Chivalry is dead in Dan Jones’ fiction debut.

Released Feb. 14, “Essex Dogs” follows a group of ten English mercenaries led by Loveday FitzTalbot that aids King Edward III in his invasion of France. The novel, which is set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War, promises an action-packed historical adventure featuring larger-than-life personalities. Unfortunately, it instead opts for a poorly crafted story with a static cast of characters that readers will probably forget about mere hours after they turn the final page.

Given his background as a historian, Jones crafts an intricately developed setting that is clearly well-researched. From the cold cobblestone streets to the thundering sound of war drums, readers are instantly transported to the bloody chaos of medieval Europe. Jones’ meticulous attention to historical accuracy, however, comes at the expense of a cohesive storyline – the plot of “Essex Dogs” mainly describes soldiers drinking, cursing and fighting. While the novel is a war story and these actions are to be expected, it lacks the intrigue and heart integral to readers’ investment.

Jones’ questionable storytelling choices are evident from the beginning of “Essex Dogs.” The novel opens with the titular characters trying to escape from a French ambush on the coast of Normandy. Stark similarities to “Saving Private Ryan” aside, the first scene would have worked better after readers were already acquainted with the characters. All the stakes are dissolved because of the placement of the chapter, as readers will fail to care about the safety and livelihood of characters they don’t know anything about.

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At the heart of any story is the people who drive it forward, but instead of characters that leap off the page, Jones chooses to write about one-dimensional individuals whom readers will struggle to describe. Loveday, the protagonist of the novel, is given a backstory, but it follows a dated trope: the hardened warrior mourning his dead wife. For this reason, readers will find great difficulty viewing him and his fellow soldiers as complete individuals rather than names on a page. Two major characters are killed around halfway through the book, yet readers will feel nothing at their funerals because of the poor character development.

Previous fans of Jones will also be disappointed by the uninspired and choppy writing in “Essex Dogs.” His nonfiction works, including “Powers and Thrones” and “The Plantagenets,” feature a crisp and clear style that holds readers’ attention. The same cannot be said for “Essex Dogs,” though. To develop tension, Jones uses one–sentence paragraphs to the point where readers will find them tiresome to come across after a quarter way through the novel.

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Perhaps the most glaring flaw of “Essex Dogs” is its horrible treatment of women. Almost all of the female personalities in this book are either dead or objectified by the men. They merely exist to fuel the narratives of the male characters and are given no storylines of their own. The one somewhat-developed female character hardly has any lines in the novel. Although “Essex Dogs” is a historical fiction novel, its portrayal of women is still clearly dated.

“Essex Dogs” is a testament to Dan Jones’ work as a scholar in medieval European history. However, he sacrifices an engaging narrative in the process of developing the setting. After finishing the novel, readers will be scratching their heads asking themselves what its purpose and themes are.

Clearly, Jones should stick to writing nonfiction works.