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Perilous Times cover art

Perilous Times

By: Thomas D. Lee
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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Summary

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

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

What listeners say about Perilous Times

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Surprisingly different

New surprise at every twist, but glad I don’t have to meet King Arthur-not on a dark night anyway!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great characters, thought provoking plot

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.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious yet thought provoking

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.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good writing - a bit preachy

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.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Environment Fantasy

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

Such a funny but dark imagining of dystopian Arthurian Britain. Going off to eat some carbon neutral venison now.

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    4 out of 5 stars

A superb first novel

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic twist on the Arthurian legends.

I absolutely loved this story about heroes, climate change, dragons and squirrels. It made me laugh, think and despair in equal measure and while magic may not be the answer we are looking for to solve all the damage we have done to this planet, belief in everyone making a difference might be spot on…

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Future and past collide when hippies, knights and dragons try to save the world. *Audiobook review

Loved this story. Feel like I’ve been smashed in the face by a friend wielding a copy of The Guardian while putting a warm fluffy blanket round my shoulders. So much of the background story echoing my own thoughts if the world carries on the path it is currently. The privatisation and outsourcing of public resources struck a cord in a funny yet slightly chilling way. But it’s all overlayed with wonderful characters, Terry Pratchett/Douglas Adam’s style humour and please for the love of all that us holy can we get a sequel with Gary as Squirrel again. Narration by Damian Lynch was always going to be excellent. Story fell short of the full 5 stars for me but purely a personal preference for more fantasy elements but I still highly recommend it, it’s brilliant. Small caveat, right wing leaning folks will hate it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Story Telling

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.

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