Star Surgeon [Hardcover]

James White (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ballantine Books, Inc. (1968)
• ASIN: B0014C5G1G
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Consists of "Resident Physician" and "Field Hospital", May 27, 2002

By 

Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Surgeon (Mass Market Paperback)

The first 4 chapters form the novella "Resident Physician". The entire book tells the story of the events that culminated in the Eltan War. The events of a later novel, _Final Diagnosis_, focus on a man who grew up on Etla after the war, so this book should be read before tackling _Final Diagnosis_, if possible.

The Monitor Corps has found a representative of a strange species alone in a drifting spacecraft, under circumstances indicating that it killed and ate its only fellow crewmember - its personal physician - apparently in a fit of paranoia as recorded in its journal, believing that the healer was sabotaging its physical health. Paradoxically, the Ians (the dragonfly-like beings discovered in the last story of _Hospital Station_, the previous volume) insist that the survivor is from their own galaxy, of an immensely long-lived race known to be invariably benevolent, noted for taking over fixer-upper planetary cultures - e.g. wracked by disease, war, and other long-term problems - and leaving them vastly improved. But if the patient didn't commit murder, what happened to its personal physician?

After that mystery is sorted out, the newly encountered VIP continues its journey to its next project: the planet Etla, a troubled outpost of a self-styled interstellar Empire previously unknown to the Galactic Federation. Etla has been wracked with plagues for generations and is subject to the rather corrupt imperial government - it appears to be an ideal candidate for Lonvellin's expert help. But in a fit of xenophobia, they lash out at the stranger in their midst, and leap to the conclusion that all their problems are the result of biological warfare. And the only coordinates invariably installed on every ship, and thus the only "enemy" target the empire can find, are the coordinates of Sector General.

"Resident Physician" is *extremely* clever. The political infighting resulting in the Etlan War is very believable. The only quibble I have is a situation leading to Sector General's translation computer going off-line without the hospital being destroyed in the process - it should be so well protected that it couldn't be so severely damaged without taking the hospital with it - but the incident leads to some very dramatic crises that make a good read.

3.0 out of 5 stars Triage in space; Triage on bookshelf, August 25, 2009

By 

M-I-K-E 2theD "2theD" (The Big Mango, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Surgeon (Mass Market Paperback)

The main flaw I find in older science fiction (in this case, 1963) is that it is usually a loose amalgamation of short stories. There tends to be at least three clear divisions between the parts of the older novels. The fusing of the short stories would be an ideal platform to launch a novel like this but the way the stories are woven together here leaves something to desired as the interludes are abrupt and the filler material feels out of place (Conway's relationship with Murchinson and Conway's struggle with both O'Mara and Dermod). Star Surgeon easily falls into this category of an amalgamated novel with mixed results:
Part 1: Conway works his surgeon skills on a demigod alien. 3/5
Part 2: Conway works for said alien on newly found human colony. 4/5
Part 3: Conway works as station battles Empire of said colony. 2/5

I have only read one James White before, that being the final book in the series- Final Diagnosis. I was blown away by the rich texture and diversity found in the pages. Star Surgeon has the same elements of diversity but lacks in the scope of texture. The aliens, while physically and physiologically different, fit into a similar psychological pattern of human behavior. Their varied sorts (QCQL, DBLF, AMSL, PVSJ, etc) are all interesting in their uniqueness but only superficially. The possibility of diversity is so great that I'm disappointed at the drive of the plot, which focuses on human space warfare. The sub-title for this novel could be "Triage in Space" whereas this novel would receive immediate attention as its vital signs are weak and it's prognoses is dim.

3.0 out of 5 stars Conway Does it Again, November 26, 2006

By 

Patrick Shepherd "hyperpat" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Surgeon (Mass Market Paperback)

White wrote several interrelated stories about the Sector General hospital, most with Dr. Conway as their star character, over a period of several years. This book is actually two of those stories married together to form a single novel, detailing the events leading up to and through the resolution of the Etlan war.

All these stories have as their starting point the concept of the Hospital itself, built and staffed to treat the medical problems of a very large number of very varied aliens. White's aliens are well realized, from tiny flying empaths to three-ton chlorine breathers and everything in-between, all categorized in a nicely worked out classification system. Although written forty years ago, this concept is still very unique and almost totally unexplored by other authors.

Dr. Conway, for this episode, is first required to find out what is ailing a new type of alien that some of the other resident doctors consider to be a god. This section is pretty good, as the puzzle Conway faces is intriguing and has a good resolution. However, when the action turns to the lead up to the Etlan war, the solid emphasis on medical problems disappears, replaced by logistics, politics, paper work, and Conway's obsession with a certain nurse. The romance between the two is unfortunately not only not believable, it has all the earmarks of an adolescent fantasy, while Conway's other exploits in managing the hospital while it is being attacked reach the level of implausibility as just too much for any one person to accomplish.

But, like most of the Sector stories, one thing this story does have is heart. Here we see the well-springs of the dedication to their job that many physicians have, and if you let it, that dedication will touch your own heart - and for this book, it becomes an important part of the plot. This may not be the best of these stories, but it's still worth reading, if only for this one item.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)