Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine

From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.

https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
#ReacTor #tordotcom

--
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My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
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On 2/20/2024 1:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>
> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>
> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
> #ReacTor #tordotcom

Zero for five again !

How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/

Lynn

Lynn McGuire wrote:
> James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>
>> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>
>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>
> Zero for five again !
>
> How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
> adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
> https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/

_Healer_ concludes Wilson's LaNague Federation series.
The trilogy begins by busting big banksters behind a bogus
established narrative in _An Enemy of the State_. The bankster busting
is my favorite part (naturally). The protagonist also carries around a
bonsai tree with an ancestor's ashes in the pot. Such homage works
better for me than a memorial tattoo. YMMV.

_Healer_'s low point is a libertarian public whipping reminiscent of
_Starship Troopers_. The story's symbiosis is similar to Fellmer
Lloyd's situation in Perry Rhodan Zyklus 2 _Atlan and Arkon_.
The approach taken to portray the inner dialog of symbiotical mind
with two independent streams of consciousness is most interesting.
Perry Rhodan chooses to have either Fellmer Lloyd, or his host,
Onot, be present in prose, but not both simultaneously at the same time.
Whoever happens dominate at a particular point speaks for the host body.
OTOH _Healer_ uses typography, along the lines of Dorthy's:

<https://www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/intlife20161027.epub>

to achieve simultaneous dialog between the protagonist's host mind and
its symbiosis, as showcased with this pertinent excerpt:

("Keep going!")

He managed to run, although his left leg dragged due to
the embedded arrow. But the Healer felt no pain from
this wound. As he left the temple's bloody anteroom and
entered another corridor, his vision suddenly blurred
and his equilibrium wavered.

/What was that?/

("The same knockout punch that separated us on Clutch.
Only this time I was ready for it. Now the going gets
tough—the goddess has decided to step in.")

He started to run forward again but glanced down and
found himself at the edge of a yawning pit. White
tentacles, slime-coated and thick as his thighs,
sprang out from the walls and reached for him.

"Where'd that come from?" he whispered hoarsely.

("From Kali's mind. It's not real—keep going.") /You sure?/

("Positive ... I think. Keep going!")

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

On 2/20/24 11:11, James Nicoll wrote:
> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>
> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>
> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>
>

0 for 5 for me too. I immediately thought of Sector General, but not on
the list.
--
----------------
Dave Scruggs
Senior Software Engineer - Lockheed Martin, et. al (mostly Retired)
Captain - Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)

In article <ur667l$3f8jd$1@dont-email.me>, BCFD 36 <bcfd36@cruzio.com> wrote:
>On 2/20/24 11:11, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>
>> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>
>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>>
>>
>
>0 for 5 for me too. I immediately thought of Sector General, but not on
>the list.

The first book is a Sector General book.

--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

rOn Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:57:57 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 2/20/2024 1:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>
>> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>
>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>
>Zero for five again !
>
>How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
>adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
> https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/
>
>Lynn
>
Would Heinlein's Time Enough for Love 's 'identical twins that
weren't' qualify? (These 'twins' were genetically engineered by having
23 chromosomes from each parent and the OTHER 23 chromosomes from the
same two parents going to the other child thus making them 'identical'
without having any chromosomes in common which is a 1 in 2 ** 46 power
likelihood under normal conditions)

For me this was the most fascinating part of TEFL.

On 2/22/2024 12:46 AM, The Horny Goat wrote:
> rOn Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:57:57 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2/20/2024 1:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>>
>>> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
>>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>>
>>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>>
>> Zero for five again !
>>
>> How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
>> adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
>> https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/
>>
>> Lynn
>>
> Would Heinlein's Time Enough for Love 's 'identical twins that
> weren't' qualify? (These 'twins' were genetically engineered by having
> 23 chromosomes from each parent and the OTHER 23 chromosomes from the
> same two parents going to the other child thus making them 'identical'
> without having any chromosomes in common which is a 1 in 2 ** 46 power
> likelihood under normal conditions)
>
> For me this was the most fascinating part of TEFL.

