Perilous Times

Thomas D. Lee

  • Fantasy; Humour

  • May 2023

    • Germany: PRH Germany

    • UK & Commonwealth: Orbit, Little Brown

    • USA: Penguin Random House

An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet--saving the politically polarised, rapidly warming world from itself--in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend.

Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully damn 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 fought at Hastings, and at Waterloo, and in both World Wars. After a thousand years, he thought he was used to dealing with a crisis. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, armies have been privatised, and half of Britain's been sold to the Chinese. The dragon that's running amok, that he can handle. The rest? He's not so sure.

Mariam's devoted her life to 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, a figure straight out of legend, she dares to hope that the world's finally found the saviour it needs.

As the two quest through this strange land swarming with gangs, mercenaries, and talking squirrels, they realise that other ancient evils are afoot. Lancelot is back too--at the beck and call of immortal beings with a sinister agenda. And if their plans can't be stopped, a dragon will be the least of the planet's worries.

In perilous times like these, the realm doesn't just need a knight. It needs a true leader.

Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach--and Kay's starting to suspect that the hero fit to carry it is close at hand.

  • SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Selected Praise

If you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Perilous Times . . . wryly witty, it’s an utterly original take on Arthurian myth
— The Times
This audacious, original debut is angry as well as entertaining, and an exciting new take on the Matter of Britain.
— The Guardian
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, author of The Witchfinder's Sister