Kay, a knight from King Arthur’s court, takes on an existential crisis and global warming in this future-era fantasy by Thomas D. Lee. Surprisingly funny in places and almost poignant in others, this dystopian fantasy tries to tackle a lot of issues — a burning world, capitalism, gender politics, homophobia, racism and Fascism – addressing some more successfully than others.

Kay, who rises from the dead whenever the world is in crisis to save Britain, is starting to wonder what the point of his immortality is if the world never gets better. His enemy Lancelot would just like to drink and do whatever task he must do to get back to sleep. And Mariam, a young eco-terrrorist who befriends Kay, would like to save what’s left of the world with or without the help of weird ancient knights.

The characters – familiar and new – are mostly likable in their own way. The plot, though busy, is an interesting take on the newly popular global warming dystopian scene. Dragons and oil men and mythical swords, oh my. Perilous Times is sometimes fun, sometimes depressingly close to our current reality. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur, climate change, magic, fairies, what's not to love about this book?
Plenty, as it turns out.

The premise is delightfully unusual and compelling; an ancient knight from the days of King Arthur, comes back to life whenever the British Empire needs saving. He returns this time due to the devastating effects of climate change on the earth. What could have been a thoroughly entertaining read was bogged down repeatedly by a constant barrage of lectures on the the why's and wherefores of air and water pollution. The cast of characters were diverse and could have been so interesting, if more time had been spent on fleshing them out instead of rehashing the evil of big oil, the dearth of birds in the forests, poor people forced to live in giant tent cities.

I struggled to finish this, there was so much repetition and reminiscing about the old days, and what action there was, was apathetic at best. Tons of potential, just not much follow through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for an eARC of Perilous Times!

Arthurian legend and lore, fantasy + dystopia, and economic crises?! This is one genre mash up you won't want to miss!

I am a fan of Arthurian legend and that is what lured me to request this book. And while it is steeped in the mythology and involves his take on the characters from the legend I’m not entirely sure what to think of this book. This story went down a very, very strange path in my opinion. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing I was just not expecting it to be this strange. From character personalities to the weirdness of this post apocalyptic Britain full of feuding political groups. I will say it had a lot of fun moments and it touches on his take on climate crisis and is LGBTQ friendly. It is full of adventure and magic. It’s a good story, just be prepared for it to be a little strange. Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An inventive and action-packed take on King Arthur and company, set in the modern day where the adverse effects of climate change are escalating and threatening everyone’s wellbeing. The premise is wonderful. I would recommend this to anyone interested in King Arthur lore and/or fantasy - there are lots of characters to keep track of (some more compelling than others), sprinklings of magic, humor, and plenty of excitement.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This was such a fun take on King Arthur. I was surprised to be chosen for an early copy but this was definitely in my wheelhouse.

I didn’t really know what to expect bc this story has been told and retold so many times. I can honestly say this was a pretty fresh take on it.

If you like fantasy and the legend of King Arthur then this is THE book for you.

I really loved the premise of this book and the recreation of some of my favorite characters from King Arthur. The way the characters were created and described was excellent and I felt that the author did an amazing job with them. I did enjoy the story, but it didn't completely pull me in the way I thought it would. The action scenes were there, but I didn't entirely feel invested in what was happening throughout. The first chapter really grabbed my attention and I loved the way the characters come back to life again and again to fulfill their missions. I think the main miss for me is that myself as a reader didn't really feel drawn into the plot of the story, which I know is a personal preference and doesn't reflect on the writing as the writing was excellent. I think the mix of history and modern world is usually not as interesting to me as when something is set in a historical world. I don't really enjoy the mixing, and a lot of the books I read tend to stray from the modern world. I do think this is a great book for fans of King Arthur and Timeline by Michael Crichton.

“Perilous Times” by Thomas Lee was a book that I absolutely wanted to love but it fell flat for me. I found the writing style to be a bit repetitive and at times I struggled with the prose. Overall though I did enjoy the characters and was happy how the story tied up some ends but left it open to a sequel and further development down the road.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was fabulous! A high-stakes reimagining and subversion of Arthurian legend, where we get to adventure with heroes old and new. Thanks to a spell cast by Merlin, Sirs Kay and Lancelot come back to life whenever the realm of Britain is in peril. This time, they wake in a near-future (very near) of climate crisis, famine, and plague caused by human destruction and greed. Kay allies with Mariam, a member of a feminist climate activist organization (called FETA, which made me chuckle every time) who has inadvertently made a terrible mistake. Together with various figures from Arthurian legend, they have no choice but to fight back against the people who killed the planet in the first place.