I really need to reread TEFL. That was 40+ ??? years ago.

I also want to reread I Will Fear No Evil, The Rolling Stones, Job, The
Number Of The Beast, etc. I also have The Pursuit Of The Pankera in my SBR.

Lynn

On 2/22/2024 12:46 AM, The Horny Goat wrote:
> rOn Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:57:57 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2/20/2024 1:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>>
>>> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood sorcery,
>>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>>
>>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>>
>> Zero for five again !
>>
>> How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
>> adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
>> https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/
>>
>> Lynn
>>
> Would Heinlein's Time Enough for Love 's 'identical twins that
> weren't' qualify? (These 'twins' were genetically engineered by having
> 23 chromosomes from each parent and the OTHER 23 chromosomes from the
> same two parents going to the other child thus making them 'identical'
> without having any chromosomes in common which is a 1 in 2 ** 46 power
> likelihood under normal conditions)
>
> For me this was the most fascinating part of TEFL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_for_Love#%22The_Tale_of_the_Twins_Who_Weren't%22

Lynn

On 22/02/2024 08:04, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 2/22/2024 12:46 AM, The Horny Goat wrote:
>> rOn Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:57:57 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 2/20/2024 1:11 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>>>>
>>>>   From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood
>>>> sorcery,
>>>> the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative fiction.
>>>>
>>>> https://reactormag.com/five-sff-books-about-healers-and-medicine/
>>>> #ReacTor #tordotcom
>>>
>>> Zero for five again !
>>>
>>> How about the clone growers of Jackson's Hole in the Vorkosigan
>>> adventure of "Mirror Dance" ?
>>>
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Dance-Lois-McMaster-Bujold/dp/B0073AQ1O4/
>>>
>>> Lynn
>>>
>> Would Heinlein's Time Enough for Love 's 'identical twins that
>> weren't' qualify? (These 'twins' were genetically engineered by having
>> 23 chromosomes from each parent and the OTHER 23 chromosomes from the
>> same two parents going to the other child thus making them 'identical'
>> without having any chromosomes in common which is a 1 in 2 ** 46 power
>> likelihood under normal conditions)
>>
>> For me this was the most fascinating part of TEFL.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_for_Love#%22The_Tale_of_the_Twins_Who_Weren't%22

Goats, I think you've erred. If you haven't
'esrd, I'll tell you. These "twins" are not
"identical". The point was that genetically
they're not even "twins". Normally, you receive
half of one parent's DNA, in each one of your
chrosomomes, from both corresponding chromosomes
of your parent. And likewise from the other parent.
Most of the genes are identical in both chromosomes
anyway; standard human. The same happens for your
sibling.

So, consider your father's two chromosomes.
Think of one as all A's, AAAAAAAAA, and one as
all B's. You get that chromosome as a mixture
of runs of AAAA and runs of BBBB. And your sibling
also gets that, so of the DNA that varies, around
half of your As and Bs, your sibling has the same,
and about half, your sibling has the opposite.

Due to science, one of these twins got Dad's chromosome
with all As. The other twin got Dad's chromosome
with all the Bs. A DNA test would show them as humans
- I want to say only as much related as the parents are,
but I'm not sure that's right.

I don't see a purpose of this except to create
a Lazarus Long story, and I'm not confident that
Lazarus Long tells true stories.

James Nicoll wrote:

> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>
> From space hospitals to magical amulets, from science to blood
> sorcery, the healers, doctors, nurses, and medics of speculative
> fiction.
>

I might have read the Sector General one. I read some of those
collections, but don't recall that one specifically.

Brian

Default User <defaultuserbr@yahoo.com> wrote:
>James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five SFF Books About Healers and Medicine
>
>I might have read the Sector General one. I read some of those
>collections, but don't recall that one specifically.

I read all of them, and they were mostly the same, but I kept reading them
long after I figured that out.

I am surprised there is no Alan E. Nourse on there though.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."