In Dan Jones's gripping historical novel, "Essex Dogs," readers are transported to the tumultuous world of medieval warfare during the July of 1346. As ten men, the Essex Dogs, make landfall on the beaches of Normandy, the stage is set for a brutal battle that will shape the destiny of the largest kingdom in Western Europe. Led by a battle-worn captain and comprising a ragtag platoon of archers and men-at-arms, this band of brothers ventures into enemy territory, marching toward the pivotal conflict at Crécy. Jones skillfully weaves a narrative rooted in historical accuracy, immersing readers in the stark reality of medieval war where rules are discarded, and chivalry meets a bloody demise. Through an unforgettable cast of characters, "Essex Dogs" not only depicts the ferocity of battle but also illuminates the lives of fighters and ordinary people caught in the storm, making this novel a compelling and evocative exploration of a transformative chapter in history.

Really enjoyed this book, a ragtag group of soldiers storming France during the start of the hundred years war. The main group reminded me of the First Law Northmen and I enjoyed their dynamic. The action scenes were great; particularly the opening scene which is clearly inspired by the opening of Saving Private Ryan; and the final battle which was really exciting.

I do think that the book needed *more*. It felt bare bones in terms of character, plot, and descriptions. Lovejoy and a couple others of the Dogs were more well defined, but with their being 10 Essex Dogs, some of them are just...there. And the rest of the English army are all pretty bland. I will definitely read the sequel though!

I love Dan Jones' historical non fiction. He's a great resource whenever I need to research something. Consequently, it's no surprise that he historical detail here is (minus a few word choices which bow to modern readers) on point. However this just wasn't for me. The characters were flat and unengaging, and largely could all sub for each other. The historical plot is very well known but there could have been subplots or fabricated mirror plots that immersed the reader, and there weren't. So I'm afraid I found this rather dull which is not something I would ever say about the author's non fiction. However if you like linear hist fic that sticks to the facts, give it a try.

I absolutely loved the premise of this novel and the writing, which a bit over the top and graphic at times when it came to violence, was so well written and researched. I really enjoyed the audio version and thought the narrator did a fantastic job with the various characters. Despite it being a long one, I found it easy to follow what was happening (which I think is always a good sign when listening to the audio rather than reading the book!)

Essex Dogs is a stupendous new foray into the realm of historical fiction. Full of true grit and true heart, it is a fantastic blend of fact and fiction. The characters are truly the standout of the book, Jones managing to create a diverse and often hilarious bunch of rag tag warriors fighting to claim the land of France for the king of England. If it hadn’t faltered in the last 30% it would’ve been competing for top read of the year, but still, it does remain firmly in the upper echelons of my reading year. You will be drawn to this loveable but broken bunch and the crazy cast of historical figures Dan caricatures around them.

Jones will trap you in the brutally unforgiving war environment he deliciously constructs around you and leave you eagerly awaiting the next book in this historical trilogy; one which is simply begging for an adaptation.


Now before we dive into this, a big thanks goes out to Dan Jones, W.F. Howes Ltd, and Head of Zeus for providing me with an audiobook copy to review. My review is completely on a professional basis, and this didn’t influence my thoughts in any way.


So, we start off on the beaches of Normandy, an invasion of British forces onto French territory. But this is not the 1940s, no this is 1346, and we are following the Essex Dogs in the Crecy campaign of the hundred years war. This start had me utterly hooked, you could feel the damp, the dankness, the mud, sweat and tears that went into battle. In fact, it may be my favourite battle of the book, and yes there are several.

Literally thrown into the deep end, we witness the momentous start of this war by way of introduction to our motley crew. What a crew it is! These Essex boys are proudly down and dirty. They’re definitely a colourful bunch with a hefty load of grittiness and trauma, swears like a trooper, but they hold one another close, their bond unbreakable. However this campaign may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Within this crew we have Loveday, the leader of this rogue-ish squad after the departure of their previous commander, the aptly named Captain. Scotsman was one of my favourites, a crotchety and grizzled character, but beneath this prickly surface he really shows a heart to care. Father is their beloved priest, once a man of God, now a man of the bottle; his story is one full of sorrow and heartache, although he does provide some humorous moments along the way, as do many of them. His common companion is a young boy known as Romford, a young squirt of a man who has no business being stuck in this war, yet another story full of tragedy as we see this promising young man sucked into the vagaries of warfare. To round it off we have Pissmire and Millstone, both beloved members of the crew who go to extraordinary lengths to defend their brothers. This is the family. A family torn apart by this literally gut-wrenching war.

