kay has arisen from under his oak tree near(ish) Manchester to fight in Britain’s wars. When he rises at the beginning of the novel, England is in more peril than it has ever been: from climate change, from out-of-control capitalism, and from idiots who want to summon Arthur back because they believe the myths about the once and future king.

Sir Kay certainly makes a splash when he rises again. He’s always equipped with his mail, sword, and shield. These relics don’t do a whole lot when Kay encounters a woman in peril and a pack of heavily armed mercenaries near his resurrection tree and Kay is, ignobly, slain almost immediately. Then he gets killed again by the woman he rescues from the peril, Mariam, in an attempt to prove he is a real, no-fooling Knight of the Round Table. Once Mariam believes Kay, she slowly lets him in on what’s happened to the realm since the last time Kay was up and around, back in the 1950s. And Kay is horrified.

Meanwhile, Kay isn’t the only knight to find themselves sky-side. Sir Lancelot pops up from under his tree near London, where an immortal (via infernal means) Christopher Marlowe is ready with a dossier and an offer of a shower. Where Kay seems to end up on the side of rebels (like the Roundheads) as often as not, Lancelot is always on the side of the institution. Via Lancelot’s perspective, we see what Mariam and her ragtag bag of feminist eco-terrorists (when they can stop arguing with each other) are up against.

There’s far too much plot in Perilous Times to sum up. It’s bedlam from page one and I loved it. I realize the above sounds dire (it is dire) but, in spite of all the possibly extinction-level peril, this book was a lot of fun to read. There are dragons. There are witches. There are lots of bickering socialists. Wales decided to have a king again. Merlin is an absolute loon. We also learn that, if a racist spends enough time as a squirrel, they can be reformed. While all this madcap action is going on and Kay and Lancelot circle each other (don’t ask about the whole Guinevere thing), we slowly learn that there’s a plot afoot to bring back King Arthur on the side of the kleptocrats and capitalists. Not only is the plot outstanding and the characters wonderfully original, Perilous Times is also anchored by emotional depth. Kay and Lancelot ponder the limits of their oaths to save the realm, wondering if it’s worth it. Mariam works her way towards important realizations about being saved versus saving oneself. On top of that, there are all the references to British history, mythology, and Le Morte d’Arthur.

I feel a bit like I’m botching this review. There is so much to talk about and so much I loved about this book that I can’t help but just gush. Please read this book, fellow bookish times, so that I have someone to talk about this book with! I plan on shoving this book into as many hands as I can manage in the meantime.

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee is an Arthurian story with a twist. The knights of the round table are constantly pulled from the grave to help Britain in times of peril. Sir Kay has been through WWI and WWII but nothing can prepare him for the battle he has risen for this time-climate change. Oh, and a dragon. Sir Kay meets up with a group of activists and together, they try to save Britain.

There is something so fun about going into a book completely blind. I didn’t know anything about this book when I started it except that it was maybe connected to Arthur. I was pleasantly surprised by how different and unique this story was. There is a lot of humor and heart. There are characters you can root for and characters that you won’t know if you can trust or not.

My only issue with this book is it felt a little long for the story. There were a few parts that just dragged a bit. Luckily, the story would pick back up but I think if this story would have been about fifty pages shorter, it would have been perfect.

I would be very interested in seeing what this author does next. This book, while completely different in subject matter, reminded me a bit of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. So if you like those vibes, I would look into this book!

Huge thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of Perilous Times seemed like it would be up my alley since I'm a big fan of King Arthur and this seemed like an interesting twist. Unfortunately the book was just not for me.

This may be the craziest book you’ll ever read, but suspend your disbelief, it’s excellent. I’m not sure if the author intended it to be funny, but the image of a worm coming out of Sir Kay’s eye almost made me put down this book minutes after I picked it up. Thankfully, I was curious about what peril in Britain could call (the Merlín enchanted) Sir Kay forth from his grave. So I was caught up in the story fairly quickly. The world is an environmental mess. Yes, even more than today. But Kay is not sure what he is being called from the grave to do.

Lee’s research is impeccable. This mishmash of history, legend and climate crisis will make you laugh but it will also make you think. I’m glad I read it on my kindle, because there were a lot of names and words I needed to look up (there’s at least one place where I would have missed a good joke if I hadn’t look up the Welsh translation). But, honestly, I feel enriched for having done so.

You have to be ready for the Arthurian legend in a fairly strange package. But if you are, this is a fascinating look at the world today through a broken kaleidoscope (or perhaps a fun house mirror). I say kudos to Lee for pulling off a complex and challenging story, a good romp with a serious message. If you didn’t get my drift so far, yes, I loved this book. I’d say it should be required reading for Congress, but I’m afraid they wouldn’t get it. You will.

Note: This is not a children’s book. The language of the characters is full of expletives. It didn’t bother me but I wouldn’t want my twelve year old reading it.

A fantastic tale of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but with a twist!

