Essex Dogs (Essex Dogs Trilogy Book 1)
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- Create Date：2022-09-08 07:52:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Dan Jones
- ISBN：1838937919
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Summary
Globally bestselling historian Dan Jones makes his historical fiction debut with Essex Dogs， the explosive first installment in an epic new trilogy set during the Hundred Years War。
Essex Dogs is the first installment in the Hundred Years War trilogy。
The series sees the first great campaign of the medieval war between England and France through the eyes of its protagonists – chiefly a small company of men-at-arms and archers who call themselves the Essex Dogs， as well as a solitary mercenary and spy known as The Captain。
This first book covers the characters on their hair-raising adventures in the 1346 Crécy campaign， in which they join Edward III's armies as they cut a hellish swathe through France and the Low Countries on their way to a showdown with the French king's army at the battle of Crécy。 Through the viewpoints of the characters， and inserted fragments of sermons， newsletters and chronicles， we see the stark reality of medieval war in the round – not only the experience of the fighters， but the interests of scheming merchants， renegade priests， calculating aristocrats and the ordinary people caught in the storm。
Essex Dogs is the first installment in the Hundred Years War trilogy。
The series sees the first great campaign of the medieval war between England and France through the eyes of its protagonists – chiefly a small company of men-at-arms and archers who call themselves the Essex Dogs， as well as a solitary mercenary and spy known as The Captain。
This first book covers the characters on their hair-raising adventures in the 1346 Crécy campaign， in which they join Edward III's armies as they cut a hellish swathe through France and the Low Countries on their way to a showdown with the French king's army at the battle of Crécy。 Through the viewpoints of the characters， and inserted fragments of sermons， newsletters and chronicles， we see the stark reality of medieval war in the round – not only the experience of the fighters， but the interests of scheming merchants， renegade priests， calculating aristocrats and the ordinary people caught in the storm。
Reviews
Annelies - In Another Era
，
Loveday Fitztalbot en zijn wapenbroeders van The Essex Dogs landen op de kust van Normandië onder koning Edward III om diens claim op de troon met geweld te winnen。 Allen laten ze een verleden achter， zeker sinds hun 'kapitein' een tijd geleden spoorloos verdween。 Wanneer ze door het Franse platteland marcheren， dingen platbranden en stad per stad innemen en verwoesten komen de Essex Dogs regelmatig voor een uitdaging te staan。Dan Jones is een ware held voor mij en kan mij altijd enthousiast mak Loveday Fitztalbot en zijn wapenbroeders van The Essex Dogs landen op de kust van Normandië onder koning Edward III om diens claim op de troon met geweld te winnen。 Allen laten ze een verleden achter， zeker sinds hun 'kapitein' een tijd geleden spoorloos verdween。 Wanneer ze door het Franse platteland marcheren， dingen platbranden en stad per stad innemen en verwoesten komen de Essex Dogs regelmatig voor een uitdaging te staan。Dan Jones is een ware held voor mij en kan mij altijd enthousiast maken voor militaire strategie dus toen ik ontdekte dat hij aan een fictietrilogie bezig was， wist ik dat ik deze moest lezen。De 100-jarige oorlog die wordt verteld vanuit een groep gewone soldaten is sowieso een origineel perspectief。 Het deed me denken aan Toby Clemens zijn Kingmaker reeks over de rozenoorlogen。 Maar Jones focust volledig op de veldtocht doorheen Frankrijk， met hier en daar een zijvertellijn over de personages。 Slag na slag leef je meer mee met de groep。 Vooral het perspectief van Loveday en de jonge Romford komt aan bod。 We leren ook enkele historische figuren kennen， waaronder de hertogen van Warwick en Norfolk。 En we komen wel heel dicht bij Edward III's zijn zoon， Edward， de latere black prince。 Ook Joan Of Kent's eerste man Thomas Holland heeft een grote rol。 Het is de eerste keer dat ik op deze manier lees over the black prince en dat hij als een verwend nest wordt neergezet dat was wel even wennen。 Maar zeker boeiend。Jones schrijft ook echt wel goed。 Het boek leest heel vlot， maar dat is vooral doordat de setting zo afgebakend is。 Verwacht dus slag na slag， bij elke stad die ze tegenkomen hoort een gevecht。 En je reist mee met gewone soldaten dus de strategie erachter komt veel minder aan bod。 Jones gebruikt trouwens echte quotes van ooggetuigen uit de 14de eeuw om elk hoofdstuk in te leiden。Het broederschap is mooi om over te lezen。 En hoewel er heel wat bloed en ingewanden bij dit verhaal komen kijken， zit er ook bijzonder veel humor in het boek。Voor de fans dus van Cornwell， Iggulden en Toby Clemens。 Is Jones de beste in het genre？ Misschien nog niet。 Maar de ingewikkelde 100-jarige oorlog op deze manier tot leven brengen verdient alle lof。Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening。 。。。more
