Dan Jones is a historian, bestselling author of many non-fiction books and has presented dozens of TV shows dedicated to history. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Jones has been bringing history to life for us well before he moved into fiction. His expertise helps to bring his stories to life. The Essex Dogs Trilogy is Dan Jones' first step into fiction and what a punch-packing page-turning step it is. Each book reads like a blockbuster, with raw energy, spicy language, and the palpable drive and camaraderie of its larger-than-life characters, the eponymous Essex Dogs.

Fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden can rejoice at having another epic series to immerse themselves in as they follow this band of rampaging 14th-century soldiers through their physical and mental fights for survival. 

The Essex Dogs Trilogy

Starting with Dan Jones' fiction debut, Essex Dogs kick-starts this trilogy with "more bloody battles, hearty high-octane action and historic thrills than you can shake an axe at". It's July 1346 and The Hundred Years' War has begun. Among those caught up in the bloody chaos of King Edward's march through France is a tight-knit company from Essex, fighting for each other so they can stay alive long enough to see their home again. Our Editorial Expert Joanne Owen recommends readers "strap in for a wild ride".

A year later saw the release of Wolves of Winter, the second book in the trilogy. Bloodied and bruised following an epic battle at Crécy, the Dogs are sent to attack Calais under a command by King Edward that no Englishman will leave France until the city falls. The war is far from over and the group must survive a merciless winter in a lawless camp, conditions deadlier than any battlefield. Joanne's review? "Bloody battles, merciless conditions, and medieval oligarchs — this heady historic blockbuster featuring a band of 14th-century soldiers is fierce, captivating, and comic with it."

Now we reach the 2025 release of Lion Hearts. Readers are thrust back into the Essex Dogs Universe as the band of brothers embark on their final outing. Described as "A fittingly fierce conclusion to a richly-conjured trilogy, this is historic fiction at its most boldly evocative, and all underpinned by the author’s knowledge of medieval warfare". Its three years after the Siege of Calais and the Black Death has torn through Europe. Though each of the Essex Dogs have scattered in a radically different direction, there is something that is about to bring them back together for an almighty blowout of a battle. 

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Dan Jones is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of many non-fiction books, including The Plantagenets, The Templars and Powers and Thrones. He is a renowned writer, broadcaster and journalist. He has presented dozens of TV shows, including the Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles, and writes and hosts the podcast This is History. His debut novel, Essex Dogs, is the first in a series following the fortunes of ordinary soldiers in the early years of the Hundred Years’ War. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

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