Retief is an officer of the distinguished Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne, a supra-national organization devoted to keeping the peace - or more accurately, to maintaining a state of tension short of armed conflict. Retief is not exactly in the mainstream of current Galactic diplomacy, as expounded by such giants of the C.D.T. as Crodfoller, Hidebinder, Straphanger, and his own immediate superior, Magnan. Deviously sincere, uncompromisingly venal, fearlessly cowardly, these great, dedicated public servants will seem curiously familiar as they strive to keep the peace seven hundred years in the future. But when Retief's on the scene things have a way of coming right in the end... Contents: Ultimatum Saline Solution The Brass God The Castle of Light Wicker Wonderland Native Intelligence The Prince and the Pirate Courier Protest Note

How are thing on Rockamorra? Bad, very. Earth Ambassador Pinchbottle has contracted to fight a dinosaur, and it's up to troubleshooter Jame Retief to keep him from being stomped, mangled, or eaten. Things are tough on other planets, too, with a civil war on Skweem, a dying race om Sulinore, and mudstorms on Schweinhund's World. These seven stories show the Galaxy's hippest diplomat at his unexpected and jaunty best.

Billy Danger had gone past hitting the skids - now he was freezing to death in a blizzard. So he took shelter in a corn silo that turned out to be a disguised alien starship, and woke up light years from Earth.

The world, as Lafayette O'Leary knew it, disappeared in a flash. Perhaps it was his own doing - after all, he had the uncanny gift of creating alternate realities by sheer mental power. But the result was a nightmare gone out of control. All O'Leary wanted was to find his wife and return to the familiar world of Artesia. Yet no sooner did he manage to extricate himself from one bizarre situation than he was thrust into another, equally threatening... There was only one thing to do: he had to penetrate the very center of power from which his destiny was being controlled and - take it into his own hands!

Awakened from suspended animation aboard his exploration starship, John Jackson is shocked to discover that the ship never left Earth - and that he has slept a century after a world war. Facing a nightmare wilderness inhabited by neo-barbarians and sentient tanks, Jackson is the only man who can bring the world to its senses.

THE CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE TERRESTRIENNE HAS NEVER SEEN HIS LIKE... Retief - the most diplomatic diplomat of the 27th century. His mission: to gain control of the most desirable planet in the universe - without triggering intergalactic war. He tries talking ... but how does anyone - even Retief - negotiate with an uninhabited planet? He tries a dice game ... but how does gambling help the solar peace organization prevent the malevolent Basurans (who've eaten their own planet) from turning to Terra's prize colony for an after-dinner snack? The problems Retief faces are just beginning, but as insurmountable as they seem, the indomitable adventurer prevails - and keeps the state of the universe on an even keel!

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, A Checklist, 1700-1974, Volume one of Two, contains an Author Index, Title Index, Series Index, Awards Index, and the Ace and Belmont Doubles Index.