Robin Price
，
I've said this before: I love Dan Jones。 When he started writing and broadcasting about history he reawakened a passion I thought I had lost when I left college。 Now， in his first major work of fiction， he brings even more excitement and action in a character-driven， first rate account of the English campaign in France in 1346。The Essex Dogs themselves are wonderful creations: brutal， filthy， foul-mouthed， angry， but also loyal to each other， full of camaderie， and when required love。Historical I've said this before: I love Dan Jones。 When he started writing and broadcasting about history he reawakened a passion I thought I had lost when I left college。 Now， in his first major work of fiction， he brings even more excitement and action in a character-driven， first rate account of the English campaign in France in 1346。The Essex Dogs themselves are wonderful creations: brutal， filthy， foul-mouthed， angry， but also loyal to each other， full of camaderie， and when required love。Historical fiction doesn't get any better than this。 An absolutely stunning novel。 。。。more
travelsalongmybookshelf
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‘Men like the Dogs， who made their way in life with their fists， wits and weapons…Always looking for a job。 Always spoiling for a fight。’July 1346Wow， with a punch we are in the midst of war， fighting our way off the beach in Normandy with the Essex Dogs， a band of ten men， sword and longbow arms to anyone who pays。 In this case Sir Robert le Straunge and through him Lord Warwick and King Edward at the start of the Hundred Years War and a March through France。Straight away I got a real sense of ‘Men like the Dogs， who made their way in life with their fists， wits and weapons…Always looking for a job。 Always spoiling for a fight。’July 1346Wow， with a punch we are in the midst of war， fighting our way off the beach in Normandy with the Essex Dogs， a band of ten men， sword and longbow arms to anyone who pays。 In this case Sir Robert le Straunge and through him Lord Warwick and King Edward at the start of the Hundred Years War and a March through France。Straight away I got a real sense of who these characters all were， fleshed out， you could smell the dirt， the blood， the fear。 The plot moves fast and this is one addictive read。 Dan Jones really know his stuff， this is so apparent on reading， little details woven in makes it an immersive experience to read。I raced through this one， it is full to the brim with action， muck， blood and history。 Enthralling， exciting， just superbI cannot tell you how good this book is， although it is fiction， it is based in fact and I was googling people all over the place to read more。 Dan Jones has stepped nimbly from non fiction to fiction with neat aplomb and I want MORE！！Bring it on！✩✩✩✩✩ 。。。more
Alfred Nobile
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I know Dan as a historian through his non-fiction books and documentaries， but this is his first foray into historical fiction。 And what a debut it is。 The writing and storyline are top notch and the language used is authentic to the times; which is not always the case with some historical fiction。 Dan Jones' debut novel is an impressive work of historical fiction set in the Hundred Years' War and， more particularly， during the Crecy Campaign。 It bears all the hallmarks of the meticulous histori I know Dan as a historian through his non-fiction books and documentaries， but this is his first foray into historical fiction。 And what a debut it is。 The writing and storyline are top notch and the language used is authentic to the times; which is not always the case with some historical fiction。 Dan Jones' debut novel is an impressive work of historical fiction set in the Hundred Years' War and， more particularly， during the Crecy Campaign。 It bears all the hallmarks of the meticulous historical research we have come to expect from this author。It is clear from the off we're in for a no holds barred and gritty novel that depicts the brutality of warfare in the period that it is set。 The invasion of France by Edward 111 and his son the Black Prince in the furtherance of their claim to the French throne。 They claim Phillipe the French King is an imposter and Edward is the rightful King。 The narrative is well written and you can almost hear the clash of swords， the screams of horses and the groans of dying men as the two armies clash。 In amongst this are the Essex Dogs and though they fight on the English their first allegiance is to each other。 A band of brothers for the fourteenth century。 A great addition to the field of Historical Fiction。 Recommended。 。。。more
Debra Davidson-Smith