The book is centered around two main characters, Sir Kay and Miriam. Sir Kay is called forth from the earth every time he is needed. At the moment, it is in Britain with climate change bringing natural disasters and the end of our planet. Of course, it wouldn't be modern day without feuding political groups thrown into the mix. Add in Arthur and Lancelot and you've got a fast-paced gem! Recommended for those who like Arthurian legends but prefer to read a more modern retelling with the climate crisis in the forefront. (I also loved that the author dedicated this book to his high school English teacher).

Thank you to Thomas D. Lee, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Very few things lend themselves to reinterpretation quite like the vast Arthurian mythos. Even at the height of its popularity centuries ago, writers of all stripes were putting their unique spin on the tales and populating the Round Table with their own characters. Reimaginings and reinterpretations are vital to its longevity; but with these will occasionally come some that miss the mark.

PERILOUS TIMES is a well-intentioned fable at heart: a story of the Knights of the Round returning to England when it's in peril. And in a not-too-distant future, with the climate crisis in full swing and humanity skidding down a slippery slope of its own making, Kay and Lancelot have returned. But they—and eventually the Once and Future King—are merely pawns in a greater plot: one that will benefit the engineers of this crisis and leave the world to burn. The only person left they can trust is Mariam, an eco-activist who finds herself embroiled in these legendary doings.

One of Mariam's first acts in the book is an attack on a fracking facility: one which, while well-meaning and driven by a desire to make the world better, instead unleashes a massive fire and a dragon. This early scene feels like a metaphor for PERILOUS TIMES as a whole: an explosion of enthusiasm that, rather than solving one problem, creates new ones. The novel is as full of righteous fury as it is of confused messaging. The genuinely good bits of story are brought to a halt for awkwardly on-the-nose MAGA parallels that read more like memes than insightful commentary. The choice to turn Arthur (an ethnic minority in his time), even temporarily, into a Trump analogue seems an odd choice in a sea of odd choices. (Another being conflating "Britons" with the modern-day counterparts who perpetrated their genocide.) The ending feels rushed and crowded: a sudden rally to try and fix things by steering hate crimes in a more productive direction, followed by a surprisingly insightful revelation that killing the old men didn't fix everything.

To its credit, PERILOUS TIMES has interesting world-building. The return of Camelot's knights via Merlin's mad experiments is intriguing, and the idea of them fighting and living and loving through the centuries sounds amazing. There is also fascinating magic deep in this book, especially with the dreams involving Herne and the late-stage references to Arthur's potential connections to a Gallic bear god. Much like Merlin's tree of time, one can envision a track down which this book could have blossomed beautifully; however, it feels too heavy under its own frustration to adequately preach its message.

I quickly realized this was not a book for me. Focused too much on climate change and political stuff. I read fantasy/dystopian books to escape not be preached about world issues. DNF at %28.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine books. Disclaimer: I was sent this ARC by the publisher without soliciting it. My opinion is my own and is not influenced by Random House, the author or anyone associated with them. In the interest of disclosure, I only read 25% of this book.

Long ago, I loved the Arthurian tales, but with time I became disenchanted with them. However, recently I read a couple of books that I enjoyed that took their inspiration from those tales. Thus, when RHPG sent me an invitation to review this ARC, I accepted. The concept sounded interesting: King Arthur's knights repeatedly die, but are reincarnated every time England is in dire need of their assistance. This time, the need relates to the growing problem of global warming and its negative effects.

Problems: The humor didn't quite work for me and I felt detached from the non-Arthurian characters. I also admit to having a pre-existing bias against Lancelot. He didn't win me over in this book. So between those issues and the slowness of the plot at the beginning, I couldn't bring myself to continue. If I do finish this book, I will edit this review accordingly.

I will admit I was surprised by the feminists.

I wasn't expecting it, but it was a welcome surprise. The entire book was a balanced blend of classic knights-in-shining armor heroism and dry cynicism. Such a fun time with a great cast of characters with many vital things to say.

Mariam was a great hero. We follow her and her group of friends as they try to save the realm. Her POV felt overwhelming and painful, caught between her desire to save the world and the insecurity that comes with standing up for yourself. Kay was lovely to read. His POV was a struggle between his bone-deep exhaustion and drive to save his realm. All the characters in between were distinct, their own personal struggles adding complexity to the book.

From the first page to the last, I was completely involved. Definitely, not your mother's Arthurian retelling, and I loved it.

Received as an ARC.

Though I find myself often disappointed with Arthurian retellings, I wanted to give this one a try, and I'm glad I did.
Told with a wry, snarky tone that I more than appreciated, Kay is the hero I didn't know I was looking for. Poor, tired Kay who just wants to find and eradicate whatever is causing peril so that he can rest under his tree again, though preferably, in Heaven with his lost deceased and beloved wife.
Set in a near apocalyptic times, the earth is suffering from the effects of climate change and greed. Miriam and her band of eco warriors want to fix it, but they are not really sure what to do. Kay is only one knight, well out of his depth and Lancelot seems to be recruited to the wrong side.
With a cast that includes Merlin, Arthur, Morgan and more this was an enjoyable and rich story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The knights of the round table never really died, not truly. They come to help when Britain is in peril and have done since Merlin cast his spell at the end of Arthur’s reign - and if these knights decide to they can bring Arthur back too when they need him. Knight Kay has been woken from his most recent slumber in the near future when the earth is dying and climate change has reached a breaking point. Lancelot wakes next to find that he and Kay are the last of them, and must fight to restore order to Britain - if they can agree on what that looks like and who to follow.

