Perilous Times
The Sunday Times Bestseller compared to 'Good Omens with Arthurian knights'
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
IN PERILOUS TIMES LIKE THESE, THE REALM DOESN'T JUST NEED A HERO.
IT NEEDS A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR.
Sir Kay and his fellow knights awake from their mythical slumber whenever Britain has need of them; they fought at Agincourt and at the Somme. But in these perilous modern times, the realm is more divided than ever, a dragon has been seen for the first time in centuries, and Kay is not the only ancient and terrible thing to come crawling up out of the ground . . .
Perilous Times is a fiercely entertaining contemporary take on the myths of Camelot, which asks: what happens when the Knights of the Round Table return to fix the problems of the modern world?
This debut is perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jodi Taylor and Ben Aaronovitch.
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AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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WINNER OF THE FANTASY HIVE 'DEBUT OF THE YEAR' AWARD
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'If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you'll enjoy Perilous Times . . . wryly witty, it's an utterly original take on Arthurian myth' The Times
'This audacious, original debut is angry as well as entertaining, and an exciting new take on the Matter of Britain' Guardian
'Funny, weird, wise, lovely, and full of mad sh*t. You've never read anything like it before, and you should bang that order button now' Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
'Lee has brought Arthur's legends into these modern, perilous, times' Fantasy Hive
'Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. I've never read a book that treads so happily the ground between making you think, and making you laugh out loud' Beth Underdown
'I HOWLED my way through this book! Smart, funny, refreshing fantasy. . . Anyone who liked Rivers of London will love this' Natasha Pulley
'Forget the once-and-future-king; this is a once-and-future classic' Jackson Ford
'Lee has a maestro's eye for satire' Richard Swan
'A brilliant collision of ancient mysticism with modern madness' Robert Jackson Bennett
'Relentlessly entertaining, deadpan hilarious and full of heart. Give it five pages and you'll be hooked' Scott Hawkins
'Maintains a steady faith in humanity's ability to bring itself back from the brink' Publishers Weekly
'Perilous Times has knights, mad science, corporate villainy . . . and dragons ready to burn it all down... delightful' Kevin Hearne
'An awesomely accomplished debut' Daily Mail
*A No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller as published by the Sunday Times in the 4th June 2023 issue.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Debut novelist Lee takes a side-eyed look at both chivalric legends and contemporary eco-warriors in this hopeful eco-fantasy that asks whether Excalibur might be able to slay climate change. After blowing up a fracking facility and accidentally unleashing a dragon, young activist Mariam escapes the chaos with the aid of a recently resurrected Sir Kay, knight of the Round Table and foster brother of King Arthur. Given repeated lives by Merlin, Kay is used to being revived for military missions but he's less prepared to handle the more abstract foe that is the collapse of Britain's ecology. He knows, however, that the resurrected Arthur's plan to "make Britain great again" is not the right tactic. Instead, Excalibur needs a new and better wielder. Lee does not skimp on the bleakness of the environmental crisis nor on naming its villains, but he maintains a steady faith in humanity's ability to bring itself back from the brink; swords can do more than cleave if they become rallying symbols for folks who do not recognize their own heroism. Readers with a love of Arthurian romance and ecological optimism will appreciate Mariam and Kay's struggles and triumphs.
