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A Novel
by Dan Jones
Book Reviewed by:The New York Times bestselling historian makes his historical fiction debut with an explosive novel set during the Hundred Years' War.
July 1346. Ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun.
Heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy, this band of brothers knows they are off to fight a battle that will forge nations, and shape the very fabric of human lives. But first they must survive a bloody war in which rules are abandoned and chivalry itself is slaughtered.
Rooted in historical accuracy and told through an unforgettable cast, Essex Dogs delivers the stark reality of medieval war on the ground – and shines a light on the fighters and ordinary people caught in the storm.
Dan Jones is an accomplished historian, and that background can be seen in the adept way he brings the 14th century to life. Though the issues they struggle with—war, trauma, and substance abuse, among others—are timeless, the ways in which the characters approach them feel very authentically medieval. When people think of the 14th century, they might imagine majestic kings, noble lords, and the legends that have been passed down about them. Instead, Dan Jones brings to life the struggle of the ordinary foot soldier. If you're looking for a book that dispels the fantasy of the knight in shining armor and focuses on the horrors of war, Essex Dogs, the first in a planned series, is for you...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Katharine Blatchford).
In Dan Jones' novel Essex Dogs, readers see fictionalized portrayals of royalty and knights from the point of view of the foot soldiers under their command in the early years of the Hundred Years' War (a series of wars interspersed with truces between the French and English that began in 1337 and lasted for 116 years). Far from the fantasy of the noble knight, they are often brutal, petty and crude. The archetype of the chivalric knight in shining armor has long been ubiquitous, but what did chivalry actually mean to medieval Europeans? The word itself, which derives from the Latin word for horse, has had multiple meanings over the centuries. Originally, it simply referred to mounted warriors. Later, it came to mean knights—not just ...
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Dana Schwartz, author of Anatomy: A Love Story
Dan Jones is a brilliant storyteller. I've loved reading his history for years and now he's proven to be just as adept at fiction. Few books manage to be as compelling on every level as Essex Dogs: it's adventure, history, and heart.
