Book The Trial of Terra, Jack Williamson (1962) October 17, 2011 § 4 Comments (Ed Emshwiller’s cover for the 1962 edition of The Trial of Terra (1962), Jack Williamson) 3/5 (Average) Jack Williamson’s The Trial of Terra (1962) illustrates the problematic and frustrating aspects of fix-up novels. This novel is composed of pre-published (and re-edited) short stories/novelletes from as early as 1951. Here’s the Man Down (1952) — novelette The Man From Outside (1951) — short story The Happiest Creature (1953) — short story A Planet for Plundering (1962) — novelette Unlike some of the more skillfully done fix-up novels where each part is seamlessly stitched into a cohesive whole, large portions of Williamson’s work feel like they have no direct relation on each other besides in the most general thematic sense. Only the last portion, written in 1962 right before the publication of the entire work, tries to link the portions together.
