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Perilous Times

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Perilous Times

By: Thomas D. Lee
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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About this listen

ONE OF THE TIMES' BEST AUDIOBOOKS FOR SUMMER 2023

IN PERILOUS TIMES LIKE THESE, THE REALM DOESN'T JUST NEED A HERO.

IT NEEDS A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR.

Sir Kay and his fellow knights awake from their mythical slumber whenever Britain has need of them; they fought at Agincourt and at the Somme. But in these perilous modern times, the realm is more divided than ever, a dragon has been seen for the first time in centuries, and Kay is not the only ancient and terrible thing to come crawling up out of the ground . . .

Perilous Times is a fiercely entertaining contemporary take on the myths of Camelot, which asks: what happens when the Knights of the Round Table return to fix the problems of the modern world?

This debut is perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jodi Taylor and Ben Aaronovitch.

AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

©2023 Thomas D. Lee (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK Action & Adventure Fantasy Humorous Fiction Arthurian Comedy

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Critic reviews

'This audacious, original debut is angry as well as entertaining, and an exciting new take on the Matter of Britain' Guardian

'Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. I've never read a book that treads so happily the ground between making you think, and making you laugh out loud' Beth Underdown

'Lee's first novel has deservedly rocketed into the bestseller list thanks to grassroots enthusiasm. If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you'll enjoy Perilous Times, especially since Damian Lynch's engaged and spirited narration does it proud. Wryly witty, it's an utterly original take on Arthurian myth' The Times, audiobook review
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New surprise at every twist, but glad I don’t have to meet King Arthur-not on a dark night anyway!

Surprisingly different

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The idea of Arthurian Knights coming back to aid Britain in her time of need is an idea that got me intrigued. The way it works is that, any time Britain is in danger, the knights come back to life and drag themselves from beneath the great trees that have become their tombstones. World Wars, terrorist crises etc ... out pops a knight (fully clad in medieval armour, complete with sword, shield and helmet).

So far, so good.

The reason for the knights return this time seems to be climate change-related which, despite how un-action filled it sounds, is actually done really well. My main issue with the book is that the characters seem to have 'suspend disbelief' as their default setting. A good 90% of the characters that encounter the knights/magic/dragons etc ... do so with a 'oh, that makes sense' mentality. When, in actual fact, it really doesn't. I'm sorry but, if I had experienced no magical occurrences in my day to day life and then, all of a sudden, someone claims to be millennia old and immortal to boot, I'd reply with something a little different to 'well, it's about time then. Here, why don't you take my horse?'. The whole dumbstruck acceptance of most of the characters in this world just made my own disbelief near-impossible to suspend.

I enjoyed the fractures within the knightly brotherhood and thought that brought an edge of realism to it (I mean, after a thousand years, it's nearly impossible not to fall out with even the best of friends), but neither that, nor the good pacing and enjoyable (for the most part) plot line was enough to drag this back up above the three star mark in my mind.

Without giving too much away, if you have your heart set on a faithful re-telling, then you will come away disappointed. This is most certainly not a retelling, nor does it claim to be. It's a re-imagining. The different twist on the characters is done fairly well, not necessarily to my tastes but it was done well enough that I enjoyed it and applaud the author for what he was going for. 

Despite my average scoring of this, I think I'd go in for a 2nd novel based purely on the fact that the aspects that made this one score low would already be present in future works, so I could go into it without the 'but he's a magical being, why does that seem normal to you????' mindset.

Also, it has a wonderfully written squirrel character. Points for that.

Good, but not without its flaws

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The author’s style and voice is unique and entertaining.

Mostly likeable characters, however, I can’t sympathise with terrorists, environmental or otherwise. Kay and Lancelot are the most entertaining chapters

I read fantasy for escapism so this one isn’t for me, but the writing is incredible for a debut novel and the voice actor was brilliant.

Good writing - a bit preachy

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Excellent story mixing mythology with modern times and modern problems a great yarn with Fantastic characters performance was not great to start but the narrator found his voice as the book progressed

Environment Fantasy

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What a find! The characters are engaging, fallible, heroes who are brilliantly brought to life by the narrator as well as by Merlin.

The story is uplifting but also agonisingly sad. Thought provoking.

Please write more books.

Great characters, thought provoking plot

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Really enjoyable story that mixes are Arthurian legend with modern day issues all the characters are really fun and relatable and the magic system is quite unique. And the message whilst extremely unsubtle is very important I think and I hope it gets more people thinking about the environment. Definitely worth a read
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Very enjoyable story with a good moral

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A masterful blend of Arthurian mythos and climate activism. As you might expect with a mixture of such disparate elements, the tone shifts from the whimsical to the deeply serious, you find yourself laughing at parts and facing existential dread the next. This never feels jarring though, the humour is very well integrated and serves to reflect that laughter and hope can be found even in the darkest of circumstances. The narrator also does a great job of bringing all the various characters to life, utilising a dizzying array of accents. All in all, if you like humour, knights or caring about the planet I would definitely recommend.

Hilarious yet thought provoking

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Great story set in a climate change ravaged Britain, where magic, dragons, and King Arthur's knights can still be found. It makes you smile and think.
The narrator was great with all the accents and voices.

Dystopian mythological bliss

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Absolutely, wonderful story, made perfect by the narration.
Our narrator breathes life into the varied characters in a memorable way.
I shall need to force myself not to listen to it all again - too soon.

Great Story Telling

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Some audiobooks drag, the characters become difficult to keep track of and interest wanes. This was a book I binge listened and enjoyed immensely. Great plot lines and a real thread to it if you know what I mean. The narration helped, quite excellent. If I had one niggle it was the ending, which seemed abreviated, if ultimately conclusive. My firm hope is that it means there's a sequel in the pipeline. A really great book, thank you

A superb first novel

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