In May and June 2017, Jones, with Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell, presented The Great Fire, for Channel 5, a series in which the three presenters walked the actual route the Great Fire of London fire took across the city. [18] [19] [20]

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. Similarly, the plot seemed to have little drive, and I do wonder if this is a series that’s meant to be read all at once, where the plot is one that covers three books, rather than each book having its own self-contained plot. The ending of this one, which seems to work to set up the series as a whole more than anything, certainly points to that. However, what starts out as a brilliant premise, a small team of soldiers Fight for fortune and glory and each other in the opening months of the 100 years war, turns into a slog of a read that fails to draw you in.http://files.harpercollins.com/Mktg/HarperCanada/PDF/HCC%20UK%20Winter%202010%20online.pdf [ bare URL PDF] Globally bestselling historian Dan Jones makes his historical fiction debut with Essex Dogs, the explosive first instalment in an epic new trilogy set during the Hundred Years War. The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot. Written by historian Dan Jones, it is wondrously peppered with historical details from the period. Unfortunately, this is the Essex Dog’s one good merit. Where it falls down is the story and the characters.

Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer team up to exonerate a woman who’s already served five years for killing her ex-husband.The epic sequel to Essex Dogs, continuing the New York Times bestselling historian’s trilogy of novels following the fortunes of ten ordinary soldiers during the Hundred Years’ War. I have read several books by Dan Jones and enjoyed them all. He is that rare, very rare, historian that seems to understand that if you want your books to sell then the average reader has to like them and be entertained by them. So while young Mr. Jones may be a scholar he doesn't write like one and aims for a broader audience. I guess Mr. Jones may have come to a point in his career where he has exhausted his wealth of knowledge in the area of his historic expertise and has decided to try something new. In this book Mr. Jones has clearly ventured into the cutthroat arena of commercial fiction and, though not surprisingly, into historic fiction. This book promises to be the first of a series dealing with some 14th century free booters or mercenaries, professional soldiers but not like we would use that term today. I am giving the book 3 stars as it is a good book with promise but there is a difference between writing good history and good fiction and especially if the fiction is historical fiction. Mr. Jones will need to prove himself before I rate him higher in the fiction field. We have a cast that really shows the chasm between the classes of society. Essex Dogs really is a character-driven story that focuses on how our main figures react and evolve to the situations around them. Some are scared, some take joy in the thrill, some are there just for the money. But most of all, the Essex Dogs are there for each other. To keep each other alive and above all, survive at all costs. This is the heart of the story that keeps you emotionally engaged amongst all the brutality, all the horrors of war and all the injustices we are exposed to as the reader. Dan Jones again in my opinion expertly manages to create the tone and atmosphere perfect for what it appears he was trying to achieve. We start with the landing on the Normandy beach, heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy and trying to survive. The Essex Dogs and their leader try to survive the harsh conditions and pillage and loot their way to France. Long marches, the waiting, the suffering of the peasants who see their harvest destroyed and their houses robbed - I guess nothing has changed very much since then. Essex Dogs follows a platoon of men landing in Normandy during the Hundred Years’ War. In terms of what happens in the book, it’s hard to say, but as a vague plot summary: they fight and do battle and attempt, on behalf of their own king, to overthrow the French king.