Status
Call number
Collections
Publication
Description
"An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet-saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself-in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend. Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully damn tiring over the years-or at least that's what Sir Kay's thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth, yet again. Kay fought at Hastings, and at Waterloo, and in both World Wars. After a thousand years, he thought he was used to dealing with a crisis. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, armies have been privatized, and half of Britain's been sold to the Chinese. The dragon that's running amok, that he can handle. The rest? He's not so sure. Mariam's devoted her life to fighting what's wrong with her country. But she's just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, a figure straight out of legend, she dares to hope that the world's finally found the savior it needs. As the two quest through this strange land swarming with gangs, mercenaries, and talking squirrels, they realize that other ancient evils are afoot. Lancelot is back too--at the beck and call of immortal beings with a sinister agenda. And if their plans can't be stopped, a dragon will be the least of the planet's worries. In perilous times like these, the realm doesn't just need a knight. It needs a true leader. Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach--and Kay's starting to suspect that the hero fit to carry it is close at hand"--… (more)
User reviews
RATING: 4/5
REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from Ballantine Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily writing an honest review.
Perilous Times is the story of near-future England, and its
This is a good book. While that paragraph above seems to make this a weighty book, it really isn’t. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and is fun to read. The story was really unique, and I really enjoyed Lee’s treatment of some of the characters. The whole thing with them being bound to the trees was also very interesting. The writing was good (for the most part) and while the book was very long, I didn’t really get bored.
There were two little issues I had with this book, however. Once was that the author seemed to over-rely on sentence fragments. In my mind, once in a while there’s no problem with using fragments in order to convey a certain feeling. But using it continuously and multiple times a page just seemed a little too much. There’s nothing wrong with complete sentences, either. And second…I know I call this a lot, but I don’t see why every book has to be 500+ pages anymore. This book moved less slowly than many I’ve read, but it was still more bloated than it needed to be at almost 600 pages.
Over all, though, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy and disaster books/movies.
I've felt largely burned-out on Arthurian rewrites since I was a teenager, lo those many years ago. And yet, something about the concept of this one hooked me: Arthur's knights reawakening in response to the climate emergency. Even better, the book
The two principal characters are Sir Kay and Miriam. Kay was more accepted with his black skin back in the 6th century than he has in his recent returns, clawing from the dank earth beneath his assigned tree, ready to fight on Britain's behalf both at home and abroad. This time, he awakens as a nearby structure is being attacked by Mariam, an eco-terrorist. Their hesitant alliance occurs as other immortal figures are also in motion--Lancelot, Marlowe, Nimue, and others.
This book delivered constant surprises. The near-future setting of heat, mass flooding, and devastation feels disturbingly plausible. Kay is such an incredible character, a man who has suffered much across many lives and still mourns for his wife after over a thousand years of separation. Lancelot--I won't give anything away, but wow is his character arc incredible. Even though the central concept is about the Knights of the Round Table, it really centers on Mariam, which is only right. I felt leery about her at first, but through Lee's immersive writing, I came to know and understand her.
A unique Arthurian retelling with some interesting ideas and plots, this end-of-the-world fantasy is quirky and snarky. I like the characters and loved the reinvented Kay, but I think there's so many working parts here that some themes get a little lost. More backstory for the knights
Net Galley Feedback
Perilous Times by Thomas Lee will be available June 23, 2023.
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
#PerilousTimes #NetGalley #fantasy #Ballantine #ThomasLee #ARC #eARC #bookreview #bookstagram #bookblog #books #book #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog #bookblogge