Retief to the Rescue
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 Cover art by Rowena Morrill | |
| Author | Keith Laumer |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Rowena Morrill |
| Series | Retief |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Timescape Books |
Publication date | 1983 |
| ISBN | 0-671-81866-X |
| Preceded by | Retief: Diplomat at Arms |
| Followed by | The Return of Retief |
Retief to the Rescue is a light-hearted space opera novel by Keith Laumer that was published by Simon & Schuster under their Timescape Books imprint in 1983. It was the twelfth of nineteen novels and anthologies based on the fictional space diplomat Jame Retief, but the first Retief novel to be published since Laumer's stroke a decade before.
Jame Retief is sent to the planet Furtheron to aid the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT), who are trying to negotiate a settlement between two indigenous races, the Hither Furtherons (Crawlies), who live on the planet's surface, and the Nether Furtherons (Creepies), who live underground. While the rest of the Terran delegation hosts dinner parties and conducts staff meetings, Retief discovers that the civil war has been exacerbated by the duplicitous alien Groaci, Retief's opponents throughout his career, who have been supplying both sides with modern weaponry. Retief takes a direct, two-fisted approach to solve the situation and save the lives of the diplomats.[1]
Publication history
Keith Laumer first introduced the character Jame Retief in 1963's Envoy to New Worlds. The character proved popular, and Laumer created a long series of novels and short stories about Retief's adventures. In 1971, Laumer suffered from a stroke, which curtailed his writing. After a slow recover, Laumer began writing again, and the twelfth book in the Retief series, Retief to the Rescue, was published by Simon & Schuster under their Timescape Books imprint[2] in 1983, the first Retief novel to be released since Laumer's stroke.