Don’t be put off by the cheesy slogans on the cover. ‘Some Men Fight for Glory/Others fight for Coin/the Essex Dogs fight for each other.’ This is actually a thoughtful attempt to recreate a squaddie’s eye view account of medieval warfare.
The Brits do this sort of thing quite well. Think of Adrian Goldsworthy’s Soldier Gentleman or Bernard Cornwall’s ‘Sharpe’ series. The focus is often on the intra-unit dynamics and the British class system as much as the fighting. The protagonists are often likeable rogues.
In Essex Dogs a small unit of longbowmen and men-at-arms tramp across the French countryside during the English invasion of 1346. A couple of towns get looted. But the French avoid battle until they are sure they have the upper hand. The campaign culminates in the Battle of Crecy. This was one of the first great demonstrations of the ability of a well-trained peasant army to defeat armoured knights. In its own way, a harbinger of the end of feudalism.
The story is told from several perspectives within the unit. Their various encounters permit us to meet several of the leaders of the expedition, including the Black Prince and Edward III. The difference in motivation and living conditions between the aristocracy and the lower ranks is well captured. The characters are mainly illiterate and speak in a contemporary English. This is suitable to their class and education. Rather than ye olde English, that has rendered more than one historical fiction ridiculous. It succeeds in reinforcing the authenticity.
A good read if you like your historical fiction on the gritty side.
Reviewed by Grant Hansen
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Jones is a historian, broadcaster and award-winning journalist. His books, including The Plantagenets, Magna Carta, and The Colour of Time. Together they have sold more than one million copies worldwide. He has written and hosted dozens of TV shows including the acclaimed Netflix/Channel 5 series ‘Secrets of Great British Castles’. For 10 years Dan wrote a weekly column for the London Evening Standard and his writing has also appeared in newspapers and magazines.
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