James White (author) facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids James White

Born	(1928-04-07)7 April 1928 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	23 August 1999(1999-08-23) (aged 71) Portstewart, Northern Ireland
Occupation	Author
Genre	Science fiction
Notable works	Sector General series Second Ending The Escape Orbit, also titled Open Prison
Spouse	Margaret "Peggy" Sarah Martin (m. 1955)
Children	3

James White (born 7 April 1928 – died 23 August 1999) was a science fiction writer from Northern Ireland. He wrote many exciting novels, short stories, and novellas. James White was born in Belfast and lived there for most of his life.

He worked at an aircraft company called Short Brothers Ltd. for many years. He retired early in 1984 because of diabetes. In 1955, he married Margaret Sarah Martin, who also loved science fiction. They had three children together. James White passed away from a stroke.

He became a big fan of science fiction in 1941. He even helped create two fan magazines from 1948 to 1965. Other fans encouraged him to start writing his own stories in 1953. His first novel was published in 1957.

His most famous books are the twelve in the Sector General series. The first book came out in 1962, and the last one was published after he died. James White also wrote nine other novels. Two of these books were nominated for big awards.

White really disliked violence. Instead, his stories focused on medical emergencies and other problems. These situations created all the excitement and drama. The "Sector General" series is famous for creating the idea of medical science fiction. It also introduced many memorable alien characters. Even though he didn't win the biggest awards, James White received other honors for his books and his contributions to science fiction. He was also a special guest at several science fiction conventions.

About James White
James White's Books
Awards and Recognition
See also

About James White

James White was born into a family in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 7 April 1928. He spent some of his early childhood in Canada. He went to school in Belfast until 1943. As a teenager, he lived with foster parents. He really wanted to study medicine, but he couldn't afford it.

From 1943 to 1965, he worked for clothing companies in Belfast. He also worked as an assistant manager at a Co-op department store. In 1955, he married Margaret ("Peggy") Sarah Martin. She was also a big science fiction fan. They had three children: Patricia, Martin, and Peter. Later, White worked for Short Brothers Ltd., which built airplanes. He worked there from 1965 to 1984 in different roles, like publicity officer.

He became a science fiction fan in 1941. He especially liked stories by E. E. "Doc" Smith and Robert A. Heinlein. Smith's stories featured good aliens, and Heinlein's were about ordinary people. In 1947, he met another Irish fan, Walter A. ("Walt") Willis. They worked together on fan magazines called Slant (1948–1953) and Hyphen (1952–1965). These magazines featured stories by famous authors like John Brunner.

White said he started writing because his friends dared him. They felt that the magazine Astounding Science Fiction had too many stories about nuclear war. His friends wanted him to write the kind of stories they enjoyed. He found it quite easy to get published in the 1950s. This was because paper was easier to get after World War II. There were also many science fiction magazines around.

His first published short story was "Assisted Passage." It appeared in the January 1953 issue of New Worlds. More stories followed in New Worlds. However, his attempts to publish in the American magazine Astounding Science Fiction didn't go well. White later said that the editor, John W. Campbell, didn't like his hopeful view of aliens. Because of this, White's work wasn't well-known outside the UK until the 1960s.

In 1957, Ace Books published White's first novel, The Secret Visitors. This book had parts set in Northern Ireland. It had first appeared as a series in New Worlds under the name Tourist Planet. The editor at Ace Books, Donald A. Wollheim, asked White to add a big space battle scene. In November of the same year, New Worlds published White's novelette Sector General. The editor, John ("Ted") Carnell, asked for more stories set in that universe. This is how the famous Sector General series began. White became known for his "scientifically accurate" stories. These were examples of hard science fiction.

White kept his job at Short Brothers and wrote in the evenings. His stories didn't earn enough money for him to be a full-time writer. In 1980, he taught a literature course in Belfast. When his diabetes badly affected his eyesight, he retired early in 1984. He moved to Portstewart in County Antrim. There, he continued to write. For many years, he was a member of the British Science Fiction Association. He was also a supporter of the Irish Science Fiction Association.

