Perilous Times

(Paperback)

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Description

They say 'old soldiers never die' - and in Sir Kay's case, the ballad can be taken literally.

For hundreds of years Kay and his fellow knights of the round table have been woken from their long slumber whenever Britain had need of them; they fought at Agincourt and at the Somme. But now a dragon has been seen for the first time in centuries, the realm is more divided than ever, and what's worse, there are rumours of Arthur himself returning. Kay just wants to go back to sleep.

And Kay is not the only ancient thing to come crawling up out of the ground; Lancelot is back as well, with orders to track down Kay and stop him from doing anything stupid.

Mixing Arthurian legend with contemporary fantasy, this sharply witty and relevant debut novel will delight fans of Terry Pratchett and Ben Aaronovitch.

Reviews

Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. Both massively escapist and a persuasive call to action - I've never read a book that treads so happily the ground between making you think, and making you laugh out loud. -- Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder's Sister
Lee has brought Arthur's legends into these modern, perilous, times and has gifted us a story worthy of that canon -- Fantasy Hive
I HOWLED my way through this book! Smart, funny, refreshing fantasy, full of vivid characters who will bring a lot of joy to a lot of people . . . Anyone who liked Rivers of London will love this -- Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
Funny, weird, wise, lovely, and full of mad sh*t. You've never read anything like it before, and you should bang that pre-order button now -- Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Lee has a maestro's eye for satire -- Richard Swan, author of The Justice of Kings
Enormous fun, combining razor sharp wit with savage political commentary, propulsive action, and near-endless Arthurian Easter Eggs. A brilliant collision of ancient mysticism with modern madness -- Robert Jackson Bennett
Angry, funny, grounded in a vital, urgent reality and soaring with joyous fantasy - a needful delight of a book -- Claire North, author of Ithaca
Lee's tale of the Knights of the Round Table awaking in the modern world grabs hold and won't let go. Forget the once-and-future-king; this is a once-and-future classic -- Jackson Ford, author of The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind
Perilous Times is a gloriously fun book, easily the best I've read this year. It's 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; 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 -- Publishers Weekly
It's rare to find a book so entertaining yet thematically juicy. Perilous Times has knights, mad science, corporate villainy, radicals from the far fringes of the left and right . . . and dragons ready to burn it all down. A delightful and poignant read for our times -- Kevin Hearne
Wow, what a book. Hilarious, heartwarming . . . such a fun, fresh twist on the Arthurian legend. All great fantasy is escapist, but this one offers a hard, and quite necessary, dose of reality as well -- Nicholas Eames
A breakneck pace and a compelling urgency that pulls readers along on a wild, glorious, and epic ride . . . Highly recommended -- Library Journal (starred review)

Author Bio

Thomas D. Lee is an author of fantastical and historical fiction. In 2019 he completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing. He has now embarked upon a PhD at the same institution, specialising in queer interpretations of the Arthurian mythos. He frequently considers emulating Merlin and becoming a hermit in the woods who speaks only in riddles.