'A new champion has entered the front line of historical fiction to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bernard Cornwell. Dan Jones takes you to the year of Our Lord 1346' Tibor Fischer The Essex Dogs? They fight for each other. And Loveday Fitztalbot, their battle-scarred captain, who just wants to get his boys home safe. Romford, a talented young archer on the run from his past. Father, a priest turned devilish by the horrors of war. Millstone, a stonemason who'll do anything to protect his men.

Scotsman, strong enough to tear down a wall.

There's Pismire, small enough to infiltrate enemy camps. With sword, mace and longbow, the Essex Dogs will fight, from the landing beaches of Normandy to the bloodsoaked field of Crécy. Swept up in the bloody chaos, a tight-knit company from Essex must stay alive long enough to see their home again. But this war belongs to the men on the ground. The Hundred Years' War has begun, and King Edward and his lords are on the march through France. Globally bestselling historian Dan Jones makes his historical fiction debut with Essex Dogs, the explosive first instalment in an epic new trilogy set during the Hundred Years War. From Sunday Times bestselling historian Dan Jones. Just like the Essex Dogs.The first instalment in a new Hundred Years War trilogy, following a tight-knit group of archers fighting the 1346 Crécy campaign in medieval France. While I didn’t love this book, I’ll be back for more. The book is listed with retailers as Essex Dogs #1, so I supposed more are on the way. I most enjoyed reading about what the daily experience would be like for low-level fighting men, or average villagers trying to survive the whims on invaders while keeping their businesses and families relatively unharmed. Not surprisingly, Jones excels at writing about the ins and outs of what a campaign would be like, both for the invaders and the invaded. Despite the seemingly cursed campaign, the narrative follows the Dogs from the beaches through the major battles.

However, the Essex Dogs are seasoned mercenaries, and you don’t get to become a season mercenary by accident. One gets the sense the Dogs, as-is, aren’t going to fare well in the invasion. Father, a former priest, now spends his time drinking and cavorting. Romfort is a young man good with a bow and bad with fitting in. Rounding out the crew are the Welsh bowmen (brothers), Romfort, and Father. Where Loveday is a bit taciturn, The Scotsman is, well, the Scotsman. “Loveday” is the de factor leader of the Dogs these days, and “The Scotsman” is his right-hand man. The Dogs were formerly led by “The Captain,” although he has disappeared for reasons unknown. His debut work of fiction (historical, of course) is Essex Dogs, the story of an English mercenary group invading France in the fourteenth century. I enjoy his entertaining and well-researched history books ( The Templars ) and television programmes.

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones