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smilesgiggle's review against another edition
4.0
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?
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?
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
In times of peril immortal Knights of the Round Table return from their rest to help manage the threats in Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Sir Kay makes his way from beneath the earth yet again to serve Britain against whatever peril now faces it, but Kay finds the resurrections to be increasingly tiring; having fought in many battles and wars throughout the past thousand or so years he’s returned to strange new worlds with new technologies time after time but this is yet another version of the world, strange in novel ways with the rising water levels, privatized armies, and magical oddities running amok where they ought not to be. Mariam has devoted her life to endeavors aiming to better her country and the lives of those who reside there and her latest effort to disrupt a fracking rig has gone slightly awry, leading to the fiery explosion of the rig and the release of a dragon, neither of which is ideal. Paths intersecting, Kay joins Mariam on her mission as part of the feminist ecoterrorist group she’s a part of while he figures out what his broader objective should be and why strange things seem to be happening now that haven’t in the past when he resurrects. As the two go on a quest through the land it is soon apparent that something grander is at play as Kay and Mariam learn of ancient powers pulling the strings to suit their agenda regardless of the impact it will have for ordinary people and the pair devise plans to try to thwart the worst from arising.
With an exciting concept that mingles historic Arthurian legend with contemporary-to-mildly futuristic events and concerns with writing that incorporates clever humor, a magical story unfolds with characters questing throughout the land in an effort to save it from dystopian ruin as a result of the actions of corrupt powers and corporate entities whose attitudes have greatly impacted the planet’s climate while also facing existential matters of a more personal nature. The narrative is composed primarily of close third person perspectives of Kay and Mariam, with occasional moments coming from Lancelot and Marlowe, which while helpful in filling out the story to address the motivations behind actions and behaviors were so infrequent that they resulted in a slightly off-kilter feeling; the brief exploration of the backstories of the knights was quite interesting and it would be intriguing to have more on that aspect of the story instead and exploration of the characters’ backstories could have helped to flesh out the logic behind the baddies’ choices beyond selfish greed. The way that characters were presented, especially the historic figures, drove home the ideas of being able to achieve great change when working as a united front and that people, and history, tends to be multifaceted and judging it on one aspect or with a rosy, nostalgic lens has its dangers.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Sir Kay makes his way from beneath the earth yet again to serve Britain against whatever peril now faces it, but Kay finds the resurrections to be increasingly tiring; having fought in many battles and wars throughout the past thousand or so years he’s returned to strange new worlds with new technologies time after time but this is yet another version of the world, strange in novel ways with the rising water levels, privatized armies, and magical oddities running amok where they ought not to be. Mariam has devoted her life to endeavors aiming to better her country and the lives of those who reside there and her latest effort to disrupt a fracking rig has gone slightly awry, leading to the fiery explosion of the rig and the release of a dragon, neither of which is ideal. Paths intersecting, Kay joins Mariam on her mission as part of the feminist ecoterrorist group she’s a part of while he figures out what his broader objective should be and why strange things seem to be happening now that haven’t in the past when he resurrects. As the two go on a quest through the land it is soon apparent that something grander is at play as Kay and Mariam learn of ancient powers pulling the strings to suit their agenda regardless of the impact it will have for ordinary people and the pair devise plans to try to thwart the worst from arising.
With an exciting concept that mingles historic Arthurian legend with contemporary-to-mildly futuristic events and concerns with writing that incorporates clever humor, a magical story unfolds with characters questing throughout the land in an effort to save it from dystopian ruin as a result of the actions of corrupt powers and corporate entities whose attitudes have greatly impacted the planet’s climate while also facing existential matters of a more personal nature. The narrative is composed primarily of close third person perspectives of Kay and Mariam, with occasional moments coming from Lancelot and Marlowe, which while helpful in filling out the story to address the motivations behind actions and behaviors were so infrequent that they resulted in a slightly off-kilter feeling; the brief exploration of the backstories of the knights was quite interesting and it would be intriguing to have more on that aspect of the story instead and exploration of the characters’ backstories could have helped to flesh out the logic behind the baddies’ choices beyond selfish greed. The way that characters were presented, especially the historic figures, drove home the ideas of being able to achieve great change when working as a united front and that people, and history, tends to be multifaceted and judging it on one aspect or with a rosy, nostalgic lens has its dangers.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
illiterism's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not going to lie, I was a bit scared going into this. Books like this are so open to be dealt with in heavy handed ways that make for near to unbearable reads. It's not exactly a short book, either...
I'm glad I gave it a chance. It's not perfect. I'm not sure that the characters were amazingly written, and the writing itself was nothing breath taking. But I felt oddly touched by the story, so much so that I was honestly debating giving 5 stars just for how it made my feel.
I was expecting to be more engrossed by the Arthurian aspects of the book than the dystopian aspects, but it ended up being the opposite case. Both were great, but the something about the way the latter was dealt with spoke to me.
A lot of the reviews both on here and on the back of the book mention Terry Pratchett influence. I can kind of see it. It has a Good Omens kind of vibe. However, I think it also has it's own essence that's strong enough to stand alone. It's the perfect blend of bleak, hopeful, and whimsical. Just great.
I'm glad I gave it a chance. It's not perfect. I'm not sure that the characters were amazingly written, and the writing itself was nothing breath taking. But I felt oddly touched by the story, so much so that I was honestly debating giving 5 stars just for how it made my feel.
I was expecting to be more engrossed by the Arthurian aspects of the book than the dystopian aspects, but it ended up being the opposite case. Both were great, but the something about the way the latter was dealt with spoke to me.
A lot of the reviews both on here and on the back of the book mention Terry Pratchett influence. I can kind of see it. It has a Good Omens kind of vibe. However, I think it also has it's own essence that's strong enough to stand alone. It's the perfect blend of bleak, hopeful, and whimsical. Just great.
luna_lou13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookshopghost's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
wellwellmaxwell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hannahsbooks101's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
darren0101's review against another edition
4.0
Regardless of the themes of climate change, hints of feudalism, extreme privatisation of whole counties as well as eco-warriors and activists, Perilous Times is such a fun easy-going book to read.
Sir Kay, along with other knights of the round table, is resurrected every time there is a threat to Britain. This is usually during wartime but it's different this time.
Dragging himself from the earth, Kay finds himself teaming up with Mariam and her team of eco-warriors who are fighting extreme climate change and oil corporations.
Thomas D Lee manages to mix in present issues facing the world with Arthurian legends and mystical beings to great effect. Along with the dry humour within the book, Lee also manages to weave in a sense of loss experienced by the three main characters - Kay, Mariam and Sir Lancelot.
A very enjoyable and ambitious read.
Sir Kay, along with other knights of the round table, is resurrected every time there is a threat to Britain. This is usually during wartime but it's different this time.
Dragging himself from the earth, Kay finds himself teaming up with Mariam and her team of eco-warriors who are fighting extreme climate change and oil corporations.
Thomas D Lee manages to mix in present issues facing the world with Arthurian legends and mystical beings to great effect. Along with the dry humour within the book, Lee also manages to weave in a sense of loss experienced by the three main characters - Kay, Mariam and Sir Lancelot.
A very enjoyable and ambitious read.
vic_from_cali's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75