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.
I'm absolutely thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for Perilous Times today. Huge thanks to Thomas D. Lee, Orbit Books and Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me and for my advance copy of the book.
The Arthurian legends have been told and retold countless times over the years but never quite in the way Thomas D. Lee has done in Perilous Times. It's frequently hilarious but also terrifying, inspiring and deeply moving. By bringing Kay, Lancelot and other figures from the stories into a disturbingly believable near-future Britain, he is able to examine how humanity keeps making mistakes, requiring the knights to leave their slumber in order to assist Britain in peril – until it may finally be too late...
The development of the storyline in Perilous Times is exceptional; from the moment Sir Kay emerges from the soil underneath the tree where he is buried, the manner in which a lore is created and expanded upon is superb. As Kay tries to figure out why he has awoken this time, it becomes clear that it's never a straightforward process. From locating his sword and shield to adjusting to whatever changes have occurred in the period since he was last called upon, it's also soon obvious that helping Britain in perilous times means he has experienced some of the most horrific periods of history. He's died in scores of ways and seen the worst of humanity. Still haunted by some of his memories, he has emerged this time into a world which is on the brink of irrevocable disaster. Britain is ravaged by climate change and much of the country is underwater. Wales, Scotland and Cornwall have declared independence, Essex has been sold to the Chinese and the North is in open revolt but split by various warring socialist factions.
This is post-Brexit Britain unchecked and it's not a pretty sight. The armed forces have been privatised, hospitals are unable to cope and immigrants are less welcome than ever as resources as basic as homes and food become increasingly scarce. Kay decides he needs to help Mariam, a young feminist eco-warrior whose decision to take direct action has dire consequences. As the novel progresses, the constant debates and arguments and therefore maddening inaction among the people supposedly trying to oppose the excesses of the super-rich becomes a running theme. Everyone knows it's almost too late and yet still people can't seem to find a way to work together.
As Kay makes his presence felt when he comes across a group of racist ultra-nationalists at a vastly overpopulated refugee camp in Preston, Lancelot has also been awoken and is briefed by immortal playwright, Marlowe. Lancelot is initially a rather louche, jaded figure but there's a key scene which completely changed how I felt about him. Perilous Times is a compelling cli-fi thriller with dragons but it's also a witty, poignant look at the relationship between two men with a long and complicated history. Their animosity is evident throughout and even spills over into violence at times in scenes which are almost tragically funny. Of course, no Arthurian tale would be complete without more legendary characters and so Merlin, Herne, a scene-stealing Nimue and Arthur himself, of course, all have their parts to play. It transpires that the stories told of these mythical figures don't necessarily tell the full truth, particularly about the sort of king Arthur was – although given that one of the recurrent topics in the book is that the world keeps repeating its wrongs, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that even the once and future king should be celebrated thanks to what might now be termed ‘alternative facts.’
One of the most striking elements of Perilous Times is that while Mariam and her friends reflect the diversity of modern Britain, Kay and Lancelot are reminders that the country has always been multicultural and populated by people across the spectrum of sexual and gender identities. Kay himself is black which allows Mariam to believe that this ancient history could be her history too. Her initial reaction to Kay's story is, understandably, amusingly blunt but the hope they eventually engender in one another drives the hugely engaging plot.
Perilous Times is a witty satire, a timely look at some of what the future may hold if we persist on our present path but it's also a tale of heroes and villains, love, hope and redemption. If all it takes for evil to flourish is for good men (and women) to do nothing, then this clever, refreshing melding of fantasy and reality is as stirring a call to arms as it is a tremendously entertaining novel. And it has a talking squirrel called Barry. Completely brilliant from start to finish, this is a fabulous debut novel; I cannot recommend it highly enough and have my fingers firmly crossed for more, please!
Perilous Times is published by Orbit, purchaing links can be found here.
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About the Author
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| Photo Credit: Stephanie Emma Photography |
He has previously worked as a copywriter and a high-school teaching assistant.
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