My thoughts on Dan Jones' first work of fiction are largely critical and negative so I don't really want to share. Suffice it to say, the characters and the dialogue were weak, and if it weren't for the factual elements, it would have fallen apart. Sorry. I haven't reviewed this publicly.

It’s a no brainer, Dan Jones makes medieval history sexy in a bloody and brutal sort of way. His style reflects his vast knowledge of the periods he writes about and he remains one of my favourite storytellers

July 1346, 15,000 English Men, under the banner of Edward III land in Normandy and over 6 weeks fight their way to a forest beyond the Somme undertaking one of the most noteworthy campaigns of the Hundred Years War between the Kingdoms of England and France, and Essex Dogs is the story of a raggle-taggle company, a tight-knit brotherhood, trying to survive long enough to make it back home.

I loved these guys, in particular Romford, the young archer trying to escape a terrible past. His failure to really belong in any of the roles he inhabits in the course of the story and his heartbreaking, self destructive character arc. My heart was in my mouth for the whole time reading, the battle scenes, the gore, the crude dialogue, all of it pitched perfectly and confidently with its supreme characterisation of time and place. The narrative moves at a ferocious pace with a filmic quality, barely getting time to breathe, and much like the “Dogs” I too was weary and wrung out by the final scene. And that ending……… The good news is book two The Wolves of Winter is out October 14th 😅

I read historical fiction for more than just the immediate interest of the narrative, I read it to engage with the past and I kind of presumed this was going to be excellent considering Dan Jones non-fiction books are so exciting, it did not disappoint.

The narrative was compelling and detailed. I liked the book, but I didn't love it. Characters felt flat and uninspired. It was a tough one to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I am ashamed to say how long I have had the ARC for this book and the length of time my physical copy has now sat on my bookshelf...oops. Honestly, I find that when it comes to historical fiction, I REALLY need to be in the mood for it, as I can often find them dry and hard to get into, however, I can safely now say this was not the case with Essex Dogs.

The book follows a small group of men-at-arms in 1346, at what we know, is the beginning of the Hundred Year's War, on their quest to help conquer France (or more accurately, work together to get a good bit of coin). The group of men 'the Essex dogs' are a rag-tag bunch, all of them so different but would do anything for one an other first and foremost. I loved all the characters so much, the banter between them was great and I laughed out loud a good few times. The author manages to keep with the time era of historical fiction but gives an almost easy digestible modern twist on it, which I think can be seen reflected in the humour and dialogue throughout.

As excepted with the subject matter of war, the story itself can be brutal and REAL, with some very graphic gory scenes which I was all for - it captures the horrors of war well, but it is definitely sometimes to be aware of going in if gore isn't your thing. I also hadn't realised the book was the first in a planned triology! which I am delighted by, as I cannot wait to see what the Essex dogs get up to in the next instalment and where their conquest will take them.

Overall, a very enjoyable read, I have gone and pre ordered book 2 already! Thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC - so sorry it took me about 1 business YEAR to finally read.

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. 1346 seems a bit of a wild year, some men rock up to a beach and basically start fighting every man, woman and child. I didn’t think I would like this very much but I did. It’s very raw historical fiction and there isn’t a hero, which in my opinion is how historical fiction should be. It’s hard going to war and Dan Jones make you aware of just how shit war during the middle age was. I just think the pacing of this book was a bit all over the place and for something so miserable (war is a bit miserable isn’t it) I just think the pacing could have been better. My take away from this is pick your job wisely.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I generally enjoy historical fiction and knew the author. I thought this would be an interesting book. Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy the book. I found it hard going. A mix of narrative and character driven plot I felt that neither was done to an extent which fully engaged me.

I won't be reading any more of the series

I love the non-fiction books by Dan Jones so was interested to see what his first attempt at a novel would be like. Overall I wasn't disappointed. His style of writing is both engaging and knowledgably, giving you a feel for the time and place this is set. I thought he struck a good balance between historical detail and the narrative, and While the actual battle of Crecy was shorter than I expected, the overall story around the campaign was very well done. I enjoyed the characters very much, they were convincing and engaging, and I honestly can't wait for the next one.

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.

Great historical fiction in a real setting - the 100 years' war, which I didn't know much about before reading this novel. Interesting, compelling characters and a real taste of the horror and messiness of a long, bloody campaign.

English invasion of France in 1340's. Fascinating adventure involving ten Essex comrades, from the leader Loveday at to the youngest Romford, they all have their dark secrets, the worst is the unpredictable Father, who is a danger to them all.
From the landing in France, I was gripped by the brutality and the rough conditions of the troops, their resilience, resourcefulness and hardships..
Description of various places in France and the destruction of cities with little regard for life were disturbing.
A well researched and fast paced novel.
Thank you Dan and NetGalley.

As you'd expect for a novel set during the 100 years war the Essex Dogs is big on fighting. Big on the men who fight. Big on the lead up to the fight. Big on the aftermath of the fight. A compelling tale if fighting is your thing

2.5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I was eager to read Dan Jones’ foray into fiction, unfortunately it was disappointing.

