James White (author)

James White (April 7, 1928 - August 23, 1999) was a prolific Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories, and novels. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending early years in Canada. [ [http://www.sectorgeneral.com/biobiblio.html A Bio-bibliography of James White] ]

He is probably best-known as the author of the Sector General series of novels. The first novels were assembled from strung-together short stories, but later Sector General adventures were written as full-length novels. The first Sector General novel was published in 1962, and the last published posthumously in 1999. The short-story collection "The Aliens Among Us" (1969) is also related to the Sector General series, since it includes the Sector General story "Countercharm" and the quasi-Sector General story "Occupation: Warrior".

His novel "The Watch Below" is considered by some aficionados to be his finest work - a claustrophobic book describing the travails of parallel survivors of war (human) and accident (alien).

"The Silent Stars Go By" is an excellent example of alternate history. A Gaelic visitor to Alexandria, Egypt, realizes the industrial potential of a primitive steam engine constructed by Hero. The resulting society launches a starship in the year 1492.

Published works

Sector General

* "Hospital Station" (1962: collection of stories from New Worlds science fiction ca. 1958-1961)
* "Star Surgeon" (1963)
* "Major Operation" (1971)
* "Ambulance Ship" (1979)
* "Sector General" (1983)
* "Star Healer" (1985)
* "Code Blue - Emergency" (1987)
* "The Genocidal Healer" (1991)
* "The Galactic Gourmet" (1996)
* "Final Diagnosis" (1997)
* "Mind Changer" (1998)
* "Double Contact" (1999)

Note that there is also a novel named "Star Surgeon" by Alan E. Nourse.

Omnibus editions:
* "Beginning Operations" (2001) contains Hospital Station, Star Surgeon and Major Operation.
* "Alien Emergencies" (2002) contains Ambulance Ship, Sector General and Star Healer.
* "General Practice" (2003) contains Code Blue - Emergency and The Genocidal Healer.

Other novels

* "The Secret Visitors" (1957)
* "Second Ending" (1962)
* "The Escape Orbit" (1965) (alternate title: "Open Prison")
* "The Watch Below" (1966)
* "All Judgment Fled" (1968)
* "Tomorrow is Too Far" (1971)
* "Dark Inferno" (1972) (alternate title: "Lifeboat")
* "The Dream Millennium" (1974)
* "Underkill" (1979)
* "Federation World" (1988)
* "The Silent Stars Go By" (1991)
* "Earth:Final Conflict:First Protector" (1999)

Collections

* "Deadly Litter" (1964)
* "The Aliens Among Us" (1969)
* "Monsters and Medics" (1977) (includes "Second Ending")
* "Futures Past" (1982) (includes the Sector General story "Spacebird")
* "The White Papers" (1996)

See also

* List of Northern Irish writers
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External links

* [http://www.sectorgeneral.com/ Official home page]
*
* [http://scifan.com/writers/ww/WhiteJames.asp Bibliography] on SciFan

References