I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall I liked it and for a modern day Arthurian tale, it's pretty good. It is witty, which was a plus. I really can't pinpoint why I didn't really enjoy it, but I didn't. If you like Arthurian tales retold, then give it a shot.

This was a very unique story, I just don't know how I felt about it?
Things I enjoyed: the characters Kay and Lancelot, the dry humor, the end of the world setting.
Things I didn't like: too fucking long (this book could have easily been 300 pages), none of the characters had any idea what was going on, and it took too long for anything to actually happen.
I also didn't really get what the author was trying to say? Like all the groups featured in this book from skinheads to tree huggers, were portrayed the same: silly, dumb and naive... and one random person was given the power to save the day... and that's it. No one really overcame their differences, or solved anything? IDK, if this book wasn't trying to make a point then it should have went full tilt into killing nazis and blowing up oil rigs IMO. Instead it went very wishy/washy down the middle road and stumbled into an ending. There were a lot of philosophical dilemmas brought up in this book, but the author just refuses to take a stand on any of it, and I would have rather it just been a fun romp defeating the baddies if that's how the plot was going to play out.

Being a Knight of Arthur's Roundtable requires an oath to serve and protect but thanks to some shenanigans on the part of Merlin, those knights live a very long, obsequious life. They are not quite immortal, though from the perspective of mere mortals, they would seem to be. When the world needs them the most to fulfill their oaths and protect Briton (and all humanity), they are raised from their buried tombs, under great, protected trees, and sent forth. Nothing but true death will stop them until they've met their duty.

We first meet Sir Kay, rising from the earth, not knowing what awaits him, but certain that it's something serious or he wouldn't be awakened. Not far away is a large complex making a racket and pumping noxious fumes into the sky. He hears a woman scream and takes action. Shortly thereafter, the plant blows up and from the giant flames rises a great dragon which takes flight.

The woman, and now Sir Kay, fights against corporations polluting the earth. She was a saboteur, planting bombs to blow up the complex. But it is clear to Kay that he's been brought back to fight climate change - this is the new threat to his country (before this, he was brought back to fight against the Nazis in WWII).

Also rising from the earth are Lancelot and, despite some trepidation, Arthur himself is brought back. But the three are not all on the same side. Can Kay fight against corporations and money AND his fellow knights and former king?

The opening sequence of this book was absolutely stunning. The description of Kay's rising and the curiosity around what's happening are so well delivered - it's a perfect hook to get the reader interested.

When Kay heads off and takes the side of the screaming woman without question, I did begin to wonder how he'd know who he was supposed to be supporting and who he was fighting against. The question never really goes away as we see how the different knights take different sides. It's all metaphorical for how people see the crises differently.

Despite the strong opening and the suggestion we're in for a hardcore twist on the Knights of the Round Table in Modern Times, the book slyly pokes some fun at the trope. Being raised from the dead doesn't come with sudden knowledge of behavior and mores for the current era, as we see when Kay defends a group of immigrants from some Aaryan group taunting and bullying. That defense? To gut a few of the men with his sword. All captured on a cell phone, of course.

I'm a bit of an Arthurian aficionado and I knew this was something I was going to want to read. I appreciated that author Thomas D. Lee kept the Arthurian portions of the book to a minimum and didn't try to make this out to be a complete take-over of England by its once and glorious king. Instead, Lee weaves the ancient characters into the story very believably. They've gotten good at adapting to new worlds, but it still takes some time to understand their purpose.

The idea that Knights of the Round Table could solve the climate crisis is a bit far-fetched, even for a fantasy like this, but it's metaphorical; it's allegorical. The knights and king are showing us the path that we COULD take, if we chose to stand up and fight.

All in all, a fun read.

Looking for a good book? Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee is a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek blending of the Arthurian legends and the modern fight against climate change.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee blends Arthurian tropes with a near-future, post-climate change dystopia which asks, among other ideas, how bad things need to become before King Arthur returns as prophesied. The “once and future king,” said to be destined to return in the time of England’s greatest peril, has yet to reappear – despite two world wars and multiple other conflicts that surely could have benefitted from Arthur’s strength and expertise. Along the way, the novel also investigates the nature of heroism, the ways in which doing the right thing sometimes leads to the wrong result, and how hard it is to alter our own ingrained beliefs and sense of self-worth.

