The epic, captivating and brutal follow-up to Essex Dogs by Sunday Times bestselling historian, Dan Jones, following the fortunes of ten ordinary soldiers in the early years of the Hundred Years' War.

For the Dogs, the war has only just begun.

Caught up in the siege of Calais, in the midst of a brutal eleven-month blockade of a small port on the French coast, they are no longer blindly walking into the unknown. But the men still have more questions than answers about what faces them – and why.

What are they really fighting for? And why does the king care so much about taking such a small French town? The Dogs aren't paid to ask questions but in their work, they have the means to make people talk.

Soon, their journey will reveal who really wants this war to last for a hundred years. And as the battle rages, they hear the first, faint, chesty rattle of a natural disaster that is sweeping towards the Dogs and their world . . .

Spanning the siege city built outside Calais' walls, to the pirate ships patrolling the harbour, and into the dark corners of oligarchs' houses, where the deals that shape – and end – lives are made, this captivating and brutal story brings the 1300s effortlessly to life. About money, merchants and the mediaeval 'deep state', this is a must-read for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.

Praise for the author: 'Oddly joyous – rolling action, fast-paced, a book that draws you in page by page. The way Dan Jones writes enemies reminds me of Cornwell at his best, turning up tension click by click.' CONN IGGULDEN

'A testosterone fulled, blood soaked rampage across the Middle Ages, this is the Hundred Years' War as directed by Oliver Stone with a historian's eye for detail' ELODIE HARPER

'A new champion has entered the front line of historical fiction to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bernard Cornwell.' JANE JOHNSON

'Battle-bloody, brutal and perfectly pitched.' DAILY MAIL

'With a cast of unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE