James White's picture
28 followers
406 books added

James White


UK flag (1928 - 1999)

James White 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.

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 alternative 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.
 


Genres: Science Fiction
 
Series
Sector General
   1. Hospital Station (1962)
   2. Star Surgeon (1963)
   3. The Aliens Among Us (1964)
   4. Major Operation (1971)
   5. Futures Past (1977)
   6. Ambulance Ship (1979)
   7. Sector General (1983)
   8. Star Healer (1985)
   9. Code Blue - Emergency (1987)
   10. The Genocidal Healer (1992)
   11. The Galactic Gourmet (1996)
   12. Final Diagnosis (1997)
   13. Mind Changer (1998)
   14. Double Contact (1999)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumb
 
Novels
   The Secret Visitors (1957)
   The Escape Orbit (1965)
     aka Open Prison
   The Watch Below (1966) (with Rudolf Steiner)
   All Judgment Fled (1968)
   Tomorrow Is Too Far (1971)
   Lifeboat (1972)
     aka Dark Inferno
   The Dream Millennium (1974)
   Underkill (1979)
   The Interpreters (1985)
   Federation World (1988)
   The Silent Stars Go By (1991)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumbthumbthumb
no image availablethumbthumb
 
Collections
   Deadly Litter (1964)
   The White Papers (1975)
   Monsters and Medics (1977)
thumbthumbthumb
 
Series contributed to
thumb
 
Books containing stories by James White
thumb
Speaking of the Fantastic V (2024)
(Speaking of the Fantastic, book 5)
edited by
Darrell Schweitzer
thumb
Spaceworlds (2021)
Stories of Life in the Void
(British Library Science Fiction Classics)
edited by
Mike Ashley
thumb
Menace of the Monster (2019)
Classic Tales of Creatures from Beyond
edited by
Mike Ashley

More books 


Award nominations
1997 Hugo Award for Best Short Story (nominee) : Un-Birthday Boy
1988 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (nominee) : Code Blue - Emergency
1984 Locus Award for Best Collection (nominee) : Sector General
1977 Hugo Award for Best Short Story (nominee) : Custom Fitting
1975 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (nominee) : The Dream Millennium
1965 Nebula Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Escape Orbit


Visitors also looked at these authors


About Fantastic Fiction       Information for Authors