As bleak as it was, this book was tremendously fun to read. I loved the way legends were integrated into a modern context, especially around climate change: fracking releases dragons? Brilliant. This is also a highly inclusive reimagining, starring many main characters of color and across all the spectra of gender and sexuality. Each narrator had a very unique narrative voice and a different point of view, which really allows the reader to be fully immersed in the world and examine complex issues from multiple sides (although the book absolutely takes a side). The story also asks a lot of great questions that are interesting both when examining myth and present day: what makes a good leader? Who should be held responsible when all of humanity is at fault? Who should be allowed to have power? What are the effects of that power on the person wielding it? What does it mean to be immortal, remembered? Who gets to be in charge of the narrative?

My only real gripes were that I wanted a lot more from some characters (Morgan and Nimue) and less from others (Marlowe and Merlin). I was not wild about Merlin’s characterization at all, which was like a strange blend of Sheldon Cooper and a more ancient version of Sheldon Cooper. There was also not a ton of individuality given to the other members of FETA, or much of a look at Mariam’s relationship with them, which made it hard to be invested in some of the final plot points.

I highly recommend this tale if you’re looking for some hope in a dark world, some green shoots among blackened branches.

Dnf- the idea was there and I'm sure it will be a successful book. It just didn't capture me and hold me hostage like I had hoped

Very cool premise! King Arthur, magic, humor, and a twist that is pretty unique. I enjoyed this story and it's interesting plot.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee is a unique and modernized take on Arthurian Legend. I was so excited to get to read this book early as I love a good retelling and revisualization of King Arthur. What I loved most about this concept was how the author took real-world issues and weaved fantasy, folklore and legend into a beautiful story of uniting a divided world to give hope and purpose into saving the realm from the destruction of climate change.
Kay only wakes from his slumber when the realm is in peril. That was the agreement him and the other knights made all those years ago after Arthur fell at Camlann and the realm was saved from Mordred and his Otherworldly monsters. When he wakes up from under his ancient oak, it is to find that there is now a bog surrounding his hill where he was buried. A bog that wasn’t there the last time he crawled out from the earth. Across the bog is a hideous building with the name “Saxon” upon the fences surrounding the structure. Only knowing Saxons to be his enemy from the past, he squelches his way across the slick bog, entering the compound to be met with an explosion and a young woman running for her life dodging bullets and flames. Kay thinks to himself that this young woman is in peril. Someone he can help.
Mariam believes in saving her home from the rising waters and barren lands. From the pollution of the air and waters. She doesn’t remember the last time she heard bird song or when the isle hasn’t been so sweltering hot. She is a part of FETA, an all-female collective, to combat climate change and the corporations who are at fault for causing their world to slowly die. She is frustrated with her sisters in their impassive ways for their movement and takes it upon herself to make a bold move. Only, she didn’t mean for the fracking site to blow up or for an oil fire to spread across the land, causing more harm to the environment in its wake. And she most certainly didn’t intend for a dragon to be unleashed across the land with her explosion. When a man covered in dirt, dressed in chain mail and carrying a wooden shield saves her from the Saxon soldiers at the fracking site, her world is turned upside down in more ways than she could ever imagine.
Kay joins Mariam and her band of all female eco-warriors in their fight against big oil corporations, to help heal the world from the steadily warming climate and to stop the veil between worlds from being reopened and allowing nightmarish monsters from taking over the land.

Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling with a twist. In this story we are in a world faced with devastation from climate change wreaking havoc on our setting. The main characters are resurrected from the grave to fight this battle with the feud between political factions and the damage being done to the Earth. I was not sure what to expect going into this book, but I found myself enjoying the story. The story does have multiple points of view including those of Sir Kay, Lancelot, and Miriam as they embark on their journey to change the future of their realm. I do, however, feel like some parts dragged on and could have possibly been shorter. This tends to happen in a lot of longer books that I read, so I don't count that against the story as a whole. Overall, an interesting take on an old tale that I had fun reading!

