Essex Dogs

As a lover of Jones's non-fiction works (Powers & Thrones is sublime), I really wanted to like his first taste of fiction, but this book just comes up flat. Conceptually, I am taken by the illustration of the quick historical war narratives, and to his credit, Jones knows his history - the story feels authentic to the historical setting and allows the reader to join in the campaign to some degree

But ultimately, it falls short of being truly engaging fiction. Characters are flat, stereotypical, and above all uninteresting. Scenic descriptions are underwhelming and don't capture the feeling of being in France. I hear that the second book improves on these areas, and I may get to it at some point.