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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
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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
kindra_demi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
If there is one thing to be aware of with this book: be aware of the trigger warnings. Especially the suicide/suicide attempts and the alcoholism. They are very heavy and prominent points in the story. Others include: murder, attempted murder, bodily horror, drug addiction.
I was initially interested by the premise of this book: King Arthur inspired story in a near future England. The Knights of the Roundtable made a deal with Merlin in their first life that they may die but they will never pass over in the afterlife. They instead will return to their ancient oak to be resurrected when England is in peril. Now introducing Kay, a knight of the of the round table and King Arthur’s brother. Not much later, we meet Mariam, a member of an all women eco-activist group in England. She and her sisters are working for climate justice in a country dealing with the repercussions of corporate greed, climate change, and government sellout. Kay initially joins with Miriam in this mission. The third POV we eventually get is Lancelot, who offers the opportunity to see more of the workings of the corporate side of the world for the beginning.
While the story is set to follow the 3 individuals as Kay and Lancelot discover what they were raised for (and what the new world means) and Mariam as she and her sisters fight for their initiatives with their own new understanding of the world where men resurrect from the ground, the more interesting aspect in my opinion was actually the backstory of the characters. A big complaint of mine for the story is it felt like the foreshadowing was blatantly thrown into your face like a “hmmm that suspicious but I won’t look at it” *40 pages later* “ah yes that thing that was suspicious was bad”. So I became more interested in why certain dynamics were the way they were.
This book is not an easy read either. It covers a lot of contemporary issues that can weigh you down a lot as you are reading it. (And this is coming from someone who normally reads a lot of books that have contemporary issues/dark topics in it).
Overall, it was a decent book. The pacing felt right and the British humor is a good relief to some of the darkness. The foreshadowing and the overall heaviness is what brings down my rating though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
luckylulureads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism