Customer Reviews

Beginning Operations (Sector General Novels)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This omnibus collects the first three Sector General books--Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, and Major Operation. White's Sector General books exemplify the medical subgenre of the SF puzzle story--what weird E.T. thing is going on and how do we solve the problems it presents?

This series is part of my personal "Golden Age" of science fiction and I'm delighted to see it back in print.

I have read the later James White books and was pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up and read his early writing. You will find that the characters were the same back in the 60's as they are now, but it is wonderful to see how he came up with the "Hospital to Aliens" in space. If you have never read any of his books pick this up for an introduction, but I have to say his later books are still my favorites. He reminds me of the old style of writing in the 50's and 60's and it is wonderful that they have reprinted these older titles.

James White is one of the first sci-fi authors I grew up with and in fact is one of the first authors, right up there with Zane Grey and Robert Heinlein, whose books I learned to read without being pushed into it by parents or teachers.
The first book in this omnibus is really a bunch of short stories put together. These stories help us to understand how Sector General came about and allow us to see where the main characters of Conway and O'Mara came from. It also allows the reader to get use to how the hospital deals with everyday problems, ill aliens and special VIPs.
The next two books are full length novels, one about war and the other is about one of the biggest patients you'll ever read about. A 511 pages full of humor, drama and optimism. James White believes that, not only can we all get along, even with aliens, but that we could thrive working together. He believed in the humanity in everybody, including aliens!

I have been trying to find some of the included stories for some time and it is nice to see them collected as one volume.

The book began strongly. Often with books in which there are multiple species, it is difficult to keep up with the transitions. This is deftly handled by the author. The reader is drawn further and further into this world and attachments to characters are formed easily. I will need to read more by this author.

After spending some time at Sector General where the humans and aliens learn to interact with the main purpose being to give health and understanding to all; most of the people we meet on a daily basis here on earth who may have peviously seemed a bit strange are not so unusual any more. I love this author. He has a beautiful mind and develops interesting and unusual problems to be solved.

Somehow, I overlooked this one when I got the other Sector General Kindle Books (Alien Emergencies & Mind Changer). And boy did I ever notice the lack!
Beginning Operations has, no duh, the Beginnings of Sector General. How O'Mara first became a Monitor and THE Head Psychologist. How Conway first came to Sector General and brought with him a Bad Perception of the Monitors as well as how that perception was changed with his experiences. How his relationship with Murphy began and grew over time. How Conway had his first experience with Telepathy. And how he grew & developed into an excellent Diagnostician.

When I was reading Alien Emergencies & Mind Changer, I had to really strive to remember the tales from the earlier Books that I had read so long ago since they were all referred to, either overtly or covertly, in the latter Books. (Had I located this one first, I wouldn't have had to experience all that frustration. Oh well.) In fact, it was so torturous at times that I was VERY VERY tempted to just go out and purchase a Used Book. But I have vowed that I will never ever again burden myself with non-Kindle Books except where "necessary", as in Crafts or National Geographic, where pictures & color is critical. And I was able to keep my vow in spite of the agony!!! But boy oh boy, am I glad this agony is now relieved! (I still have it with Andre Norton & Anne McCaffrey!)

The Kindle Version is great. The Table of Contents functions. (Not that I need it. This is one book I'm reading from Front to Back with only an occasional excursion into the Table of Contents, like just now, to make sure, as I write this, that there really is one and that it really does work!) I haven't even noticed any typos. Although they could be there, but I'm so engrossed in my reading that I completely overlook them!!!

I really do enjoy the James White Sector General Books. The concept itself is great. I keep my Kindle Books organized by Categories. And the Category for Sector General is "SciFi - Hospitals". I had to do it that way instead of by Author & Series because I included Alan E Nourse's "Star Surgeon" along with White's Sector General. And if Langford or someone else should continue to write about Sector General, I will have no problem trying to search my Kindle for Books by Author.

The ideas behind the Sector General books are very interesting and I'm glad James White was able to publish them.

The only trouble I have is, the thinking is so anachronistic and thus misogynistic, that it's like speaking another language.

I'll be reading happily long and stumble smack into something so offensive that it takes a moment for me to tell myself the books are very old, that guy was a contemporary of Heinlein, he can't help being such a jerk.

I think the clash between his advanced ideas about multiple species interaction and his backward ideas about female humans, is the most startling part. If he were just an ignorant old fool then those outbreaks would not be startling.

It's too bad he couldn't overcome his own prejudices.

That being said, this is a nice collection of the foundational stories in the Sector General universe. If you can overlook the warts then it's a good read.

I'm enjoying the read, but have to agree with a previous reviewer that noted a quite a few typos in the text...

I read this after "The Galactic Gourmet" and was thoroughly engrossed. What great fantasy and futurism. I could visualize what he was writing about.

More, More , more...I just ordered 2 more White novels.