#perilous times

[desos-records]

He is not the once and future king! He is literally just a guy! Stab him with your sword!

#perilous times #king arthur #I don't know what this is #I just read a king arthur book and I haven't fully processed it yet

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

The first page of Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee #booktok #lukearnold #firstpagepajamaparty #thomasdlee #periloustimes #orbitbooks #orbit

#black sails #luke arnold #john silver #tiktok #first page pajama party #pyjama party #perilous times #thomas d.lee

[enbycrip]

Too much academic reading makes it strangely difficult to go back to just reading shit for enjoyment. Even when it’s really fucking good.

I’m reading an excellent book called Perilous Times. It’s about Arthurian Knights, racism, nationalism and the climate crisis. I’m literally doing a bunch of underlining and saving the good bits because it’s letting me concentrate on reading both this book and the next Rivers of London book, which I preordered last year and appeared in my Kindle library, as things do.

I will probably end up sharing some of the excellent lines here because it is very very good.

I have a lot of ideas about why fantasy, and other literary techniques like modernist writing and magical realism, makes reading and writing about awful real world shit easier than reading straight realist fiction about them.

I think it’s to do with how they invite you to process it. Straight realism is the language of the news. It excludes the reader. It tells you the awful shit has already happened; it’s set in stone, and you could never have done anything about it anyway. The other techniques are inviting - actively inclusive. They invite you in to collaborate on the story with the writing itself. To bring your own ideas and your own experience of the awful things to the experience of reading.

This might be a very idiosyncratic, personal experience, btw - it might be about how my mind works. But I don’t think so?

I feel writing fantasy about the climate crisis, racism, transphobia, queerphobia, disableism and social change is activist in a way writing straight realist fiction about it isn’t. It’s inviting the reader into a world where we have power and things can change, without excluding or minimising the painful cost of the change.

It’s why I feel Pratchett keeps being so endlessly applicable - almost *terrifyingly* so - to things that have happened after his death.

#perilous times #terry pratchett #literary techniques #writing fantasy about awful things is activism #rivers of london #discworld #racism #nationalism #climate crisis #transphobia #queerphobia #literary activism #academia fucks you for reading for pleasure a little

[ninja-muse]

You know how sometimes you read a blurb and think, "This was written for me, I'm going to love it", and then you start reading and think, "This was totally written for me, I'm going to love it", and then you get to the end and think, "Yes, loved it!"

Perilous Times isn't a perfect book but it is a blast of a debut. It's full of off-kilter Arthuriana, humour that goes from light to dark at the drop of a hat, "sure, why not" moments, and political commentary that's both funny and way too real. The main characters were either intensely lovable or relatable or the sort of folks you love to hate, and sure, I saw some of the twists coming, but not all of them, and the ride, you guys, the ride that is this book…

Please add this to your TBRs if you enjoy any of the following:

blowing up fracking facilities and accidentally releasing dragons

protagonists who want so badly to make the world better but everything's so broken, how do you even do that?

protagonists who've been around long enough everything is an "oh no, not this again"

antagonists who are certain they're the good guys

antagonists who know they're the bad guys and don't care

"Can we trust this weirdo?" "I used to kill Nazis." "Great, you're in."

man-out-of-time moments

English folklore turned on its head and occasionally used to hurt you

a funny near-future that takes climate change seriously

skewering the worst parts of political movements

the Kingdom of Wales

grab-bag world-building that shouldn't work but does

niche historical references

diverse protagonists who just are

Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch, and/or T.H. White

Like I said, though, it's not perfect. Specifically, it does the thing where characters don't "get" stuff when they maybe should so that the author can really drive the themes home. But, like, that was really the only failing for me? And it gave me resurrected Arthurian knights and a recurring dragon and wacky magic and Faustian bargains and so many more tropes that are my catnip that I'm still giving this an 8/10. (Or, well, a 7.9 if I'm going to be more honest.)

It's out May 23. Watch for it!

#books #booklr #bookblr #adult booklr #book covers #book photography #my photos #book reviews #arcs #upcoming releases #fantasy #Perilous Times #Thomas D. Lee #read in 2023 #book recommendations

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote YES if you have finished the entire book.

vote NO if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#books #fantasy #poll #Perilous Times #Thomas D. Lee #result: no

[bi4bihankking]

Perilous Times Summary:

Arthurian retelling set in a near future where the planet has been ravaged by pollution. Is there even an Earth left to save, and if there is do we really want Arthur in charge of it?

Red, White and Royal Blue Summary:

A hilarious romcom about the prince of England and the first son of the United States falling in love. A sweet story with a beautiful depiction of queer love and friendships.

#perilous times #thomas d. lee #red white and royal blue #casey mcquiston #lgbt books #lgbt literature #queer books #queer literature #lgbtqia #poll #bookblr #booklr #books #literature #queer lit

[rhetoricandlogic]

REVIEW: Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

By Fiona Denton

Perilous Times is Thomas D Lee’s debut novel. It is a wickedly funny Arthurian inspired satirical fantasy novel, set in a contemporary world. In it, and the idea where the title derives from, the knights of the road table rise up from a magical sleep whenever England is in peril. This means they have been called upon to help in almost every battle in English history, from Agincourt to the Somme. In Perilous Times, the current peril resurrecting the knights is a doomsday level of climate change – mass extinction of birds and bugs, rising sea levels meaning a lot of the country is underwater, and it is twenty-five pounds a pint in the north of England. Oh, and a dragon is on the loose. Perilous times indeed. 