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I wasn’t sure I was going to like Essex Dogs。 It started really slowly， not much happens for a while， and it seemed so focused on military life and war， that I thought it was going to be a ‘boy’s book’ reveling in bloody battle。 However， almost without noticing the characters gradually drew me in and before long I was mentally throwing around biblical curses and waving around mighty swords。You can tell this book is written by an accomplished historian。 The detailed research is really impressive I wasn’t sure I was going to like Essex Dogs。 It started really slowly， not much happens for a while， and it seemed so focused on military life and war， that I thought it was going to be a ‘boy’s book’ reveling in bloody battle。 However， almost without noticing the characters gradually drew me in and before long I was mentally throwing around biblical curses and waving around mighty swords。You can tell this book is written by an accomplished historian。 The detailed research is really impressive but it never gets in the way of the story。 Essex Dogs is the first installment in Dan Jones’ Hundred Years War trilogy。 The series sees the first great campaign of the medieval war between England and France through the eyes of a small company of men-at-arms and archers who call themselves the Essex Dogs。 This first book covers the characters in the 1346 Crécy campaign， in which they join Edward III's armies as they battle through France and the Low Countries on their way to a showdown with the French king's army at the battle of Crécy。 Through the viewpoints of the characters， and inserted fragments of sermons， newsletters and chronicles， we see the stark reality of medieval war through the experiences of the fighters， but also the merchants， renegade priests， calculating aristocrats and ordinary people caught in the storm。Jones doesn’t flinch from showing us the reality and brutality of war but he also creates well developed and believable characters who support each other and fight bravely together。 As each of their back stories emerge they become more rounded and compelling making this so much more than a war chronicle。 As you would expect from a historian， the research and detail are impressive， and it’s great to see a good writer bringing us some exciting historical fiction which isn’t set during the Tudor period！ I’m looking forward to the rest of this trilogy。With thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Richard
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Dan Jones' debut novel is an impressive work of historical fiction set in the Hundred Years' War and， more particularly， during the Crecy Campaign。 It bears all the hallmarks of the meticulous historical research we have come to expect from this author。 From the off， it's clear that we're in for a breathtaking， violently graphic encounter between the medieval armies of England led by Edward III （as well as the young Black Prince） and France。Raw， harsh， gritty， fast-paced action continues unabate Dan Jones' debut novel is an impressive work of historical fiction set in the Hundred Years' War and， more particularly， during the Crecy Campaign。 It bears all the hallmarks of the meticulous historical research we have come to expect from this author。 From the off， it's clear that we're in for a breathtaking， violently graphic encounter between the medieval armies of England led by Edward III （as well as the young Black Prince） and France。Raw， harsh， gritty， fast-paced action continues unabated as the band of mercenaries ransack loot， rape and pillage their way across Normandy to the Somme and the Battle of Crecy。 Jones creates compelling and authentic characters - bloodthirsty， profane soldiers lacking conscience， killing for coin， yet fighting bravely alongside each other。 He captures the sights and sounds of knights and men at arms in the fury of battle in blood-soaked， mud-sodden fields and brings the hell of fighting up close and personal。 I am looking forward to the sequel！My thanks to NetGalley and， as ever， Head of Zeus for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sharyn
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It's 1346 and King Edward III and his army cross the English Channel and storm the Normandy beaches and then set off on a journey across France to reclaim English territory from the 'false king' Philippe。 Dan Jones has written an excellent account of that summer's exploits with an amazing sense of place and time。 The main focus is the group of ten men making up the Essex Dogs who we follow through the storiming， pillaging and saacking of whatever towns stood in the way of the King's forces。 I co It's 1346 and King Edward III and his army cross the English Channel and storm the Normandy beaches and then set off on a journey across France to reclaim English territory from the 'false king' Philippe。 Dan Jones has written an excellent account of that summer's exploits with an amazing sense of place and time。 The main focus is the group of ten men making up the Essex Dogs who we follow through the storiming， pillaging and saacking of whatever towns stood in the way of the King's forces。 I could smell and taste the smoke and other more unsavoury aromas that he described。 And what a collection of blasphemous oaths and curses。 I bet he had fun writing those。 Not for the faint hearted but it is such a good read that I can't wait for the next in this planned trilogy。 With thanks to NetGalley， Head of Zeus and Dan Brown for a digitial copy of this book to read and review。 。。。more
