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"The White Company" is a very well researched novel, in which many historical characters appear to lend credence to the narrative. Conan Doyle's ability to draw portraits is proven in the work, as the veteran bowman Samkin Aylward, and the Hampshire archer Hordle John are both strongly drawn figures. Sir Nigel himself is a highly quixotic character, whose sense of honour is undimmed, although his eyesight is now sadly the worse for his many years of war. Comedy is evoked by the incongruous moralities of the companions: Sir Nigel believes that nothing is nobler than bloodthirsty war; monastery-bred Alleyne begins his travels as a quiet pacifist and Aylward's only concern is where the next gallon of ale is coming from.
The story is only one stranded, it is highly simplistic, and follows the travels of Alleyne. The lack of complexity perhaps reflects the simpler, more innocent times in which the novel is set, but is also stylistically reminiscent of the medieval romances that Conan-Doyle would be using for his sources. The narrative works as a series of adventures which resolve themselves very neatly into chapters, moving the novel on at an easy pace, but with admirable focus and control. Above all, it is a very active piece of writing. The combat scenes leap from the page, and Conan-Doyle's richness of expression fires the reader with a genuine enthusiasm for the piece.
I can highly recommend "The White Company" to the casual reader. As a historical novel it is simplistic. Conan-Doyle is writing long enough after the Gothics - Walpole, Radcliff and Lewis - to avoid the complicated plot structure which they gave to his biggest influence, Sir Walter Scott. As an introduction to the type, "the White Company" is perfect. I would, however, suggest that the reader tries "Sir Nigel" first. Although written fifteen years after "the White Company", it is set a generation before, and gives valuable character enlargements to figures who will appear in "The White Company".
Conan Doyle does not skimp on the brutal horror of the period and shows the Knights to often be a fairly despicable lot but you will nevertheless enjoy this and the prequel "Sir Nigel". Doyle is unfairly linked to Holmes and deserves more recognition for his well researched historical stories such as these and the even better Brigadier Gerard stories.
Doyle had another character, called Sir Nigel Loring, who became a bit of a favourite, and he went on to write about him in two rather overlooked and fairly unknown books, 'Sir Nigel' being the first, and 'The White Company' being the second.
The first book, 'Sir Nigel' , takes the reader back to the early 14th century in Surrey with Nigel Loring ( not yet Sir) being in his late teens. He comes from a noble family whose wealth and prosperity have seen better days, yet young Nigel soon decides he is going to make a name for himself and change his families luck. After much romping around in the countryside of Surrey, he eventually joins the army of King Edward III and follows him to France to fight in the Crecy campaign of 1346.
'The White Company' follows on from Crecy and Calais, where an older and wiser Sir Nigel joins King Edward's son, The Black Prince, in Gascony and takes part in the fighting at the Battle of Najera.
I won't go into any detail on the content, but will just say that both of these books are beautifully written and extremely well researched. Not only are they what I would call 'unputdownable' , but they also give the reader a fantastic insight into what it must have been like fighting in the Hundred Years War with France during the 14th century - they also contain a pretty accurate history of the period covered.
Like Doyle, I'm not a fan of Holmes, however, I am interested in Medieval History, and these two excellent novels both grabbed my attention from page one. Doyle was said to have been rather proud of the research he did in writing these two books, and I can fully understand why - he has produced two extremely readable and entertaining novels.
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