Jones constructs these characters in an extremely broad and visceral fashion, so the decision to start the book off with this creeping invasion that builds to a rip-roaring battle is a fantastically clever one. It provides great opportunity for introduction without ever feeling expositional because we are drawn into this visceral battle by visceral characters.

Now I must warn you, if crude humour and coarse language is not your thing, then this book most definitely is not for you. These men are liberal in their kills as well as their swears, the Earl of Northampton having the most fantastically inventive curses that had me roaring with laughter. As a historian who would be very well aware of the perils and atrocities in the middle ages, Jones does not seek to play these aspects down. We see these characters react to significant trauma in very different ways, some more heart-breaking than others. Their struggles are real, the victims of these soldiers who pillaged and assaulted their way through the French towns are real. We meet some very nasty pieces of work within this book, and it is to Dan’s credit that he does not walk away from that.

Now you might have noticed how I’ve started off with character when usually I would discuss a lot about plot initially. Well, this is an extremely character driven work, the plot itself reflecting the monotony of war campaigns. Early on there are a lot of escapades that happen which were frequently entertaining, and really served to build the bond of this group. Honestly, there really wasn’t much overarching story except to progress towards Crecy.

The character driven narrative is its strength at its best, but by the end became its little stumble. These are fantastic characters I happily spent many hours with, and it was indeed necessary that they were. However, the last 30% did feel meandering at times, re-treading some territory until the final battle at Crecy…. which really didn’t live up to my expectations. In fact, it was the prior siege of a castle that had me whooping along in the way I’d expect of a finale. After such an adrenaline rush of a sequence, the finale fell rather short for myself.

Overall, this was such a gripping read, full of heart, humour, and of course lots of history! Readers of Bernard Cornwell are absolutely sure to love this incredible fictional debut from Dan Jones. Whilst the ending didn’t quite land for me, the sequel will definitely be on my radar as soon as it’s announced!

This was an absolutely brilliant debut. I have read several of Dan Jones non fiction titles and really enjoyed them and his easy, accessible writing style has transferred well to fiction. The level of detail is a credit to the amount of research clearly done and gives you a real sense of what it might have been like for the thousands of men like the Essex Dogs who made their living through war. Ben Miles is a fantastic narrator and brings to life, the fear, adrenaline and not a little boredom of the 100 years war. I can't wait for the next installment and would highly recommend.

Having a bit of a thing for historical fiction this year and after reading a wonderful review for Essex Dogs I thought this would be a book I would enjoy.

This is the story of a band of men arriving on the beaches of Normandy in 1346 ..archers and men at arms who will take place in the battles to win the kingdom..

Firstly the audio is brilliant with voices and accents and all the emotions and diverse characters conveyed. However, a long book inevitably means a very long audiobook and this was very long. I think I would have been better reading this rather than listening as it was so wide ranging and action filled I found myself losing track.

There is no doubt that this is an incredible book. This felt like the literary equivalent of the Jorvik Museum - history come alive, with smells and sounds and visions. A full assault on the senses. This is history appearing before your eyes fully fleshed and imagined, the conversations and the language and the characters and all the incredible detail. There is undoubtedly an incredible amount of historical research which has gone into this novel.

My three stars does not reflect the quality of the book it reflects the fact that this just wasn’t a match for me. There is so much fighting, fully blown slitting throats bloody hand to hand fighting that I was overwhelmed by it. For many people this will be absolutely perfect.

With very many thanks to Netgalley and W.F. Howes for my digital copy of this audiobook.

