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attolis's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
4.5
It could've done with some more trimming and editing, but otherwise, I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
btrz7's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, and Alcohol
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, injury, body horror, war, death, animal death, suicide/suicide attempt, murder, addiction, drug use, alcohol, police brutality, xenophobia, racism, sexism
--
An absolutely bonkers book but in the best kind of way, Perilous Times is the retelling that you need to get your hands on this year!
Taking place in a bleak future Britain where climate change and corporate corruption have wreaked havoc on the nation, Arthurian Knights – who once upon a time signed off their lives to be resurrected whenever the world is in peril – crawl out of the earth to aid in saving the day. However, the tribulations of modern times are not as clear cut as they expected.
With a fast moving plot that is equally fun and thought provoking we meet a vast array of characters, including many from legend, with the lead protagonists being Sir Kay, Lancelot and a young women called Mariam who is part of a feminist environmentalist (sort of terrorist) group. They are each brilliantly voiced and their interactions with one another are gold.
Through their individual and intersecting journeys, which are action packed with both fantastical sword clashing and freedom fighting, Lee presents a satirical take on the state of the world as we know it and it is wonderfully refreshing. The book is an ode to the cultures and sentiments that make up Britain in all of their shades with the heart of the story touching on what it means to be a hero and what it means to stand for the greater good.
The comparisons to Good Omens are pretty spot on. Lee has taken the best elements from Pratchett’s and Gaiman’s works and has masterfully mixed in classical myths and folklore, British history and contemporary socio-political issues to spin a story that is wonderfully entertaining and unique. The peak British humour which is also woven seamlessly into the novel is honestly the icing on the cake, trust me you will be laughing out loud with this one.
I feel like there were some moments that felt a little repetitive especially when it came to some of the dialogue but then again a debut novel is not without its hiccups. Also I went in knowing that there was a Muslim character in the book and as a Muslim reader I have to say that the representation was found wanting as it was pretty surface level. These points however didn't detract my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
If you’re a fan of stories that make you think on current affairs or more so where immortal/fantastical beings are thrown into the chaos of the modern world then read this!!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, injury, body horror, war, death, animal death, suicide/suicide attempt, murder, addiction, drug use, alcohol, police brutality, xenophobia, racism, sexism
--
An absolutely bonkers book but in the best kind of way, Perilous Times is the retelling that you need to get your hands on this year!
Taking place in a bleak future Britain where climate change and corporate corruption have wreaked havoc on the nation, Arthurian Knights – who once upon a time signed off their lives to be resurrected whenever the world is in peril – crawl out of the earth to aid in saving the day. However, the tribulations of modern times are not as clear cut as they expected.
With a fast moving plot that is equally fun and thought provoking we meet a vast array of characters, including many from legend, with the lead protagonists being Sir Kay, Lancelot and a young women called Mariam who is part of a feminist environmentalist (sort of terrorist) group. They are each brilliantly voiced and their interactions with one another are gold.
Through their individual and intersecting journeys, which are action packed with both fantastical sword clashing and freedom fighting, Lee presents a satirical take on the state of the world as we know it and it is wonderfully refreshing. The book is an ode to the cultures and sentiments that make up Britain in all of their shades with the heart of the story touching on what it means to be a hero and what it means to stand for the greater good.
The comparisons to Good Omens are pretty spot on. Lee has taken the best elements from Pratchett’s and Gaiman’s works and has masterfully mixed in classical myths and folklore, British history and contemporary socio-political issues to spin a story that is wonderfully entertaining and unique. The peak British humour which is also woven seamlessly into the novel is honestly the icing on the cake, trust me you will be laughing out loud with this one.
I feel like there were some moments that felt a little repetitive especially when it came to some of the dialogue but then again a debut novel is not without its hiccups. Also I went in knowing that there was a Muslim character in the book and as a Muslim reader I have to say that the representation was found wanting as it was pretty surface level. These points however didn't detract my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
If you’re a fan of stories that make you think on current affairs or more so where immortal/fantastical beings are thrown into the chaos of the modern world then read this!!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
thebookcoyote's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TW/CW: Death, violence, fantasy violence, language, thoughts of suicide, war, body horror, incest
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 struggle with a climate situation that has spiraled entirely out of control. Sensing the peril in the land, two Knights of the Round Table (yes, from Arthurian legend) awake with the goal of saving their land – or at least helping those who are already trying to make a difference.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Violence, and War
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