If you grinned when Retief needled pompous superiors like Magnan and turned a memo-laden diplomatic debacle into a personal triumph, you’ll love slippery Jim diGriz. In The Stainless Steel Rat, diGriz wisecracks his way through officious agencies and convoluted regulations, outwitting authority with the same breezy irreverence Retief uses to humiliate stuffed‑shirt foes and alien negotiators.

Enjoyed how Retief’s War lampoons the Corps’ paper‑pushing and turns solemn ‘protocol’ into a punchline while Retief fixes the mess anyway? Adams cranks that up to eleven. From the Vogons’ demolition notices to the Guide’s snark, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy skewers the same brand of cosmic red tape Retief sidesteps when he outmaneuvers grandstanding officials and posturing aliens.

If you liked watching Retief navigate sham ‘talks,’ read the room, and flip a looming incident into a victory over alien rivals, meet Harry Creek. In The Android’s Dream, Creek orchestrates a wild, behind‑the‑scenes campaign to resolve a treaty crisis that could spark war—much like Retief coolly defuses saber‑rattling while his betters tangle themselves in protocol.

Retief’s edge often comes from reading alien etiquette better than anyone else—then turning it to his advantage against rivals who don’t get the culture they’re dealing with. The Pride of Chanur throws you into the Hani, Kif, and other species’ norms and power plays; like Retief outwitting alien envoys, Pyanfar Chanur must parse and leverage cultural nuance to keep her crew alive.

If the thrill for you was Retief’s on‑the‑ground improvisation—turning a chaotic planetary incident into a clean diplomatic win—Dominic Flandry will hit the same sweet spot. In Ensign Flandry, a quick‑witted operative barrels through tight deadlines and hostile factions, pulling off last‑minute saves that echo Retief’s mission‑first gambits when the stakes are galactic.