Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee

I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - Orbit

Published - Out Now

Price - £16.99 hardback £7.99 Kindle eBook

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 . . .

Heroes are a key part of fantasy. The journey that they follow, the eventual triumph and watching our favourite character finally come into their own is a huge draw. Heroes are symbols and something we look towards. But are Heroes always our best option? This is a fascinating question that Thomas D Lee asks in their very entertaining novel Perilous Times which imagines a near future United Kingdom facing its darkest hour and the Knights of The round Table are required once more.

Kay, both Knight and stepbrother to King Arthur, is recalled from death to help the Kingdom in peril. But things aren’t as normal no government officials to tell him what to do he arrives by a Fracking facility and soon gets involved with aiding Mariam, a lone environmental activist who doesn’t believe in magical knights. Things end in a giant explosion, a dragon reappearing and Kay realises things are in a far worse state than normal. Elsewhere Lancelot awakes to find he has orders from the government, travel north and stop environmental activists. The two knights are soon going to be in conflict and this time other players are preparing to enter and Arthur may soon be needed.

This is a great debut novel that plays with the ancient legends of Arthur but now in a alarmist dystopian future where the U.K. suffers from climate change and environmental destruction. I am going to say upfront while I can see why a comparison to Good Omens is used (two very different characters aligned to stopping the end of the world) it is not a pun a minute smorgaboard. Unusually the book this reminds me more of is Bood As Love that also plays with Arthurian legends and like this novel is asking what do these legends mean to us. Perilous Times though has a very divergent approach and eventual action.

The core trio in this tale is primarily focused on Kay. He is a very engaging, world-weary warrior but full of heart. Lee’s version of Kay is a Black Englishman (notably when challenged by local racists he explains history firmly and then uses a sword) typically Kay has just been a warrior - called up in every major conflict for the last thousand years from Hastings to Malaya. Immortal But can die and die again he is not though relishing war. His appetite for fighting is diminished and with Mariann he has a new cause. Marian is very much a. Young woman of the 21st century a medical student now activist as she has seen hospitals run out of supplies; cities out of food and wants to save people - rebellious even against the others of her local group. Initially suspicious of Kay she also starts to realise her work at the Fracking factory has only made things worse. Now she is is having to face up to trying to do better in a world where every rebel faction spends more time fighting their own counterparts than stopping the heavyweight powers of the government and industry. For her Kay should be a blessing but she finds her lone Knight carries his own baggage and may not be best placed. It’s a really interesting duo learning from each other and coming to a conclusion that very much rebels against what standard epic tales tell us.

In opposition we have Lancelot. A gauche figure that loved the fight and is also comfortably gay and proud of what he stands for. When summoned by the Government he sees himself just carrying out duty but his disdain for Kay just adds to his pleasure at fighting again. He’s a very good antagonist for Kay, smart, a skilled warrior and yet I find myself liking him. He lives in the moment and get has a strange sense of honour.

This conflict then drives the plot. We get Welsh Kings, dragon and witch battles and all set in an unusual version of the U.K. I loved the accurate yet destroyed Manchester City Centre. But it’s not played for fun. We see refugee camps where food and medicine is scarce, fanatic racists constantly looking for those they blame for the end of the world (strangely anyone not with white skin) and those addicted to a new drug that turns skin into mushrooms. Lee’s future is dark and tragic and so the hope for someone to arrive and fix things is strong.

This comes then to the latter half and clear message of the book. All the sides see Kay, Lancelot and possibly Arthur as the solution. Lee though asks why in dark times we always want someone else to take over. Why are we so happy to pass the cup to someone else and not check too carefully if they’re up to the job. Lee’s tale explores what is a Hero and chides us for our reluctance to make our own stand. Allowing others to lead creates the issues of the future and Kay, Mariam and Lancelot are going to have to face into this.

Throw in magic swords, gods of nature and evil capitalists this is a very satisfying debut that doesn’t go for the familiar trope of many epic fantasies. It is smart, dryly funny and makes its points eloquently with characters he end up caring about quite a lot. Strongly recommended and I am very intrigued to see what Lee has in store for us in the future as I love stories like this.