Imagine the Knights of the round table each given a magic stone by Merlin to swallow so when they die & are buried a tree will grow from them. When England is in peril they will come back to life & dig through the mud & dirt to crawl up to fight. Thus, starts our story with a disgruntled man crawling out of the earth. A knight of the round table that along with the rest have been buried in various spots to arise when needed. This time the world is on the brink of complete meltdown & waters have risen putting most on the brink of starvation living in tent camps. A group of feminist eco fighters has a member that has is on an oil rig in the slime water covered bog that was once northern England is ready to become mush at the hand of mercenaries from a US company called Saxon until Sir Kay gets involved & gets killed, giving her time to escape only to pop up in her trailer rescurected. it is a long humorous but thoughtful wild romp from there & worth the journey.

What if Merlin gave the Knights of the Round Table a spell that allowed them to resurrect whenever Britain was in danger? What if that danger was climate change and evil corporations? That is the world that Thomas D. Lee imagines for Perilous Times, a clever albeit uneven mashup of an Arthurian retelling, climate fiction, and dry British satire.

Before diving into my full review, I should give a bit of a positionality statement because I think it influenced how I experienced this book, and will color my review. Most importantly, I am an American who only knows the broadest strokes of British history, customs, and culture. I also know some things about the King Arthur story, but I am by no means an expert.

I bring this up because I am sure that I "missed" a lot of the jokes and satire that Lee included in Perilous Times. When I picked up this book, I was expecting a true comedy - something along the lines of Terry Pratchett. I thought I was going to get full on wacky and hilarious satire. This is not what Perilous Times is, nor how I experienced it. While there are definitely some hilarious and laugh out loud moments scattered throughout the novel, the humor is actually much more in the background. Rather than a true screwball comedy, it is more of a quiet and subdued version of Kings of the Wyld. But maybe it is much funnier to someone who is British or has spent a lot of time on the British Isles. I am sure that there are so many jokes that I just didn't get that might have deflated the reading experience for me a bit.

However, having said that, this was still quite an entertaining read, especially if you have any experience with the King Arthur story. Lee does a fantastic job of subverting so many of the tropes and expectations of these characters and their story. Arthur is much less impressive and much less heroic than he is traditionally portrayed. Lancelot is a gay man who never slept with Guinevere. Merlin is not as kind or altruistic as what one might expect. In all of these cases I burned through the pages with anticipation, waiting for another literary figure to appear (others, like Morgan and The Lady of the Lake also show up).

The major "new" (non-Arthurian) character who we follow is a woman named Mariam. Mariam is the perfect characterization of someone who wants to change the world but is up against such large structural forces that change seems impossible. Mariam is part of a feminist ecological activist group that is trying to save the last vestiges of the world from climate change. However, as much as she tries, she only seems to make things worse, and nothing is being accomplished and looming corporate forces just take on more power and control. The group she is in can't stop bickering and in-fighting, and she is feeling a bit powerless and lost. This all changes when she starts to see magic - resurrected Arthurian figures, dragons unleased from beyond the magical Veil, witches, magical staffs and swords, and so much more. I really enjoyed following Mariam's journey because she was a relatable figure in this larger than life story. She was someone who has always wanted to make change but struggled, now on a journey of becoming a heroic figure all on her own.

Despite all of the great character work Lee did with Mariam, the characters that really shined for me were Kay and Lancelot (I know, I know, its the men, but Lee does really interesting things with them!). Other than Mariam, the other major POV character in the novel is Kay, Arthur's foster brother. I'm not sure if this is a traditional interpretation, but in Perilous Times Kay is a Black man. Lee uses Kay as a way to explore and comment upon so many interesting themes and discourses. The most obvious is race. Kay often laments the racism he experiences from "the Saxons" in this modern world because in the olden days race wasn't seen as a big deal. In the time of the Roman Empire everyone moved around everywhere, and so it was normal to see people of different skin colors, hair textures, and other physical features. In the near-future Britain in which Perilous Times is set, Kay is then a fish out of water in many different ways, from both a temporal and racial perspective. The other reason I really liked Kay as a character is because Lee also explores Kay's trauma in a really natural and organic way. This is not the first time that Kay has been resurrected because Britain was in peril; he fought in the English Civil War, he fought in WWI, WWII, and even the Cold War. As we get to know Kay on a deeper level as the novel progresses, we see the toll that having to partake in all of these fights has had on him.

Similarly, we see the same kind of psychological scarring on Lancelot. Lancelot has also been subjected to many of these same "perils", even if he has often fought on the opposite side of the conflicts as Kay. While Kay reacts to his trauma by striving to be a better hero, Lancelot takes the opposite approach. If this is his life now (and if society has deemed him the villain of Arthurian legend), than he is going to look out for himself and the ones closest to him. I don't want to say too much more because of spoilers, but one of Lancelot's scenes had me in tears (and I'm not really one to cry at books!).

