"Set during The Hundred Years’ War, this audacious band of brothers’ adventure is bold, bloody, and funny to boot."
With more bloody battles, hearty high-octane action and historic thrills than you can shake an axe at, Essex Dogs, historian Dan Jones’ fiction debut, is a punch-packing page-turner fans of Bernard Cornwell will take their helmets off to. The first in a trilogy set during the Hundred Years' War, it reels with raw energy, spicy language, and the palpable drive and camaraderie of its larger-than-life characters.
It’s 1346 and King Edward’s “great invasion of France – a thousand ships and fifteen thousand fighting men aboard them – was starting. The Essex Dogs were at the front of it”. This band of variously skilled brothers-in-arms, “some of them from Essex. All of them having sharp teeth”, are led by Loveday FitzTalbot, a Captain determined to get his boys back home through the most brutal of battles.
Underpinned by historic realities, and propelled by edge-of-your-seat pace, Essex Dogs thrusts readers to the heart of the Hundred Years’ War that shaped Europe – strap in for a wild ride.
'The way Dan Jones writes enemies reminds me of Cornwell at his best.' CONN IGGULDEN This is the story of the Hundred Years' War told through the eyes of the soldiers on the ground. Witness medieval England brought thrillingly to life by a master storyteller and Sunday Times bestselling historian. SOME MEN FIGHT FOR GLORY. OTHERS FIGHT FOR COIN. THE ESSEX DOGS FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER. July 1346. King Edward and his lords are on the march through France. Swept up in the chaos, a tight-knit company from Essex must stay alive long enough to see their home again. There's Pismire, small enough to infiltrate enemy camps. Scotsman, strong enough to tear down a wall. Father, a priest turned devilish by the horrors he has witnessed. Romford, a talented young archer on the run from his past. And Loveday, their battle-scarred captain, who watches over them all. With sword, axe and longbow, the Dogs must survive from the landing beaches of Normandy to the perilous field of Crécy. But this war is a bloody one - and it's only just begun... Don't miss LION HEARTS, the final heart-stopping novel in the Essex Dogs trilogy from Sunday Times bestselling historian Dan Jones - available now. 'A new champion has entered the front line of historical fiction to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bernard Cornwell.' JANE JOHNSON 'Battle-bloody, brutal and perfectly pitched.' DAILY MAIL 'Vital, earthy, and heart-stopping.' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB 'Only Dan Jones can carry you through blood, piss and vomit and leave you wanting more.' DAISY DUNN 'A cast of unforgettable characters.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE 'Simply stunning.' DUFF McKAGAN, New York Times No1 bestselling author'The Hundred Years' War as directed by Oliver Stone with a historian's eye for detail.' ELODIE HARPER
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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A great addition to the field of historical fiction. Bernard Cornwell etc. watch out Dan is coming!
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 III and his son the Black Prince in the furtherance of their claim to the French throne.... Read Full Review
The opening chapter, with a brutal French beach landing for the ‘Essex Dogs’, sets the scene for an action packed story displaying just how barbaric war was in the Middle Ages.
Historian, writer, broadcaster, journalist and hugely likeable Dan Jones is back with an action-packed historical fiction thriller - Essex Dogs - The first in a planned trilogy following the fortunes of ten ordinary soldiers, in the early years of the Hundred Years’ War set in France, 1346.
“Some men fight for glory. Others fight for coin. The Essex Dogs fight for each other…..”
The opening chapter, with a brutal French beach landing for the Essex Dogs, sets the scene for an action packed story displaying just how barbaric war was in the Middle Ages, with hand to hand fighting, more often than not to the death.
What struck me instantly was just how normal and ordinary the ‘dogs’ men were.... Read Full Review
An action-packed piece of historical fiction set during the hundred years war that you will find difficult to put down. Dan Jones has made a great piece of debut fiction.
Dan Jones' debut novel is set during the battles of The Hundred Years War, following a group of swords for hire known as the Essex Dogs from their initial landing in France to the thrilling final assault.
I found the writing really engaging and managed to avoid too much depth that can be found with some other pieces of historical fiction, there’s a good variety to the characters and I felt like I grew a fondness for some of them quite quickly, as well as a hatred of others.
The pacing was fast and furious as the band of men made their away across the french countryside, coming across the various towns which provide a backdrop for the war and playing out the set pieces of the story.... Read Full Review
'The way Dan Jones writes enemies reminds me of Cornwell at his best.' CONN IGGULDEN This is the story of the Hundred Years' War told through the eyes of the soldiers on the ground. Witness medieval England brought thrillingly to life by a master storyteller and Sunday Times bestselling historian.
Essex Dogs features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, Books of the Month, Action Adventure, Historical adventure fiction, War, combat and military adventure fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback, Ebook (Epub). £15.29, down from the £16.99 cover price. In Stock.
Essex Dogs was written by Dan Jones and published by Head of Zeus an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
Essex Dogs has 773 pages
Yes it is part of Bloomsbury Dyslexia-Friendly Editions series
£15.29, reduced from £16.99. In Stock.
