La Tierra a Prueba

"The Trial of Terra," by Jack Williamson (1962, translated by René Luria Schmitt), is a science-fiction novel concerning Earth's evaluation by a galactic quarantine service. The narrative centers on Wain Scarlet, a physically unpleasant but intelligent bureaucrat at Denebola IV headquarters, who receives assignment to Sol III to determine humanity's fitness for galactic civilization. Three options exist: extend quarantine, admit the species to civilization, or declare them unfit for survival. A mysterious agent operating as Charles Fort has been keeping Earth's inhabitants confused and doubting their own observations. Scarlet, harboring resentment toward physically beautiful colleagues, views this assignment as an opportunity for personal enrichment through bribery or frontier escape. The plot involves deliberate manipulation of records and the imminent destruction of Earth's sun for an intergalactic signal network, with Scarlet calculating personal advantage from whatever decision he renders.