"The Tactful Saboteur" is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novelette by American writer Frank Herbert, which first appeared in ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'' magazine in October 1964. It is the second story in Herbert's ConSentiency universe (after “

A Matter of Traces "A Matter of Traces" is a science fiction short story by American writer Frank Herbert, first appeared in ''Fantastic Universe'' magazine in November 1958 and later in Herbert's 1985 short story collection '' Eye''. It is the first story in H ...

”), one of his three elaborate universes or franchises spanning multiple volumes (the others being the ''Dune'' universe and the ''Destination: Void'' universe developed with co-author Bill Ransom). The three chapter story "The Tactful Saboteur", written in a brisk, economical style, proved to be one of Herbert's most popular works. It was subsequently republished in ''The Worlds of Frank Herbert'' in 1971 and again in Herbert's 1985

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection '' Eye'' after interest was renewed in the wake of the film adaptation of Herbert's novel '' Dune''.

Plot

The protagonist of "The Tactful Saboteur" is ''saboteur extraordinary'' Jorj X. McKie, an employee of the Bureau of Sabotage (or BuSab). BuSab is a government agency responsible for conducting dirty tricks "in lieu of red tape" to help slow down and regulate the vast galaxy-spanning bureaucracy of the ConSentiency (under BuSab rules the Secretary of the agency retains his position until he himself is sabotaged). Tasked with finding missing saboteur Napoleon Bildoon, McKie attempts to penetrate the secrets of the Pan-Spechi, a race divided into groups of five "crèche mates", only one of whom possess ego-awareness at a time. In so doing he runs afoul of the "Tax Watchers" organization, which is adamantly opposed to the existence of BuSab.

Sources

* Herbert, Frank. "A Matter of Traces" (short story) ''

Fantastic Universe ''Fantastic Universe'' was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishin ...

'', 1958 * Herbert, Frank. "The Tactful Saboteur" (short story) ''

'', 1964 * Herbert, Frank. ''Whipping Star'' (novel)

G. P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and J ...

, 1970 * Herbert, Frank. ''The Dosadi Experiment'' (novel) G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1977

External links

*
"The Tactful Saboteur"
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tactful Saboteur, The Tactful Saboteur, The Tactful Saboteur, The ConSentiency universe Works originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction