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Pizza in Space #1
Slice of Entropy
Melody Wilder just needs to complete her dissertation and life will be perfect. Alas, that's not going to happen.
She hasn't picked a topic yet, her undergraduate loans have been "un-forgiven" with a vengeance, the university is about to strip her of her stipend, her job, and her apartment, and a pirate-priest minotaur is systematically destroying her life.
Meanwhile, alien bear cub physicists are trying to extradite her best friend on charges of violating the laws of conservation of matter every time he makes a pizza!
And things are just getting started.
A blend of colorful aliens, explorations of cognitive psych and the nature of memory, and the healing power of a good slice of pizza, Slice of Entropy is a rollicking romp of science fiction fun and adventure that will leave you hungry for more.
She hasn't picked a topic yet, her undergraduate loans have been "un-forgiven" with a vengeance, the university is about to strip her of her stipend, her job, and her apartment, and a pirate-priest minotaur is systematically destroying her life.
Meanwhile, alien bear cub physicists are trying to extradite her best friend on charges of violating the laws of conservation of matter every time he makes a pizza!
And things are just getting started.
A blend of colorful aliens, explorations of cognitive psych and the nature of memory, and the healing power of a good slice of pizza, Slice of Entropy is a rollicking romp of science fiction fun and adventure that will leave you hungry for more.
- GenresScience Fiction
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2021
20 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence M. Schoen
128 books233 followersLawrence M. Schoen holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, is a past Astounding, Hugo, and Nebula, nominee, twice won the Cóyotl award for best novel, founded the Klingon Language Institute, and occasionally does work as a hypnotherapist specializing in authors’ issues. He is a chimeric cancer survivor.
His science fiction includes many light and humorous adventures of a space-faring stage hypnotist and his alien animal companion. Other works take a very different tone, exploring aspects of determinism and free will, generally redefining the continua between life and death. Sometimes he blurs the funny and the serious. Lawrence lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife and their dog.
His science fiction includes many light and humorous adventures of a space-faring stage hypnotist and his alien animal companion. Other works take a very different tone, exploring aspects of determinism and free will, generally redefining the continua between life and death. Sometimes he blurs the funny and the serious. Lawrence lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife and their dog.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 3, 2023
Melody Wilder is a doctoral student in psychology aboard an alien space station at the edge of our solar system who's been prevaricating on the topic of her dissertation. Her life is about to be seriously disrupted though, first with financial problems related to her student loans, and then with a procession of strange aliens, all of whom have agendas relating to Melody and her best friend, a pizza-making unique alien.
This is an odd sort of dramatic comedy with science-fictional themes around probability, fate and religion. I found it to be really clever and lots of fun. For me this was checking on the author of Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and it's sequel, both of which I thought were brilliant. This is alike in terms of having a large cast of aliens, but otherwise completely different in content and tone. I will definitely be continuing with the second book.
This is an odd sort of dramatic comedy with science-fictional themes around probability, fate and religion. I found it to be really clever and lots of fun. For me this was checking on the author of Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and it's sequel, both of which I thought were brilliant. This is alike in terms of having a large cast of aliens, but otherwise completely different in content and tone. I will definitely be continuing with the second book.
May 8, 2022
Melody's day just keeps getting worse. Her university has decided to unforgive her student loans - payable immediately. And Melody hasn't even finished her PhD. So she decides to do as any sensible person would do in her place: drown her sorrows in carbs. But then string of strange happenings and stranger aliens mean her day gets rapidly better, better again, then worse, then worse yet. But at least there's pizza.
Sublime and ridiculous, this sci-fi novel delivers a lesson in cognitive psychology and existentialism wrapped in layers of absurdity, action, and pizza.
Sublime and ridiculous, this sci-fi novel delivers a lesson in cognitive psychology and existentialism wrapped in layers of absurdity, action, and pizza.
June 23, 2021
Melody Wilder is a grad student in psychology focusing on alien memory, and she starts off the book with some devastating news about her student loans. What happens after that is a whirlwind of adventure as she learns things about her best friend and meets several aliens who all have something they want from her. And oh yeah, there's lots of pizza.
Schoen has a great sense of comedy, and this book had me laughing in its ridiculousness multiple times. The dialogue for one of the alien species is kind of straddling the line of being funny or annoying, and I think it's mostly funny. The author also has background as a psychologist studying memory himself, too, so I'm sure he's drawing a lot on his own grad school experiences (well, hopefully not the alien part).
In some ways this book feels like a a setup story for what Melody and friends might do in future books, but it was a fun and silly ride as we did so, and I'm looking forward to more Pizza in Space!
