The Petrified Planet was intended to be the first of a series of Twayne Triplets. The idea was that a scientist would set out details for worlds/solar systems and three authors would each write a novelette to be published together with the scientist’s paper as an introduction. Dr. John D. Clark’s introduction describes two very different worlds, one habitable by humans and one not. The three stories in the book are Fletcher Pratt’s The Long View, H. Beam Piper’s Uller Uprising and Judith Merril’s The Daughter’s of Earth.

Pratt’s The Long View concerns a scientocray in which the advanced scientists are attempting to oust the psychs as unscientific, while the moderates are attempting to take over from the advanced group. The heroine, who is an unknowing pawn of the “pure” scientists, joins the moderates in their scheme. It also turns out that the material needed for interstellar travel is running out and a new source is needed to maintain regular travel. She learns almost too late that she is being used by them and joins a psych to win the day (and possibly human civilization). The story is full of glimpse of how this scientocray works, from the servs to the artists to the techs to the scientists and their ruling councils. However, for me the most interesting part of story is the amusement room: a large auditorium where an interstellar multi-player strategic video game is played between two sides. (1 ½ stars)

My review of Uller Uprising is on its work page. (4 ½ stars)

Merril’s Daughters of Earth is about several generations of women who are in the advance waves of the human exploration of space. It is written in the form of a family history/autobiography with several letters inserted into the narration. It is more soap opera than space opera, but it does deal a far amount with humans’ first encounter with native life on another planet. I found Merril’s alien life to be unrealistic and her hypothesis regarding a way for it to rapidly evolve to be unbelievable. For me, her most interesting mention of “the famous speech that had launched the very first moon rocket from Earth’s surface.” I immediately thought of John F. Kennedy’s speech given before a joint session of Congress on 25 May 1961 in which he set the goal of a landing on the moon and safely returning to Earth. Although the speech was not given before the launch of Apollo 11, I think it is the most famous speech given on man’s efforts to reach the moon. (2 stars) ( )