Three stories about Retief, an assistant to Ben Magnan, who is a member of the diplomatic corps. Ben and Retief are sent to various embassies throughout the galaxy. They report to the ambassador, and of all the diplomatic staff people, only Retief seems to be competent at his job. Virtually on his own, Retief manages to save the day, protecting Terran interests and thwarting the Groaci, the trouble makers of the galaxy, who are always up to something nefarious.
All three stories are nearly the same. Location is changed, the Groaci evil plot is changed, the denizens of the individual worlds are changed and how Retief takes care of everything is changed. But other than that, everything else is the same. Retief discovers a Groaci or two behaving suspiciously. Retief investigates and engages with the locals and figures out what the Groaci are up to and then he does exactly what it takes to stop them. Ben Magnan usually get dragged into too, always against his will.
The stories are OK. Not as funny or inventive as many of his other Retief stories. It seemed to me like he wasn't really trying, just sticking to the formula.
The stories:
- Retief in the Ruins
- There Is a Tide
- The Woomy
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