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A review by charlesdarwin
Beginning Operations by James White
5.0
What a great set of stories.
It's very much the TV show ER meets Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, meets the Asimov robot series (where two guys solve a whole bunch of robot problems that nobody else can figure out).
It's obviously dated - especially with its treatment of human women. However, some of the technology, the humanism, and themes are very relevant in 2017.
The 4-letter system they use to classify sentient beings (who, by the way, all refer to themselves as "human" in their own language) is brilliant. The imagination of the author to create not only alien species but their anatomy, gravity requirements, atmosphere, food, and then on top of it: their ailments that the protagonist needs to diagnose is second to none.
I can't believe I haven't read this sooner! If you are a sci-if fan and you are looking for a classic that you might have overlooked, then you should check this book out.
It's very much the TV show ER meets Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, meets the Asimov robot series (where two guys solve a whole bunch of robot problems that nobody else can figure out).
It's obviously dated - especially with its treatment of human women. However, some of the technology, the humanism, and themes are very relevant in 2017.
The 4-letter system they use to classify sentient beings (who, by the way, all refer to themselves as "human" in their own language) is brilliant. The imagination of the author to create not only alien species but their anatomy, gravity requirements, atmosphere, food, and then on top of it: their ailments that the protagonist needs to diagnose is second to none.
I can't believe I haven't read this sooner! If you are a sci-if fan and you are looking for a classic that you might have overlooked, then you should check this book out.