The Dogs are being torn apart—but this war is far from over. It won’t be long before they lose more of their own. People always said, 'You're gonna go up to Cambridge, and you're going to meet the movers and shakers of the next generation'. I remember looking around at these dorks and cranks and weirdos, all of us aged 18 and clueless, and thinking, 'This must have skipped a year.' "But you emerge with a very good education, and a pre-built social network. I was very ordinary, the only kid from my school to go to Oxbridge in a long time, and that's one of the strongest arguments for widening access." There's Pismire, small enough to infiltrate enemy camps. Scotsman, strong enough to tear down a wall. Millstone, a stonemason who'll do anything to protect his men. Father, a priest turned devilish by the horrors of war. Romford, a talented young archer on the run from his past. And Loveday Fitztalbot, their battle-scarred captain, who just wants to get his boys home safe. I don't know how much liberty Dan Jones has granted himself when it comes to historical accuracy. A medieval meth-head? I don't know. The nobility is presented as just as any regular army officer - i don't know if this was the way it was at that time. But for me one of the captivating aspects is the strong sense of brotherhood that mirrors the renowned "Band of Brothers" narrative that emerged from World War II, where - almost 600 years later - soldiers of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment also landed in Normandy. The relationships between characters in "The Essex Dogs" are reminded me of the deep connections formed between soldiers in the 506th Regiment. The Essex Dogs" taps into the universal emotions of friendship, sacrifice, and resilience.

Jones, Dan (29 November 2012). "Christmas 2012: History books of the year". The Daily Telegraph. London. The book follows the Essex Dogs during their involvement in the 1346 Crécy campaign. In addition to viewing the conflict through their eyes, we also get the perspectives of renegade priests, the ever-scheming aristocrats and merchants, and the ordinary people who are caught in the conflict mostly against their will. As always, it is these ordinary people caught in the middle who bear the brunt of the abuse resulting from the fighting. They remain at the whim of their aristocratic masters, the original lions led by donkeys if you will. And the book has enjoyed warm comparisons to historical-fiction titans Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.The book is part of a trilogy, but the ending stops with a character (who disappeared for a good chunk of the book) reappearing to drop a minor cliffhanger. The book didn’t have a clear beginning/middle/end, and the character arcs never really appeared.

Dan Jones brings his extensive knowledge of this history into play expertly. It would be so easy for one with such grasp on the era to overload the reader with information. Instead, Jones smoothly crafts the tone and atmosphere in a way that by the end feels so authentic and comprehensive, yet does not overwhelm you once. It is a fine line, but Dan Jones appears to have found it effortlessly.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.

Jones, Dan (18 June 2013). "A scare could be just what the Lions needed". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 23 July 2014. This book starts out brilliantly following a small group of ten soldiers (Englishmen, Scotsmen, Welsh folk and others), the Essex Dogs, as they arrive on the shores of Normandy in 1346 to storm the beaches and take France for King Edward III. This is the Hundred Years War of course, but the setting is familiar and Jones evokes the feeling of WW2 and Saving Private Ryan, while keeping the flavor distinctly medieval; this time it isn’t lead balls and MG42, it’s arrows, swords and flame. After this, the King’s army continue their march inland and we get to know the Dogs personally. There isn’t much of a plot in this book; it’s more a slice of life kind of deal. We meet our main characters, and spend a few months with them as they burn through the French countryside towards Paris, leaving a swath of destruction in their path. There’s more to it than just fighting and plundering though. In May and June 2017, Jones, with Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell, presented The Great Fire, for Channel 5, a series in which the three presenters walked the actual route the Great Fire of London fire took across the city. [18] [19] [20]Over four weeks in March 2019, Jones presented London: 2,000 years of history alongside Lipscomb and Bell. [21] Journalist [ edit ] 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. The dawn of The Hundred Years’ War, and King Edward’s army is on the march through France. The Essex Dogs, led by Captain Loveday Fitztalbot, must stay alive if they stand any hope of returning home again.