White was a strong pacifist, meaning he believed in peace and disliked war. He died from a stroke on 23 August 1999. At that time, his novels Double Contact and The First Protector were being prepared for publication. His wife Peggy, son Martin, and daughter Patricia survived him.

James White's Books

The Sector General Series

The Sector General series has 12 books. They were published between 1962 (Hospital Station) and 1999 (Double Contact). Some other short stories set in the Sector General universe are found in White's other collections.

Sector General is a huge hospital space station for many different alien species. It was created as a peace project by two heroes from opposite sides of a big space war. The hospital takes care of patients and staff from dozens of species. Each species has different needs, behaviors, and illnesses.

At first, most stories follow Doctor Conway. He starts as a junior surgeon and becomes a Diagnostician. In the fourth book, the Galactic Federation decides that the hospital's emergency service is the best way to make peaceful contact with new space-traveling species. This allowed the series to have more plots, characters, and settings. The later books often have a different alien character as the main viewpoint. This made the series more exciting. They also explored more than just medical issues, like guilt and forgiveness.

This series created the idea of multi-species medical stories. It was also the first pacifist space opera series. This was important because many space opera stories at the time were about military conflicts.

Other Novels

Second Ending (1961) was a story White described as being about "the last man on Earth." But it had a hopeful ending. This book was nominated for a Hugo Award.

The Escape Orbit (1964), also called Open Prison in the UK, was nominated for a Nebula Award. It tells the story of human prisoners of war trying to survive on a dangerous planet. They have no tools or weapons.

All Judgement Fled (1968) won the Europa Award in 1972. Writer Mike Resnick said it was his favorite of White's novels.

Here are some of White's other novels that are not part of the Sector General series:

The Secret Visitors (1957)
The Watch Below (1966)
Tomorrow is Too Far (1971)
Dark Inferno (1972) (also known as Lifeboat)
The Dream Millennium (1974)
Underkill (1979)
Federation World (1988)
The Silent Stars Go By (1991)
Earth:Final Conflict:First Protector (1999)

Collections and Short Stories

The story that gives the collection Deadly Litter (1964) its name was very forward-thinking. It warned about the dangers of space debris, even though there had only been a few space missions back then. The White Papers was created to celebrate White being a special guest at the 1996 Worldcon. This book includes short stories and fan magazine articles by White.

Among his stories, "Custom Fitting" (1976) was nominated for a Hugo Award. "Sanctuary" (1988) won an Analog Analytical Laboratory Award. His short story "Un-Birthday Boy" (1996) was also nominated for a Hugo Award.

Other collections of his stories include:

The Aliens Among Us (1969)
Monsters and Medics (1977; includes the novel Second Ending)
Futures Past (1982) (includes the Sector General story "Spacebird")

Awards and Recognition

Some critics, like Paul Kincaid, said White was a good writer who sometimes created amazing works. He had loyal fans, but not a huge audience. John Clute believed that James White was especially good at showing "goodness" in his characters. Mike Resnick said the Sector General series had "the most memorable crew of aliens ever created." Graham Andrews noted that White's aliens truly felt alien, not just humans with different bodies.

White said that when he wrote stories, the main idea came first. But then, the characters quickly "took over" the story. He compared it to using a compass instead of a map. He explained that he liked medical themes for two reasons. First, they allowed for exciting drama without needing war. Second, he had always wanted to be a doctor, but he had to work instead. His dislike of violence was clear in all his stories, not just the Sector General series.

None of James White's works won Hugo or Nebula Awards, even though four were nominated. However, he did win other honors. He received a Europa Prize in 1979. He also won an Analog Analytical Laboratory Award in 1988. In 1996, he won a Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award.

In 1998, White received the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award ("Skylark Award"). This award is for contributions to science fiction. It is named after a story by one of his inspirations, E. E. "Doc" Smith. White appreciated this award so much that he gave his collection of Slant magazines to the NESFA. The next year, he was added to the European Science Fiction Society's Hall of Fame. White was also a special guest at many conventions. These included Novacon in the UK, Beneluxcons, Octocon in Ireland, and the 1996 Worldcon.

Since 2000, the James White Award has been given to the best short story by a new writer. The judges are professional authors and editors. Some famous judges have included Mike Resnick and Orson Scott Card.