Define a macro that eliminates this repetitive pattern:
(def-iter iterator-islice (base-iter start stop delta curr) (islice (iterable start stop delta) "Works like Python's [islice](https://docs.python.org/3.8/library/itertools.html#itertools.islice)" (unless (and (>= start 0) (>= stop 0) (> delta 0)) (error (format nil "Args must all be positive~%"))) (init-state (base-iter (make-iterator iterable)) start stop delta (curr 0))) (if (< curr start) (progn (loop for _ below start for (__ base-alive) = (multiple-value-list (next base-iter)) when (not base-alive) do (return-from self (values nil nil)) do (incf curr)) (when (< curr stop) (incf curr) (next base-iter))) (loop with base-item with base-alive = t for i below delta do (when (or (not base-alive) (>= curr stop)) (return (values nil nil))) (multiple-value-setq (base-item base-alive) (next base-iter)) (incf curr) finally (return-from self (values base-item t)))))

Issue: Macro call that should be transformed by def-iter

Macro definition:
(defmacro def-iter (name state-vars (constructor-name constructor-params &body constructor-body)
                    &body next-body)
  "An anaphoric convenience macro which can be re-implemented to change how iterators are
  structured. Exposes the local `init-state` macro within `constructor-body`

  If you don't want to-use this macro (which I totally understand) just write constructors for your
  iterators returning 0-argument closures representing the `next` function and you'll be fine. This
  macro just helped me get through a lot of waffling during development

  Parameters
  ----------
  `name` is a synbol naming the iterator's backing state. However it's actually
  ignored, since PICL doesn't currently expose iterators' backing state

  `state-vars` is a list of symbols naming the iterator's state variables.

  The `constructor-name/params/body` will be `defun`'d to create the user-facing constructor
  function. In `constructor-body`, the return value should be an iterator or a call to local
  `init-state` macro

  `next-body` The definition of the `next` function for this iterator, which will be run in a
   lexical environment consisting of the state vars

  Both `constructor-body` and `next-body` are defined in the lexical environment of the `def-iter`
  form, and as such can access any lexical bindings not shadowed by the `constructor-params` and
  `state-vars` respectively

  The local `init-state` macro.
  ----------------------------
  The arguments to `init-state` should be of the form `(statevar-symbol value-form)`or
  `statevar-symbol`. In the first case, the value of `value-form` will be used to initialize the
  state variable named by `symbol`. In the second case, `statevar-symbol` is also used as the
  corresponding `value-form`

  Example
  -------
  What follows is a sample implementation of the `count` iterator using this macro
  ```
  (def-iter ignored-backing-name (curr-val step)
    (count (start step)
      (init-state (curr-val start) step))
    (prog1 curr-val (incf curr-val step))))
  ````"

  (declare (ignore name))
  (alexandria:with-gensyms (next-fname)
    (let ((docstring "Function had no docstring, so this one was inserted"))
      (when (and (cdr constructor-body) (stringp (car constructor-body)))
        (setf docstring (car constructor-body)
              constructor-body (cdr constructor-body)))
      `(labels ((,next-fname (&key ,@state-vars)
                  (labels ((self () ,@next-body)) #'self)))
         (defun ,constructor-name ,constructor-params
           ,docstring
           (macrolet
               ((init-state (&rest argspecs)
                  (list 'apply '#',next-fname
                        (apply #'append
                               '(list )
                               (mapcar (lambda (aspec)
                                         (if (symbolp aspec)
                                             (list (alx:make-keyword aspec) aspec)
                                             (destructuring-bind (aname adef) aspec
                                               (list (alx:make-keyword aname) adef))))
                                       argspecs)))))
             ,@constructor-body))))))

Macroexpansion:
(labels ((#:next-fname141 (&key base-iter start stop delta curr) (labels ((self nil (if (< curr start) (progn (loop for _ below start for (__ base-alive) = (multiple-value-list (next base-iter)) when (not base-alive) do (return-from self (values nil nil)) do (incf curr)) (when (< curr stop) (incf curr) (next base-iter))) (loop with base-item with base-alive = t for i below delta do (when (or (not base-alive) (>= curr stop)) (return (values nil nil))) (multiple-value-setq (base-item base-alive) (next base-iter)) (incf curr) finally (return-from self (values base-item t)))))) (function self)))) (defun islice (iterable start stop delta) "Works like Python's [islice](https://docs.python.org/3.8/library/itertools.html#itertools.islice)" (macrolet ((init-state (&rest argspecs) (list (quote apply) (quote (function #:next-fname141)) (apply (function append) (quote (list)) (mapcar (lambda (aspec) (if (symbolp aspec) (list (alx:make-keyword aspec) aspec) (destructuring-bind (aname adef) aspec (list (alx:make-keyword aname) adef)))) argspecs))))) (unless (and (>= start 0) (>= stop 0) (> delta 0)) (error (format nil "Args must all be positive~%"))) (init-state (base-iter (make-iterator iterable)) start stop delta (curr 0)))))