Pages: 247Retief in the Ruins collects three of Keith Laumer's satirical novellas about Jame Retief, a low-level assistant in the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT). The CDT is rife with institutional incompetence; Retief generally always saves the day, over the objections of his boss, Ben Magnan.
None of these stories are any good. Retief in the Ruins in particular is hard to read. The humor in all three is more irritating than funny. This kind of humor might sustain a short story, but it fails at novella length.
I wanted to enjoy this book, but was unable to find anything enjoyable. Well, that's not completely true. Laumer names his ambassadors well: one can't help but laugh at Ambassador Gropedark and Ambassador Nipcheese.
- Retief in the Ruins: Retief defeats a Groacian plot on the planet Popu-Ri.
- There is a Tide: The Groacians are hiding a fleet on the moon of the planet Slub; on Slub, Retief thwarts a Groacian plot to steal the planet and turn it into a Groacian resort.
- The Woomy: On the planet Snotch, Retief uncovers a Groacian plot to cow the natives with a giant dirigible shaped like the mythical Woomy.
2 comments:
you really need to read a bit more retief. this was about the weakest of the story's in the series.
try etief's war and any of the earlier retief anthologies. jaime
retief is a really amazing character but you sadly found the wrong place to start.
most libraries can get you more laumer. if you look online you can find a story that ties jr's reasons for being a diplomat. other story's give you the history of terran-groacian relationships. they sre s great parody of the cold war. and the puns, they make it all. how could you not like a character named fum duck? anyway, rather than spoon feed you, look for the only story with retief as an old man. while as funny as ever, you also get the whole jr raison de etre.
read on!
Thanks for the comment. It's nice to know someone actually found my blog.
Maybe that was the weakest book in the series, but I was given it by a big Laumer fan. It's just not my thing. I prefer serious science fiction. How could I not like a character named Fum Duck? I'm not thirteen.
Anyway, given that I'm not interested in most funny science fiction, is there anything by Laumer I might like? He seems to be well liked, so maybe I should give him another chance--with a non-Retief book.
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