Retief: The Yillian Way

By Keith Laumer

The ceremonious protocol of the Yills was impressive, colorful, and, in the long run, deadly! It was up to Jame Retief to figure out how to respond to the Yill's overtures in the correct manner; all the while keeping his superiors from making a deadly mistake. Only one man could think quickly enough to get the job done!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Publishing LLC
• Release date: Mar 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781625588791

Keith Laumer

John Keith Laumer (June 9, 1925 – January 23, 1993) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. His older brother March Laumer was also a writer, known for his adult reinterpretations of the Land of Oz (also mentioned in Laumer's The Other Side of Time). Frank Laumer, their youngest brother, is a historian and writer.

Book preview

Chapter I

Jame Retief, vice-consul and third secretary in the Diplomatic Corps, followed the senior members of the terrestrial mission across the tarmac and into the gloom of the reception building. The gray-skinned Yill guide who had met the arriving embassy at the foot of the ramp hurried away. The councillor, two first secretaries and the senior attaches gathered around the ambassador, their ornate uniforms bright in the vast dun-colored room.

Ten minutes passed. Retief strolled across to the nearest door and looked through the glass panel at the room beyond. Several dozen Yill lounged in deep couches, sipping lavender drinks from slender glass tubes. Black-tunicked servants moved about inconspicuously, offering trays. A party of brightly-dressed Yill moved toward the entrance doors. One of the party, a tall male, made to step before another, who raised a hand languidly, fist clenched. The first Yill stepped back and placed his hands on top of his head. Both Yill were smiling and chatting as they passed through the doors.

Retief turned away to rejoin the Terrestrial delegation waiting beside a mound of crates made of rough greenish wood stacked on the bare concrete floor.

As Retief came up, Ambassador Spradley glanced at his finger watch and spoke to the man beside him.

Ben, are you quite certain our arrival time was made clear?

Second Secretary Magnan nodded emphatically. I stressed the point, Mr. Ambassador. I communicated with Mr. T’Cai-Cai just before the lighter broke orbit, and I specifically—

"I hope you didn’t appear

Reviews for Retief

[eelkat-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best Sci-Fi Ever Written!

By far the greatest sci-fi series ever written. Follow James Retief and Ben Magnun on thier action packed, tounge-in-cheek adventures across the galaxy.

The Retief series started out as a series of short stories published the various science fiction pulps during the 1950's through to the 1960's. These are classic sci-fi as it was written before the days of the moon landing. All together there were more than 60 stories about Retief's space adventures.

After the death of Keith Laumer, editors began to compile collections of these classic pulp fiction stories into a book series. Each collection contains 3 to 5 or more stories.

Of the series Retief and the Warlords is my fave!

If you like Douglas Adams' Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy than you're sure to love Retief.

[lbowman_33 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

really dreadful. Isolated moments of humour but it's really impossible to figure out the plot most of the time, and Retief has stopped being funny and become just a caricature of his former self. All of a sudden he's muscle bound and beats people up a whole lot, not just occasionally. And a Bolo got thrown in too, because poor Laumer, who (I gather) had had a stroke by this time, was I think throwing in every hit he'd ever had in an attempt to make the book work, because he had lost his sense of what a good story was and relied on events and props instead. Poor guy.