Schoen has a great sense of comedy, and this book had me laughing in its ridiculousness multiple times. The dialogue for one of the alien species is kind of straddling the line of being funny or annoying, and I think it's mostly funny. The author also has background as a psychologist studying memory himself, too, so I'm sure he's drawing a lot on his own grad school experiences (well, hopefully not the alien part).
In some ways this book feels like a a setup story for what Melody and friends might do in future books, but it was a fun and silly ride as we did so, and I'm looking forward to more Pizza in Space!
May 21, 2022
Nada más leer la primera frase, que dice "Aliens make the best pizza", mi primer pensamiento fue: "vaya otra m*erda de libro autopublicado. Pero parece que el autor era consciente de ello y la segunda frase es "No, wait, hear me out,...", así que le di una oportunidad.
Cuando llevaba sobre el 10% (que es primer corte para abandonar un libro), lo absurdo, chocante y humorístico de la trama me llevó a continuar hasta el 20%, momento en que si un libro no me ha enganchado, lo abandono. Con sentimientos encontrados decidí leer un poco más y cuando me di cuenta, llevaba el 55% del mismo.
Es un libro raro. La portada no acompaña nada. El desarrollo de la acción es muy original, pero sin salirse por peteneras incomprensibles. Me gusta por eso. También porque el texto fluye, sin usar palabras grandilocuentes y sin lucimientos estilísticos que rompen mi pobre inglés. Hubiera mandado a hacer gárgaras a quien me hubiera dicho que habría disfrutado un libro de ciencia ficción en el que la pizza es uno de los temas casi principales.
¿Lo malo? Pues que el libro termina con un cierre razonable, pero el autor no ha seguido con la serie.
Cuando llevaba sobre el 10% (que es primer corte para abandonar un libro), lo absurdo, chocante y humorístico de la trama me llevó a continuar hasta el 20%, momento en que si un libro no me ha enganchado, lo abandono. Con sentimientos encontrados decidí leer un poco más y cuando me di cuenta, llevaba el 55% del mismo.
Es un libro raro. La portada no acompaña nada. El desarrollo de la acción es muy original, pero sin salirse por peteneras incomprensibles. Me gusta por eso. También porque el texto fluye, sin usar palabras grandilocuentes y sin lucimientos estilísticos que rompen mi pobre inglés. Hubiera mandado a hacer gárgaras a quien me hubiera dicho que habría disfrutado un libro de ciencia ficción en el que la pizza es uno de los temas casi principales.
¿Lo malo? Pues que el libro termina con un cierre razonable, pero el autor no ha seguido con la serie.
February 14, 2021
Excellent, quirky science fiction
I love the aliens, and I love Melody and the Captain....ok, I loved just about everyone. The world building is great, the aliens are inventive and often hilarious, and nobody dies, which is a miracle in current sci fi. The touch of fantasy could be explained by extremely advanced technology (maybe). But it doesn't matter because Slice is a great story and made me happy. I read Slice on KU but will buy it to reread.
I love the aliens, and I love Melody and the Captain....ok, I loved just about everyone. The world building is great, the aliens are inventive and often hilarious, and nobody dies, which is a miracle in current sci fi. The touch of fantasy could be explained by extremely advanced technology (maybe). But it doesn't matter because Slice is a great story and made me happy. I read Slice on KU but will buy it to reread.
March 1, 2024
Really good characters and story
This is a really good book with detailed and fun characters. There is the equivalent of magic pizza that ties the story together, interesting aliens that are similar enough to what we understand but different enough to suck you in and want to learn more about them. Lots of action, some story twists and back again, and overall a very enjoyable read. I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it.
This is a really good book with detailed and fun characters. There is the equivalent of magic pizza that ties the story together, interesting aliens that are similar enough to what we understand but different enough to suck you in and want to learn more about them. Lots of action, some story twists and back again, and overall a very enjoyable read. I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it.
June 30, 2021
Melody Wilder is a graduate student on a space station, just trying to settle on a dissertation subject and enjoying the marvelous pizza her friend, an alien Pelk named Drinder makes.
But then two aliens that look like bear cubs, one that looks like a statue, and one that resembles a minotaur and Melody's world gets knocked all pear-shaped.
But then two aliens that look like bear cubs, one that looks like a statue, and one that resembles a minotaur and Melody's world gets knocked all pear-shaped.
February 15, 2021
Academia, weird pizza, annoying aliens, and physics. If you need some light-hearted fun, this is a good choice.
May 2, 2025
Clearly written by a man. A man who thinks he's REALLY clever.
Boring, drawn-out, over-wrought.
People have descriptions and conversations instead of personalities.
Boring, drawn-out, over-wrought.
People have descriptions and conversations instead of personalities.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews