Tiger by the Tail

"Tiger by the Tail" by Poul Anderson is a science fiction adventure set in the early 1950s, it whirls around Captain Dominic Flandry of the Terran Empire, an expert at sabotage. Flandry's world turns upside down when the horned Scothani, a fierce and barbaric race hungry for conquest, capture him. To survive, Flandry must tread carefully, navigating the tricky politics of the Scothani Empire, figuring out what they really want, and deciding where his loyalties lie. He uses his smarts and charisma to get close to the Scothani, all while secretly gathering info to ruin their invasion plans. As he deals with treacherous leaders like Crown Prince Cerdic and gets tangled in their political games, Flandry has to make alliances and cook up his own scheme to protect Earth from destruction in a story of honor, deceit, and one man's fight against the odds.