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 characters are thin, the imagery fails to elicit images, the two main protagonists have no real specified goal. 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. Instead we see how fractured the reality of the English army was, as Jones strips away the exaggerated patriotism, the pomp and pageantry, exposing the hearts of those in the army as he believes it was.

I was expecting the history as handle by this historian to be completely accurate and he suggested that that wasn't so. So authentic that I am just as bored reading this book as the soldiers are when they have to stop on the march.Yep, England wanted what France had either rightfully taken, or illegally seized, all depending on your POV. However to give you an example of his current oeuvre he is currently presently Sex: A bonkers history for SKY with Amanda Holden! He also brings us wonderful characters with his ‘dogs’ – a tight-knit group of men who know how to fight but want to get home again in one piece.

Essex Dogs really is a character-driven story that focuses on how our main figures react and evolve to the situations around them. Much of the story concerns the progress of the army across northern France, where villages and towns are routinely plundered and pillaged in the most ruthless manner. Although the Essex Dogs are entirely the product of the author’s imagination, real historical figures play a part as well. Readers who appreciate the camaraderie and brotherhood depicted in "Band of Brothers" may find themselves drawn to the relationships and interactions among the characters in "The Essex Dogs.In this book Jones gives no hint of this budding ability in any way and is rather harsh in developing this character.

While it certainly suffers as a debut narrative due to the authors lack of experience in that area, it makes up for that in historical authenticity.

I was disturbed by Jones' end note in which he suggests he played loosely with the facts of this event. Those who know him know he has never told a lie in his life—“Never be the one to tell lies, Nico,” his grandfather teaches him. He certainly gives Scotsman a run for his money when it comes to cursing with just about every utterance being peppered with the f-word and c-word. The use of gore and scatology in this book felt extremely lazy, as though Jones was attempting to make up for his shoddy characterisation and lack of plot through gross-out tactics. I had no idea until reading this book how incredibly important English archers – the longbowmen – were to early medieval armies.

The book opens with a dramatic and bloody beach landing that could have come straight out of Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day. The Essex Dogs and their leader try to survive the harsh conditions and pillage and loot their way to France.Raw, harsh, gritty, fast-paced action continues unabated as the band of mercenaries ransack loot, rape and pillage their way across Normandy to the Somme and the Battle of Crecy. 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. From the off, it's clear that we're in for a breathtaking, violently graphic encounter between the medieval armies of England led by Edward III (as well as the young Black Prince) and France. Unfortunately, they are a consistent feature in the dialogue and quickly lose any of their initial punch. Compelling characters, an engaging plot and the perfect dose of immersion that allows you to feel like you are accompanying these characters on their odyssey, through all the blood, grit, trials and tribulations that tie them together.