Retief!

ONLY HUMANITY'S TWO-FISTED
DIPLOMAT CAN SAVE U5 NOW !

"... into the chaotic Galactic political scene, the CDT emerged to carry forward the ancient diplomatic tradition . . : Corps diplomats displayed an encyclopedic grasp of the nuances of Extra-Terrestrial mores asset against the labyrinthine socio-politico-economic Galactic context..."

Official History of the Corps Diplomatique, AD 2940 NOT! What they really had was Retief! Ignore the official versionin these pages is the real story of how Retief tied the bad guys' eye-stalks in knots, and made the Galaxy safe for humanity. 

Publisher's Note: The stories and novel herein have previously appeared in parts in Envoy and New Worlds,Galactic Diplomat, and Retief's War. This is the first unitary edition.

"Some of the funniest; cleverest, and most (unfortunately) realistic stories ever written about life at the sharp end of international relations. You're about to have fun." 
David Drake

"A James Bond figure among helpless bureaucrats . : . adventure tales that are brisk, light and sardonic. . .
Publishers Weekly

. satirically wild SF adventures . . . improbable plot twists and slapstick action:"
 Kirkus Reviews

. . . zany humor and puns leaven the action; and, of course, Retief carries the day. Fans of the peerless diplomat will want to get their hands on his latest assignment."
 VOYA

Cover art by Richard Martin

Paperback

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, January 2002

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com

Production by Windhaven Press
Auburn, NH

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

ISBN: 0-671-31857-8

Copyright (c) 2001 by the estate of Keith Laumer

"Aide Memoire" was first published in IF, July, 1962. "The Brass God" (aka "Retief, God-Speaker") was first published in IF, January, 1965. "The Castle of Light" was first published in IF, October, 1964. "Courier" (aka "The Frozen Planet") was first published in IF, September, 1961. "Cultural Exchange" was first published in IF, September, 1962. "Diplomat-at-Arms" was first published in Fantastic, January, 1960. "Native Intelligence" (aka "The Governor of Glave") was first published in IF, November, 1963. "Palace Revolution" (aka "Gambler's World") was first published in IF, November, 1961. "Policy" (aka "The Madman From Earth") was first published in IF, March, 1962. "The Prince and the Pirate" was first published in IF, August, 1964. "Protest Note" (aka "The Desert and the Stars") was first published in IF, November, 1962. "Protocol" (aka "The Yllian Way") was first published in IF, January, 1962. Retief's War was first serialized in IF, October-December, 1965, and published in novel form by Doubleday in 1966. "Saline Solution" was first published in IF, March, 1963. "Sealed Orders" (aka "Retief of Red-Tape Mountain") was first published in IF, February, 1962. "Ultimatum" (aka "Mightiest Qorn") was first published in IF, November, 1961. "Wicker Wonderland" (aka "The City That Grew in the Sea") was first published in IF, March, 1964.

BAEN BOOKS by KEITH LAUMER

Retief!
Odyssey (forthcoming)