A review by danapr
Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

4.0

To say that this is the most unusual King Arthur Legend book that I have ever read is an understatement but it is definitely the most entertaining. The premise of the book is that through Merlin’s magic, some of the knights are resurrected throughout the years any time “the realm” (Britain) is in peril. For instance, in the past, they have been called forth to fight in wars such as WWII. Once the danger is past, the knights die again and return to the earth under giant trees to sleep until the realm faces another peril. Now, at a time in the not so distant future, Kay and Lancelot are called up to face the threat of climate change although essentially on different sides of the conflict due to a sinister motive orchestrated by an immortal Christopher Marlowe. They awaken to a world that is more underwater and has less vegetation and very poor air quality, caused in part by the Saxon Oil Company. Kay is forced to work with some quirky and unusual groups and characters to try and save a world that has become completely unfamiliar to him and eventually, Lancelot joins his cause. Other Arthurian legends, Merlin, Morgan, Nimue and King Arthur himself become involved in various ways and we even see the awakening of dragons. I really enjoyed the creativity of this story and loved the quirky and likable characters. The battles and espionage were fast paced and entertaining with all the qualities of a good edge of your seat thriller. The good versus evil theme was well done and although the story was humorous and exaggerated, climate change was presented as a very real and pressing threat. I did think that the book was a little too long because of some of the side stories and backwards and forwards progression and I thought the Marlowe character was confusing and unnecessary. But overall, I was entertained and enjoyed the genre crossing aspects - fantasy, science fiction, contemporary issues and thriller all coming together nicely.
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