Laura
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Thank you NetGalley， Head of Zeus， and the author for the eARC！1346， the beginning of the Hundred Year's War。 King Edward III and invasion force have embarked to conquer France。 Among the king's army is a tight-knit company fighting not for conquest but for each other， the 'Essex Dogs'。I really enjoyed reading this！ I liked the premise， but at the beginning of the book it felt like the writing wasn't going to do it justice。 In the scenes where not a whole lot was happening the writing felt kind Thank you NetGalley， Head of Zeus， and the author for the eARC！1346， the beginning of the Hundred Year's War。 King Edward III and invasion force have embarked to conquer France。 Among the king's army is a tight-knit company fighting not for conquest but for each other， the 'Essex Dogs'。I really enjoyed reading this！ I liked the premise， but at the beginning of the book it felt like the writing wasn't going to do it justice。 In the scenes where not a whole lot was happening the writing felt kind of weak。 But Jones quickly recovers from that and the rest of the book turned out great！ Especially the battle scenes are so well-written you can feel the tension as if you were really there。 It's like a medieval version of 'Saving Private Ryan' or 'Band of Brothers'。The character's themselves are great！ Often with historical fiction it's really difficult not to make your characters feel too modern。 But Jones finds the perfect balance， keeping the historical accuracy and still making it easy for a modern audience to empathise with them。 If you like Bernard Cornwell， you'll love this！ 。。。more
HILARY ANDERSON - BELL
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A great read brilliant for fans of Bernard cornwell。 I can't wait for the next one A great read brilliant for fans of Bernard cornwell。 I can't wait for the next one 。。。more
William Gwynne
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I am very lucky to have an early special edition copy！ Essex Dogs is a masterful piece of historical fiction， which is unique in how it presents such a full picture of a campaign in enemy territory。 There is no glorification， no noble heroes like those of the Round Table， but instead we have hundreds of small groups embedded within the English army just trying to survive and make some money in enemy territory。 Dan Jones shows us the repetitive nature of this type of warfare， of troops marching t I am very lucky to have an early special edition copy！ Essex Dogs is a masterful piece of historical fiction， which is unique in how it presents such a full picture of a campaign in enemy territory。 There is no glorification， no noble heroes like those of the Round Table， but instead we have hundreds of small groups embedded within the English army just trying to survive and make some money in enemy territory。 Dan Jones shows us the repetitive nature of this type of warfare， of troops marching through abandoned villages and then coming up to garrisoned castles， whilst keeping the story gripping and entertaining from start to finish。 I did not envy the characters at all， but I loved following them through their journey。 This is so， so easy to read。 Immersive， engaging， thought provoking， this is a brutal presentation of medieval warfare that incorporates so much that is rarely even mentioned or acknowledged in most fiction。 Loved it！Full Review to Come 。。。more
Georgina
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Brilliant。 Couldn’t put it down。 I fought with the Essex Dogs and felt everything they were going through。 These guys get paid to fight。 They stick together and look out for each other。 Some of the orders they have to agree to would have me running for the hills。 We are going back in history to the 100 year wars。 1346。 King Edward is marching through France and the Essex Dogs are part of the army。 What takes they tell。 Fantastic this is number 1 of the trilogy。 Can’t wait for number 2。
Greville Waterman
