Retief must use all of his diplomatic skills when he chaperones Earth's entrant to a pangalactic beauty pageant on the planet Boondock, where beauty is in the eye--or eyes--of the beholder

Terran diplomat and interplanetary troubleshooter Jame Retief must stop the belligerent, five-eyed Groaci from invading the beleaguered planet of Bloor, which is already plagued by violence between rival gangs.

Across the galaxies, against wrongdoers and rogues! Only Retief - the indomitable champion of the underdog and 27th-century diplomacy - can seal the peace between the battling earthlings and the lobster-like aliens known as the Haterakans. In constant peril, the daring spacewarrior must join a pirate band, cross the fatal boundaries of the Terran Defense League, and take on his arch rivals Foulbrood and Bloodblister. Facing certain torture, double-dealing, and ruthless espionage, he passes within inches of death. But he must emerge victorious - or the Hatracks will waste no time in executing their berserk plan to raise earthlings as a food supply!

It's a rare day when Terrans meet eye-to-eyestalk with the slimy little sticky-fingers - er, that is to say, the noble alien Groaci. This time the races clash on the planet Popu-Ri, once the home of a mighty interstellar power. Popu-Ri has sunk into decline...but its ancient treasures remain. Though not for long, if the Groaci have their way. Groaci also finds Popu-Ri just the place to build a galactic warfleet. Still, for the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne to respond would threaten the delicate balance of human/Groaci forces on the cocktail circuit. Therefore the ambassador must keep the lid on by doing nothing. But how to do nothing without seeming an inneffectual pantywaist? Send an observer! Yep, the Ambassador has it all figured out. But he made one little mistake; he sent Retief...

Lumbaga is a planet without known virtues - but with some decidedly odd natives. For every Lumbagan is simply an arbitrary assortment of semi-independent organs inspired by a lust for mayhem. But even the most undesirable chunk of galactic real estate attracts its quota of rival overlords, and the fiendish Groaci had a scheme for absorbing Lumbaga into their sphere of influence. It was working well, too, until it involved Retief, Terran diplomat extraordinary. To his powerful intellect, the machinations of the Groaci were child's play...

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.

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!

PLANET AFTER PLANE FELL TO THE REE A vast and powerful race, the Ree needed breeding room for an ever-increasing population - and their expansion plans took no account of human territory. The farmers and miners of Tip Space were helpless against the Ree invasion. Still the Terran diplomats dithered, holding back the Navy, hoping for a truce. Retief, already on probation for undiplomatic behaviour, earned himself the assignment parleying with the Ree when he urged force against them. A suicide mission? Perhaps...but Retief is Retief.

Lumbaga is a planet without known virtues - but with some decidedly odd natives. For every Lumbagan is simply an arbitrary assortment of semi-independent organs inspired by a lust for mayhem. But even the most undesirable chunk of galactic real estate attracts its quota of rival overlords, and the fiendish Groaci had a scheme for absorbing Lumbaga into their sphere of influence. It was working well, too, until it involved Retief, Terran diplomat extraordinary. To his powerful intellect, the machinations of the Groaci were child's play...

HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MURDER It was a set-up ... but who was behind it, and why did they want Ban Tarleton out of the United Planetary Navy? Could it have been something to do with the innocent-looking chunk of rock dug from an asteroid by Tarleton's best friend - a discovery which caused him to be brutally killed? The Navy was helpless, under the orders of a greater power. Yet even the Star Lords had a weakness. If Tarleton could discover that secret, he and the populace of the beleaguered world might find freedom once again.