By Dan Jones
July 1346. The Hundred Years’ War has begun, and King Edward and his lords are on the march through France. But this war belongs to the men on the ground.
Swept up in the bloody chaos, a tight-knit company from Essex must stay alive long enough to see their home again. With sword, mace and longbow, the Essex Dogs will fight, from the landing beaches of Normandy to the bloodsoaked field of Crécy.
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.
Some men fight for glory. Others fight for coin. The Essex Dogs? They fight for each other.
I think this is Dan Jones’s first fiction book and he uses his historical knowledge to great effect to describe the men of the ‘Essex Dogs’ a mercenary band, soldiers, consisting of a giant Scot, a Kentish stonemason and Welsh archers.
They are part of King Edward III’s army at the start of the 100 Year War in 1346.
We see the arrive in Normandy and then march through the French countryside, assaulting French towns and cities. The powerful Lords make good use of the Dogs’s specialist skills in serving both the King’s and their own ends. The story culminates in the Battle of Crecy.
A good story that mixes fictional and real characters with real and imagined events. Be prepared for the swearing!