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I really enjoyed Dan Jones's first excursion into historical fiction。 This was taut， well written and， of course， impeccably researched。 Loveday and his band of brothers demonstrated that the psyche and behaviour of soldiers remains the same throughout the decades and centuries。 This was a rollicking good read and an excellent introduction to what will surely be a series n the Essex Dogs。I can't wait for the next instalment。 I really enjoyed Dan Jones's first excursion into historical fiction。 This was taut， well written and， of course， impeccably researched。 Loveday and his band of brothers demonstrated that the psyche and behaviour of soldiers remains the same throughout the decades and centuries。 This was a rollicking good read and an excellent introduction to what will surely be a series n the Essex Dogs。I can't wait for the next instalment。 。。。more
Adam Lofthouse
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Essex Dogs follows the English army in the early part of the 100 years war， as King Edward III invades France。 The story is set around one particular band of men – the Essex Dogs。 This is a real character driven story， filled with witty dialogue and broken men。 The Dogs are all well rounded creations， all with their own flaws and back stories that the author fleshes out really well。 Their leader is ‘Loveday’ FitzTalbot， a man that lost the love of his life， and may see life in the army of a way Essex Dogs follows the English army in the early part of the 100 years war， as King Edward III invades France。 The story is set around one particular band of men – the Essex Dogs。 This is a real character driven story， filled with witty dialogue and broken men。 The Dogs are all well rounded creations， all with their own flaws and back stories that the author fleshes out really well。 Their leader is ‘Loveday’ FitzTalbot， a man that lost the love of his life， and may see life in the army of a way of deserting his past。My favourite was Romford， a callow youth with a secret drug habit， doing his best to survive in a world he feels was not built for him。 He finds himself squire to a drunken prince， and as the story develops so does their relationship， as the two young men from very different backgrounds find common ground on the battlefield。The supporting cast are also brilliantly portrayed， especially the Earls of Warwick and Northampton who are superbly brought to life and really add to the enjoyment of the story。 And so it is with these men that we endure the harshness of the campaign against the French， who retreat further and further into their own country， as the bedraggled English stumble after them， sacking towns and claiming prizes。 It all leads nicely to Crecy， and if you know your history， you’ll know what happens there （and if you don’t， you’ll soon find out） It is not a particularly fast paced book， but builds sturdy platform from which to launch the next in the series。 There is a recurring theme throughout the story， as Loveday and his men occasionally refer to ‘The Captain’， a man that had led them on previous campaigns but now thought dead。 Hints at Loveday’s relationship with The Captain are scattered throughout the pages， and at the end we start to see the reason why （won’t spoil it here）The story ends as you would expect the first in a series to end， with the possibility of a new beginning。 One I shall look forward to 。。。more
Rebecca
，
What a horribly compelling novel…。。 in a good way！ I love a historical novel and this was a new level。 I really enjoyed it。 The pure hardship， class discrimination， the dirt， blood and grisly scenes captivate you。 The detail in this novel is amazing and you can feel that a true historian with attention to detail wrote this book， will look out for the second in this amazing trilogy。
Louise Page
，
If you like a good historical fiction that actually has the facts right and heaps of characterisation， then this is the book for you。So， Essex Dogs follows a group of Mercenaries that sign up to Edward III's conquest of France， as he saw it as his land， while the "usurper" French King obviously disagreed。 The Dogs are a group of ten people， who have all been pulled together by war， the lust of gold， or just circumstance， and formed a brotherhood led by FitzTolbert， otherwise known as Loveday， an If you like a good historical fiction that actually has the facts right and heaps of characterisation， then this is the book for you。So， Essex Dogs follows a group of Mercenaries that sign up to Edward III's conquest of France， as he saw it as his land， while the "usurper" French King obviously disagreed。 The Dogs are a group of ten people， who have all been pulled together by war， the lust of gold， or just circumstance， and formed a brotherhood led by FitzTolbert， otherwise known as Loveday， and is the main point of view for the book。 His is often seen as the wise， older leader， grizzled and suffered but quite likeable from the start。 The other main character is Romford， a young lad whose life is moving in all directions， and it seems he has little to no control of。One of the big things I loved about this book was that it used the modern names for the places the characters are going， and also have been。 While I do like books where they use the names of places that were used in the time period， this book just made it easy by using the modern names， so you could see the map in your head perfectly of where they were。 Also， the language they used， while some of it make sure you knew it was set in the 1400's， it was still modern enough to not have to worry about understanding what anyone was saying。 And the detail of the period was explained with without you needing to have a phd in history。This book pulls you along through the dirt and dust of travel， into grisly battle that leaves you drenched in mud， and all this is before you process the emotional side of what you are reading。 A dagger sharp example of what historical fiction can be， and one that will will in those who think they do not even like the genre。 。。。more
