Ruiz Tremello & Marguerite are in Hammerfest, Finland, discussing "The Frozen Planet" by Keith Laumer, a novella featuring Retief, the universe's least subtle spy. There are at least 14 different Retief books / collections, and "The Frozen Planet & four other science-fiction novellas" (MacFadden Books, 1966) contains this story, one of Retief's first published appearances. And what an appearance! He's basically 007 minus any trace of grace or elegance or Britishness.

Keith Laumer (1925-1993) is the author of five different series', including the Retief novels, The Imperium Sequence, and the Bolo Books. We of the EBC endorse the works of Keith Laumer, in the sense that we think that you should read books, and these happen to be books, so why not read them?