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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The novel starts off with a murder, and with seven people trapped on an isolated Greek island lashed by a "wild, unpredictable Greek wind. I actually had to go back to check Dan Jones’ nonfiction books that I own to make sure that his prose had not always been so dreadful! The group is led by “Loveday” FitzTalbot, a grizzled and increasingly disillusioned veteran of many previous campaigns, and includes among its number a shy 16-year-old archer named Romford. I would love to give you some examples of his imaginative cursing but most of them – actually all of them – are far too rude to repeat. And the events themselves aren’t built up to be anything spectacular (burn a town, build a bridge, Burn a town, build a bridge, chase the French, run from the French, build a bridge).

I noticed one reviewer compares Essex Dog's to Bernard Cornwell's writing style, but none of Cornwell's characters passively let fate lead them. Dan Jones debut into the fictional world brings to life a period in real life history through the lives of well developed fictional characters.At times it felt a bit like a cross between Blackadder, Robin Hood’s merry man and a bunch of English lads drinking in Ibiza. An historical fiction that I was initially attracted to by the title, as most of my in-laws live in the county of Essex, now an overflow area popular with Londoners looking to live outside the conurbation.

We are shown the minds of those from the top to the bottom of the army, and also small scale action and the storming of castles. The ending of this one, which seems to work to set up the series as a whole more than anything, certainly points to that. I think if you want a realism check on medieval warfare then this is a good read; if you want some sympathetic human interest too then maybe not so good. The world-building was phenomenal; I felt like I could smell the countryside they were trekking through.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.

Visceral and powerful, the reality of medieval warfare leaping from every page, it's gripping storytelling at its best. Rape is heavily implied too by the author without gratuitously dwelling on this dark aspect of medieval conquest. The events at the outset of the Hundred Years’ War are thrillingly brought to life through the escapades of the fictional Essex Dogs, a group of men of different ages, from different parts of what is today Great Britain and who speak different languages even. I enjoy his books and his tv shows, but his foray into historical fiction isn't quite to his normal superb level.What unites them is a talent for fighting – whether with axe, sword or bow – a desire to make their fortunes and the bonds of comradeship.

I know Dan as a historian through his non-fiction books and documentaries, but this is his first foray into historical fiction. Yet readers coming to the novel hoping for new perspectives on the Hundred Years’ War or on the experience of soldiering in 14th-century Europe are likely to come away disappointed or perplexed, since this is a book that, for better or worse, consistently prioritizes excitement and action over probability or fact. The French were more sophisticated but, this was no defence against the pure savagery of the English. Dan Jones has ventured into historical fiction with this book, blending real historical events and figures with fictional elements to create an engaging narrative.I will freely admit to a dearth of knowledge about The Black Prince's personality but I'd not expected this version. 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.