By Thomas. D. Lee
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
485 Pages
Whenever Britain is in peril, the Knights of the Round Table reemerge. Literally. They are reborn to fight against anyone jeopardizing their country. But after 1,000 years or so, the lines between who is good and who is bad tends to blur. So when Kay emerges into a Britain void of birdsong with smoggy, yellow skies, the only person he can find in peril is Mariam, a young woman in the process of blowing up a fracking site. Once the fracking site goes up, a dragon rises with the smoke and noxious fumes. Dragons Kay can handle. Trying to right a world nearly done in by climate change? That might take some help.
I had no idea what I was getting into with this novel; although, that’s not atypical. I rarely read the synopsis more than once, often weeks prior to diving in. In this case, not knowing what to expect was a good thing because this novel is nothing short of delightful. Yes, it’s a bit long but I couldn’t think of a thing to cut out. Imagine an England that has sold Essex to the Chinese, factions fighting each other, the army privatized to an American company (fighting the factions), half of England under water, and everything is run by a cadre of old men who sold their souls to the devil eons ago. That’s what faced Sir Kay when he dug out from under his tree this time around. It’s no wonder he preferred going after the dragon.
The characters are lovably irreverent and I haven’t rooted so hard for a heroine in a long time. England’s imagined apocalyptic future isn’t the only thing the author flipped on its head. The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table get a very serious – and frankly more believable – rewrite. You’ll never look at Lancelot or Merlin in the same light after reading this.
In short, this is a really fun read that will make you happy to be along for the ride. Super enjoyable and I don’t have anything critical to say about it, aside from the daunting page count going in.
4.25/5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐+
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for providing the ARC ebook. I’ve left my review honestly and voluntarily.
Until next time, thank you for visiting.
Ann Dudzinski 