An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet—saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself—in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend.
“If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Perilous Times. . . . An utterly original take on Arthurian myth.”—The Times
A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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 finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.
Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.
Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.
In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.
Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.
But who will be fit to wield it?
With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion—Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.
Genre: Fantasy
“If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Perilous Times. . . . An utterly original take on Arthurian myth.”—The Times
A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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 finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.
Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.
Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.
In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.
Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.
But who will be fit to wield it?
With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion—Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.
Genre: Fantasy
Praise for this book
"Enormous fun, combining razor sharp wit with savage political commentary, propulsive action, and near-endless Arthurian Easter Eggs. A brilliant collision of ancient mysticism with modern madness." - Robert Jackson Bennett
"Lee's tale of the Knights of the Round Table grabs hold and won't let go. Forget the once-and-future-king; this is a once-and-future classic." - Jackson Ford
"Perilous Times is a gloriously fun book, easily the best I've read this year. It's relentlessly entertaining, deadpan hilarious and full of heart. Give it five pages and you'll be hooked." - Scott Hawkins
"It's rare to find a book so entertaining yet thematically juicy. Perilous Times has knights, mad science, corporate villainy, radicals from the far fringes of the left and right . . . and dragons ready to burn it all down. A delightful and poignant read for our times." - Kevin Hearne
"I HOWLED my way through this book! Smart, funny, refreshing fantasy, full of vivid characters who will bring a lot of joy to a lot of people . . . Anyone who liked Rivers of London will love this." - Natasha Pulley
"Lee has a maestro's eye for satire." - Richard Swan
"Funny, weird, wise, lovely, and full of mad sh*t. You've never read anything like it before, and you should bang that pre-order button now." - Stuart Turton
"Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. Both massively escapist and a persuasive call to action - 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 tale of the Knights of the Round Table grabs hold and won't let go. Forget the once-and-future-king; this is a once-and-future classic." - Jackson Ford
"Perilous Times is a gloriously fun book, easily the best I've read this year. It's relentlessly entertaining, deadpan hilarious and full of heart. Give it five pages and you'll be hooked." - Scott Hawkins
"It's rare to find a book so entertaining yet thematically juicy. Perilous Times has knights, mad science, corporate villainy, radicals from the far fringes of the left and right . . . and dragons ready to burn it all down. A delightful and poignant read for our times." - Kevin Hearne
"I HOWLED my way through this book! Smart, funny, refreshing fantasy, full of vivid characters who will bring a lot of joy to a lot of people . . . Anyone who liked Rivers of London will love this." - Natasha Pulley
"Lee has a maestro's eye for satire." - Richard Swan
"Funny, weird, wise, lovely, and full of mad sh*t. You've never read anything like it before, and you should bang that pre-order button now." - Stuart Turton
"Like Good Omens with Arthurian knights. Both massively escapist and a persuasive call to action - I've never read a book that treads so happily the ground between making you think, and making you laugh out loud." - Beth Underdown
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