Essex Dogs: The epic Richard & Judy Summer Book Club Pick 2023 from a Sunday Times bestselling historian (Essex Dogs Series 1)

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Dan Jones (30 September 2012). "Blood Sisters: The Hidden Lives of the Women Behind the Wars of the Roses by Sarah Gristwood". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. 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.

Summer of Blood: the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 by Dan Jones: review". The Daily Telegraph. London. 30 May 2009 . Retrieved 11 February 2012. Dan Jones (18 August 2012). "The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford". The Times. London. The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors, London, Head of Zeus, 2017, ISBN 978-0-525-42830-5. Jones, Daniel Gwynne. Who's Who. 2021. doi: 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U276782. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4 . Retrieved 13 July 2021.Jones' titular Essex Dogs, a rag-tag band of freebooting mercenaries, witness the horrors of war first-hand as the English army marches towards a brutal confrontation with the French at the Battle of Crécy. We start with the landing on the Normandy beach, heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy and trying to survive. The Essex Dogs and their leader try to survive the harsh conditions and pillage and loot their way to France. Long marches, the waiting, the suffering of the peasants who see their harvest destroyed and their houses robbed - I guess nothing has changed very much since then. In April 2016 he co-wrote and co-presented, with Suzannah Lipscomb, Henry VIII and His Six Wives, shown on Channel 5. [16]

The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot. I drink in a pub that hasn't changed for 50 years with ordinary people. So I've lived in the real world where patriotism is a real thing and the Coronation was spiritual and mystical and profoundly important in a way that didn't add up to 'What does it cost?' or 'Should we really have a monarchy?' 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. The Essex Dogs get a front row seat in the expedition and eventually find themselves involved with the military leaders around Edward. While I appreciated the author using his expertise to paint this ruthless, unromantic, picture of war I wasn’t so persuaded by his attempt to include human drama via his main characters. The Essex Dogs aren’t given too much depth and there’s a thread in the story where some of them try to protect a naive and wayward young recruit to their band when I couldn’t quite see why they should apart from a feeling of comradely brotherhood which didn’t quite mesh with their personalities.

“The Dogs are in a mud-wrestling match with history and they bring some moves all of their own to the party”

Books of the Year 2011: History Books". The Daily Telegraph. London. 21 November 2011 . Retrieved 11 February 2012. Swept up in the bloody chaos, a tight-knit company from Essex must stay alive long enough to see their home again. With sword, axe and longbow, the Essex Dogs will fight, from the landing beaches of Normandy to the bloodsoaked field of Crécy.

July 1346. The Hundred Years' War has begun, and King Edward and his lords are on the march through France. But this war belongs to the men on the ground. Essex Dogs by Dan Jones: 9780593653784 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com . Retrieved 20 September 2022. Led by the war-weary Loveday FitzTalbot, Jones' Essex Dogs are a motley band of foot soldiers fighting for money and bound mostly by their loyalty for one another. You’re a prolific non-fiction writer. How has this helped shape your fiction and on the flipside, what would you say is the hardest thing about transitioning from penning non-fiction to fiction?

I 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. 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.

The plot is nonexistent, save for what happened in history. This would have been fine had the characters been rich and interesting, but they were not and thus I found myself just waiting to be shuffled from set piece battle/siege to set piece battle/siege. The historical details were lovely as to be expected from a prominent historian, but these alone do not make an interesting fiction book. But make no bones about it, this is history in glorious Saving Private Ryan-style - crossbow bolts, axes and catapults replacing tanks, machine guns and mortars - told with an unflinching eye for detail. The many battles in this book were bloody, violently brutal, chaotic and exhausting. Frequently carried out after many days of travelling by foot, in barren landscapes and unrelenting heat. The plundered, burned out and looted towns and villages was written so atmospherically, I could almost smell the rotting stench of excrement and smouldering houses. There is some swearing between the men but there’s also a lot of humour and the one liners are truly funny.We have a cast that really shows the chasm between the classes of society. Essex Dogs really is a character-driven story that focuses on how our main figures react and evolve to the situations around them. Some are scared, some take joy in the thrill, some are there just for the money. But most of all, the Essex Dogs are there for each other. To keep each other alive and above all, survive at all costs. This is the heart of the story that keeps you emotionally engaged amongst all the brutality, all the horrors of war and all the injustices we are exposed to as the reader. Dan Jones again in my opinion expertly manages to create the tone and atmosphere perfect for what it appears he was trying to achieve. Three part series on The Great Fire of London to air on Channel 5". ATV Today. 22 May 2017 . Retrieved 11 June 2020. Jones, Dan (18 June 2013). "A scare could be just what the Lions needed". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 23 July 2014.