Lee tweaks the “Arthur will return” trope by giving us a version of our world in which it is not Arthur but his core knights, ensorcelled by Merlin, who secretly return when England is in peril. Kay, Lancelot, Galehaut, and others find themselves occasionally revived long enough to do what needs doing to preserve the realm. This time, Kay and Lancelot, who have a not-pleasant history, find themselves on opposite sides of a battle between a group of environmentalists (and other revolutionaries) and the oil barons and oligarchs who control a collapsing political state and whose policies have resulted in a flooded, impoverished, crippled “United Kingdom.” Equally important to the narrative are Miriam, the idealistic but insecure environmentalist Kay rescues from death when he first awakens; Regan, an older friend of Miriam with secrets of her own; and Lancelot’s also-immortal government spymaster Marlowe (yes, that Marlowe).

Into the already near-apocalyptic world the characters inhabit (Lee’s descriptions of flooded towns, disease- and prejudice-plagued refugee camps, and massive oil rigs are viscerally palpable) comes magic that may save the world or may doom it. The magic is as much of a threat as the changed climate is, depending on who ends up wielding it. At the heart of many Arthurian retellings is the idea of “Might for Right” (as opposed to “might makes right”) and Lee plays with that concept throughout the book, with characters debating the proper use, if any, of force to solve problems. The various POV characters allow for a nuanced discussion in the context of many of our current societal problems – not just climate change, but white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, and more.

Lee also gives us a more diverse cast than traditional Arthurian retellings (a trend I’ve noticed the past handful of years and for which I’m happy): Miriam is a woman of color; her peers include an older woman, a transgender character, and a lesbian couple; Kay, Arthur’s adoptive brother, is a man of color with pagan beliefs; Lancelot is homosexual (and yes, Lee does give us an in-flashback tweak to the standard Camelot love-triangle). This allows the author to explore the idea of who gets to be a “hero” and how that might be perceived by less open-minded people. Through Kay and Lancelot, the author also gets to investigate how we process grief and grudges and what both might look like for the eternally reincarnated.

Arthurian purists, who want the king and his knights portrayed only in the noblest of lights, may want to pass this one up because the author does not shy away from showing the characters’ flaws. But for those like me who enjoy retellings in which “infallible” legends are revealed as having been fallible/human should pick this up, as should those who like their fantasy creatures mixed with modern real-world concerns.

I received an advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Perilous Times published on May 23, 2023.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I wanted to. I love King Author and everything that comes with these tales but had a hard time getting into this one. I like the turn it took to take climate change and its political lokos into it in account. A very different approach than what I have seen. and can I saw dragons! In the end it was a very crazy ride of a book but will not be taking my top of favorites.

This book was one of my surprise favorites from the first half of the year so far. At once a gutting near-future dystopian tale (including a very clear-eyed look at climate change) and a delightfully unexpected Arthurian “retelling”.
The distinctive and sympathetic cast of characters and the entertaining narrative voice quickly had me immersed in this story. The writing and the audio narration were both overall superb!
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley, who supplied an ebook arc for review purposes.

I did enjoy this book though I felt as it was unnecessarily long. There was some long descriptions and fluff that I felt was not needed and dragged the story a bit. Other than that I really did like the story and I always love a Camelot story.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I really liked the idea of this book. Arthur and his knights back to help the modern world, but the execution of the story was so slow, I kept putting the book down and reading other things.

I very much enjoyed this new perspective on King Arthur and his knights. The dark humor - Lancelot and Kay told to deal with their issues. The strong female characters. Morgan's purpose to aid women and the Earth. I loved these characters - entertaining, funny and real.
Merlin gives the knights magic stones - allowing for a sacred tree to grow upon their burial sight. When Britain is in " peril" the knights return to aid Britain.
The world is the death throes - consumed by reckless energy consumption, poor leadership, etc. Will it recover ? Or continue to be destroyed?

Not my normal read, but it was surprisingly fun! A retelling of the Knights of the Round table, the knights are to rise and protect Britain whenever it's in peril. But this time, when Kel rises, it's a Britain he doesn't recognize. Fun characters, and I'll definitely be looking for the next book!

What would happen if the Knights from Arthur’s round table woke up in today’s world? That’s exactly where Kay finds himself. He teams up with a seeming maiden in distress who is an eco-warrior. At this point in the apocalypse, anyone trying to save the failing earth must be willing to be violent in order to make a difference which, of course, as a Knight of the Round Table, is right up Kay’s alley.