Characterisation was almost non-existent, everyone was flat, I don’t come out of this book feeling like I know anyone.

The plot was also just history with fictions characters plopped in, with sone dodgy prose and childlike obsession with faeces and gore without it having any benefit or purpose.

I rounded up as I respect the knowledge involved, and the idea. It just wasn’t executed well.

I am a huge fan of Dan Jones' non-fiction history books. I find his writing accessible-- addictive, even -- and love how he turns historical fact into narrative non-fiction, making it feel like I have time-travelled back to the middle ages and am experiencing history with the "characters".

I may be in the minority here, but I didn't enjoy his first foray into historical fiction. His own characters didn't carry quite the same magic as those he pulls from history, and I found the novel irritatingly macho. Granted, that was probably the reality for men in the midst of the hundred years war, but it made me feel distanced from them, which, ultimately, led to me becoming bored and uninterested in the story's direction.

If Jones ever decides to write a non-fiction about the hundred years war, I will be all for it.

I struggled with many aspects of this adventure yarn. Unsavoury characters, persistently using unnecessary profanities that did nothing to enhance any situation. Understandably perhaps a reflection and adherence to the period and customs of the time. A huge attention to detail and facts that demonstrated brilliant research but often weighted down the storyline and pace of events. Dan Jones is a brilliant writer of novels requiring historically accurate background but on this occasion an imbalance between facts and enjoyment of storyline impacted on enjoyment levels. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I was disappointed in this book. The history is impeccable as you would expect, but the characters left me cold and I just never felt I knew them properly. It just seemed to plod from one set-piece battle/siege/burning/raping/pillaging to the next with long periods of boredom in between. Exactly like war I imagine, but not what I want in a novel.
Loveday and Scotsman seemed to have echoes of 2 of Bernard Cornwell's characters, but this is very poor compred to the Sharpe books.

*A big thank-you to Dan Jones, head of Zeus, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Dan Jones knows how to describe medieval times, their bloody moments and men who, regardless of their status, stood behind battles and conquests. Essex Dogs opens the first chapters of The Hundred Years' War, with Edward III and his son landing their fleet on French beaches and in this way opening decades of stuggle for the French crown.
The characters that Mr Jones depicts are bonded by their goals and struggle and feel real. They are like brothers, fight to earn their keep and serve the king.
I am a great admirer of Mr Jones' non-fiction, and I think his first fiction promises a lot for the future. This book is perfect if you want to feel the reality of medieval battles and encounter some historic figures.

July 1346 and Loveday leads his band known as the Essex Dogs to fight for King Edward in France now that The Hundred Years’ War has begun.

An adventure full of violence and war. These men fight for each other while hoping to stay alive long enough to get paid.

Very good read but be prepared for loads of strong language.

The company known as the Essex Dogs are a motley bunch, a mix of general fighters and archers. They are in the pay of Sir Richard le Straunge and have been contracted to travel to France in his army for forty days. From the beaches of Normandy to the forest of Crecy the men suffer fortune and agony as they fight for the King and for themselves.
Dan Jones has always been a very engaging writer of non-fiction. His history books are suitably scholarly but have popular appeal due to their general readability. Here Jones turns to fiction. Obviously not straying far from his medieval roots he is telling the tale of a group of fighters during the Hundred Years War, here focusing on 1346 and the build-up to the battle of Crecy. I loved the irreverence of much of this book, the language is salty and much of that from the nobles, the Black Prince is a drunk and callous youth not the great warrior we normally read about. All in all a fantastic read

This was a very good book. I just loved how Dan banded together a group of misfits a man from each country in the uk. They took on a very interesting journey. This book had a great medium pace to it which felt fitting. I really enjoyed the characters and finding myself becoming emotionally involved in there progress they were very different and developed well throughout the novel. I was especially routing for the Welsh man. I loved the way Dan was taking us through the history of the 100 years war. Teaching us the history of it but using a unique bunch a characters to create an interesting story. Just remember when reading this book it is a historical fiction book and to not take it as fact as the author says it makes for boring story if we stick entirely to the facts. So the author has definitely used his imagination when writing this book that makes it all the more interesting. 

Why not a 5 star book? Dan is a very talented history writer and is still new to writing fiction books. It is a great story with plenty of description but as fiction is a very style of writing. They story is still lacking in atmosphere and tension created by playing around by chapter size, sentence style and length. I would of expected the editors or publishers to help more with this. It's a skill that I believe will improve as this trilogy moves along.

I felt excitement at times as the pace of the book picks up especially during the fighting scenes. I will definitely be eagerly awaiting the next of the series. I recommend this book is you are interested is historical fiction around the 100 years war.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating a great start to what will be an interesting trilogy. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo and amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/essex-dogs-by-dan-jones-head-of-zeus-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

I really enjoyed this piece of historical fiction, you can tell it is well researched and this creates an immersive experience for the reader.
The story was gritty and harsh, which I imagine war behind enemy lines would be.
The characters are colourful and so is some of the language.
An enjoyable read.