charlotte，
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On my blog。Actual rating 2。5CWs: gore， violence， implied sexual abuse， implied rapeGalley provided by publisherI was intrigued to read Essex Dogs because， having read a few of Dan Jones’ nonfiction books， I knew I could rely on it to be well researched and to bring the historical era around it to life。 And， really， that’s what it did on the whole。However—and this is a personal however， I hasten to add—I do think I prefer his nonfiction to this。 Not to say that this was bad （hence， the “it’s On my blog。Actual rating 2。5CWs: gore， violence， implied sexual abuse， implied rapeGalley provided by publisherI was intrigued to read Essex Dogs because， having read a few of Dan Jones’ nonfiction books， I knew I could rely on it to be well researched and to bring the historical era around it to life。 And， really， that’s what it did on the whole。However—and this is a personal however， I hasten to add—I do think I prefer his nonfiction to this。 Not to say that this was bad （hence， the “it’s personal”）， but if I had to pick？ Nonfiction every time。Essex Dogs follows a platoon of men landing in Normandy during the Hundred Years’ War。 In terms of what happens in the book， it’s hard to say， but as a vague plot summary: they fight and do battle and attempt， on behalf of their own king， to overthrow the French king。The Hundred Years’ War isn’t a period of history I ever covered in classes。 We did Hastings in 1066， followed by Magna Carta in the early 13th century， then skipped ahead to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 （which falls squarely within the period of the Hundred Years’ War， and yet we somehow never touched on that）， before finally landing on the Tudors。 So this is a book set in a time period I only know vaguely about。 And I think its strength is in bringing that time period to life， much like Dan Jones has always managed for me in his nonfiction books。Perhaps where it was a bit weaker though was the characters。 I never really felt like I engaged with them as much， and I never really felt like many of them had personalities。 It probably wasn’t much help that， it being war， they were as likely to die within a few chapters of you meeting them as survive。 The POV characters， as expected， were a bit more fleshed out than the others， though， and you could still root for them （and also， this is something I expect will be improved on as the series goes on）。Similarly， the plot seemed to have little drive， and I do wonder if this is a series that’s meant to be read all at once， where the plot is one that covers three books， rather than each book having its own self-contained plot。 The ending of this one， which seems to work to set up the series as a whole more than anything， certainly points to that。On the whole， though， I did fairly like reading this one。 And if you’re looking for good thoroughly researched historical fiction， it would be for you。 。。。more
Edward
，
There is a new challenger to the crown of historical fiction！ Dan Jones' first fiction novel is a timeless， incredibly engaging and sweeping odyssey of the summer of 1346 - one that is full of bloodshed and hilarious， medieval cursing。Essex Dogs is a triumph。 The writing is top notch， character-focused and smooth as silk to read。 The combat is numbing and brutal and the dialogue is just so much fun。 It is a book that you just enjoy reading， it is pure fun and something I will recommend to fantas There is a new challenger to the crown of historical fiction！ Dan Jones' first fiction novel is a timeless， incredibly engaging and sweeping odyssey of the summer of 1346 - one that is full of bloodshed and hilarious， medieval cursing。Essex Dogs is a triumph。 The writing is top notch， character-focused and smooth as silk to read。 The combat is numbing and brutal and the dialogue is just so much fun。 It is a book that you just enjoy reading， it is pure fun and something I will recommend to fantasy lovers as a great entry of historical fiction to try。 It follows a band of men-at-arms during King Edward III's invasion of France during the early years of the Hundred Years War， starting with a scene that is essentially 'Omaha Beach'。 From there on， it doesn't let up。 It follows the English army as it burns， storms and sieges it's way through France until it finds itself opposing a huge French force at the site of Crécy。 The Essex Dogs are fantastic。 There is camaraderie， banter， love and anger between each member and at times I forgot that I was reading a medieval novel - often feeling as apt and relatable as a modern war novel。 A couple POVs swap around and it's great to see the war through the eyes of different members - as well as their hilarious dealings with the nobles - a special shoutout to Northampton and Warwick！Dan Jones has weaved a colourful tapestry of authentic Middle Ages people mixed with real events and the result is a stunning book。 。。。more