Lee thrusts his characters, both legendary and new, into a near future Britain that in many ways is like the one we know, but also very different. I really liked all of the different societal changes Lee made as he envisioned a world battling the severe reprucussions of climate change. This is a future in which much of the British Isles are underwater, forcing people to move, while other major rivers and bodies of water have completely dried up. One of my favorite little details is that a new sect of Judeo-Christianity has appeared, The Church of Noah, who believe that the rising sea levels are a sign that the Biblical flood is returning and they must build an ark. Private corporations have taken over governments, Britain is pretty much just a corporate vassal of the US and China, Scotland and Wales have declared independence, a pint of English beer costs 25 pounds and brewed in America, and so many small worldbuilding details are built into Lee's near future Britain.

As much as I enjoyed my time with Perilous Times, there were a couple of things that kept it from being an absolute favorite. I have already talked about how much of the humor didn't really land for me, and/or that it completely flew over my head. Again, I think this is a me issue, but it could mean that your mileage (or kilometerage?) will vary based on your understanding of British politics and society.

The other thing that didn't work for me was that the pacing of the novel was a bit slow for my personal tastes. The book could have been 50 pages shorter and been all the stronger for it. There was a bit of a lag about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the story where I didn't feel like we were learning anything new about this world or these characters, but that people were just doing things for the sake of moving characters around the board. I personally have nothing against slow paced books (the Realm of the Elderings is my favorite series!) but I found my mind wandering during certain sections.

The only other downside that I want to point out is that some of the larger plot machinations were not as well developed as they could have been. I don't want to give spoilers away, but the main corporate antagonists, their goals, and how it intersected with the magical elements of the story were slightly underbaked. Stuff was happening in the end that didn't totally make sense because the actual magic side of the worldbuilding was left a bit too vague. This could have just been me, and I think that what ultimately happens will really appeal to fans of the more "literary" side of fantasy and magical realism.

Overall, I can see how this book would really work for certain readers, while I think other readers will have the "it was good but not fantastic" experience that I had. If Arthurian retellings involving climate change and a gay Lancelot sounds right up your alley, then I highly recommend that you check it out. But if some of the things I that I highlighted here are bookish red flags for you, then you might want to look elsewhere.

Concluding Thoughts: A clever and satirical look at the politics of climate change, Thomas D. Lee crafts an original Arthurian retelling that challenges many of our assumptions about these mythical characters. Some of the clever worldbuliding and character development was overshadowed a bit by some extraneous pages and my American ignorance of British society, politics, and humor. I can see how this would be a new favorite for some readers and a complete meh for others. This book knows what it is, and completely commits to it.

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee
Arthurian rubbish as described by the author’s brother. Joe, I disagree, it was Arthurian for sure but rubbish, nope, not at all. Lee fills his pages with despair and finally with hope. In a world crashing and burning, the story takes place in the UK and features the likes of Lancelot and Kay, Morgan and Arthur as well as a Einsteinish Merlin.
As far as bit players, I think Barry, the squirrel, was my favorite. Lee’s take on the protection of the planet leads to an uncomfortable look at fractionalization and greed. In some ways, it is an uncomfortable reflection of current affairs without the hope of a Round Table resurrection.
I enjoyed the book and the message of hope.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

So as someone who really enjoys Arthurian legends, this was a really cool premise.
The idea that the knights of the round table have volunteered themselves in immortal magic, where they awaken from the ground over and over again every time "The realm is in peril".
It could be 50 years apart, a few hundred- they never know. Only to be introduced to a world they don't know whose only info on them are the things of legends. To have to adapt to an ever changing world and society each time, try to right the world for England and be put once again back to sleep in the ground.
They can't properly die and pass on, and each time they disintegrate only to have to crawl out from under the trees they were buried under, memories intact, baggage intact, hauling all of that with them through the centuries.

Sir Kay wakes up in the middle of a wet bog, the land utterly changed since his last awakening. The earth is in the end stage of full climate crisis, cities flooded, famine rampant, people with no place to go, society is in shambles. He meets Mariam an angry, fed up young woman, who sees her world burning and is tired of people sitting around talking about how to fix it.
She's in the middle of being shot at, trying to disable a large fracking plant. She ends up accidentally blowing it up.

Magic is coming back, leaking through the worlds. The wealthy is isolating themselves, plotting to find a way to leave everyone behind and save only themselves. People are starving, angry and divided.

