Monsters and Medics

by James White

Seven short stories and an Essay (none in the Sector General Universe)

"Introduction: Reality in Science Fiction" A where-do-you-get-your-ideas essay, using the entries in this collection as examples.

"Second Ending", taking up just under half the book, made the short list of contenders for the 1963 Hugo, losing to Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.
"Counter Security"
"Dogfight"
"Nuisance Value"
"In Loving Memory"
"The Apprentice"
"Answer Came There None"

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Collections

266 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 12, 1977

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James White was a Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories and novels. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending some early years in Canada. He became a fan of science fiction in 1941 and co-wrote two fan magazines, from 1948 to 1953 and 1952 to 1965. Encouraged by other fans, White began publishing short stories in 1953, and his first novel was published in 1957. His best-known novels were the twelve of the Sector General series, the first published in 1962 and the last after his death. White also published nine other novels, two of which were nominated for major awards, unsuccessfully.

White abhorred violence, and medical and other emergencies were the sources of dramatic tension in his stories. The "Sector General" series is regarded as defining the genre of medical science fiction, and as introducing a memorable crew of aliens. Although missing winning the most prestigious honours four times, White gained other awards for specific works and for contributions to science fiction. He was also Guest-of-Honour of several conventions.

Reviews

[Gosia Elwertowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2025. It did not age well, but it was still interesting

[Sean Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit hit and miss BUT Second Ending basically rescues this Collection.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bulk of this anthology is made up of the short novel Second Ending, a superb tale of a young man who awakens from suspended animation into a world in which he is the only human. Mr White takes what was - even in the early 60s - a tired trope and manages to create something astonishing that lingers long in the readers memory. The other stories in this collection are well-written but standard tales that rely on the old SF standby of the "last page shock reveal" to make their impact but take their time to build up to it, revealing a lot of insight into the world and the characters that live in it, making that reveal less of a shock and more of an "aha!" as the reader is still surprised but not shocked by it - a genuine "sensawunda" that so much SF promises but so little really delivers.

[Darrell Pestana]

I owned this book ages ago and loved it, and then lost it. Subsequently forgetting the title as well. delighted to rediscover it now 40 years on.

[David Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Monsters and Medics as a teenager having borrowed it from my local library. At the time, I read a lot of short story collections, virtually all of which I have long since forgotten. But there was something about this particular book that stuck in my mind. I re-read it a few years later, borrowing it again from the same library. Now, having tracked down a copy I have given it a third reading, and it is still as fresh as it was the first time around. The longest and most popular of the stories in the book is Second Ending, which is actually the only one I remember and the main reason I wanted to read the book again.

In Second Ending the reader follows the story of the last living man on planet Earth. But whilst he may be the last human being, he is not exactly alone. Coming to terms with his status takes some time, but with the help of the Deep Sleep chamber, time is one thing he has plenty of. Once Ross learns the truth about what has happened whilst he has been “sleeping”, he turns his mind towards trying to rebuild the world around him. It is an imaginative and compelling tale, unlike most modern science fiction (it was first published in 1961). There are no enemies for Ross to fight, no evil empires or plagues to thwart; just a lone man using the tools he finds around him to create a word he can live in.

The other stories in this collection: Counter Security, Dogfight, Nuisance Value, and In Loving Memory, are all great stories on their own right, each looking at the human side of Science Fiction.
For me, Second Ending is a stand out story. It has a great narrative and an inspiring message. The book, if you can get your hands on a copy, is well worth a read by anyone with an interest in science or fiction.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of James White and his brand of mostly violence-free space opera and enjoyed this collection. The meat of the collection was the novella Second Ending about the last man on Earth and the robots who keep him alive. This was a poignant and well-told piece, showing the loneliness of the position with realistic cracks in the protagonist's sanity, and the sort of petty and pointless revenges that he would take out on the robots who wouldn't let him die.

Of the other stories, Counter Security was a humorous tale of a sci-fi loving night-watchman who gets handed a very strange mystery in the dead of night; Dogfight is one of White's very few war-stories, into which he injects his own particular brand of humanism; Nuisance Value involves a world rebuilding itself after the apocalypse and one man's battle to clear his father's name long after he has died; and finally, we have In Loving Memory, a story that he describes in the introduction as being formed while he was courting his future wife. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting from the story, and although I might disagree with the premise of a second wave of human space colonisation striving to undo the genetic differences that have arisen since the first to avoid war, it was quite hard hitting in its own way.

A good collection then, both for established White fans and for those who want a bit more thought and a bit less violence in their space opera.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology without a Sector General story but every story was wonderful. Eight stories, one of which is almost novel length. Second Ending..last man on Earth and Earth's ending. Dogfight a battle computer with the brain of a dog and its love for the living. All of the stories made me want to reread them again instantly.

Seven short stories and an Essay (none in the Sector General Universe)

"Introduction: Reality in Science Fiction" A where-do-you-get-your-ideas essay, using the entries in this collection as examples.

"Second Ending", taking up just under half the book, made the short list of contenders for the 1963 Hugo, losing to Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.
"Counter Security"
"Dogfight"
"Nuisance Value"
"In Loving Memory"
"The Apprentice"
"Answer Came There None"

[Valerie]

This collection contains the novella Second Ending, which takes up nearly half the book. I understand it was later expanded to a full-length novel, but I've never seen a copy of that.

Also included:
Introduction: Reality in Science Fiction
Counter Security
Dogfight (NB this is not the first story of Grawlya-Ki and MacEwan,
which I believe is in Aliens among us. Yes, it is--it's
called 'Tableau')
Nuisance Value
In Loving Memory (I'm rather dubious about the idea that elimination of
differences is the only way to prevent war)
The Apprentice (My edition has a picture of the centauroid 'apprentice'
on the cover)
Answer Came There None.

[Shellie Whild · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of my favourite stories are in this volume; 'Second Ending' is made me weep the first time I read it and has a nice little twist at the end; 'Counter Security' - well who expects aliens in a department store toy department? Delightful stuff. The science doesn't hold up but don't let that bother you, the flavour of the stories in this book give the reader a wonderful view into yesterday and the human condition.

[Tymothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is actually a 3.5. The first story in this anthology,'Second Ending' was a really good tale of near-immortality through repeated suspended animation sessions. The other stories were all well-written and ranged from OK to good. If you're a fan of James White's books, this is definitely worth checking out. If you've never heard of him, it's a nice introduction to his style of writing.

[Freyja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short story collection, this one with no Sector General stories. Some stories are better than others, but none are bad. If you want time travel via cold sleep, battle-planning computers, and extraterrestrial centaurs, then this is your book.

[Bonita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't the best James White I have read. The stories seemed kind of labored. I would still recommend it though.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1984 grade B+

short stories