Kerrie-Ann ✨ bookishlybesotted
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I find history so fascinating and I adore historical fiction and this one didn’t disappoint， you can see how much the author has a passion for history and fantastically fuses together historical realism with fiction。 Dan Jones debut into the fictional world brings to life a period in real life history through the lives of well developed fictional characters。 I enjoyed seeing the story through the eyes of the Essex Dogs and all the side characters， discovering their backgrounds and their own indi I find history so fascinating and I adore historical fiction and this one didn’t disappoint， you can see how much the author has a passion for history and fantastically fuses together historical realism with fiction。 Dan Jones debut into the fictional world brings to life a period in real life history through the lives of well developed fictional characters。 I enjoyed seeing the story through the eyes of the Essex Dogs and all the side characters， discovering their backgrounds and their own individualities。 You can really sense the brotherliness between the Essex Dogs and that bond is the driving force through this brutally savage journey。 The interactions and dialogues are quite engaging， the author doesn’t shy away from the odd wisecrack， plenty of potty mouth and evocative bloodshed。 Overall a great introduction to what I believe will be a fantastic trilogy。 I can feel myself starting to care for these characters and the plot has me intrigued enough to wish the 2nd instalment was out now！ Though I have a feeling that no character is safe and this war will be bloody gory！ ✨ ‘I haven't heard you speaking to Jesus much this week， Father。' He smiled and looked around the group。 Tebbe and Thorp， walking at the rear of the cart， chuckled。 Father looked murderous。'You watch your mouth， boy， he snarled。 'Or I'll be speaking to Jesus as I'm giving you the last fucking rites。'✨Thank you @netgally & @headofzeus for accepting me to read an eArc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mark
，
I was lucky to receive an ARC of ‘Essex Dogs’ by Dan Jones from NetGalley， thank you！King Edward III and his invasion force embark on a killing and pillaging tour of France in 1346。Among the hell unleashed is a close-knit company of warriors known as ‘Essex Dogs’ who must fight for each other。I thoroughly enjoyed！Great characters set in a bloody time and place brought to life。The locations were vividly word-painted， managing to weave many historical details into the fabric of the story without i I was lucky to receive an ARC of ‘Essex Dogs’ by Dan Jones from NetGalley， thank you！King Edward III and his invasion force embark on a killing and pillaging tour of France in 1346。Among the hell unleashed is a close-knit company of warriors known as ‘Essex Dogs’ who must fight for each other。I thoroughly enjoyed！Great characters set in a bloody time and place brought to life。The locations were vividly word-painted， managing to weave many historical details into the fabric of the story without it ever getting in the way。The ‘Dogs’ were a great crew of eclectic warriors recruited from every corner of Britain。 Each have their own secrets， backstories， quirks and skills that fleshed them out into killers with heart and soul instead of mindless machines。It opens with a medieval ‘Private Ryan’ scene and doesn’t stop from there。 It’s a harsh and bloody business and each step of the way was intriguing。 I’m not the biggest Kindle fan， but this kept me swipe-turning pages until I finished。As the English army murder， rape and pillages like a black wave destroying everything in its path， the ‘Dogs’， despite their many years of spilling blood and thievery together， feel a little long in the tooth for the events surrounding them and the trouble that comes their way。The side characters are excellently done and there’s plenty of action to be found， but I was more impressed with how much I cared for the ‘Dogs’， making me eager to read book 2 of this planned trilogy of adventures。⚔️If you enjoy reading Angus Donald， Bernard Cornwell， James Wilde or Robert Low’s ‘Oathsworn Series’ then you’ll dig this 👍 。。。more
Emma Cox
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