James White was a prolific Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories, and novels. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending early years in Canada.

He is probably best-known as the author of the Sector General series of novels. The first novels were assembled from strung-together short stories, but later Sector General adventures were written as full-length novels. The first Sector General novel was published in 1962, and the last published posthumously in 1999. The short-story collection The Aliens Among Us (1969) is also related to the Sector General series, since it includes the Sector General story "Countercharm" and the quasi-Sector General story "Occupation: Warrior".

His novel The Watch Below is considered by some aficionados to be his finest work - a claustrophobic book describing the travails of parallel survivors of war (human) and accident (alien).

"The Silent Stars Go By" is an excellent example of alternative history. A Gaelic visitor to Alexandria, Egypt, realizes the industrial potential of a primitive steam engine constructed by Hero. The resulting society launches a starship in the year 1492.