Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain by Keith Laumer
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"Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain" by Keith Laumer is a science fiction novella penned in the early 1960s. This book centers around the themes of diplomacy, conflict resolution, and the absurdities of bureaucratic procedures as the protagonist navigates interspecies tensions and misunderstandings on a distant planet. The story follows Vice-Consul Retief, who is dispatched to the troubled world of Adobe to mediate a crisis between human settlers and the indigenous alien species
known as the Flap-jacks. As he arrives, Retief finds himself amidst ongoing conflict, including a war initiated by misunderstandings and unprovoked violence. Utilizing his diplomatic skills, Retief cleverly restructures the situation, leading to a comical yet effective resolution involving food, drink, and a rather unconventional sporting contest, ultimately securing peace and a new agreement that honors both the settlers and the Flap-jacks. Through humor and wit, Laumer explores how effective communication can triumph over red tape, showcasing the often ridiculous nature of bureaucratic protocols in a fantastical setting. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Laumer, Keith, 1925-1993 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Gaughan, Jack, 1930-1985 |
| Title | Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain |
| Series Title | Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1962 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 87.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Life on other planets -- Fiction |
| Subject | Space colonies -- Fiction |
| Subject | Retief (Fictitious character) -- Fiction |
| Subject | Diplomats -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 61146 |
| Release Date | Jan 11, 2020 |
| Last Update | Oct 17, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 342 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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