Jame Retief is a diplomat; a soldier; a gentleman; a rouge, when necessary, a man of action, and a lightening fast thinker. He is the best the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne has to offer. Caught between the hide bound old guard of the Corps and new realities on the ground Retief often finds himself in awkward positions that only he can solve. History is presented to us in nice neat time-lines. But the making of history is anything but neat. People like Retief who actually make history are seldom recorded in the history books. These are the stories of the people who drive history. Collected here are a dozen of the very best Retif stories. Keith Laumer was a Hugo and World Fantasy Nominee science fiction officer. Laumer’s experience as an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the Foreign Service shines through in these stories. One of science fiction’s true luminaries. Included herein: The Frozen Planet Gambler’s World The Yillian Way The Madman from Earth Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain Aide Memoire Cultural Exchange The Desert and the Stars Saline Solution Mightiest Qorn The Governor of Glave Diplomat-at-Arms