King Arthur is a cruel, brutish, slight mad, total idiot. Almost all the players are present. Merlin is plotting, Morgana is doing what she can with very little magic, helping where she can, Nimue is surviving in desiccated polluted rivers, Lancelot is pining for his lovers- long since dead. Kay is just trying to do his best, while confronting his stark reality.

It was a solid plot, I really did enjoy this take.

Book: Perilous Times
Author: Thomas D. Lee
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Orbit Books, for providing me with an ARC.

This is a King Arthur retelling with a twist. In this one, some of the figures in the King Arthur legends can be brought back to life whenever England is in danger. That is as long as their final resting place has not been destroyed. Kay and Lancelot have both come back to find England in complete chaos. It’s a divided nation full of political divisions, environmental violence, and magical beings running around. While there are people who do want to fight, most of them are just trying to make it to the next day. Our two knights do the best they can, but even they are not enough to save England and restore it to the glory that it once was. They know that they need a leader and know that Arthur probably should be that leader. However, for unknown reasons, they can’t seem to make themselves bring him back.

I enjoyed the idea of whenever England is in trouble, there are these protectors who will come back and save it. Then, they die again. This is a very interesting take on an old tale. I also like the idea of getting to see them try to adjust to the modern world. Now, since both Kay and Lancelot have been up before, they are somewhat familiar with these changes. However, having to see them make sense of what is going on and having to deal with the day to day changes was very amusing for me. Even though the book as a whole is light, it does have action sequences, which are a fun read. The whole vibe of the book gave me Discworld feelings.

The humour in this book is charming. Though I will admit that it did take me some time to get on board with it. It creates this atmosphere that is fun, but, yet, shows us the true horrors of the world. We are dealing with a divided nation with divided ideas. We are seeing a lot of social and environmental issues, as well as dealing with what seems like big business. There are a lot of true horrors hidden beneath the humour. Even though it is light in nature, it does show us the darker side of the world.

I am going, to be honest about this next one. I really couldn’t get on board with the characters. While I did enjoy both the plot and the writing, I had a very difficult time forming a bond with the characters. I don’t know why either. I wasn’t attached to them. I think a lot of it had to do with the writing and the humour, which I know I just got finished saying that I enjoyed. I felt like both of these elements took away the sense of character that the characters were supposed to be. There was never that feeling that our core group wasn’t going to be okay and that they may not make it out of there in one piece. I also had a very difficult time bonding with them. If I can’t connect with the characters in a book, I usually don’t have as much of a great time with it as I should.

Overall, this is a solid, light fantasy read. I think if you like the vibes of Discworld, I think you will enjoy this one.

This book comes out on May 25, 2023.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Perilous Times!

Star Rating: 3⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Pub Date: May 23, 2023

Honestly, I went into this book low expectations. It's not exactly something I would normally choose to read, but I ended up really liking it.

I liked this story as a whole because it's honestly unlike anything I've ever read. The story brought in political issues like climate change while also utilizing Arthurian legend elements. Sounds like it might be a hodgepodge book, right? WRONG! Somehow, these elements just worked. The story was interesting, the characters were engaging, and I was intrigued by the book as a whole.

That being said, it didn't overly wow me, either, which is what led me to rate it three stars. I enjoyed it, and it kept my attention...but I probably won't be buying it for my shelves or re-reading it.

I'm glad I read this story, though, and I think it will definitely have a following! For some, I just think this will be a "check out of the library" book as opposed to a purchased book.

Not usually a fan of fantasy books but I was invited to read this one and found it fun, and very different. Part dystopian novel, part Arthurian legend, this book defies genres and proved a quick and interesting read. This book is set in England, at a time when global warming is ruining the world. Sir Kay, who is one of the knights of the round table, rises from the dead at times when England needs him most. Along with Lancelot and a fierce woman warrior named Mariam, these knights are trying to save the world.

The book is dystopian but also whimsical and funny and I enjoyed reading the parts where the knights talked about the "old days" and struggled with new ways of being and current attitudes. . If you are a fan of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, you will enjoy hearing from not only Lancelot but Merlin and even King Arthur himself. I don't want to give away the surprises in this book, you should read it yourself! There is a little of everything, even a dragon. It deals with not only climate change but politics, gender and racial equality, LGBTA issues and the way hatred and poor communication are ruining the earth. . Recommend for fantasy lovers who appreciate a new perspective on old myths and legends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.