Quiet, Please

Groverzb has left Earth in search of the one thing he values above all else: peace and quiet. Settling on a remote planet inhabited by silent “Little People,” the irritable composer expects to finish his concerto without interruption, conversation, or the distractions of civilization. For a while, the strange world seems perfectly suited to him—until he sits down at his piano.

Though the instrument appears to be in flawless condition, every melody Groverzb plays erupts as unbearable noise. His ears are fine, the doctor is no help, and the baffled locals soon decide that something must be done about the racket. As Groverzb is swept into an increasingly bewildering confrontation with the planet’s unusual customs and communication methods, his dream of solitude becomes a comic struggle to discover what, exactly, is wrong with his music. This light science-fiction tale turns sound, language, and culture upside down with playful results.