The White Company follows the story of Alleyne Edricson who grew up in a monastery and comes out into the world for the first time at age 20.

I haven't read a book set in the Middle Ages for a long time, so in the beginning I spent more time surfing the net for images of people in the 1300s than actually reading. Once I got into the setting of the story, though, it was smooth sailing from then on.

From the synopsis, I expected the story to be much more action based and full of adventure as it only says that Alleyne joins a private company of soldiers called the White Company. However the book is set at a much more leisurely pace and we follow Alleyne as he discovers the world beyond the monastery walls for the first time. I really enjoyed this pacing of the novel as we really get to see what life was like in the 1300s. Doyle was wonderfully descriptive, giving details of the dress, lifestyle and habits of the people from the peasants to the knights in the feudal castles without it being overbearing.

I liked reading about Alleyne's journey and his thought process as he saw more of the world and experienced new things that contrasted with what he had been taught in the monastery. The only thing was that this aspect was inconsistent and there were some incidences that would have been nice be able to read more of Alleyne's thoughts on.

The White Company is also full of quirky, well formed characters which made the story even more fun to read.

Altogether a very well written and readable novel, with some very good aspects and perspectives touched on. It also is a perfect example of what I deem makes Doyle's characteristic writing - the wonderfully made characters and the brilliant storytelling