To me this was about Arthurian legend as much as The Hunchback of Notre Dame was about the court of miracles. This was climate change with the knights of the round table. I thought it was a fun take and an interesting alternate history but the underlying themes were so overt that it took me out of the story a lot.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Perilous Times, an Arthurian based novel where Knights of the Round Table are seemingly immortal and come back to live when England is in "Perilous Times". Kay, the brother of King Arthur, has grown weary of coming back to battles and strife, but his heart is in the right place as he tries to give help wherever he sees a need.

This time, when he comes back, England and the planet are in trouble due to climate issues. The people are divided as to how to solve it, and the usual politicians and interest groups are fighting for their own aims instead of trying to solve problems together. He runs into Mariam, an eco terrorist who is tired of inaction.

It was a little heavy handed with the climate change, but I feel like it was pretty engrossing - although it started out somewhat slow, it picked up for me and I was interested to find out what was going to happen.

I really enjoyed the modern twist to this Arthurian retelling. As a huge fan of the BBC Merlin, I had to read this. I liked how creative the storyline was, and the urgent matter that required Kay to be brought back again.

I enjoyed the concept of this book quite a bit. I thought it was smart to combine a legend we all know with modern day issues. Environmental issues are a passion of mine so I thought it was an engaging way to stir some reflection in the reader about the issue. The writing quality was good and overall I enjoyed it.

This book was a breath of fresh air, and possibly the best one I’ve read in awhile. I’m a sucker for Arthurian legends and this was the spin I didn’t know I needed. The characters were very well written. The plot was excellent and the conflict/drama didn’t feel forced and did what it was supposed to to move the story along. 5/5 will read again

Actual Score = 5/10

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What is it about? Whenever England faces a perilous time, the Knights of the Round Table are awoken to help England fend off the threat. In this novel, we see folks like Kay, Arthur, Lancelot, Morgan, Merlin, and others come back to face the environmental crisis among other things. It is a very interesting premise!

What did not work for me? For me, the first half of the book drags some. It feels very slow and a little bit redundant. At times, it could feel a bit preachy as well for my taste. I understood about the climate/environmental issues they were facing but I felt like I was constantly being reminded about it instead of progressing other elements of the story. The non-Arthurian characters mostly did not work for me. The main character was pretty good and the squirrel was awesome but other than that, the others blended together.

What did work for me? I found the concept to be fascinating. Arthurian legends thrown into the world and facing modern day issues. I thought the Arthurian characters were well written and it was very cool to see this different interpretation of them! The author does bring up very prevalent issues in our current world and tackles them in an intriguing way.

Overall: I was very mixed on this book. There are things that just did not click for me and others that I thought were very well explored. It is certainly not a bad debut by any means

Too bad Perilous Times couldn't be more about resurrected dragons wreaking havoc upon earth. Thus requiring the help of the knights to rescue the world. Instead I found it politically slanted toward climate activists. Though I liken them more to eco-terrorists. Especially when explosives destroy a fracking site, sending it up in flames and emitting more carbon emissions than if left alone.

Needless to say, I didn't like or enjoy the narrative. However, I did like the snarky humor. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to sway me to continue reading -- especially since the activists (terrorists) were hell-bent on destroying just about everything that stood in the way of their agenda.

Though I normally read to at least 33% or more, I just couldn't continue much further than 25%. Sadly a one star DNF.

I received a digital ARC from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect about a book Arthuriana and immortal defenders of the realm and climate change, but I am willing to try almost anything in the realm of speculative fiction, and I am so glad I picked this one up. The premise is that the Knights of the Round Table slumber beneath magic trees across Britain and rise during—for lack of a better term—perilous times. This time, he rises in a near future timeline in which climate change has more or less completely destroyed the world, and he accidentally gets caught up with Mariam, who i a member of an environmental group (and also, maybe they are ecoterrorists?). On the other side, Lancelot rises and gets caught up with a bunch of immortal white capitalists. And there's a dragon.

I thought this was a very funny novel and it all worked surprisingly well. I have a soft spot for climate change novels but they can get so messy so fast and Lee did a really good job at capturing what leftist infighting looks like while still maintaining humor and nuance. I thought the challenges the cast faced and their relationships with one another was also delightful, and while there was some pacing that felt a little uneven and maybe some more noticeably stronger parts than others, I did really, really enjoy this and so long as you're cool with more real-world politics being present in your books it's absolutely worth a read.