diff --git a/test/view.cpp b/test/view.cpp
index e0f99ec8..0e640e21 100644
--- a/test/view.cpp
+++ b/test/view.cpp
@@ -15,19 +15,21 @@ main (int, char**)
         "character array view does not include trailing null"
     );
 
-    const std::string s = "this is a test string";
-    const std::string t = "not the same string";
-
-    tap.expect_eq  (s, util::make_view(s), "string/view equality");
-    tap.expect_neq (s, util::make_view(t), "string/view inequality");
-    tap.expect_eq  (s.data (), util::make_view (s), "c-str/view equality");
-    tap.expect_eq  (
-        s,
-        util::view<const char*> (&*s.cbegin (), &*s.cend ()),
-        "string/pointer-view equality");
-
     {
-        // comparator tests
+        const std::string s = "this is a test string";
+        const std::string t = "not the same string";
+
+        tap.expect_eq  (s, util::make_view(s), "string/view equality");
+        tap.expect_neq (s, util::make_view(t), "string/view inequality");
+        tap.expect_eq  (s.data (), util::make_view (s), "c-str/view equality");
+        tap.expect_eq  (
+            s,
+            util::view<const char*> (&*s.cbegin (), &*s.cend ()),
+            "string/pointer-view equality");
+    }
+
+    // comparator tests
+    {
         static const struct {
             util::view<const char*> a;
             util::view<const char*> b;
@@ -48,5 +50,25 @@ main (int, char**)
         }), "comparator less-than");
     };
 
+    // slicing
+    {
+        static const struct {
+            const char *init;
+            const char *result;
+            int a;
+            int b;
+            const char *message;
+        } TESTS[] = {
+            { "01234567", "01234567", 0,  8, "identity, +ve +ve" },
+            { "01234567", "01234567", 0, -1, "identity, +ve -ve" },
+            { "01234567", "", -1, -1, "empty, -ve -ve" },
+            { "01234567", "45", 4, -3, "centre, +ve -ve" },
+        };
+
+        for (const auto &t: TESTS) {
+            tap.expect_eq (util::view { t.init }.slice (t.a, t.b), t.result, "slice; %s", t.message);
+        }
+    }
+
     return tap.status ();
 }
diff --git a/view.hpp b/view.hpp
index b5bbbc0a..abc81b06 100644
--- a/view.hpp
+++ b/view.hpp
@@ -308,6 +308,24 @@ namespace util {
         }
 
 
+        //---------------------------------------------------------------------
+        // slices a view using python indexing semantics. ie,
+        // "abc".slice(0,  3) == "abc"
+        // "abc".slice(0, -1) == "abc"
+        // "abc".slice(0, -2) == "ab"
+        constexpr auto
+        slice (int a, int b)
+        {
+            auto first = m_begin;
+            auto last  = m_begin;
+
+            std::advance (first, a < 0 ? size () + a + 1 : a);
+            std::advance (last,  b < 0 ? size () + b + 1 : b);
+
+            return util::view { first, last };
+        }
+
+
         //---------------------------------------------------------------------
         constexpr auto
         consume (int count) const