Now, picking up an Arthurian-inspired story, I did expect more of the big man. Arthur does appear later in the novel, but he is very different from how the legends have had us remember him. However, the knights we see the most are Kay, Arthur’s brother, and Lancelot. These, and the other Arthur-linked characters, are names that I recognised, but Lee’s presentation of them, and the others taken from the legend, feels new. Which is remarkable, given just how many Arthurian retellings there are out there. The original characters in Perilous Times are also very good creations of Lee’s, particularly one who is arguably the novel’s main character, Mariam, whom I hope other readers will love as much as I did. I think that Lee has done a stellar job in terms of representation with all of the characters, and none feel like token-inclusive gestures added to tick a box on a diversity checklist.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Perilous Times. I thought I would like it when I picked it up, thinking it would be a palate cleanser from darker novels, a jolly romp with knights of old. Which it is. But it is also so much more than that. Lee’s writing is nuanced, and he covers some serious issues in a careful and considerate way. The loss of loved ones, trying to find a sense of belonging in a world that doesn’t seem to fit you, questioning why you fight when fighting seems to get you nowhere, and hope even when hope feels foolish. Perilous Times is sometimes sarcastic and cynical but equally poignant and touching at others. So as well as being a delightful escapist fantasy, with some jolly romping with knights, Lee’s emotive writing will stick with you long after you have read the final page. A huge thank you to Thomas D Lee and the team at Orbit for sending a copy to be able to review it.

Read Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee

#Thomas D. Lee #Perilous Times #mahreviews #long post

[ehyde]

tfw I start a new book and am immediately met with another immortal in a tree

#perilous times

[bargainsleuthbooks]

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee #ARC #BookReview #KingArthur #ClimateChange #Fantasy

Imagine a time in the not-so-distant future when #ClimateChange has gotten worse and the only people that can save the world are the knights of the round table. That's the wacky premise of #PerilousTimes by #ThomasDLee. #ARC #BookReview #BallantineBooks

Legends don’t always live up to reality. Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again. Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he…

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#ARC #ARC Review #Ballantine Books #Book Review #Christopher Marlowe #Climate Change #King Arthur #Lancelot #LGBT #NetGalley #Perilous Times #Thomas D. Lee

[oracleofmadness]

I loved this! I think it's hilarious and poignant, and I especially love the attention to climate. It's in a dystopian future, which is one of the reasons I loved that Arthurian knights were coming back from the dead. This combination of a horrible future, especially concerning the climate, with the men of legends returning to save the planet, just hit really well.

Kay was the heart of this story for me. Kay is King Arthur's brother and is not completely understanding of how the world has changed, although this is one of several times he has returned throughout history. His interaction with Miriam, both of them really, just showed how kindness affects others.

I was laughing my way through this while still dreading my own future and climate change. There are magic mushrooms, a dragon, and many complications to keep any reader entertained.

Definitely recommend!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Out May 23, 2023!

#book #bookish #books #bookworm #book review #currently reading #read #bookblogger #reading #fantasy #arthurian legend #climate change #perilous times #Thomas D. Lee #netgalley

[siriuslygrimm]

Resurrection and Restoration

#BOOKREVIEW - Resurrection and Restoration - #PerilousTimes #blog

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. 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…

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#book #book review #netgalley #perilous times #reading #review #thomas d. lee

[superbdonutpoetry]

Perilous Times

Times which are perilous to the truth, rightly divided and those who preach and teach it. Are we living in perilous times because of the sad state of our countries in comparision to how well run they were in days gone by? The answer is no as circumstances should not matter to those who are seated together in Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Reality check: compare +/- 80 years on this…

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#Perilous times #Perverse things #The Lost #The religious

[scripture-pictures]

#perilous times #2 timothy 3:1 #dangerous #the last days #daily bread #nightly bread #god is love #bible

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

Author: Thomas D. LeePublisher: Ballantine BooksReleased: May 23, 2023Received: NetGalley Goodreads | More Fantasy Reviews Book Summary: The Knights of the Round Table have faced many challenges over the years. They have been victorious more often than not, thanks to brave knights and clever leadership. But now they face a foe like nothing before. The world is rapidly warming, and the…

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#Ballantine Books #Book #Book Review #Books #Fiction #Literary #Literature #Net Galley #NetGalley #Perilous Times #Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee #Review #Thomas D. Lee

[caffeineandcatnip]

I stan exactly one (1) royal, and that is QUEEN MARIAM THE DRAGONSLAYER, WIELDER OF EXCALIBUR

#kills a dragon #named successor by the dying king as she tries to save his life #(because it was clearly an English dragon) #accepts on the condition they immediately transition to biofuel and set up proper fucking hospitals #i love her your honor #perilous times #books

[dwuerch-blog]

A Moment of Silence

Though it is a beautiful sentiment to hear “Let us have a moment of silence for….”, I wish words of faith, hope and encouragement were said out loud. I know God hears our “inside voice” prayers, but Jesus said, “When you pray…SAY: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name…..” I visited with Dr. Google a few minutes yesterday and found that there are 32 countries currently in conflict, and the…

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#2 Chronicles 7:14 #32 countries in conflict #all things are possible #blog #christian #conflicts #facebook #hope is built on solid rock #If my people #inspiration #look up #Mar 9:23 #moment of silence #nothing to fear #our father #perilous times #prayer #scripture #silent prayer #solid rock #terrorists #the rock #When you pray say #Winston Churchill