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
Audio Book duration: 13hrs 22m
Historical Fiction Genre
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dan Jones best known for his non fiction history books,has written his first historical fiction novel. Oh boy, and what a first book! I was hooked from the start and didn't want this 13hr epic audiobook to end. Lucky for me this is the first of a trilogy.
A perfect novel to learn more of the Hundred Years War (1346). I was captivated from the start and found it a fascinating read. From learning about the mundane aspects of camp life in a medieval campaign, to the complexities of battle. It's an all immersive read.

Which characters in the Essex Dogs band of men will you be urging on in battle? Half way through and it dawned on me that not all will survive the violence of war. By which time I already had some favourite characters.
I really felt for the ordinary people and merchants, caught up in the marauding horde of soldiers, which is well told within the story. There is also an insight on the battlefield of The Black Prince, which I'm sure we will see more of in the following books.

One character in particular for me was brought to life by the narrator Ben Miles, the Earl of Nottingham. A horrid man, but the style and manner of his character. Just perfect.
That alone is the reason you should listen to the audiobook version.

Without hesitation I recommend this book, welcome to the new king of historical fiction, Dan Jones...long live the King!

I’ve enjoyed a few non fiction titles by Dan Jones. His style is clear and concise and I was interested to see how he’d tackle historical fiction. The audio version is superbly narrated throughout with each character given a distinctive voice. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.

The tale involves a group of paid soldiers, the Essex Dogs. They’re a mixed bunch of individuals; a Scot, a couple of Welshmen and others, banded together for some weeks to help King Edward invade France. They want to do the job and get home. Although a work of fiction, each chapter is built around actual events and progress. Many of the Earls are real and their characters have substance, The detail is vivid and although the story starts slowly, I felt as if I was on a journey with this little band of men, They have their own ways, the Welshman don’t speak English, there’s humour, brutality and a real sense of what fighting was like in the mid 1200s. It’s an adventure and I felt Dan Jones has really captured the brutality, camaraderie, class differences, loyalties and conflicts to perfection. A brilliant new voice in historical fiction and I hope they’ll be more.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this one because I think Dan Jones is marvellous and compelling when presenting or writing about history but this one just wasn't for me. I wish the author and publisher the very best of luck with the book.

“The Dogs hired their sword-and bows-arms to anyone who paid–in any sort of activity where brute force and sharp steel were needed. That summer the business was war.”

My thanks to W F Howes for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Essex Dogs’ by Dan Jones. The audiobook is narrated by Ben Miles.

‘Essex Dogs’ is a powerful work of medieval military fiction. While Jones is well known for his historical nonfiction, this is his debut novel. It is the first in his Essex Dogs Trilogy that follows a small tight kit company of soldiers during the Hundred Years’ War.

In July 1346 King Edward III and his lords are on the march through France. Yet this is not a story of kings and nobles but of the men on the ground fighting with swords, axes, and longbows. There are ten Essex Dogs, led by the battle-scarred Loveday FitzTalbot, who just wants to get his men home safely.

This was an extremely violent and earthy novel. There’s no way I could fault the degree of historical detail throughout, though felt that the characters were rather undeveloped. This did improve as the novel progressed and the individual Dogs began to emerge as they faced danger and we were provided snippets of their backstories. By the final chapters I was quite invested in the fates of the survivors.

The King, and Edward, the whiny Prince of Wales, along with the various lords, are quite ghastly in their behaviour towards the French as well as their own men. Thankfully, there is only one woman featured in the narrative. I say thankfully given the setting. I felt that Jones was sensitive to this, only referencing what had happened to her ‘off page’ rather than describing.

With respect to the audiobook, I applaud the casting of British actor, Ben Miles. His narration was superb, bringing a power and gravitas to the reading. Indeed, he brought the characters vividly to life from the soldiers slogging through the mud to those entitled, squabbling royals and nobles. It is a novel that I felt was well suited to the audiobook format.

Overall, ‘Essex Dogs’ impressed me from the outset for its meticulously detailed, raw depiction of this medieval war from the perspective of those with their boots on the ground: a 14th Century Band of Brothers. While it took longer for my emotions to become engaged, I became invested and certainly plan to read the upcoming books when published.

Highly recommended.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.