I loved the premise of this story. A well-rounded novel with a dash of magic/fey, Arthurian legend and history mixed in with environmental, world-ending disaster. I love the underlying feminism and attitude of Mariam with a “fine, I’ll do it myself” attitude. The theme of actually taking action for what you believe in, overall government ineptitude, and figuring out what is right ‘side’ seemed very appropriate for today’s climate.

My only drawbacks were that sometimes the descriptiveness could be a little much and make an otherwise exciting and action-packed book drag a little bit. Also the cover did nothing to make me excited to open the book. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and took much longer to read it because I would pick other books with more interesting covers that drew me in.

However, as in most cases, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I loved the story and all the different pieces that are woven together so seamlessly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would recommend for anyone that enjoys Arthurian legend, history of England and Wales, or apocalyptic tales. There’s something for everyone!

You can't go wrong here! I loved this book! I bought and gave copies to my nephews as birthday gifts and they inhaled it.

Book Summary:

The Knights of the Round Table have faced many challenges over the years. They have been victorious more often than not, thanks to brave knights and clever leadership. But now they face a foe like nothing before.

The world is rapidly warming, and the politics around this debate are out of control. How can the knights take decisive action when nobody agrees on what that action should be?

My Review:

So if there's one thing I've learned from my latest reading stint, I need a break from certain genres/tropes. For example, I need a (long) break from Greek retellings. I also apparently need a bit of a break from Arthurian stories. As such, I probably didn't enjoy Perilous Times as much as I could have or should have. So please take my review with a grain of salt!

The best part of Perilous Times has to be the characters. They're easy to get attached to, with sympathetic and compelling plot arcs. In truth, this is probably the best representation I've seen of these characters in quite some time.

The more modern take on this retelling certainly didn't hurt, either. The idea of the Knights of the Round Table trying to deal with current dilemmas is...interesting, to say the least. It's comical and heartbreaking all in one, and I love Thomas D. Lee for putting that in my brain.

Highlights:
Debut
Modern Arthurian Tale
LGBTQ+

I want to start by saying just because this book didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. It has an intriguing premise. Kay and Lancelot are immortal due to Merlin’s magic. They sleep under the earth until they’re summoned when Britain is in peril. It takes place in the near future when the environment has been destroyed and climate change has flooded large sections of Britain.

I struggled to get through this. I enjoy stories about Camelot and its characters, retellings and reimaginings. Kay and Lancelot and others who show up- I don’t want to spoil things- are fine…except for one character who is a complete caricature. The non-Camelot characters are mostly one-dimensional, indistinguishable except for the “chosen one” who happens to be special. I had a hard time caring about any of them.

The pace is very slow, and the book beats you over the head with its message. One villain actually says he will “make Britain great again.” It’s a bleak book about a bleak future. I guess I expected more Camelot-type fantasy. So that’s on me. However, you might like it! There is a dragon. Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is not my typical style of book, but it was good. It's a modern take on an old story, and I was definitely entertained!

I'm always a fan of anything involving King Arthur. I enjoyed the writing and character development and seeing the knights in the modern world, but this book just wasn't for me.

I requested this one because of the touted basis in Arthurian legend, which is almost always my jam. This was a rare case where for many reasons I didn't connect with this story. I hope to return to it someday, but with my ARC schedule running away from me, I had to put this one on the back burner for now. It has a unique premise and I already encountered some interesting magic-system things. The characters are interesting, although I didn't connect with most of them. I have no doubt that there are a great many readers who'll love this story, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. 3 stars for here, because although I gave up on it, the story is well crafted.

A really great book. good characters and good adventure from start to finish. I enjoyed this heroines journey and look forward to more by this author.

In theory, this premise was right up my alley. Give me Arthurian legend remixed any day. In practice, however, this was a tougher sell. There was nothing inherently bad about this book, it just left a lot to be desired in my opinion.

From the slow pacing (which normally I don't mind, but in this case dragged on a little too long) to the humor not always landing, to even the plot not always landing, it just didn't end up being something I enjoyed as much I wanted to.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC!

I enjoyed this book, incredibly witty and humorous while driving home the seriousness of climate change and what we could truly be hurtling towards. Incorporating this current day problem and giving it to King Aurthur and the Knights to solve made things that much more interesting! Would definitely recommend!