Essex Dogs Series

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In that time he had never known Millstone use an intemperate word; nor had he ever seen him take a backward step - an attitude that scared Loveday sometimes. The book opens with a dramatic and bloody beach landing that could have come straight out of Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day. With sword, axe and longbow, the Essex Dogs will fight, from the landing beaches of Normandy to the bloodsoaked field of Crécy. 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. Heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crecy, this band of brothers knows they are off to fight a battle that will forge nations, and shape the very fabric of human lives.

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. However to give you an example of his current oeuvre he is currently presently Sex: A bonkers history for SKY with Amanda Holden! 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. Considering he’s writing about events back in July 1346, more than 675 years ago, that’s quite an achievement.We get to know the individual members of the Essex Dogs who, as a medieval band of brothers, try to protect each other and try to stay alive.

No, being a soldier during a fourteenth-century war definitely was no bed of roses, except for the thorns. Also, I am curious as to his portrayal of the Black Prince (Edward, Prince of Wales) as a whiny, petulant, spoiled brat is something new. Best known for swashbuckling narrative history like Crusaders and Powers and Thrones, Jones delivers his debut historical novel with this page-turning account of a band of hardened British soldiers deep in enemy territory during the Hundred Years War. Dan Jones has ventured into historical fiction with this book, blending real historical events and figures with fictional elements to create an engaging narrative. At the prow of the boat, the thick-necked stonemason Gilbert 'Millstone' Attecliffe was spewing into the sea.

The novel starts off with a murder, and with seven people trapped on an isolated Greek island lashed by a "wild, unpredictable Greek wind. He also shoe horns in events that sometimes could be removed and the novel wouldn't suffer at all for it, and occasionally, he needs to prove a point but they aren't woven into the narrative, just dumped there. When Loveday had asked what Sir Robert - and the great lords and the king above him - knew as to how many Frenchmen might be minding the beach, with crossbows cocked and lances couched and their bollocks unsevered and hoping to keep them so, Sir Robert had waved airily at him and told him there would be plenty enough to make good sport. Rape is heavily implied too by the author without gratuitously dwelling on this dark aspect of medieval conquest.

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.

Much of the story concerns the progress of the army across northern France, where villages and towns are routinely plundered and pillaged in the most ruthless manner. Visceral and powerful, the reality of medieval warfare leaping from every page, it's gripping storytelling at its best.